New Year, Same Violence: Making Bold Predictions For UFC In 2025
- You can find UFC odds on future champions at BetUS Sportsbook.
- Can Alex Pereira top his three light heavyweight title defenses of 2024?
- Will Tom Aspinall finally lift the undisputed heavyweight strap?
- Find out below as we make some UFC predictions for 2025.
Happy New Year, MMA fans! I know the four-week break without our beloved weekend UFC action has been painstaking, but we’re very close to Octagon warfare returning, and what a year it’s shaping up to be already!
The highs and lows of the UFC in 2024 took us on a rollercoaster ride, to say the least, but who could’ve predicted that we’d be looking at six new champions ahead of 2025?
Expecting more than six title changes in the forthcoming year is extremely dubious. That said, historical trends and the volatility of mixed martial arts suggest we will undeniably see a few fighters drop their championship titles over the next 12 months.
2024 saw six new UFC champions crowned 🏆👏
Who will remain a champion in 2025? 👀 pic.twitter.com/GQQ6HemywO
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 3, 2025
On that note, it’s a new year, but most of us expect the same violence. Championship reigns will end in 2025, and here are my thoughts on who’ll be dropping their coveted gold belts. Read on and get your bets in on the action at BetUS Sportsbook!
Dvalishvili: Not So Happy New Year
UFC 311 marks the first pay-per-view of the year, and what a spectacle it’s turning out to be. Names like Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill, Kevin Holland, Renato Moicano, Reinier de Ridder, and Beneil Dariush are scheduled to compete, and none of those high-profile names are the main or co-main event.
That’s because two championship title defenses will start 2025 with a bang, and aside from Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan duking it out for the lightweight strap for the event headliner, a co-main bantamweight title display between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov is certain to get our adrenaline going!
Despite having a “boring” style in the eyes of many, Merab ended the always-popular Sean O’Malley and his title reign in 2024. This 135-pound title win extended an unbeaten run dating back five years with 11 straight victories under the UFC banner. After running through Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and “Suga” Sean, Dvalishvili’s elite status cannot be denied.
Merab Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) is now the 9th undisputed @UFC Bantamweight Champion. 👊#UFC306 Results, Interviews & More ➡️: https://t.co/pVdSsgQOGw@RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC
— UFC News (@UFCNews) September 15, 2024
So, Dave, why is Merab on the list?
Well, unfortunately for Georgia’s wrestling savant, he’s going up against the 18-0 Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defense. And what’s better than an 11-fight win streak and five years unbeaten? I’ll tell you … a nine-year undefeated run and an 18-fight win streak that Umar presents.
If anyone can nullify Merab’s terrifying wrestling skillset, a Dagestani cousin of Khabib who trains alongside killers with championship titles across multiple organizations is a prime candidate.
Sean O’Malley thinks Merab Dvalishvili wants no part of Umar Nurmagomedov 😬
Full story ➡️ https://t.co/nSvShifBkv pic.twitter.com/iegHnMUgxs
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 28, 2024
That said, I believe Merab’s Happy New Year will be cut short. Sadly for him, one of my UFC picks is that for the first title defense of 2025 will crown a new champion, as the era of Umar starts at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
Pereira: The Poatan End is Nigh
I know, I know … It pains me to write this just as much as it pains you to read it. But let’s be abundantly clear: Alex “Poatan” Pereira has had an easy ride in terms of stylistic matchups during his Fighter of the Year 2024-winning light heavyweight title reign, and this cannot last forever.
I’d love to see Poatan move to heavyweight and attempt the unthinkable of three-division championship status. Still, between the dangers of Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones, the same threats he must now face at 205 pounds exist in those fights and cannot be avoided no matter who he fights next.
Pereira has to face an opponent with respected wrestling/grappling. Magomed Ankalaev is the rightful No.1 contender who will likely ragdoll the kickboxer and stop this unbelievable run the Brazilian has been on.
2024 Fighter of the year. Thank you God. Thank you team. pic.twitter.com/QINUkzu65b
— Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) December 6, 2024
Look, Pereira has been on an unfathomable run. Between November 2023 and October 2024, he won the light heavyweight title, defended it thrice, and knocked out all his opponents. He’s also saved multiple main-event dropouts on short notice (UFC 300 and 303), and, rightfully, he was awarded UFC Honors as the Fighter of the Year 2024.
Sadly, the jig will be up soon. In 2025, he will stumble across one or more fighters that possess his kryptonite, and that’s wrestling. Whether it’s Ankalaev, Aspinall, Jones, or all three.
Each one of those men possesses the athleticism and grappling skill set to neutralize Pereira’s scary knockout threat, although I believe it’ll be the former in Anka, who utilizes his well-rounded skill set to crown himself as 205’s new king!
Would I love to see Pereira retain his championship and continue this knockout spree? Absolutely. And if you think it’s possible, you wouldn’t be crazy, as the UFC odds will also agree.
Jones: Accepting the Money
If there’s one fight we’re all praying comes to fruition in 2025, it’s the heavyweight champ, Jones, versus the interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall. This isn’t new news, and whether Jones has been ducking the challenge or not, he’s openly admitted that a lot of money would get him into the Octagon with Britain’s newest heavyweight star.
If you and I know that Jones vs Aspinall has the potential of being the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history, Dana White and Co. will be fully prepared to do whatever they can to make it happen.
🚨 Jon Jones explaining why he’s ducking Tom Aspinall #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/SsLsuB9K7c
— The Fight Scene (@TheFight_Scene) December 28, 2024
Jones might be the GOAT to some. But he’s at the back end of his 30s and going against the young, powerful, well-rounded, and overly confident Aspinall might just be a nightmare opponent, one who is capable of handing him the first clear-cut, undisputed defeat of his pro career.
This is more of a manifestation than a prediction, but we’re all here for Aspinall blitzing through Jones during International Fight Week in the summer of 2025. It’ll be a spectacle like no other, a scrap for the ages, and potentially, the most talked about fight in MMA history.
Jones has paid his dues, but the torch will be passed when the dust settles. Aspinall will raise his hand as “Bones” sails off into the sunset with generational wealth and a UFC career we’ll never forget.
The calendar year of 2025 should be exciting for UFC fans and bettors. Make sure you make your bet online on the above bouts and many others at BetUS.
Bet on UFC at BetUS Sportsbook Online!
Question Of The Day
What’s the first UFC PPV of 2025?
UFC 311 on Jan. 18 is the first UFC pay-per-view of the year, including two championship bouts involving Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov.
