The year 2024 is one to remember for the world’s premier MMA promotion. Why? Well, because in the last 12 months, the UFC delivered far more memorable moments than anyone could have ever anticipated in the promotion’s history. We witnessed new champions emerge in the featherweight, bantamweight, middleweight, and welterweight divisions. From Ilia Topuria’s star-studded performances to Dricus Du Plessis’ unique gameplay, this year has been unforgettable for both the contenders and the fans.

Well, what about the upcoming year? A few hands were raised at the end of 2024 as champions but will arms still be up by the end of 2025? Let’s see what the ChatGPT thinks about the end of 2025 and who will wear UFC crowns at the end of the year. Let’s get into it.

Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall

With an amazing record of 15 victories and three defeats, Tom Aspinall is one of the most fearsome fighters in the heavyweight division. It must be noted that out of his 15 victories, 13 came by way of first-round knockout. The British fighter became one of the few fighters in the history of the promotion to defend his interim heavyweight belt. The current heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has asserted that he would clash against Aspinall but with a condition that he get paid big money, and reports suggest talks are underway to make that happen. As we hopefully move closer to the bout being announced, AI believes that it would be Aspinall who will win the undisputed belt at the end.

Let’s have a look at the scenarios, Jon Jones is arguably the best fighter within the division now but it would be fatal to ignore the fact that Aspinall is a younger, much faster, and bigger fighter even for the heavyweight division. Aspinall is a fan favorite to win his battle against Jon Jones. Moreover, even if ‘Bones’ wins, there is a high probability of the heavyweight champion retiring from the sport. This would in turn leave the title vacant, providing Aspinall with the perfect opportunity to claim the top spot. Now, let’s move a division lower, and see who will probably end up champ by the end of 2025.

Light Heavyweight: Alex Pereira

When Israel Adesanya was telling the ‘story of a future Alex Pereira in a bar’, little did he know that he was summoning the boogeyman Alex Pereira into UFC, the former middleweight champion, and the current light-heavyweight champion is at the pinnacle of the sport with his skills and with the favor of UFC CEO Dana White. Alex Pereria defended his title thrice last year against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, Jiri Prochakza at UFC 303, and again against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.

So, what is his prediction for next year? Well, ChatGPT and every other prominent AI are predicting that the light-heavyweight champion would remain victorious despite the looming challenges over his head. Alex Pereira may face Magomed Ankalaev, who employs wrestling as his MMA base, and he a legitimate threat, no doubt. But ‘Poatan’ has looked good against top-tier athletes way younger than him, and he’s made quick work off of them. So, AI’s prediction may hold true for now. Let’s move a division deeper, and look at the middleweight division.

Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev

With an undefeated record of 14 victories, Khamzat Chimaev is looking at the middleweight belt with the eyes of a hunter after defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. The middleweight division is filled with killers such as Ciao Borralho, Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and the champion, Dricus Du Plessis. But Chimaev seems like a man on a mission, leaving destruction in his wake, and an unfettering willing to get in there and prove himself.. The undefeated middleweight prospect was promised a title shot when he took on Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, however, his health didn’t support him. However, 2025 is looking fresh for the Chechen phenom’s taking, and clearly AI thinks the same.

The Chechen warrior has a finishing ratio of 86% and his battle with former champion Whittaker, terrified everyone within the division as the first-round jaw-breaking submission was the highlight of UFC 308. If we were to amalgamate all of these then the middleweight title might go into the hands of the undefeated warrior at the end of the year. Now, for the deepest division in the UFC; welterweight.

Welterweight: Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards lost his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad back in UFC 304 last year but what surprised everyone was the fact it looked like the British champion was not himself during the fight. ‘Remember The Name’ completely outperformed Leon Edwards in their rematch as the Arab-American fighter clinched the title by way of a unanimous decision. However, that doesn’t take away from the grit and resilience of ‘Rocky’ who was a dominant force with 12 straight victories before losing the belt. He was undefeated for nearly seven years, and when he beat the boogeyman of the division, Kamaru Usman, with a spectacular head-kick KO straight from the trenches of adversity.

With the Birmingham native’s amazing striking and wrestling, ‘Rocky’ is one of the few people to have knocked out Kamaru Usman. That performance shows us that on a good day, ‘Rocky’ can floor any fighter. It’s about getting into the right mindset. So, we see the angle as to why AI would presume Edwards the champion by the end of 2025. Anything can happen in MMA. Next, we move on to the most stacked division in the promotion, i.e., the lightweight division.

Lightweight: Islam Makhachev

With a career record of 26 victories and only 1 defeat, Islam Makhachev‘s career has been such a dominant force within the lightweight division that no one has wrapped their heads around being able to challenge his dominance. His clash against submission expert, Charles Oliveira reflected Makachev’s grit and discipline inside the Octagon. After submitting Oliveira, Makhachev defeated the featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski twice to defend his title, and last year, he defeated Dustin Poirier by way of a submission to successfully claim his third defense, equalling Khabib Nurmagomedov’s record.

It must be noted that the Dagestani fighter has a finishing ratio of 65% and none within the division has been able to challenge his dominance. Looking at his amazing records, AI predicts that the lightweight division will continue to have Islam Makhachev as its champion. And now, let’s move to another stacked division in featherweight.

Featherweight: Ilia Topuria

It was at UFC 298 when Ilia Topuria made history by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to become the current featherweight champion of the world. With an undefeated record of 16 victories, ‘El Matador’ charged into the UFC like a raging bull and has already accomplished an extraordinary amount in his career so far.  After knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, Ilia Topuria became the villain once again as he knocked out Max Holloway in UFC 308 to successfully defend his title.

It must be noted that Ilia Topuria became the very first person to knock out Max Holloway in MMA, as well. The Spanish-Georgian fighter has an 88% finishing ratio and is considered one of the heaviest hitters fighters within the division. According to AI, the featherweight champion would remain the champ even at the end of the year as he has what it takes to defeat top contenders. Let’s move a division lighter to bantamweight next.

Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov

With a career record of 18 victories and 0 defeats, Umar Nurmagomedov is going to clash against Merab Dvalishvili to set claim to the bantamweight title. According to the fans, the legendary Nurmagomedov family will have another champion under their banner. With an amazing wrestling as well as striking skillset, Nurmagomedov can become a dominant champion for a long time.

If we were to look at the fighting aspect then, ‘Young Eagle’ has finished 50% of his opponents. The way he dominated Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ABC 7, showcased why the division should fear his existence. Regardless, AI predicts that Umar Nurmagomedov will be the champion by the end of this year. Finally, on to the promotion’s lightest division for men, flyweight.

Flyweight: Brandon Moreno

Former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is one of the finest fighters to have competed in the flyweight division. The Mexican warrior has faced the best of the best in the division and has a reputation for avenging his losses. However, his quest for revenge remains incomplete, as his battles against Alexandre Pantoja have consistently ended in defeat at the hands of the Brazilian champion.

‘The Cannibal’ certainly dominates the entire division right now, but Moreno could give the champion a tough challenge. Considering ‘The Assassin Baby’ has never been defeated by knockout or submission, his resilience makes him a formidable opponent. The Mexicana fighter can hold the flyweight belt if 2025 works better for him. Regardless, what’s your take on AI’s list of champions for 2025? Do you agree with the assessment, or do some names not event belong in the list above? Let us know in the comments down below.