Who Will Be UFC Champion at the End of 2025: Odds and Predictions

• Will 2025 be the year of heavyweight Tom Aspinall?

• Alexandre Pantoja will be the flyweight king for a long time

• Merab Dvalishvili will be the first champion to defend in 2025

The championship landscape of the UFC in 2024 was constantly evolving. We saw a new champion crowned at the very first pay-per-view card of the year (Dricus du Plessis, Middleweight). We saw Alex Pereira defend his light heavyweight title three times. We even saw heavyweight Tom Aspinall defend an INTERIM championship.

This calendar year has all the ingredients to be even more exciting when it comes to UFC title fights. All but one champion are healthy and active (Belal Muhammad, Welterweight, still out with illness) and the first main card of the year will have both the lightweight and bantamweight titles on the line. 

The top-ten in almost every division seems better than it has ever been in recent memory and we - the fans and the pundits - seem destined to be spoiled this year with some of the most memorable, competitive and relevant fights to date.

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Heavyweight Division

Current champion: Jon Jones (Interim Champion: Tom Aspinall)

The year 2024 was a wild ride for the UFC heavyweight division. In fact, ever since Francis Ngannou vacated the title and left the promotion, the heavyweight division has been in a sort of limbo.

After winning the vacant title in early 2023, Jon Jones injured himself while training for his first title defense, leading to the introduction of an interim title that was ultimately won by Tom Aspinall (over Sergei Pavlovich). 

Jones opted to wait for his fight against Stipe Miocic instead of fighting Aspinall - which led to Aspinall actually defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes.

Jones defeated Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 last November. A fight between Aspinall and Jones should be next, but Jones has come off as hesitant. Regardless, we expect big things from Big Tom.

• My 2025 Pick: Tom Aspinall (N/A)

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Light Heavyweight Division

Current champion: Alex Pereira

It was a banner year for the light heavyweight division in 2024, becoming more relevant than ever in large part due to its champion Alex Pereira.

Pereira defended the title three times last year and shows no signs of slowing down. However, there has been discussion about a move to heavyweight.

Wrestling specialist Magomed Ankalaev has emerged as the number-one contender and could definitely pose problems to Pereira. But he has been fairly inactive over the past couple of years. 

Pereira hasn’t fought a wrestler yet of Ankalaev’s level but it’s safe to assume he is constantly training for the possibility.

• My 2025 Pick: Alex Pereira (-277) at BetMGM

Middleweight Division

Current champion: Dricus du Plessis

Another interesting division that appears more relevant than ever is the middleweight division.

Champion Dricus du Plessis started 2024 by winning the championship from Sean Strickland and then defended it once against former champion Israel Adesanya. He is now set to rematch with Strickland in early 2025.

However, looming in the shadows is the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev - who recently submitted former champion Robert Whittaker in just one round. But can Chimaev stay healthy…?

• My 2025 Pick: Dricus du Plessis (+125) at BetMGM

Welterweight Division

Current champion: Belal Muhammad

Long gone are the days of Georges St. Pierre and Kamaru Usman. There is a new guard in the welterweight division looking to carve their own path.

Belal Muhammad won the title from Leon Edwards in the summer of 2024 but has yet to defend it. He was scheduled to face the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov but pulled out due to injury. This led to Shavkat taking on fellow undefeated fighter Ian Garry, with Shavkat getting the decision win. 

Shavkat is still the number-one contender, but can he defeat Muhammad? After the Garry fight, Shavkat looks beatable. But is Muhammad gets through Shavkat, there is another contender that could be on the horizon…

• My 2025 Pick: Jack Della Maddelena (+800) at BetMGM

UFC Lightweight Division

Current champion: Islam Makhachev

The first champion scheduled to defend his title in 2025 (well, second since Merab Dvalishvili will defend in the co-main event before him), Islam Makhachev has looked unbeatable for years. We wouldn’t expect that to change this year.

