Five main event bouts out of the 11 UFC cards scheduled to date have been made official, featuring three rematches and two championship clashes. The events take place in the U.S., Australia, and Saudi Arabia.
The UFC Fight Night card on January 11 kicks off the MMA action at UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a strawweight rematch between Mackenzie Dern (14-5) and Amanda Ribas (13-5). The latter won their first fight in October 2019 by unanimous decision.
Ribas of Brazil is coming off a defeat by unanimous decision against Rose Namajunas. Dern of Phoenix, Arizona aims for her second straight victory.
UFC 311 hits the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on January 18 with a rematch between current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (26-1) and Arman Tsarukyan (22-3). Makhachev won their first fight in April 2019 by unanimous decision.
Makhachev makes the fourth defense of his belt and aims for the 15th win in a row. Tsarukyan of Armenia is riding a four-fight winning streak, defeating Charles Oliveira by split decision in April to win a title eliminator.
The UFC Fight Night card on February 1 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia features Israel Adesanya (24-4) up against Nassourdine Imavov (15-4, 1 NC) in a five-round matchup. Nigerian-born New Zealand former two-time middleweight champion, Adesanya, looks to get back in the win column following a pair of defeats against Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. France-based Imavov is riding a three-fight winning streak.
UFC 312 marks the promotion’s return to Sydney, Australia, with Dricus du Plessis (22-2) facing off against Sean Strickland (29-6) in a rematch. South Africa’s du Plessis defeated Strickland of Anaheim, California, by split decision to become the new middleweight champion in January 2024.
In his next fight in August, du Plessis submitted Adesanya in the fourth round. Former titleholder, Strickland, bounced back with a split decision against Paulo Costa.
Plus, the UFC Fight Night card at UFC Apex in Las Vegas on February 15 features a middleweight battle between Jared Cannonier (17-8) of Dallas, Texas and Gregory Rodrigues (16-5) of Brazil. Former middleweight title challenger Cannonier lost two fights in a row against Caio Borralho and Imavov. Rodrigues secured three straight victories, including a UD against Christian Leroy Duncan last time out in July.
Additionally, a flyweight bout between former title challenger Brandon Royval (17-7) of Denver, Colorado, and Angolan-born Portuguese Manel Kape (20-7) is expected to headline the UFC Fight Night card on March 1 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Royval won two fights in 2024 by split decision against Tatsuro Taira and Brandon Moreno. Kape defeated Bruno Gustavo da Silva via third-round TKO in December. The promotion is yet to confirm the matchup.
Stay tuned for a full list of UFC events featured on the FIGHTMAG schedule for 2025, including broadcast and ticket information.