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2025 is starting out as a great year for MMA. ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, puts his UFC lightweight title on the line against Arman Tsarukyan and bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili defends against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in Inglewood, California, on Saturday.
Then February kicks off with a bang as former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya takes on rising contender Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 1. On Feb. 8 in Sydney, Australia, 185-pound champion Dricus Du Plessis faces ex-champ Sean Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312. In the co-main event, Tatiana Suarez finally gets her shot at the strawweight title when she challenges Zhang Weili.
Those are just a few of the big fights we can look forward to in the coming months. Could this be the last year we see some of MMA’s biggest stars in action? Who will be ESPN’s men’s fighter of the year? Will we see movement among stars between promotions?
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Ian Parker, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen offer up their bold predictions for 2025.
Khamzat Chimaev will fight more than once in a calendar year
Okamoto: Considering how Chimaev’s UFC career began, it’s wild that this is a “bold” prediction. But at this point, how can anyone say it’s not? Chimaev has been in the UFC for five years. He fought three times in his magical 2020 campaign, but since then his level of activity has fallen off: one fight in 2021, two in 2022 and one apiece in 2023 and 2024. And more so than the inactivity, the reasons behind it make one wonder how active Chimaev can be. He’s had serious health issues. And he hasn’t fought outside of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, since 2022, presumably due to visa issues. What’s going to change? Well, he’s no longer trying to secure travel arrangements as a Swedish resident, which could positively impact his ability to obtain a visa. He’s also addressed his health more seriously than in the past, and believes he’s…
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