The last numbered event of 2025 is an anticipated one before the Paramount era begins for the UFC.
Merab Dvalishvili defends his bantamweight title in a rematch against Petr Yan in the headliner of UFC 323.
While Alexandre Pantoja aims to remain flyweight champion when he takes on the #1 contender, Joshua Van, in the co-main event.
With those scheduled five-round wars bringing a lot of attention, here are five battles you should look out for.
Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira
We begin with a possible flyweight title eliminator, which occurs before the title fight, as both men are key to becoming the next challenger.
Moreno equalled his back-to-back split decision losses with two consecutive unanimous decision wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg.
‘The Assassin Baby’ was once the King of the Flyweights, becoming a two-time champion after defeating Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 and UFC 283.
The Mexican holds 23 victories, including 11 submissions and 5 KO/TKO wins, as he has been known to stop fights in crucial moments.
Taira redeemed his first MMA loss with a second-round submission win over Hyun-Sung Park at UFC Vegas 108.
The Japanese fighter made his debut in May 2022 and rose to defeat the likes of Alex Perez, Edgar Chairez and Jesus Aguilar.
The #5 contender has earned 13 finishes from 17 wins in his career, holding five knockouts and eight submissions.
It’s a very hard battle to predict, but that’s what makes it exciting to watch, as either man could pull off a statement triumph.
Jan Blachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov
It’s veteran vs. prospect at light heavyweight as one aims to maintain his position while the other seeks to boost his rankings.
Blachowicz has been struggling to pick up a victory as he stands on a three-fight winless run, with his last two losses coming against Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg.
The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion hasn’t conquered an opponent since May 2022, when he defeated Aleksandr Rakic by third-round TKO.
The Polish mixed martial artist has nine knockouts and submissions from the 29 victories he’s claimed in his career.
Guskov extended his win streak to four after knocking out Nikita Krylov in the first round at UFC Abu Dhabi.
‘Czarevitch’ made his debut just over two years ago, where he lost to Volkan Oezdemir, but since then, he has yet to fail in the organisation.
The #11 contender has a 100% finish rate, with 15 knockouts and 3 submissions; 13 of those have ended in the first round.
Blachowicz could be a fight away from retirement; he isn’t as successful as Guskov, who hungers for the biggest win of his career.
Terrance McKinney vs Chris Duncan
The lightweight division always seems to bring thrilling fights, and this one is no different.
McKinney didn’t take long to win in his last bout, securing a 55-second submission win against Viacheslav Borshchev at UFC 317.
On his UFC debut, T. Wrecks knocked out Matt Frevola in just seven seconds at UFC 263, showing how quickly he likes to stop fights.
Speaking of finishes, the 31-year-old has never gone the distance, earning eight knockouts and nine submissions.
Duncan extended his triumphant streak to three after an entertaining battle with Mateusz Rebecki, which he won by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 108.
‘The Problem’ has fought six times in the UFC and has only lost once, and for the second time in his career, he will fight three times in a calendar year.
The Scotsman has 10 finishes from 14 victories, earning seven KO/TKO wins and three submissions.
The winner of this 155lbs bout could potentially have the chance to contest in the division’s rankings.
Nazim Sadykhov vs Fares Ziam
Another lightweight battle which sees two promising prospects with impressive streaks go head-to-head.
Sadykhov last fought at UFC Baku, where he was victorious in a wild battle with Nikolas Motta, winning by second-round TKO.
The ‘Black Wolf’ has suffered just one loss, which came on his MMA debut, and has since not been defeated.
With 11 victories, the Azerbaijan fighter has stopped 10 opponents, knocking out 8 and submitting 2.
Ziam is on a five-fight win streak after he defeated Mike Davis by unanimous decision at UFC Saudi Arabia.
The Frenchman made his name stand out after a marvellous third-round knockout win against Frevola at UFC Paris.
The ‘Smile Killer’ has secured 10 finishes in his MMA career, winning six bouts by KO/TKO and four by submission.
Just like the previous lightweight matchup, a big statement win could award an opportunity at the division’s top 15.
Marvin Vettori vs Brunno Ferreira
An interesting fight at 185lbs sees a veteran seeking redemption and a prospect looking to enter the middleweight rankings.
Vettori is on a three-fight losing streak after suffering an unanimous decision defeat to Brendan Allen at UFC 318.
‘The Italian Dream’ has won only two of his last seven fights, beating Roman Dolidze and Paulo Costa, and has gone downhill.
The #14 contender often goes the distance in his battles, but has earned two knockouts and nine submissions.
Ferreira is on a roll this year, securing back-to-back submissions against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 313 and Jackson McVey at UFC 318.
‘The Hulk’ has appeared in one PPV event, notably on his debut, when he put the middleweight division on notice with a stunning knockout against Gregory Rodrigues at UFC 283.
The Brazilian has a 100% finish rate, which includes nine knockouts and five submissions; 11 have been stopped in the first round.
Ferreira has the ultimate opportunity to become a ranked fighter, but he has to do everything he can if he wants to stop Vettori, who has yet to be finished in his career.
