MMA news: Predicting every UFC champion for 2025
Six new UFC champions were crowned in 2024 as a number of rising stars rose to the occasion inside the famous Octagon – and 2025 promises more of the same.
Ultimately, that drama and unpredictability is precisely why so many fans love mixed martial arts.
And with UFC 311 set to kick off on January 18 in Inglewood, California, it is time to take a closer look at what lies ahead.
Sports News Blitz writer Niall Togher predicts every UFC champion for the upcoming season.
Heavyweight – Tom Aspinall
2025 should see the most anticipated fight in MMA finally happen: Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall.
Against Stipe Miocic, Jones reminded everyone that he very much remains a threat on his day, particularly when it comes to wrestling.
With that said, Aspinall is the next generation of heavyweight, and it would not be surprising if the Englishman emerged victorious from a fight with Jones.
Light heavyweight – Magomed Ankalaev
Despite Alex Pereira’s ascendancy over the last year, Magomed Ankalaev is a safer bet for the light-heavyweight championship in 2025.
That is because, in a straight fight between the two, Ankalaev’s ability to mix wrestling with competent striking would likely see him dethrone the Brazilian.
Pereira, it must be said, has hinted on social media that his next fight might not be against the Russian.
The alternative would be for Pereira to defend his title against a different opponent before moving up to heavyweight, vacating the belt in the case of a successful defence.
Such a scenario then allows Ankalaev to fight for the vacant title at 205 pounds and become champion that way.
Middleweight – Khamzat Chimaev
It has always felt inevitable that Khamzat Chimaev would capture a UFC title.
The only question marks surrounding the Chechen centred on his chosen weight class – welterweight or middleweight – and his ability to compete on a regular basis.
Now, having emphatically dispatched former champion Robert Whittaker in his last fight, 2025 looks set to finally be Chimaev’s year.
To make it to the top, however, he will have to defeat the winner of the February rematch between Sean Strickland and current title-holder Dricus du Plessis.
Welterweight – Shavkat Rakhmonov
If Belal Muhammad was a couple of years younger, he would be the safest pick for the welterweight class due to sheer consistency.
However, Belal is 36 and the history books suggest that he will lose to Shavkat Rakhmonov when the pair eventually meet this year.
Shavkat’s last performance – against Irishman Ian Machado Garry – was far from a vintage display as he had to settle for clinching his opponent against the cage for large stretches of the contest, but he should have too much for Belal when it gets to crunch time.
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Lightweight – Islam Makhachev
Currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is extremely hard to pick against going into 2025.
His title defence against Dustin Poirier back in June was a case in point as the Russian’s ever-evolving strike game simply proved too much to handle.
Next up for Makhachev is a tough fight against Arman Tsarukyan later this month.
If he defeats Tsarukyan and goes on to win a rematch with Charles Oliveira later in the year, then Makhachev would solidify his status as potentially the greatest lightweight of all time.
Featherweight – Ilia Topuria
After knocking out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in the same calendar year, Ilia Topuria looks invincible.
Bouts with Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes as well as a rematch against Volkanovski are now on the cards and would in all likelihood precede a move up to lightweight.
If he does manage another couple of title defences, the rising star would quickly turn into one of the most popular fighters in the sport.
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Bantamweight – Umar Nurmagomedov
In completely shutting down Cory Sandhagen during their August bout, Umar Nurmagomedov confirmed his potential to be a champion.
To go all the way, the Russian must dethrone the newly crowned champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 later this month.
The Georgian has arguably the greatest resume of any bantamweight in UFC history, but Umar is nevertheless the favourite going into the match-up on account of his supreme fighting ability.
Should Umar capture the title from Dvalishvili, he will then likely have to defend it against a top-ranked contender such as Petr Yan or Sean O’Malley before the year is out.
Flyweight – Alexandre Pantoja
Presently, there are no standout contenders for Alexandre Pantoja to fight, with the Brazilian having already beaten top-ranked Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval on multiple occasions.
As a result, the path to fighting Pantoja has never been clearer, and the likes of Amir Albazi and Tatsuro Taira are, by all accounts, just one win away from a title shot despite both losing their last bout.
Such a lack of suitable opposition may end up meaning that Pantoja only has to defend his belt twice in 2025.
Based on his current form, though, it is not hard to see him retaining the championship for another year.
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Bantamweight (women) – Kayla Harrison
Following the retirement of the legendary Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison has been a much-needed breath of fresh air in the bantamweight division.
The Ohio native’s athleticism and background in Judo coupled with her strength make her a nightmare for opponents.
And with the last title bout, between Raquel Pennington and eventual winner Julianna Pena, an extremely lacklustre affair, Harrison is being tipped to not only claim the title this year but go on a lengthy championship reign as well.
Flyweight (women) – Manon Fiorot
Despite regaining the women’s flyweight title in 2024, Valentina Shevchenko’s bouts are noticeably less one-sided than they used to be.
Although she is without a doubt one of the greatest female fighters of all time, Shevchenko is clearly on the decline now.
That opens the door for Manon Fiorot to become the first UFC champion from France.
With Shevchenko the biggest name in the division, though, Fiorot would have to defeat her twice in order to end the year as champion.
Strawweight (women) – Zhang Weili
Zhang Weili is set to defend her title against Tatiana Suarez in February, and whoever wins that bout is likely to end the year as champion.
Suarez has struggled with injuries of late, however, and the resulting lack of action gives Weili the edge ahead of their meeting.
If Weili does manage to overcome Suarez next month, a rematch with Yan Xiaonan would probably follow.
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