The past year featured 42 UFC events, hundreds of fights, memorable title changes, knockouts, submissions and mixed martial arts fans can expect more of the same in 2025.
To help look ahead to the next 12 months while we wait out this rare quiet period on the UFC schedule, a roundtable of Sportsnet’s UFC contributors — reporter Aaron Bronsteter, producer Dan Fernandes, writer/editor Mike Johnston, and writers Spencer Kyte, Arden Zwelling and Zulfi Sheikh — ponder what could happen and what they hope will happen throughout next year.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM MATCHUP FOR 2025?
Aaron: Recently, Dana White guaranteed we would see Jon Jones against Tom Aspinall in 2025 and although I remain skeptical, I think that this is the fight that needs to happen next year. If Jones beats Aspinall, it would be a remarkable statement about his all-time status in the sport and I don’t think we will see anyone eclipse his status in our lifetimes. If the fight does not happen, it would be truly disappointing.
Arden: Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev. I never considered this fight seriously until Topuria recently pitched it, and now I can’t get it out of my head. Makhachev is booked against Arman Tsarukyan next month and then has his annual Ramadan layoff. But that works perfectly to let Topuria get in one more featherweight defence — likely against Alexander Volkanovski — before moving up. Assuming Makhachev and Topuria win those fights, a clash between them for the lightweight belt this summer would be fireworks.
Dan: Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones. I really hope we get to see it at some point, even early 2026 is OK. Regardless of which title is on the line, this would be the envy of all other dream matchups. It could solidify or reopen UFC GOAT conversations, not to mention how cool and surreal it would be to witness these two standing across from each other inside the Octagon.
Mike: My official answer is the heavyweight title unification bout, but a close second would be a BMF Title matchup between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. Their first fight had an unsatisfactory, fluke conclusion when the two were featherweights. A lightweight rematch all these years later could be a Fight of the Year contender.
Spencer: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: the current middleweight champ feels like he might be the perfect guy to face Chimaev because he’s so scattershot and athletic and strong. His conditioning is great, he hunts finishes, and there is no part of him that will be psyched out or looking to back down from this challenge. I think this one will be a ton of fun.
Zulfi: I expect plenty of cases to be made for either a Jones-Aspinall or Jones-Pereira bout in 2025, and rightfully so, but I wanted to avoid repetition so I shifted to the lightweight division. Makhachev, should he remain the champ after UFC 311 in January, would have plenty of time to rest before a super fight against Topuria later in the year. Both have knocked off most of the major contenders in their respective divisions and don’t appear eager to cycle through the same names yet again.
Should “El Matador” move up and take on the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1, Makhachev-Topuria could make for an epic showdown. And Topuria has already made it known that he believes he would make Makhachev “suffer a lot,” should the bout happen, because of his lethal striking style. It’s worth noting, the Dagestani’s lone MMA loss came against Adriano Martins in 2015 when he was caught by counter-right for a TKO.
FIGHTER NOT CURRENTLY A CHAMPION WHO WILL WIN A UFC TITLE NEXT YEAR
Aaron: Kayla Harrison is inevitable. I would be surprised if she does not get the next title shot against Julianna Pena and, short of Amanda Nunes coming back, I think that Harrison is the champion at this time next year.
Arden: Umar Nurmagomedov is an obvious choice. He was barely touched in his first five UFC fights then demonstrated how well-rounded his game is while neutralizing the extremely high-level Cory Sandhagen. Merab Dvalishvili is a skilled, relentless fighter but he’s prone to emotional decision-making and taking this title defence on short notice against a terrible style matchup. Nurmagomedov’s going to meet Dvalishvili’s constant takedown attempts, force wild scrambles, and show his superiority on the feet.
Dan: Kayla Harrison will be a champion in the UFC and it likely happens in 2025. I don’t see anyone on the roster who is capable of finishing Harrison inside the distance. So unless someone is able to defeat her on scorecards, we are looking at a dominant champion in waiting.
Mike: I’m thinking upset season starts relatively early and 2025 will end up being the year Tatiana Suarez officially breaks through as a star and a champion (and one of multiple new women’s champions we’ll see in 2025).
