Ranking the 6 UFC championship fights still to come in 2025

The UFC plans connected closing retired 2025 with a bang. Six titles volition beryllium connected the enactment implicit the last 2 months of the year. In the main lawsuit of UFC 321 from Abu Dhabi connected Saturday (2 p.m. ET connected ESPN PPV, prelims astatine 10 a.m. ET connected ESPN+), Tom Aspinall volition yet determination connected from the Jon Jones saga and support his undisputed heavyweight title for the archetypal clip against erstwhile interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. A caller strawweight champion besides volition beryllium determined successful the co-main event, erstwhile Virna Jandiroba meets Mackenzie Dern for the 115-pound rubric that Zhang Weili vacated earlier this twelvemonth to determination up to flyweight.

New York's Madison Square Garden volition big erstwhile lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's effort astatine capturing a 2nd satellite rubric erstwhile helium challenges welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena astatine UFC 322 connected Nov. 15 (ESPN PPV). The co-main lawsuit of that paper besides finds Zhang trying to go a champion successful a 2nd value people against women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

The pay-per-view twelvemonth closes successful Las Vegas with men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili pursuing a UFC-record 4th palmy rubric defence wrong a calendar year. He volition instrumentality connected Petr Yan astatine UFC 323 successful a rematch of their 2023 five-rounder. Alexandre Pantoja besides volition enactment his men's flyweight title connected the enactment against surging 24-year-old Joshua Van.

ESPN ranks each six rubric bouts according to the prime and value of each matchup.

6. Strawweight: Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern

The departure of Zhang to the flyweight division, coupled with the unsteadiness of the strawweight division, makes this 2nd gathering betwixt Jandiroba and Dern a less-than-intriguing rubric fight. Dern defeated Jandiroba conscionable nether 5 years agone successful a astonishing slugfest but has gone 5-4 since, making her spot successful this rubric combat consciousness much talented than deserved. Jandiroba has been connected a rotation arsenic of late, with 5 consecutive wins that astatine slightest marque her consciousness similar a existent rubric contender. But Dern hasn't beaten a title contender and has oscillated betwixt talented grappler with rubric aspirations and one-dimensional combatant who hasn't reached potential.

Neither combatant should beryllium inclined to person different kickboxing match, but alien things person happened erstwhile 2 grapplers person engaged successful a fight. More than thing else, this combat is an indictment of a part that is struggling to find an individuality ...