The 10 | Closing Out 2025 With A Bang

Nazim Sadykhov and Fares Ziam square off in a lightweight contest at UFC 323 that might be flying under the radar now, but carries real weight as the pair look to position themselves for even greater opportunities in 2026.

Sadykhov is unbeaten in the UFC and riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak overall, having earned stoppage wins in each of his four UFC victories and four post-fight bonuses across his five trips into the Octagon. Simply put, the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad is allergic to being in a boring fight and now finds himself on the doorstep of the Top 15.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Dana White Reveals Key Bouts For 2026

Ziam had an uneven start to his UFC tenure, going 2-2 out of the chute, but the 28-year-old has since put together a five-fight winning streak that includes a terrific finish of Sadykhov’s former teammate Matt Frevola and Mike Davis. “Smile Killer” is another example of a young fighter that had a strong foundation, but needed time to mature, to find himself as a fighter and gain experience at this level in order to come into his own.

There is no way this fight isn’t exciting. Lightweight is flush with talent (as always) and the competition to land either a place in the rankings or a matchup with someone carrying a number next to their name has never been more fierce, and it should bring out the absolute best in these two early in the night at T-Mobile Arena.

Maycee Barber vs Karine Silva

In the wake of Valentina Shevchenko holding serve against Zhang Weili and Erin Blanchfield making her case for contention, Maycee Barber and Karine Silva share the Octagon in Las Vegas looking to close out the year by showing why they should be including the title conversation.

This will be Barber’s first fight since she pushed her winning streak to six by defeating Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 in March 2024. The 27-year-old has dealt with myriad health issues since, including being forced out of her main event pairing with Blanchfield in May as the duo was readying to walk, and enters this one facing a host of questions, not just about her health, but also her place in the division and the impact this extended absence has had on her skills and her mindset.

Join Us In Sydney For UFC 325! Register Your Interest Here.

Silva rolls into the final number event of the year off a unanimous decision win over fellow Brazilian Dione Barbosa in August that was met with some questions. The victory put “Killer” back in the win column after her extended run of success was halted last November by compatriot Viviane Araujo, and now the DWCS Class of ’21 alum has a chance to propel herself into the Top 5 with a second straight victory.

All eyes will be on Barber throughout the week, as she failed to make weight ahead of the fight with Blanchfield in May prior to being pulled from the contest at the last second. When at full strength and firing on all cylinders, she’s shown herself to be a legitimate contender, however the time away and serious health concerns send her into this one with something to prove.

Jan Blachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov

The main card of the final UFC pay-per-view kicks off with a potential “changing of the guard” fight in the light heavyweight division, as former champ Jan Blachowicz takes on ascending finisher Bogdan Guskov.

It has been three years since Blachowicz battled Magomed Ankalaev to a draw with the light heavyweight strap hanging in the balance at UFC 282, and in that time, the now 42-year-old Polish legend has suffered a pair of setbacks and undergone significant shoulder surgery. Last time out, the former titleholder dropped a unanimous decision to streaking contender Carlos Ulberg in London, leaving him without a victory since his injury-stoppage win over Aleksandar Rakic in May 2022.

Amanda Nunes Returns To Challenge Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison

After losing his short-notice debut to divisional stalwart Volkan Oezdemir, Guskov has responded by rattling off four straight stoppage wins to claim a spot in the Top 15 and emerge as one of the more intriguing names climbing the divisional ranks. He’s only seen the scorecards once in 21 career fights and still sports a 100-percent finishing rate, so you know what he’ll be looking to do when he steps in with Blachowicz on December 6.

Can the battle-tested veteran get back in the win column and halt Guskov’s ascent or will the surging stoppage merchant claim the biggest finish of his career?

Henry Cejudo vs Payton Talbott

Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo makes the walk for the final time in his illustrious combat sports career at UFC 323, stepping into the Octagon to face off with standout prospect Payton Talbott.

“Triple C” enters his final bout on a three-fight skid, having dropped consecutive decisions to Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili in his first two bouts after returning from retirement. Earlier this year, his fight with Song Yadong in Seattle was halted following the conclusion of the fourth round when Cejduo, who was accidentally poked in the eye earlier in the frame, was deemed unable to continue.

Three Title Matches Headline UFC BJJ 4

Talbott entered 2025 with a ton of hype after posting three straight stoppage wins to begin his UFC tenure. He dropped a decision to Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 in January but subsequently rebounded with a strong effort against Felipe Lima at UFC 317 in June.

This is a fascinating matchup regardless of the additional elements tethered to this fight, as Cejudo is a world-class talent that has only ever lost to elite competitors, while Talbott is a top-end prospect, but taking a considerable step up in competition here, at least in terms of name recognition. It will be interesting to see if the veteran can close things out with a victory or if Talbott will send Cejudo into the next chapter with another setback.

Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira

In the third consecutive “former champ versus ascending talent” pairing on the UFC 323 main card, two-time flyweight ruler Brandon Moreno takes on Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira in a pivotal divisional affair.

Moreno, who turns 32 the day after this event, has earned back-to-back victories heading into this matchup, having followed up his unanimous decision win over Amir Albazi last November with a similar result against Steve Erceg in Mexico City in February. “The Assassin Baby” has been a fixture in the title picture in the 125-pound ranks since returning to the promotion, and can keep himself there by registering a third consecutive victory in this one.

