Predicting All 12 UFC Champions One Year From Now
2. Light Heavyweight Champion - Daniel Cormier (Interim Champion: Alexander Gustafsson)
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Daniel Cormier cleared out the Light Heavyweight division, in similar fashion to Demetrius Johnson at Flyweight. That left Cormier with one option: move up to Heavyweight. And Cormier did just that, stepping up to fight Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic, whom he defeated via first-round knockout to become the two-weight Champion.
Cormier's next fight will be as Heavyweight Champion (more on that later), which leaves the Light Heavyweight division in a flux. Alexander Gustafsson takes on Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 227 and there's a chance UFC will make that bout an interim title fight. Gustafsson has beaten everyone else and will likely beat Oezdemir as well, meaning he deserves the title shot. Cormier won't be around to fight him, so he has to get the interim belt.
Will Cormier fight Gustafsson at Light Heavyweight next year? It's possible but it all depends on how Cormier's next fight goes; should he win he won't come back down that soon. As for Gustafsson, he may have to drop down a weight and fight Luke Rockhold, which Dana White has recently considered. Light Heavyweight could be ugly for a while.