by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 10/13/2026 Photo Credits to Mike Kirschbaum/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 4Brendan Allen vs Middleweight Champion Matt Hylen - The middleweight division is in a bit of a standstill currently, so it’s tough to tell who will fight for the belt next. The assumption is that Sean Strickland will defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov, but who knows if that happens anymore with the latest comments from Strickland about the UFC and la

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/5/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari via Getty Images Natalia Silva vs Alexa Grasso Woman's Flyweight Championship Zak Drapeau - With Valentina out until reportedly Q3 of 2027, Natalia Silva will likely defend her belt sometime in Summer of next year and Alexa Grasso is absolutely up next. Silva had a closer fight with Wang Cong than she would've liked especially for a #8 contender but nonetheless she earned her title this weekend and now mov

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/2/2026 In our UFC 331 Predictions, which you can find here, Zak went 4-2 in picks with 2 methods for 6 points. Matt went 2-4 in picks with 0 methos for 3 points. Points To Date: Zak: 194 (128-74) Matt: 169 (113-83) *All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 10/2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Graphic Credits to UFC via bloodyelbow.com 1Natalia Silva vs 8Wang Cong Woman's Flyweight Championship (Silva -210) Zak Drapeau - In the

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 9/22/2026 Photo Credits to Luke Hales via Getty Images Joshua Van vs Manel Kape Zak Drapeau - I believe with his latest victory over Alexandre Pantoja, Joshua Van is already on a shortlist of GOAT Flyweights at just 24-years old and thus, has earned himself a layoff before his next fight. I don't know how long that will be, maybe until the end of 2027 but when he does decide to come back, he should be fighting Kape next. Another boxer to throw d

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 9/14/2026 Photo Credits to @ufc on Instagram Jean Silva vs Aljamain Sterling Matt Hylen - I understand that a lot of the media believes Silva deserves a title shot next, but I still think he's a fight away from proving he deserves one. This win doesn't move him up in my eyes, plus he has lost to the only top-ranked guy he has faced in Diego Lopes. This may be a hot take for some, but Silva hasn't accomplished more than what I thin

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/24/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari via Zuffa LLC Gregory Rodrigues vs Brendan Allen Zak Drapeau - Hell yeah, RoboCop is gonna be Top-7 in the Middleweight division this week. I'm stoked! Rodrigues had a great display of power and striking this weekend and now has 4 wins in a row and in 7 of his last 8. His next fight doesn't necessarily have to be a Top-5 guy, but Brendan Allen is also not active enough for his #4 ranking either. If the t

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/7/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC UFC Male Fighter of the Year Current: Justin Gaethje Honorable Mention: Sean Strickland Zak Drapeau - Fighter of the Year is awarded for a number of reasons that are subjective to every voter and usually have to do with the number of wins, number of title wins, and the way you win. Justin Gaethje has checked all of those boxes. In his first fight of the year, Gaethje had arguably

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/25/2026 Photo Credits to Brad Penner via Imagn Images 10. Milwaukee Bucks Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona (#10) Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee (#13) Malique Lewis, SF, NBL (#60) The 2026 offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks s obviously one of their biggest in Franchise history after trading away Giannis Antetokounmpo for a package that included players and picks including one of their 3 selections this week. Brayden Burries was drafted from their own pic

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sports Nation - 6/23/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC Manel Kape vs WINNER of Van v Pantoja Matt Hylen - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Kyoji Horiguchi vs WINNER of Almabayev v Johnson Zak Drapeau - Horiguchi is in a vulnerable state of his career after being dismantled this weekend and will be turning 36 years old soon but still has a lot to give this division. After tearing up promotions around the world and then dazzl

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/17/2026 Photo Credits to Hans Lucas via AFP via Getty images 1. Washington Wizards A.J. Dybantsa, SF, BYU 6'9" - 210 lbs Dybantsa is the no doubt, number 1 pick this year in the same way Cooper Flagg was last year. A tall and long player who can score from all three levels and has the athleticism to be a solid defender too, Dybantsa will definitely be the Wizards pick even if other players such as Peterson might be a slightly better fit. _ _

