The Future of UFC in 2025

As 2024 is ending, the UFC has changed extensively and has given the potential for 2025 to be the best year yet for UFC. Firstly, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja showed his dominance in 2024 with two entertaining title defences over Steve Erceg and the Japanese sensation Kai Asakura. Now adding his total to three title defenses and 4 title fight victories, it seems like Alexandre Pantoja is unstoppable against all forms of contenders with their unique styles. The champion has cleaned out the division and Pantoja has been recognized as one of the best fighters pound for pound in the UFC. In 2025, the champion will likely attempt to make his fourth title defence against the winner of Brandon Royval who he has already defeated twice and the entertaining contender in Manel Kape. If Pantoja successfully defends his championship again, he may look to fight for a second belt as the Bantamweight division does not have a definitive champion as current title holder Merab Dvalishvili has yet to defend his title.

Speaking of Merab, the grappler won his title at UFC 306 in the sphere against the popular and dangerous Sean O'Malley. While Merab has not made his first title defence yet, he is set to fight in just under three weeks against the undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov. Umar last fought in August where he defeated the gritted veteran Cory Sandhagen. Umar is currently coached by the great Javier Mendez and cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov who is unanimously known as one of the greatest fighters of all time. This upcoming title fight is going to be a clash of two dominant grapplers where striking will certainly come into play. Merab who has not lost since 2018 is a +220 underdog to the undefeated Umar. https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-311#11806 Looking further into 2025, the winner will likely fight the global sensation Sean Omalley. Suga Sean had a monumental run to the title but in his last bought lost to the current champion Merab Dvalishvili. Omalley has recently gotten hip surgery and he understands that an immediate rematch was not in his future just yet. While he only has one title defence, Omalley has had many impressive victories over veterans such as Chito Vera and the former champion and current teammate of Merab, Aljamain Sterling. A potential super fight between Umar and Omalley can be one of the biggest fights that take place in 2025. The bantamweight division in 2025 will be very exciting.

Moving onto the featherweight division, champion Ilia Topuria had one of the best years of any fighter in the UFC as the undefeated mixed martial artist won the title against future hall of famer Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title successfully against the former champion Max Holloway in spectacular fashion. Topuria known for his powerful punches, won both of his fights this year by brutal knockout. He has been recognized for being one of the best fighters of the year and many believe he deserved to win the award of fighter of the year. The 27-year-old has plans to make his second title defence in his home country in Spain. His future counterpart will either be up-and-comer Diego Lopez who like Ilia has powerful hands and can even provide danger on the ground too. Topuria could also potentially fight Movsar Evloev who is best known for his wrestling and the additional undefeated fighter could get his chance at the title at some point this year. Many loyal fans want to see Volkanovski get another shot at the title due to his merit and sensational resume even though it is unlikely he will get a rematch without a win against another contender. Assuming the champion defends his title again, he has suggested fighting for a second title at lightweight due to his preference for cutting less weight and understanding that fighting the champion Islam Makhachev will draw more attention than fighting another contender. Like Conor McGregor, the featherweight champion could gain a second title in 2025.

UFC’s recognized pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev had a dominant 2024 with a successful title defence over former interim champion and future hall of famer Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June. This title fight was entertaining and the champion submitted Dustin with a D’arce choke in the middle of the last round. Like Umar, Islam trains under Javier Mendez and long-time training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov. This all-star corner and training group has made Islam the great fighter he is and Islam is due to have a great 2025. He is also fighting in three weeks headlining UFC 311 against Arman Tsarukyan who he has already defeated earlier in his career. The first fight between the two consisted of a lot of grappling and each fighter is known for their specialty where each fighter had takedowns over the other but in the end, Makhachev was superior and won in the end. However, their first fight took place in 2019 and each fighter has gotten much better. I expect a grueling 5 round title fight that is going to be very fast-paced but the champion should be able to get the job done. Looking further into 2025, Makhachev originally had plans to move up to welterweight to fight for a second title due to his harsh weight cuts but good friend and training partner Belal Muhammad currently holds that title and he has stated he will not move up until Belal is no longer in the title picture. No matter the winner, it is evident the champion after UFC 311 will fight the entertaining Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. Oliveira has been active and recently dominated Michael Chandler at UFC 309. While both Islam and Arman have victories over Charles, there is no other contender that has earned a title shot and many believe Charles should have beaten Arman when they last fought in April. Additionally, Islam was supposed to rematch Charles at UFC 294 before Oliviera pulled out due to an open cut sustained just two weeks before their fight. It is assumed that Oliviera will fight the winner of UFC 311 later down the line in 2025.

