June 2025 promises a thrilling month for MMA fans, with the UFC rolling out major events across global venues. Fighter momentum—shaped by recent form and trajectory—will be key in matchups featuring surging contenders, dominant champions, and veterans fighting to reclaim or reinforce their elite status. Recognizing who’s rising and who’s under pressure adds crucial context to the stakes inside the Octagon.
UFC 316 Recap: Bantamweight Battles and Championship Shifts
UFC 316 took place June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, delivering pivotal moments in the bantamweight division and beyond.
Mario Bautista Upsets Patchy Mix
In a much-anticipated bantamweight clash, Mario Bautista handed Patchy Mix a surprising unanimous decision loss, ending Mix’s seven-fight winning streak and Bautista extending his own to eight consecutive wins. Bautista’s striking dominance and effective takedown defense stifled Mix’s grappling, with Bautista outlanding Mix 173-122 in significant strikes. Mix appeared uncomfortable abandoning his usual grappling-heavy style, which played into Bautista’s hands.
Merab Dvalishvili Retains Bantamweight Title Against Sean O’Malley
Merab Dvalishvili solidified his status as one of the sport’s elite bantamweights by submitting Sean O’Malley in the third round to retain his title. Dvalishvili showcased relentless pressure and improved striking, controlling the fight from start to finish. This victory extended his winning streak to 13 and reinforced his pound-for-pound credentials.
Kayla Harrison Becomes UFC Bantamweight Champion
In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison made history by submitting Julianna Peña to claim the UFC bantamweight title. Harrison’s grappling dominance was on full display, culminating in a second-round kimura submission. Post-fight, Harrison called out former champion Amanda Nunes, who announced her intention to return from retirement, setting up a highly anticipated future showdown.
Atlanta’s Welterweight Resurgence
The UFC’s return to Atlanta on June 14 features significant matchups impacting the welterweight and flyweight divisions.
Usman’s Challenge
Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman returns after a twenty-month layoff, facing surging contender Joaquin Buckley. Usman has not earned a victory since his decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 268.
He has since experienced three consecutive losses, including competitive title bouts against Leon Edwards and a short-notice middleweight pairing against Khamzat Chimaev. Usman faces pressure to demonstrate he still possesses the championship-caliber performance that defined his reign. That uncertainty is reflected in markets like FanDuel UFC odds, where Buckley has emerged as a narrow favorite—an indicator of shifting confidence among oddsmakers and fans alike.
Maverick’s Momentum
In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas, a two-time strawweight champion, competes in her fourth flyweight bout, holding a 2-2 record in the division. She dropped a unanimous decision to Erin Blanchfield in November, falling to seventh in the rankings.
Her opponent, Miranda Maverick, is riding a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Andrea Lee, Dione Barbosa, and Jamey-Lyn Horth in 2024. Maverick, long considered a top contender, aims to secure the biggest win of her career to solidify her push towards the division’s elite.
Azerbaijan’s New Faces and Vets
The UFC’s maiden voyage to Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 21 will showcase critical light heavyweight and lightweight clashes. Lightweight Rafael Fiziev, representing the host nation, enters on a three-fight slide after a knee injury and twin losses to Justin Gaethje. He seeks to regain his form after being sidelined for nearly eighteen months.
His opponent, Ignacio Bahamondes, has gone 6-2 since graduating from the Contender Series in 2020 and is on a three-fight winning streak, securing consecutive first-round finishes.
In the light heavyweight division, Jamahal Hill, the former champion, makes his third attempt to secure a win since relinquishing his title due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, having lost to Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. He faces Khalil Rountree Jr., who earned a championship opportunity after five straight wins.
Las Vegas Flyweight & Lightweight Title Chases
UFC 317 in Las Vegas on June 28 promises high-stakes matchups, including a vacant lightweight title bout and crucial flyweight clashes. Brandon Royval and Manel Kape will face off in a bout likely to determine the next flyweight title challenger.
Royval had an excellent 2024, securing two hard-fought wins and holding a 7-3 UFC record. Kape, with a 6-1 record over his last seven bouts, has earned back-to-back victories last year and is closing in on a championship opportunity.
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who has successfully defended his title three times, including submitting Kai Asakura in the second round, defends his belt against Kai Kara-France. Kara-France returned with a first-round stoppage win after over a year away.
Finally, Ilia Topuria, with an undefeated 16-0 overall record, moves up to lightweight to challenge Charles Oliveira for the vacant title. Topuria had an impressive 2024, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway to claim and defend the featherweight title.
Former champion Oliveira split his 2024 appearances, losing to Arman Tsarukyan but dominating Michael Chandler in a rematch.
The Shifting Sands of Success
The June 2025 UFC events highlight a dynamic landscape where momentum is a tangible force. Fighters like Patchy Mix, Mario Bautista, Joaquin Buckley, Ignacio Bahamondes, and Ilia Topuria are riding significant winning streaks, their recent performances signaling readiness for top-tier challenges.
Conversely, veterans such as Kamaru Usman, Rafael Fiziev, and Jamahal Hill face critical tests to prove they can reverse recent setbacks and reclaim their former glory. Each fight is not just a contest of skill but a measure of a fighter’s current trajectory, setting the stage for who will ascend to the top and who will face an uphill battle in the latter half of 2025.