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 5/11/2026 Photo by Ishika Samant via Getty Images Sean Strickland vs 2Nassourdine Imavov Zak Drapeau - Strickland has defied the odds again and become only the 2nd two-time Middleweight champion. There are a number of fighters who could challenge Strickland first, including the former champion Du Plessis, who beat Strickland twice, but I think I'm giving Imavov the shot first. In a would-be rematch three years in the making, Nasso

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 5/5/2026 Photo by Ed Mulholland/ Zuffa LLC Carlos Prates vs WINNER of Makhachev vs Garry Matt Hylen - I mean, is Carlos Prates unbelievable or what?! Prates put on a perfect performance against a formidable opponent, making JDM look like an amateur in the octagon. Based on his résumé, finishing streak, and overall elite skill on the feet, Prates deserves nothing less than a title shot at this point. With that said, he will likely

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/27/2026 Photo by Sue Ogrocki/ Associated Press 1. New York Jets The Jets and the Giants had the best classes of all to me but I think the Jets just topped their cross-town rivals. With 4 picks in the Top-50, the Jets hit home runs with all of them including filling the 3 biggest needs of the team. David Bailey will be a force on the Edge for years to come. D'Angelo Ponds is a feisty leader on the outside or at slot corner. Then you get two dyn

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/24/2026 Photo by Kirby Lee/ Imagn Imgaes via CNN 1. Fernando Mendoza - LV Grade: A- The right pick. Mendoza isn't the perfect QB prospect but he's very good and the best of the class. He'll be under no pressure to start until he's ready with Kirk Cousins on the roster and is already surrounded by Jeanty and Bowers. 2. David Bailey - NYJ Grade: A I had Bailey as the 2nd pick all along and a much better fit for the Jets than Reese so I love the

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/21/2026 Photo by Kirby Lee/ Imagn Images *Click For Final Top-150 Big Board *Click For Final Positional Rankings _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1. Fernando Mendoza QB Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders need a Quarterback and Mendoza is the easy pick. Mendoza will get to sit behind Cousins for a few games before taking the reigns and becoming their Franchise guy for the next decade. 2. Arvell Reese Edge New York Jets The Jets have been linked to Bailey a

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 4/21/2026 Photo by Simon Fearn/ Imagn Images Mike Malott vs LOSER Joaquin Buckley/Sean Brady Matt Hylen - Mike Malott looked fantastic in his first career UFC event. He was patient, but once he found his shot, it was over for Gilbert Burns. With Malott now in the top-15, I think a challenge is on the horizon for the Canadian native. With the loser of Joaquin Buckley and Sean Brady needing a fight down, I think it could make for a

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 4/13/2026 Photo by Ed Mulholland/ Getty Images Carlos Ulberg vs WINNER of Prochazka vs Ankalaev Zak Drapeau - What a performance we saw from Carlos Ulberg in his first title fight. After tearing his ACL, he STILL knocked Jiri Prochazka into next week and became the new Light Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately, because of the injury, Ulberg will be out close to a year and may even have to vacate his title. Whether he vacates or no

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/8/2026 Graphic by NFL For the first time in the 2026 Draft season I will be putting out a Mock Draft with trades. This exercise helps with 2 things, the first being it gives everyone an idea of the most likely candidates to move picks when it comes to the First Round on April 24 and also shakes up the normal routine of draft picks we see selected just about at the same selection just about every time. I will probably make a separate list just

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 3/23/2026 Movsar Evloev vs Alexander Volkanovski Matt Hylen - Regardless of what people think of Movsar Evloev, there is simply no other fight that makes sense other than a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. Evloev's resume is elite, despite the lack of finishes. He showed on Saturday that he can be a balanced fighter when he wants to, making him the undisputed next fighter in line for a title shot. Both Evloev and Volk wan

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 3/16/26 Photo by Chris Unger/ Getty images Kevin Vallejos vs Yair Rodriguez Zak Drapeau - Vallejos has shown me enough that he should be taken seriously and given a top fight, and Yair Rodriguez seemingly has nothing else going on. A step up to #3 may be a bit soon for the 23-year-old, but after dispatching Chikadze and Emmett in the fashion he did, I'm ready to get a better look at what this phenom can do against a higher-qualit