Will the Belt Change Hands? 2025 UFC Title Predictions

2025 looks set to be a big year in the UFC regarding championship fights.

Although we’ve only just started the year, there have already been a handful of bouts take place that have been for titles.

As of January 20, 2025, we’ve witnessed two main fight events by the promotion: UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 and UFC 311. The first event didn’t see a champion take to the Octogan to defend a title, however the latter did see two bouts take place.

At UFC 311, both titles were successfully defended by their holders. Islam Makhachev defeated Renato Moicano to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship after stepping in late as a replacement to fight in Arman Tsarukyan’s place following an injury. In the other co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili managed to retain his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Umar Nurmagomedov by decision and handed his opponent his first loss.

Could we see belts change in the future?

It’s impossible not to think we could see championship belts move hands in the future, especially as the UFC likes to provide fans with several title fights throughout the years.

Admittedly, it helps that there are various weight divisions across both the men’s and women’s disciplines of the promotion. As there are several categories, it provides the athletes and fans with the opportunity to experience plenty of competitive action in the Octagon.

While the next UFC event scheduled to take place doesn’t contain any championship bouts, we don’t have to wait too long before the next rumored options.

UFC 312 is slated to occur in Sydney, Australia, on February 8 and will feature two championship bouts. Dricus Du Plessis will defend his UFC Middleweight Championship once again as he is scheduled to fight Sean Strickland in one of the main events of this particular card. In the other main event, Zhang Weili is pencilled in to defend her UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Tatiana Suarez.

These fights can be a great opportunity for Aussies to see the action up close. It will be the first time the UFC has returned since September 2023 when UFC 293 took place. As a result, there may be some who decide that it can be a great opportunity to engage in MMA betting activities to help them enhance the experiences they may receive, as this form of wagering has become extremely popular in recent times.

Indeed, it may be the final time for a month for those who like to wager on title fights, as the next bout scheduled for a championship isn’t set to be held until March 8, when UFC 313 is set to take place in Las Vegas. The UFC Light Heavyweight title is on the line, with Alex Pereira set to defend it against Magomed Ankalaev.

Could belts change hands at UFC 312?

With two championship bouts scheduled to take place in a matter of weeks, it brings up the question of whether we should expect to see the belts change hands when UFC 312 takes place.

Both fights are extremely hard to predict due to the calibre of each athlete. In the men’s, Du Plessis and Strickland accomplished a lot during their careers in the Octagon. The South African and defending champion is perhaps the favorite due to recent performances, having defeated Strickland recently by split decision.

Regarding the women’s strawweight contest, it could be a little more difficult to try and identify which athlete will be the winner. The consensus is that Zhang is expected to come out on top and retain her belt, although it’s not a formality.

The Chinese star has been exceptional since entering the UFC, but so has her opponent. Suarez has put together an unbeaten record in her 10-fight professional career, although her last fight came almost 18 months ago. With Zhang 25-3, she last fought just nine months ago and is more experienced in the Octagon, thus perhaps giving her the edge in the upcoming bout between the pair set to take place in Sydney, Australia.

Expect title changes throughout the year

Nonetheless, with the numerous bouts and events the UFC puts on, it’s impossible not to expect titles to change hands throughout the year, even if we don’t witness it happen in the coming weeks or months.