Spencer: Kayla Harrison. There are a couple other names I could drop here, but the Olympic judoka is going to get a shot at Julianna Pena and the bantamweight title and I believe we will see her claim gold in dominant fashion, and then call out Amanda Nunes, who will be in attendance and accept the challenge, setting up a massive fight for later in the year.
Zulfi: It’s the holiday season so let’s ask for some Christmas magic and predict Diego Lopes will claim the featherweight title in 2025. Whether it’s by stunning the fight world and beating Ilia Topuria, or the champ vacates the belt to move up, I’m buying as much stock of the Brazilian as I can. The No. 3-ranked fighter in the division is riding a five-fight win streak, three by early stoppage. His lone UFC loss came in his debut against Movsar Evloev, who Lopes now outranks. His dominant decision win over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 was impressive for multiple reasons, one of which was how Lopes seemingly knocked out and woke up Ortega with a pair of strikes in the same sequence.
CHAMPION LEAST LIKELY TO LOSE HIS OR HER TITLE
Aaron: My answer would have been Ilia Topuria had he not teased a move up to lightweight, but with the chance of him relinquishing his title to do so, I’ll have to go with Islam Makhachev. I don’t see anyone, including Topuria, beating Makhachev, and if he is able to beat Arman Tsarukyan next month and Topuria later in the year, that would be an unbelievable feather in his cap and put him up there with the all-time greats of the sport. This could age very poorly in less than a month from now, but I believe that Makhachev is truly the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport right now.
Arden: Alexandre Pantoja. What does the flyweight division even have for him? He’s beaten its Nos. 1- and 2-ranked fighters twice. Kai Kara-France appears next in line by default but Pantoja has also already beaten him on the Ultimate Fighter in 2016. UFC just pulled in RIZIN’s bantamweight champion to try to test Pantoja, to no avail. Even if he can somehow make the cut back down to 125, Deiveson Figueiredo is about to be closer to 40 than he is to 35. Pantoja’s next difficult challenge might not come until he meets a further-developed Joshua Van sometime in 2026.
Dan: Alexandre Pantoja has defeated most of the top contenders in (and outside!) the flyweight division. I expect we’ll see some “Pantoja vs Insert Name 2” bouts scheduled for the Cannibal in 2025, with a repeat of the outcome being the most likely scenario each time.
Mike: Valentina Shevchenko. This is essentially an early prediction that Shevchenko will emerge victorious over Manon Fiorot, as I don’t see anyone outside of Fiorot likely beating the current champ at 125 pounds, and I favour Shevchenko to beat Fiorot if/when they are paired up.
Spencer: Islam Makhachev. I honestly don’t think most people still understand or appreciate just how good the lightweight champion is inside the Octagon. He’s on the short list of the best fighters we’ve seen in the last decade for me.
Zulfi: I don’t see Alexandre Pantoja relinquishing the title in 2025, making it two years in a row he’ll remain the flyweight champ. He’s already beaten the Nos. 1- and 2-ranked contenders, Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno, multiple times, and the rising stars the UFC has put in front of him. Pantoja brought Steve Erceg’s momentum to a screeching halt in May, then made light work of Rizin champion and UFC debutant Kai Asakura earlier this month. “The Cannibal” has devoured most of the 125-pound division already and I’m not willing to bet against him at this point.
WHICH DIVISION ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO WATCH UNFOLD NEXT YEAR?
Aaron: Heavyweight. We are either getting Jones versus Aspinall or we are getting some clarity on how the division looks moving forward. If it’s the latter, I think that Aspinall will dominate the division for the foreseeable future.
Arden: I’m a little surprised to find myself even writing this, but welterweight is as deep and competitive as it’s been in some time. Belal Muhammad hasn’t lost in a half-decade but is nevertheless a vulnerable champion entering his late-30s. Shavkat Rakhmonov looks unstoppable; Jack Della Maddalena is undefeated in UFC; Sean Brady has one loss in his career; Ian Machado Garry is young and full of potential; Joaquin Buckley is 6-0 since entering the division; Carlos Prates is one of the sport’s top prospects and won’t stop knocking people out; Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman are former champions still kicking around. This is as interested as I’ve been in welterweight since the GSP era.
