The UFC has been on a rollercoaster in recent years. 2025 promises to be no different. UFC 311 promises to be a blockbuster from the start. Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan fighting for the lightweight championship in the main event, along with Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov fighting for the bantamweight title in the co-main event, have UFC fans eager for the new year.
So let’s take a look at and try to predict who will be the 5 biggest winners in the world’s largest MMA promotion in 2025.
Umar Nurmagomedov
There is no doubt that the phantom weight title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s younger cousin, is poised for a very exciting affair in January 2025 against Georgian champion Merab Dvalishvili.
It wouldn’t be a far-fetched suggestion to say the fighter will clinch the bantamweight championship at UFC 311 and retain the title until the end of 2025.
Shavkhat Rakhmonov
After defeating Ian Garry, who was then undefeated in his MMA career, Shavkhat Rakhmonov has cemented himself as the number one contender in the welterweight category. Standing between him and UFC glory is the one and only Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad.
But, in my honest opinion, the Palestinian does not stand a chance against Rakhmonov, who has repeatedly proven to be a difficult opponent for everyone inside the UFC octagon.
Ian Garry
Even though Ian Machado Garry did lose against Shavkhar Rakhmonov at UFC 310, he did win something significantly important in the fighting business and that is respect. Not only was the previously unbeaten fighter a great matchup for the no.1 Welterweight contender, but even close to defeating Shavkhat a couple of times during their fight.
With newfound vigour under his wings, Ian Garry could get a shot a title very soon and will most likely end up having a pretty successful 2025.
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev will undoubtedly be the one fighter who is most likely to remain a world champion at the end of 2025. Infact, there could be a very high possibility that not only does Islam end up with thr lightweight championship at the end of this year, but also another belt around his waist. And that belt could most likely be at Welterweight/ Featherweight.
Ilia Topuria, Rakhmonov, and Ian Garry would be great matchups for the Dagestani Champ and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go after the Double Champ title.
Tom Aspinall
While others on this list will definitely have a hugely successful 2025, Tom Aspinall will end up being the one who defines the year for UFC just like Alex Pereira did in 2024. UFC’s Interim Heavyweight Champion has been cleaning up the division for a long time in the hopes of getting that undisputed title from Jon Jones. And his dream might be turning into a reality soon. And if that does, there is only one man coming out victorious and that is not the man with the most wins in a title fight. And when Aspinall does win against Jones, he will target Alex Pereira next. Who has been successful in cleaning up the LHW division and will be eager to fight one weight class above. It’s another matchup that Tom Aspinall will most likely dominate.
If these two matchups do end up happening, Tom Aspinall would have defeated two UFC GOAT candidates in the space of 12 months pretty much making 2025 his year.
