By Chris Asbrock & Jin Kim

This year in mixed martial arts has kicked off with a bang. The UFC got the year started off on the right foot with UFC 195, which included a certain fight of the year candidate and round of the year candidate. The Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit fight was one that did not disappoint. We decided to dish out our combat sports awards for 2015 so let’s take a look.

2015 FTI Combat Sports awards:

Male Fighter of the Year

Chris: Conor McGregor
Jin: Conor McGregor

Female Fighter of the Year

Chris: Ronda Rousey
Jin: Holly Holm

Fight of the Year

Chris: Robbie Lawler vs Rory MacDonald @ UFC 189
Jin: Robbie Lawler vs Rory MacDonald @ UFC 189

Moment of the Year

Chris: Holly Holm knockout of Ronda Rousey
Jin: Holly Holm knockout of Ronda Rousey

This past year in the UFC was pretty easy to determine who the distinctions should be handed out to. If 2016 is anything like the past year, then the UFC will be in great shape. With that being said, lets take a look at our bold predictions for 2016 in combat sports.

1. GSP will fight again in the UFC

Word had been leaked that GSP was going to take part in a trial fight camp to see if he still had the desire to fight again. The former UFC Welterweight champion last fought in 2013 and could certainly come back and make some noise. I would expect to see Georges St. Pierre come back and make an appearance for one last night, no earlier than UFC 200 in July. I believe the desire is there and with the rumblings, I believe there could be something to it, because as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

2. Jon Jones will fight in the heavyweight division

Jon Jones is one of the best fighters in the history of the promotion. The former Light Heavyweight champion has not lost since 2009, and only lost his title due to his own stupidity. When Jones returns, expect to see him take back his title and move up to the heavyweight division. With nothing left to accomplish in the light heavyweight division and with the heavyweight division being not as strong as the others, adding Jones would be monumental. The 28 year-old Jones could make some waves and could quickly rise up the ranks.

3. Frankie Edgar dethrones Conor McGregor as champ

Conor McGregor has certainly made a name for himself within the combat sports world and has had a few fighters call him out. Edgar made a statement in his dominating win over Chad Mendes and quickly set his sights on the belt and McGregor. The UFC quickly moved to make Conor take on Lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in his next fight, leaving Mendes out of the discussion. When these two meet, look for the passion and determination to take Edgar to the pinnacle and dethrone the champ.

4. 2016 will be the best year for UFC and Bellator in terms of PPV business and viewership

Last year was a great year for both Bellator and the UFC. This year will be the best year for total viewership in the history of both promotions. With the lineup already set for the next few months, the groundwork has been laid for an amazing 2016. With events like UFC 200 and Bellator 149, there is no doubt the viewership will be there. Bellator 149, which will feature the bout between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, will certainly break a record for Bellator. Dana White has a chance to destroy any pay-per-view records for a UFC event if they are able to set up the UFC 200 card right. Regardless of what happens with these cards, if these two promotions can avoid the injury bug, they will certainly be very pleased with the amount of eyes checking out their product.

We have witnessed the greatest upsets (Rousey) and quickest KOs (Aldo) in 2015. I believe the year 2016 is going to be all about the revenge and payback. Hopefully Rhonda can rebuild her camp and confidence to take back that belt. Unfortunately, she may never be the same again from that fight so let’s stick to match ups more likely to happen.
From the mind of Jin

First in the featherweight division, Aldo and McGregor must fight again. I will not call it a fluke but it may have been a mistake on Aldo’s part. With that being said, I believe a fight against Max Holloway will be the best match up. To both Aldo and McGregor, please do not move up to lightweight. There is unfinished business in your division. Frankie Edgar deserves a title shot against McGregor and winner of that bout should fight the winner of Aldo vs Holloway.
Second, lightweight division is going to be exciting this coming year. With Tony Ferguson beating the crap out of Edson Barbosa, we have a new contender in this weight class. We’ve seen what Anthony Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos can do, but Tony Ferguson is the wildcard in this class and can make a run for the title.
Finally, the welterweight division is packed with some of the top fighters in the UFC. It is hard to pick which fights to seek out from the top five or six fighters. If Carlos Condit is able to take the belt from Robbie Lawler, I would like to see Rory McDonald or Johnny Hendricks fight him. Tyron Woodley should be in mix of the title talk and should be one win away from a title shot. Lastly, Ben Askren is wasting his youth and time. He needs to jump into the bigger pool and find a bigger fish. Come on man!
Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter  and