2024 gave MMA fans some epic moments, starting with the official merging of Bellator and PFL. The UFC recorded yet another successful year with several thrilling moments including their iconic event hosted at the Las Vegas square and several new champions were crowned. John Jones successfully defended his title, Francis Ngannou made an MMA comeback and many legends retired. However, 2025 promises to be bigger and better for combat enthusiasts although the fights haven’t started yet.
Here are key fights that have already been announced for this January.
UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan(18th Jan)
The fight between the reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev against rising star Arman Tsarukyan is arguably the biggest MMA fight announced for January 202. While any UFC title fight promises exciting action, the stakes are always high when there is a dominant champion in the octagon.
Tsarukyan has four straight wins, including the recent triumph over the previous champion Charles Oliviera. However, Makhachev hasn’t lost a fight since 201 and has successfully defended his lightweight title thrice in a row.
Will Makhachev start out 2025 with an upset or will he prove why he has gone unbeaten for close to a decade? MMA expert selections at SportyTrader suggest that Makhachev will continue his reign at -300 odds with a win over Tsarukyan (+240). But let’s find out on 18th January 2025 at 6 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, California.
UFC 311: Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov(18th Jan)
Another major fight in UFC 311, the current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will go against Russia’s Umar Nurmagomedov in an intriguing clash of styles. Nurmagomedov is riding on a six-fight winning streak and aims for a 19-0 record, while Dvalishvili will be seeking his 12th victory in a row after recording key victories against Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley, Jose Aldo, and Petr Yan.
Looking at the odds, Nurmagomedov will open as the favorite at -198 while Davlishvili walks in as the underdog at +164. That makes this bout exciting to watch as it’s not often that a current UFC champion enters the octagon as the underdog like in this case. Additionally, MMA experts believe that Dvalisvili will lose to Nurmagomedov despite being the more accomplished fighter.
Bellator Championship Series: Usman Nurmagomedov vs Paul Hughes(25th Jan)
While PFL and Bellator haven’t announced many fights for 2025, they have already confirmed an exciting title fight where Usman Nurmagomedov will return to face Paul Hughes for the lightweight title. Hughes is a former featherweight Cage Warriors champion and will get the biggest opportunity of his career against a fighter that many think might be among the best 155ers today.
Hughes recorded the biggest victory of his career in October against AJ McKee by a split decision in the lightweight division despite walking into the fight as an underdog. The Derry fighter will still be the underdog at +580 odds walking into this fixture, while the Russian is the strong favorite at -1000 after recording 18 straight fights uncontested.