Fans Wish These 5 UFC Fighters a Strong Comeback in 2025

2024 left fight fans in awe with last-moment KOs and dominant battles. Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria, and many others established themselves once again as the true strength of the UFC. However, things were a bit different on the other side of the celebrations. With the rise of new champions, the old ones were left in hopes of returning with a strong comeback story. 

And that’s exactly what we have for you today. It’s all about the fan-favorite mixed martial artists who couldn’t ensure a dominant stance throughout 2024. Let’s join the fighting community and take a look at the 5 fighters that the entire MMA nation wishes for a grand comeback in 2025.

1. Justin Gaethje

After Justin Gaethje secured the KO win over Dustin Poirier and won the BMF belt at UFC 291, every single MMA fan believed that he was up for the title shot. As he celebrated with a pretty cool backflip after his high kick sent ‘The Diamond’ to sleep, even he thought that a fight for the lightweight title was next for him. But he was pitted against Max Holloway at UFC 300 and left to defend his BMF title against the former champ. 

The fight was a close one, but after the way Justin Gaethje knocked Dustin Poirier out, we somewhat expected him to win at UFC 300, as well. But even after putting up a tough competition against Max Holloway, ‘The Highlight’ faced defeat in the most heartbreaking way. It was the last second of the last round when ‘Blessed’ sent a punch that sent ‘The Highlight’ to the shadow realm. While it was indeed the iconic moment that propelled Holloway’s story to the top, things were a bit different for Gaethje. This left the fans waiting for ‘The Highlight’ to redeem himself.

During an interaction with MMA Knockout, the former BMF champion reflected on his fighting style. A slight change could have got him a win against Holloway. But it seems like it’s a bit too late to bring about a change. The #3 lightweight prospect said, “Even if I wanted to change how I fight, it’s really not possible. That’s how I compete.” Set to return sometime in March 2025 (as per Ali Abdelaziz), the fight fans certainly hope to witness a dominant comeback by the 36-year-old lightweight.

2. Max Holloway

Following the one-of-a-kind buzzer-beater knockout win at UFC 300, Holloway got the chance to reclaim the featherweight championship title in a fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. However, fate seemed to have a different plan. It was ‘El Matador’ who dominated the fight and became the only fighter to have knocked ‘Blessed’ out. A left hook followed by a few fists on the ground in the third round of their bout concluded the fight in Topuria’s favor. Needless to say, the former featherweight champion has to make a comeback. 

The fans expect to witness the return of Holloway during International Fight Week in 2025. After all, the BMF champion said so himself as he confirmed moving to the 155-pound category. Taking to his YouTube channel, he said, “Even the version of myself you saw at 155 against Gaethje is not the full version. If you thought that version of myself against Gaethje at 300 was good – I can’t wait to get in the lab with my coaches and put some size on.” 

Holloway seemed pretty impatient about hitting the gym, gaining some weight, and stepping into the Octagon as a lightweight fighter. He continued, “With me being ranked at ’55 is great. Hopefully I can fight somebody in front of me, get a big win and who knows? Might be knocking on the door of a title fight at 155.” And that’s exactly what the fans wish for.

3. Alexander Volkanovski

Holloway wasn’t the only one who faced a disappointing KO defeat against Topuria. Back at UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski experienced a similar KO by Topuria, as he lost the featherweight title. ‘The Great’ has been on a declining slope ever since he competed against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. His dream of becoming a double champion was shattered to pieces. Soon after a KO win over Yair Rodriguez, Volkanovski fought Makhachev once again with the P4P #1 spot on the line. And he lost that too. The losses caught up with the Australian fighter as Topuria knocked him out with a right hook in the second round of their bout, thereby forcing him to say goodbye to the featherweight belt. 

But Volkanovski’s battle was against the trend of the featherweight division. Well, there’s absolutely no fighter who has won a UFC title after the age of 35 in the 145-pound category. And ‘The Great’ is already 36.

Come 2025, the Australian featherweight expects a rematch against ‘El Matador’ for the championship title. He had also put his crosshairs on Diego Lopes with an interim featherweight belt in the discussions. Whoever the opponent may be, the fight fans wish nothing but a strong comeback from ‘The Great’.

4. Israel Adesanya

The former 2-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, fell a bit too hard following his failed title defense against Sean Strickland via a unanimous decision. He got yet another chance to reclaim the MW belt and settle the ‘real African’ debate in a battle against Dricus Du Plessis. But things didn’t seem to work out well. DDP, with his strong grappling skills, secured a win via RNC in the 4th round of their fight. 

Losing 2 back-to-back fights indeed hurt Adesanya as well as his fans. But a comeback might be just around the corner. Currently set to fight Nassourdine Imavov on February 1 2025, the fighting community wishes nothing but a wholesome performance from Adesanya. Of course, the fans have been praying for ‘The Last Stylebender’s flawless victory. After all, his coach, Eugene Bareman claimed, “We’re looking for a very vintage performance.”

Bareman seems to have ensured that the New Zealander doesn’t get burned out. He revealed that the team has been doing things a bit differently this time around. Needless to say, things are sure to get a bit more interesting in the MW realm.

5. Robert Whittaker

Khamzat Chimaev shut everyone down with his dominant performance at UFC 308, as he submitted Robert Whittaker in the very first round. While celebrations were pretty loud for the Chechen Wolf, Whittaker experienced a horrific injury. Well, ‘Borz’s grappling strength had broken ‘The Reaper’s lower mandible. Nobody expected Chimaev to be so explosive right after returning from the sick bay. 

Following his loss, Whittaker said, “I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge so this is no different.” He had proved his strength against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Riyadh. Now, things are certain to move in favor of ‘The Reaper’, and that’s what the fans wish for. With a few tricks up on his sleeve, Whittaker’s return in 2025 will definitely be phenomenal.

Who is the one fighter that you wish to see win in 2025? Is it someone that we missed on the list? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.