Furthermore, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad had to wait very long to earn a title shot but after going undefeated for five years, Belal got his chance against the stylist kickboxer Leon Edwards. Leon had every advantage leading into their fight as Belal was fighting in Leon’s home country in England and looked to be a heavy underdog as Leon dominated Belal in their previous matchup before Belal got hurt in the eye leading to a no-contest result. However, Belal backed up everything he said as he fought fearlessly and won exchanges on the feet and on the ground too. The fight ended in a unanimous decision for Belal and he finally won the title after many years of being in contention. While Belal does not have as big of a fan base as the other champions and receives backlash due to his fighting style and activity, he clearly proved he is championship material and Belal wants to prove he is a deserving champion in 2025. Belal was originally due to fight the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in December this year at UFC 310 but pulled out due to a gruesome toe injury. Shavkat Rakhmonov instead fought another undefeated contender in Ian Garry where both fighters put on a show. While the fight was close, Shavkat won by unanimous decision and further proved he was deserving of the next title shot. It is expected Belal will fight Rakhmonov early on in 2025. Unlike other divisions, there are many contenders that can earn a title shot against the winner of Belal and Shavkat. Depending on how things go in 2025, former champions Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman may be next up. However, prospects Jack Della Maddalena, Joaquin Buckley, Ian Garry, or even Carlos Prates could also go on a run in 2025 and be the next one to get the title shot. The welterweight division is known for its deep competition and will be one of the best divisions to watch in 2025.

The middleweight division took a big shift in 2024 as Dricus Du Plessis gained the throne in January 2024 at UFC 297 defeating the comedic Sean Strickland. DDP in his post-fight victory called out the former two-time middleweight champion and future hall of famer Israel Adesanya. The two fighters collided at UFC 205 in Australia where it was the most anticipated title fight in 2024. With Dricus representing South Africa and Adesanya representing Nigeria, the battle of Africa became very personal as Dricus mentioned Israel’s childhood mocking him for his upbringing. While the two buried the hatched after the fight, Israel looked as motivated as ever and the kickboxer imposed his will against the current champion. While DDP suffered a lot of damage throughout their fight due to Adesanya's power and kickboxing style, DDP caught Israel tripping and used the momentum to secure a gable grip and tap out the former two-time champion. DDP with an impressive victory made sure to make things right with Adesanya and the two seem to be on good terms. Looking into 2025, Adesanya is currently set to face Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia as his first non-title fight in five years. The former champion has to defeat Imavov and likely another contender to merit another title shot against DDP. Dricus on the other hand is scheduled to headline UFC 312 in Australia in a rematch against Strickland. While many believe Strickland has a boring Philly shell fighting style, his first fight against the champion went to a split decision and was very close and entertaining. Many also love Sean Strickland for his antics and personality. The winner of UFC 312 will for sure face Khamzat Chimaev who has earned his shot at the title after his victory at UFC 308 over the former champion Robert Whittaker. Khamzat like Dricus is known for his grappling and assuming Dricus can defend his title for a second time, a potential superfight between DDP and Chimaev will be groundbreaking. The middleweight division will see new names and seem more entertaining to many as former champion Israel Adesanya will likely not be in the title picture for the first time since 2018.

