There were 20 UFC title fights in 2024, with division titles changing hands six times – but what will that roster of champions look like at the end of 2025?
Well, UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is trading his fighting gloves for a crystal ball this week, with 'British Baba Vanga' sharing his predictions on who will own championship gold this time next year.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Tom Aspinall predicts that every male UFC champion will be champion by the end of 2025
Miss Cleo, Mystic Mac, Nostradamus – and now Tom Aspinall.
The interim heavyweight champion is still adamant that he will finish 2025 as the undisputed king of the UFC's blue-ribbon division, but what about the rest of the men's weight classes?
In a short video clip with TNT Sports, shared by Home of Fight, Aspinall was asked to predict every UFC champion this time next year – with the British juggernaut expecting one (or two) titles to change hands.
Flyweight: “I mean, I would have picked Muhammad Mokaev, but he's gone. So, [Alexandre] Pantoja, I would say – Pantoja will still be there this time next year.”
Mokaev was unceremoniously suspended by the UFC earlier this year, although 'The Punisher' made a triumphant return to the sport a few weeks ago with a slick submission win at Brace CF.
Bantamweight: “I mean, it would be between Merab [Dvalishvili] and Omar [Nurmagomedov] next year. That's an interesting fight, but I would support Merab.”
Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov will compete in the co-main event of UFC 311, scheduled for Saturday, January 18 in Los Angeles.
Featherweight: “I say Lerone Murphy will be there this time next year, but I don't think he's won a title yet – I think that's probably the year after… I think Ilia Topuria still will Next to become champion this year around this time. Easy.”
Lightweight: “Islam will be champion again this time next year.”
Islam Makhachev takes on Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of that aforementioned UFC 311 card in LA – a rematch of a 2019 fight that the Russian won via unanimous decision, although Tsarukyan does have a 'secret weapon'.
Welterweight: “I think Belal [Muhammad] is hugely underestimated and I think he will still be champion next year.”
Middleweight: “Right, I've picked Dricus so many times and I'm not going to do it again, but I think it's just stupid to say that Khamzat Chimaev won't be champion this time next year – so I'm going to take Khamzat say.”
South African fighter Dricus Du Plessis will face former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 312, scheduled for February 8, 2025, in Sydney, Australia.
Light heavyweight: “I think Alex Pereira – ah, I don't know. He has a tough fight with Magomed Ankalaev, I think that's a really tough fight, so I don't know. I'm going to sit on the fence, it's going to be one of those two; either Ankalaev or Pereira.”
Alex Pereira can be expected to fight Ankalaev next; However, there has been a rumor in recent weeks that the UFC would like to pit Pereira against Chimaev in mid-2025.
Heavyweight: “Ah come on, come on. This time next year – as Ricky Gervais said [in The Office]I could still be sitting in this hot seat, so I'm definitely going to say it this time next year.
Popular YouTube channel 'Boxing Fights Simulation' recently released their mock-up of how the undisputed title fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall turns out – and it ended in controversy.
BMF: “Max Holloway still, I think.”
And there we have it: how many of Tom Aspinall's 2025 predictions do you agree with?
Related posts
Comments