The thing about Ngannou is there is no book on him yet. Does he get gassed? Flustered? Frustrated? Nobody knows. Stipe is a great boxer but I do wonder if he's going to try and take him down. Alistair did with no luck then abandoned his game plan and got ktfo. I love me some Stipe, probably my favorite fighter but Ngannou is an incredible story as well. I'm just happy the heavyweight division finally has a title fight of two prime fighters since Cain and Werdum went at it.
I think you can definitely say 2017 was a down year in compared to 2016. Conor McGregor didn't fight, the women's division doesn't have the star power that it did when Rousey was leading the charge (though I think a nice rivalry between Joanna and Namajunas would be great), and a few of the divisions were held up by injuries.
GSP vacated the belt so at UFC 221 you'll have champ Robert Whittaker vs Luke Rockhold. I am a fan of Rockhold's game, he has excellent jiu jitsu, incredible kicking, and decent boxing. Whittaker though is one of the best strikers in the UFC and I was a bit concerned at how much damage Rockhold took in his fight against David Branch. He's always fought with a hands down and head up style but if he does that I think Whittaker retains.
Pound for pound number 1 Demetrious Johnson is still going strong with eleven title defenses. His hardest test will be coming up soon if the rumored super fight with TJ Dillishaw happens. Dillishaw showed TREMENDOUS stones after getting outclassed in the first round against Garbrandt, coming from behind and knocking him out in the second round. If the fight happens I have Dillishaw as the favorite but like the fight against Garbrandt it will be a showcase of two of the most skillful fighters in the world.
Woodley's last two fights against Wonderboy were super boring so I'd expect him to either fight GSP or Dos Anjos next. Tyron is obviously angling for a fight with GSP to cash in on a big pay day but nobody knows when he'll return so I think a fight with RDA is more likely. Aside from the title fights I actually think this is the third worse division right now behind flyweight and light heavyweight. Robbie Lawler hasn't looked the same since his wars with Rory Macdonald and nobody is paying to see Damien Maia fight. The guy I'd look at to make a big splash would be Darren Till. He made Cerrone look terrible and is a big welterweight whose striking is excellent.
DC fights Volkan Ozdemir in the semi main event at 220. Stanger things have happened but I think Cormier is a strong favorite. He and the suspended Jon Jones look to be a cut above the rest.
The bantamweight division is probably on hold until TJ fights Johnson, but Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt, and Jimmie Rivera would all be worthy of title shots.
In the FW division, Max Holloway has come into his own and is clearly the best fighter in the division. His ability to adjust to his opponent mid fight is very impressive and his long reach helps him keep at a comfortable distance while picking opponents apart. It doesn't hurt that his cardio is tremendous as well as seen in the two Aldo fights. Frankie Edgar can beat anyone on their day though and his next match up with the champ should be one to watch. Keep an eye out for undefeated Brian Ortega as well.
IMO the best division right now is lightweight. You have Conor who should be coming back, interim champ and all around weirdo Tony Ferguson, bear wrestling undefeated Khabib Nurmagamedov, Eddie Alvarez who looked fantastic against the psycho Justin Gaethje (who basically wants to trade headshots until someone can't stand), the super athletic Kevin Lee, Nate Diaz, Barbosa, etc... That is a murderers row of fights who are all basically in their prime. The top three stand out right now and I actually think Tony beats Khabib, Khabib beats Conor, and Conor beats Tony. Regardless this division is a lot of fun.