Predictions: Who can be our 11 UFC champions by the tip of 2025?

One other yr within the great world of MMA has come and gone, and as soon as once more, it’s been made abundantly clear that we are all Jon Snow and know nothing. 2024 noticed six new UFC champions topped, whereas 5 retained their titles, and admittedly, the braintrust at MMA Preventing was not significantly good at predicting how all that will shake out. Solely one in all our quantity (shout out to E. Casey Leydon) managed to have an above 50 percent hit rate when predicting the end-of-year champions for 2024. However, we persist.

With 2025 now upon us, it’s time to as soon as once more peer into our crystal balls and take one other crack at predicting who the UFC champions can be this time subsequent yr.

MMA Preventing staffers Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, Alexander Ok. Lee, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and José Youngs make our picks under.

Be a part of within the enjoyable by letting us know your picks within the feedback. Belief us: It’s a lot, rather more troublesome than you’d count on.

Heavyweight

Tom Aspinall (4): Cruz, Leydon, Meshew, Youngs

Jon Jones (3): Heck, Lee, Martin

The heavyweight title state of affairs stays as clear as mud.

Getting into 2024, Jon Jones was the undisputed heavyweight champion with an unsure future, whereas Tom Aspinall was the interim champion who seemed to be unlikely to get a shot on the unified title. Effectively, the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.

After beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and at last placing that rivalry to mattress, Jones made it clear that he’ll solely return to defend his title below just a few circumstances: both he will get to struggle Alex Pereira, or they pay him a lot of money to fight Aspinall. Will both of these issues occur? And if neither does, will the UFC strip Jones? Your guess is nearly as good as ours.

So, given the uncertainty surrounding the heavyweight title, it’s not all that stunning that our panel is fairly evenly break up, with a slight edge towards the fighter we know will nonetheless be competing by the tip of the yr.

Mild Heavyweight

Alex Pereira (4): Cruz, Heck, Martin, Youngs

Magomed Ankalaev (3): Lee, Leydon, Meshew

One other nail-biter as we transfer on down the road, and once more, we’ve a title that lacks readability.

If this had been just a few years in the past, we’d be in a spot the place very clearly gentle heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends his title towards Magomed Ankalaev subsequent. However yesterday’s UFC is just not at the moment’s UFC, and that matchup is way from a certainty. As talked about, Jon Jones needs to provide Pereira a shot on the heavyweight title, and “Poatan” has been extremely clear about not wanting to give Ankalaev a title shot. There’s a world the place Pereira retains his title with out even defending it as soon as in 2024.

But when Pereira does struggle at 205 kilos in 2025, Ankalaev appears more than likely to get the shot at him, and almost half of our panelists seem to consider that this time he can win the title. Even Alexander Ok. Lee, the lone panelist to choose Alex Pereira to retain his title in 2024, modified his tune and hopped on the Ankalaev practice for this yr. Nonetheless, given the unimaginable yr Pereira had in 2024, it’s not stunning that he’s the favourite to retain.

Middleweight

Khamzat Chimaev (4): Cruz, Heck, Lee, Youngs

Dricus du Plessis (2): Martin, Meshew

Nassourdine Imavov (1): Leydon

For what feels just like the fourth yr in a row, a majority of individuals consider Khamzat Chimaev will lastly win a title.

The overwhelming favourite in 2024 to say the middleweight title, the query with Chimaev has all the time been availability. However with Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland set to run issues again at UFC 312 subsequent month for the title, and Chimaev ostensibly taking up the winner, it appears to be like like “Borz” might solely need to make it to the cage one time in 2024 to make good on his potential.

After all, there’s additionally an actual wild-card choice right here. Nassourdine Imavov, who had a robust 2024 marketing campaign, nonetheless appears a methods off of a middleweight title shot, however a courageous panelist made probably the upset name of this whole train. Then once more, no person predicted Sean Strickland in 2023, and we noticed how that labored out.

Welterweight

Shavkat Rakhmonov (5): Cruz, Heck, Lee, Leydon, Youngs

Belal Muhammad (1): Martin

Islam Makhachev (1): Meshew

Our first blowout win and it ought to come as no shock. In 2024, an amazing majority of the panel picked Shavkat Rakhmonov to say the welterweight title, with zero folks predicting Belal Muhammad to carry the belt. And reality be instructed, Muhammad won’t have had he not gotten injured on the finish of the yr.

Now, Rakhmonov is injured, so there’s some query of when the 2 would possibly match up, nevertheless it appears a foregone conclusion that Rakhmonov will lastly get a title shot this yr, and most consider he’ll get the job achieved. Nevertheless, one in all us (*cough* me *cough*) thinks that after Rakhmonov wins the title, his first protection can be towards light-weight champion Islam Makhachev, who will then take the belt from him.

Light-weight

Islam Makhachev (6): Cruz, Lee, Leydon, Martin, Meshew, Youngs

Arman Tsarukyan (1): Heck

One other clear selection right here, and this needs to be even much less stunning than the Rakhmonov prediction.

