Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington provided a great sendoff to 2024 when it comes to UFC fights, and now it's time to look at some of the fights we may get in 2025.  Our list of fights we would like to see this year is based on rumors, stats, and just a general appreciation of what the fighters on our list could bring to the table.

With the wide availability of crypto exchanges in California, many sports betting sites are already providing odds on some of these fights, even though many aren't officially scheduled yet.

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Jon Jones, who was once the light heavyweight champion, is now the heavyweight champion.  On the other hand, Aspinall moves like he's a middleweight, even though he weighs 250 pounds.  He's also the division's interim champion.

 Many claim that the fight should have happened already, but Jones had previously scheduled obligations for a fight against Stipe Miocic.  That fight was seen as a disappointment by the fans, and now that it's finally behind us, 2025 should be a year to see two of the best fighters face each other.

Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov

Shavkat Rakhmonov has one of the best streaks in history – at 19:0.  Furthermore, his last win was against his own former training partner, Ian Machado Garry, at UFC 310.  Some of those fights were against evenly matched contenders such as Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal.

Muhammad is also in the middle of an impressive streak of his own, with 10 wins and zero defeats.  He claimed the title after a victory against Leon Edwards last summer.  That win came as a surprise for many, but after it, no one is doubting Belal Muhammad anymore.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev was undefeated in his last 13 matches, some of which were against the best fighters in the world, such as Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker, and Aleksandar Rakic.  With this record, he's one of the best contenders for the No. 1 spot.

Alex Pereira is, therefore, the logical next opponent for Ankalaev, but some friction between their teams is putting the fight off.  Stylistically, the two fighters couldn't be more different since many have complained about Ankalaev being efficient but not pretty.

Ilia Topuria vs. Movsar Evloev

 Ilia Topuria was the fighter of the year when he knocked out Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. Some have claimed that another fight against Volkanovski will be his first of 2025 as well.  Brazilian Diago Lopez is another option, as he's also a contender for the championship.

Movsar Evloev is now having a streak of 19 victories and zero defeats.  His last win was a decision victory against Aljamain Sterling.  Arguably, he's the best opponent to Toupuria, as he once beat both Lopez and Volkanovski, and he hasn't had a chance to face Evloev yet.

Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison is the former PFL lightweight champion.  In her octagon debut, she won against the former champ Holly Holm.  Many feel that she deserves a chance at the bantamweight title.  Julianna Pena got there first even though she has fewer fans and, according to many, is a worse fighter.

At this point, Pena is a two-time titleholder, but her win against Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 caused a lot of controversy at the time.  Twenty-five media members who submitted scores to MMA Decisions scored the fight 48-47 for Pennington, while one saw the fight as a 47-47 draw.  None judged Pena to be the winner.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot

Manon Fiorot is having a 12-win streak right now, meaning that she lost only one fight after her debut.  Some of those fights were against the most reputable opponents, such as Rose Namajunas, Katlyn Cerminara, Jennifer Maia, and Mayra Bueno Silva.

Valentina Shevchenko is a flyweight champion who just went through 3 fights against Mexico's Alexa Grasso.  The match between the two would be a great choice for the UFC's annual trip to Europe.  However, the Paris match should take place in September, and many feel the two won't wait that long for a fight.

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

 Alexandre Pantoja is seen as the second-best fighter in his category.  He had a title win against Brandon Moreno and defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura.  Many believe that his next big fight should be either against Kyoji Horiguchi or Kai Kara-France.

Kyoji Horiguchi is not under a UFC contract right now.  He won a fight against Nkazimulo Zulu on New Year's Eve and defended his EFC flyweight title.  Pantoja and Horiguchi are training partners.  However, they are open to the idea of fighting against each other if the conditions are right.