Dan: I’m going with the featherweight division only because I’m interested to see what the UFC in Spain will look like. Win or lose for Ilia Topuira in Spain, I’m also interested to see what happens after that fight card. We could very well be on the verge of a changing of the guard in this division. By this time next year, we might be talking about some names that currently are not in the featherweight title picture. Excited to see how this all plays out in 2025.
Mike: Welterweight is both relatively wide open and rather deep in high-level talent, with no shortage of fresh matchups to make. Lots to like about the outlook at 170 pounds … including possibly a dominant lightweight champ who has alluded to wanting a second belt for his collection.
Spencer: Welterweight: there is a new champ, a host of fresh, intriguing contenders on the rise, plus a couple more fascinating ascending names behind them, as well as a number of tenured, decorated veterans still holding down top 15 real estate, and there are some interesting cats in the Second 15 working forward too!
Zulfi: The welterweight division feels the most “open,” in the sense that there are more than a handful of names who could hold the belt by the end of 2025. Belal Muhammad, a worthy champion, has to survive the likes of rising stars Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0), Jack Della Maddalena (7-0) and Ian Garry (8-1), a streaking vet in Joaquin Buckley who has won six fights in a row, while also fending off former champions Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Plenty of names and only one belt, all we can do is wait and see how the action unfolds.
WHICH FIGHTER YOU ARE IRRATIONALLY EXCITED TO SEE COMPETE AGAIN IN 2025?
Aaron: Charles Oliveira. I am always excited to watch Oliveira, to an irrational degree, and I am very eager to see what is next for him. His rise to champion is one of the greatest stories to watch unfold in my experience watching the sport.
Arden: I’m fascinated to see where Jean Silva’s career goes from here. He’s so fun to watch — a wild, unpredictable fighter with super-sound technique and athleticism to his game. He’s dangerous everywhere at any time in a fight. And his off-kilter, respectful-assassin personality only ups the entertainment factor. He could go on runs at either featherweight or lightweight and have a ranking next to his name by the end of 2025.
Dan: Love him or hate him, the MMA world needs more characters like Manel “Starboy” Kape. Whether it’s the turbulent build up to his bouts (Mokaev) or his unpredictable displays in the octagon (Bruno Silva) Kape is a bit of a unicorn in the current landscape. With all the showboating that goes into each of his fights, you’re either cheering for him to win or fail miserably … but, regardless, you’re cheering. His bouts are quickly becoming appointment viewing. Yes, the Mokaev bout was boring but it had us all glued to our seats in the build up. If he can consistently back up all the hype with displays similar to his last outing against Silva, we might be able to remove the “boy” tag from his nickname and just call him a star. Either way, it will be entertainment guaranteed in 2025 when Manel Kape is involved.
Spencer: Joel Alvarez. Back in the day, I picked him to beat Arman Tsarukyan, and while that didn’t happen, I’m insanely excited whenever Alvarez is slated to compete — and he should be more active in 2025 too! A 100-per cent finishing rate and pressure style, combined with being abnormally tall for lightweight and wanting all the smoke makes him must-see TV for me.
Mike: Tom Aspinall, simply because I believe he’s the best in the sport. If you put any man in front of him in a sanctioned MMA bout, I say the Brit emerges victorious. If the interim heavyweight champ is stuck waiting around on the sidelines for a while as the UFC negotiates with Jon Jones, then my excitement will be temporarily redirected to Carlos Prates’s next tilt, because when that dude isn’t ripping heaters, he’s picking up performance bonuses against legit opponents.
Zulfi: My original answer for this was Diego Lopes until I saw Israel Adesanya’s recent comments about Khamzat Chimaev. “I was surprised at the way Khamzat ran through (Robert Whittaker) … like, wow, that made me want to fight him.” A motivated and refreshed “Last Stylebender” is a treat for fight fans and a scary sight for the 185-pound division. After back-to-back losses, the former champ makes his return to the Octagon in 2025, taking on Nassourdine Imavov for his first non-title fight since 2019. And with the championship pressure off Adesanya, he can freely remind folks why he was a two-time middleweight champ who defended the belt six consecutive times. A blockbuster bout against Chimaev later in the year could be in the offing, to avenge his fellow New Zealander.
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