He is defending this month against Arman Tsarukyan - a man he’s already defeated. Makhachev has also defeated a majority of the lightweight top-ten at this point, with no clear candidates on the horizon with the exception of former champion Charles Oliveira.

We believe that Makhachev can get through Oliveira once more (if scheduled) and would anticipate a move up to welterweight for a 2026 or 2026 superfight.

• My 2025 Pick: Islam Makhachev (-227) at BetMGM

UFC Featherweight Division

Current champion: Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria had one of the best 2024 years of anyone in the UFC. He defeated one of the greatest of all time in Alexander Volkanovski by knockout to secure the featherweight title and defended it once against former champion Max Holloway, becoming the first to knock him out in the process.

We would suggest that Topuria could keep the featherweight strap for quite some time but he has already begun to show interest in moving up to the lightweight division. This could lead to a title fight against Islam Makhachev. 

It is likely that Topuria will defend his title one more time in a rematch against Volkanovski and then move up ti lightweight - which would leave the featherweight title vacant. If this were to be the case, Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev seem likely to be the candidates to fight for a vacant championship. With the run he’s been on lately, we would give the edge to…

• My 2025 Pick: Diego Lopes (+250) at BetMGM

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Bantamweight Division

Current champion: Merab Dvalishvili

As mentioned earlier, Merab Dvalishvili will be the first current champion to defend his title in 2025, as he will fight in the co-main event of UFC 311 this January against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

Many had Nurmagomedov as the favorite and for good reason. We would expect a Nurmagomedov win early this year and at least one title defense - likely against the recently surging former champion Petr Yan.

• My 2025 Pick: Umar Nurmagomedov (-125) BetMGM

Flyweight Division

Current champion: Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja is obviously on another level compared to all other male UFC flyweights. He defended the title twice in 2024 and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the UFC had to bring in an opponent from outside the promotion because Pantjoa had already defeated everyone. 

Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno are always in the mix but a rematch against former champion Deiveison Figueiredo would be more interesting. However, the latter seems content with his move up to bantamweight. We don’t expect this title to move in 2025.

• My 2025 Pick: Alexandre Pantoja (-120) at BetMGM

Women's Bantamweight Division

Current champion: Julianna Pena

The women’s bantamweight was fairly lackluster in 2024. In fact, it hasn’t been the same since the retirement of women’s G.O.A.T. Amanda Nunes. 

When Nunes vacated the title, Raquel Pennington won the belt and then lost it in her first defense against former champion Julianna Pena. When Pena regained the title, she opted to call out the retired Nunes instead of a new, active challenger - someone like Kayla Harrison.

Harrison is undefeated since signing with the UFC and is, across all boards, the favorite to walk out of the 2025 calendar year as champion.

• My 2025 Pick: Kayla Harrison (-333) at BetMGM

Women's Flyweight Division

Current champion: Valentina Shevchenko

Although one of the greatest of all time, 2024 (and 2023) proved that Valentina Shevchenko is, in fact, a beatable fighter! Although she regained the flyweight title from Alexa Grasso last year, Shevchenko hasn’t looked as dominant as she has in the past.

Now with contenders such as Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield within arm’s reach of a title shot, it’s actually hard to imagine Shevchenko still holding this title by the end of the year. 

Blanchfield recently took out a former champion. And Fiorot most recently took out Blanchfield. A new breed of fighter has definitely emerged in the women’s flyweight division.

• My 2025 Pick: Manon Fiorot (+150) at BetMGM

Women's Strawweight Division

Current champion: Weili Zhang

Although she only fought once in 2024 (defending her title against Yan Xiaonan), Weili Zhang is still looking as dominant as ever and holds wins over much of the strawweight top-10. 

She is scheduled to next defend her title against the undefeated Tatiana Suarez; a fighter who has struggled with injury. Should Zhang retain her title, a move up to flyweight seems more likely than continuing on with strawweight. 

Regardless, the end of 2025 should see the belt still securely wrapped around Weili Zhang’s waist.

• My 2025 Pick: Weili Zhang (-164) at BetMGM

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