Islam Makhachev is the highest pound-for-pound fighter within the sport and is steadily climbing the ranks of all-time greats, each within the light-weight division and pound-for-pound. His subsequent step within the course of is his scheduled title protection towards Arman Tsarukyan later this month, and if he wins that, there’s no apparent contender to threaten him. Even when he loses at UFC 311, Makhachev possible will get an opportunity to reclaim the title earlier than the tip of the yr, making him the overwhelming favourite amongst our employees to carry the belt at yr’s finish.

Featherweight

Ilia Topuria (6): Cruz, Heck, Leydon, Martin, Meshew, Youngs

Movsar Evloev (1): Lee

Unanimous picks are exceedingly uncommon on this train, however I’ll admit, I assumed this may be one. Ilia Topuria is simply 27 years previous and the reigning Fighter of the Year, having earned that title by placing collectively among the finest two-fight runs in MMA historical past. That run was sufficient to silence a lot of the doubters, however apparently not all of them. Or maybe Mr. Lee doubts Topuria sticks across the weight class?

Whereas it appears possible that Topuria will defend towards Alexander Volkanovski subsequent, the featherweight champion has proven a determined disinterest in doing so, lobbying for a transfer as much as light-weight as an alternative. And whereas that will not be the more than likely factor, if it occurs, Evloev can be in prime place to step in as the person at 145 kilos.

Bantamweight

Umar Nurmagomedov (6): Cruz, Lee, Leydon, Martin, Meshew, Youngs

Petr Yan (1): Heck

Merab Dvalishvili (0):

Speak about disrespect.

Lengthy considered as a champion in ready, Merab Dvalishvili lastly obtained his alternative on the title in 2024 and took benefit, beating Sean O’Malley to take the belt, and never a single individual on our panel believes he’ll nonetheless have it by February.

Dvalishvili defends his title towards Umar Nurmagomedov within the co-main occasion of UFC 311 later this month, and each single panelist believes we’re in for “And New” when the time comes. Given how nice Nurmagomedov has appeared, maybe it’s not stunning, however what’s stunning is that one courageous soul believes that former champion Petr Yan will then take the belt off of Nurmagomedov earlier than the tip of 2025.

Flyweight

Alexandre Pantoja (5): Cruz, Heck, Martin, Meshew, Youngs

Manel Kape (1): Leydon

Asu Almabayev (1): Lee

You know the way Merab Dvalishvili can get some respect? Be like Alexander Pantoja. All of the UFC flyweight champion has achieved the previous few years is win (and accomplish that impressively), and individuals are lastly beginning to give him his due.

I’m a kind of folks. I predicted Manel Kape to interrupt by means of and take the flyweight title in 2024, however after watching “Pants” smush his method by means of the load class, I’m achieved doubting him.

Ladies’s Bantamweight

Kayla Harrison (5): Cruz, Lee, Leydon, Martin, Youngs

Amanda Nunes (2): Heck, Meshew

Julianna Peña (0):

And right here we’ve one other champion with no help in 2025, although this one is much less stunning.

Many individuals don’t assume Julianna Peña deserved to take the title from Raquel Pennington at UFC 307, and once you add in that just about everyone seems to be on the Kayla Harrison bandwagon, it is smart that she can be the clear favourite to finish the yr as girls’s bantamweight champion (in actual fact, Guilherme Cruz believes she may even win the ladies’s featherweight title!).

However, there are additionally a few us who consider that 2025 is the yr we see former two-time bantamweight champion and WMMA GOAT Amanda Nunes make her return to the octagon. Nunes teased a return in 2024, and may Harrison beat Peña, it appears a certainty that Nunes will come again. And if Peña pulls off the upset and retains? Effectively, Nunes may be open to a trilogy bout as properly.

Ladies’s Flyweight

Valentina Shevchenko (4): Cruz, Heck, Martin, Youngs

Weili Zhang (1): Leydon

Manon Fiorot (1): Meshew

Natalia Silva (1): Lee

What a distinction a yr makes.

Heading into 2024, Erin Blanchfield was the overwhelming selection to finish the yr as champion. That didn’t occur, and as an alternative, Blanchfield misplaced to Manon Fiorot, and Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed her title with a workmanlike efficiency over Alexa Grasso of their trilogy bout.

The case for Shevchenko to retain her title is fairly clear: she’s one of many best fighters of all-time and essentially the most dominant flyweight on the planet by a large margin. However Shevchenko can also be 36 and has been preventing for 20 years. Sooner or later, time catches up with you, which seems to have led to a smattering of different choices.

Strawweight

Tatiana Suarez (5): Cruz, Leydon, Martin, Meshew, Youngs

Zhang Weili (2): Heck, Lee

One more weight class the place a majority of the panel believes we’re in for a brand new champion in 2024.

The strawweight division floundered in 2024 as champion Zhang Weili solely defended her title one time. However 115 kilos may very well be in for an uptick in motion in 2025 as Zhang is about to defend her title towards Tatiana Suarez within the co-main occasion of UFC 312 subsequent month.

Suarez, in fact, was touted as a future champion almost a decade in the past, however accidents derailed her rise. Now, she lastly will get a shot to hoist gold, and a majority believes she’ll just do that come February.