Going up to the light-heavyweight division, current champion Alex Pereira had the best 2024 of any UFC champion or fighter as Alex had 3 impressive title defenses in 2024 in the span of six months. The champion due to his record year was recognized and rewarded as the UFC’s fighter of the year. While many fighters slow down at age 37, Pereira has only recently transitioned to MMA and only joined the UFC in 2021. Periera quickly rose to the top of the middleweight division and earned a title shot against Israel Adesanya as they already had a history in kickboxing where “Poatan” was victorious in their first two kickboxing fights. In their third fight but first in the UFC, Pereira was losing to Adesanya but stopped him late in the last round resembling their last kickboxing fight where Pereira was also losing but managed to stop Adesanya late in the fight. Although Israel regained his title against Pereira in their fourth fight by brutally knocking out Pereira, it was clear Alex had potential and seemed to be a stronger fit at a bigger weight class where his chin would not be as vulnerable when he could cut less weight. “Poatan” moving up to light-heavyweight was the best decision he made as he gained the title in 2023 in just his second fight in the weight class. His dominance and star power earned him the opportunity to headline UFC 300 against Jamahal Hill where he found a first-round knockout against the former champion. He then saved his second PPV in 2024 by taking a title fight on three weeks' notice at UFC 303 in a rematch against Jiri Prochazka where he knocked him down at the end of the first round and quickly knocked him out with a head kick seconds into the second round. Pereira had his third title defence of 2024 in a thriller against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 where in a competitive fight, Pereira used his championship experience and strong mentality to find a finish in the fourth round against the resilient Rountree. Looking into 2025, Pereira has many options. Many believe he will fight the winner of Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka. Others believe contenders such as former champion Jan Blachowicz or up-and-comer Carlos Ulberg deserve the title shot against Alex. However, UFC president Dana White has teased the possibility of moving up again to heavyweight to fight for a third title. While he could fight the GOAT and current champion Jon Jones, the interim champion Tom Aspinall who is more active and among the fans is recognized as the “real” heavyweight champion could also be his next opponent. While it is unlikely Pereira will fight three times in 2025, the superstar no matter what will draw a lot of attention and will bring the entertainment no matter the opponent.

Finally, the heavyweight division is known as the controversial division in the UFC. While heavyweight fighters produce the highest knockout percentage amongst all UFC divisions, the lack of depth and talent in addition to the management of the championship produces a considerable amount of criticism and negative outlooks. To explain, current champion Jon Jones has only fought twice since 2020 and has clogged the division in a big way. Jon Jones has made it clear he has no intentions of fighting the interim champion in Tom Aspinall as even though he is the interim champion, Jon Jones decided to fight the elderly Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 where he easily defeated him. Miocic got a title shot after losing his last fight four years ago in 2020 which is just ridiculous. Tom Aspinall had to defend his interim title to remain active as he defeated Curtis Blaydes by first-round knockout. Aspinall is on a three-fight win streak winning by first-round knockout in all 3. It is ludicrous how Aspinall is not the undisputed champion or has not even been granted an undisputed title shot. Fortunately, UFC President Dana White who has relentlessly defended Jon Jones throughout the process finally clapped back and assured that if Jon Jones were to fight in the UFC again, it would have to be against Tom Aspinall. If this fight were to take place, it would likely headline a PPV during International Fight Week and could be the biggest UFC fight since Khabib vs McGregor. If this fight takes place, the division would be unclogged and the winner could potentially fight Alex Pereira the light-heavyweight champion in another superfight.

To conclude, UFC has been spectacular in 2024 as many new champions were crowned and long title reigns have just begun. 2025 has the potential to be the best year of the UFC as many super fights may take place where champions may have the opportunity to fight each other. The most likely super fights we can see this upcoming calendar year will be Topuria vs Makhachev, Du Plessis vs Periera, or even Pereira vs Jones or Aspinall. Either way, there are many title fights to be excited about in 2025 and the sport will produce many more highlights this upcoming year cementing the sport as one of the best and most entertaining in the world.