{"id":418280,"date":"2026-01-17T03:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/418280\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T03:45:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:45:11","slug":"ufc-year-end-champion-picks-including-petr-yan-and-zhang-weili-the-fight-iq-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/418280\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC year-end champion picks, including Petr Yan and Zhang Weili: The Fight IQ Podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The best bets for who will hold UFC gold at the end of 2026 will be discussed by Chris, Joe, and Drake. Watch as the boys break down their favorite plays, including a few long shots.<\/p>\n

Updated on January 16, 2026 9:39PM EST<\/p>\n

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Updated on January 16, 2026 9:39PM EST<\/p>\n

Fight IQ<\/a>UFC end-of-year champion predictions for 2026: The Fight IQ Podcast<\/p>\n

We are back, and we are LIVE! Welcome to a special edition of Fight IQ, where Chris, Joe, and Drake run through their picks to end 2026 as a UFC champion in each division. The boys will cover the landscape of each weight class as we head into the Paramount era and break down their process when selecting a futures bet. Tune in Saturday at 6 PM ET to toss in your own predictions and analysis in the live chat! Those looking for a deeper dive into specific divisions can also check out individual articles written by Drake<\/a> and Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Meet the Hosts:<\/p>\n

Chris Olson: MMA Contributor at RotoWire. In addition to ranting on “Fight IQ, presented by RotoWire,”\u00a0Chris also writes about DFS\u00a0Baseball<\/a>\u00a0and MMA fight recaps. Follow him on Twitter at\u00a0@Theonliest1<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe “SunTszu”: Known more commonly by his Twitter handle\u00a0@SunTszu<\/a>, Joe is a Hedge Fund Executive by day and a high-volume DFS player by night. He is a 2x “Bracket Challenge” & “Gotham qualifier, who is currently ranked 13th in DFS MMA. You can also find him as one of the original contributors to “Fight IQ, presented by RotoWire.” He is also a co-creator of the “Creating Alpha in DFS” podcast.<\/p>\n

Drake Burden:\u00a0Drake is a proven DFS winner with multiple four-figure paydays under his belt. He took an interest in writing MMA during the pandemic and is active in various Discords and other social media communities. Follow him on Twitter at\u00a0@DBurdz<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Please subscribe to our new\u00a0RotoWire MMA YouTube channel! \u00a0Click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including \u2013 but not limited to \u2013 games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Christopher Olson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Sommerset, FanDuel: Christop, Yahoo: Martins. <\/p>\n