READ: Monthly Report | November 2025

Taira was bounced from the ranks of the unbeaten last year by perennial contender Brandon Royval (more with him shortly) in an outstanding bout that earned the pair Fight of the Night honors. He got things moving in the right direction again with a blistering effort against South Korean prospect HyunSung Park, who stepped in on short notice, back in August and aims to take a big step forward by taking out the former champion here.

With the title on the line in the next fight on the card and another crucial matchup headlining the final event of 2025, this is a massive opportunity for both Moreno and Taira to make their respective cases for a championship opportunity next year while all eyes are on the flyweights.

Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van

Champion Alexandre Pantoja returns to Las Vegas for the third straight December, searching for a nine straight win and fifth consecutive successful title defense. Standing in his way is electric challenger Joshua Van, who earned his place opposite the Brazilian titleholder by registering a pair of wins in June to push his winning streak to five.

While Pantoja has been a force throughout his current winning streak, he’s really taken things up a notch in his last two outings, where he submitted both Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France with relative ease to cement his place atop the division. The American Top Team representative is building a strong argument for being the best flyweight in UFC history and another emphatic performance to close out the year would only help bolster his case further.

FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads

What Van has done in his two-and-a-half years on the UFC roster is incredible, as the 24-year-old enters this championship pairing with an 8-1 record in the Octagon, a 15-2 record overall, and riding a five-fight winning streak. His performance against Royval at UFC 317 proved he’s the genuine article, and now it’s just a matter of seeing whether he can close out his breakthrough year by claiming UFC gold.

Will it be “And Still!” or “And New!” when the dust settles in the co-main event?

Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan

Bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili looks to make history as he puts his title on the line for the fourth time this year, stepping in against former champ and dangerous rival Petr Yan.

“The Machine” has already wrapped up Fighter of the Year honors thanks to impressive wins over Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley, and Cory Sandhagen, which ran his winning streak to 14 straight. He wanted to stay active and fight once more, and if he’s successful, Dvalishvili will become the first champion in UFC history to successfully defend their title four times in a calendar year.

UFC 323: View Fight Card | Buy Tickets | Order PPV

The three-fight skid and 1-4 stretch that has some wondering about Yan’s place in the championship picture a couple years ago is now a distant memory, as the Russian standout enters the UFC 323 main event on a three-fight winning streak. One of the most complete fighters in the sport, the 32-year-old will need to utilize all his tools in order to wrest the title away from Dvalishvili.

The champion dominated things when these two met for the first time in March 2023, though Yan has pointed to injuries as a major reason why he performed so poorly that night. He gets the chance to avenge that loss here, but Dvalishvili has only gotten better since that first encounter, making the task even more difficult.

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape — Saturday, December 13 (Las Vegas, NV)

Melissa Croden vs Luana Santos

Every instalment of this series features a “One for Me” fight where I might be one of the few people stoked about the matchup being discussed and this is that one: a bantamweight matchup between Canadian finisher Melissa Croden and Brazilian prospect Luana Santos.

Croden debuted in Vancouver in October, building into her fight with Thainara Lisboa and eventually finishing her Brazilian foe in the waning moments of the third round. Now 7-2 as a professional with seven finishes — and her two losses coming on the scorecards against quality competition — the 34-year-old Alberta resident can establish herself as a dark horse in the division with a second straight UFC win to close out the year.

READ: Look Back At The Best Moments Of 2025

Santos has gone 4-1 in her first five UFC appearances, bouncing around between flyweight and bantamweight. She too is coming off a stoppage win over Lisboa, and heads into this one after originally being scheduled to compete against Dariya Zheleznyakova in early November.

There are a couple fighters working forward in the bantamweight division at the moment, but you can never have too many intriguing figures to track, especially in a weight class that has felt stale at the top for the last couple years. A big effort by either woman would push them up the rankings (Santos is currently stationed at No. 15) and set up a more significant matchup whenever their 2026 campaign begins.

Amanda Lemos vs Gillian Robertson

Amanda Lemos and Gillian Robertson square off in a matchup of Top 10 strawweights aiming to close out the year with another quality win on the final card of 2025.

Lemos steps in for former opponent Iasmin Lucindo, looking to bounce back after being on the wrong side of the results against Tatiana Suarez at Noche UFC in September. The former title challenger has alternated results over her last six outings, and aims to maintain her place in the Top 5 by halting the Canadian’s ascent here.

Justin Gaethje Battles Paddy Pimblett For Interim Lightweight Title At UFC 324

Robertson has gone 5-1 since returning the 115-pound weight class, earning wins in each of her last four outings. Still just 30 years old despite being eight years and 19 fights into her UFC tenure, “The Savage” feels like she’s finally putting everything together and poised to make a push towards the top of the division.

Will Lemos take advantage of the short-notice opportunity, or can Robertson collect her biggest win to date and extend her winning streak to five?

Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape

Hopefully the third time is the charm for these two as Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are once again pencilled in to share the Octagon together, this time in the final UFC bout of 2025.

After getting dominated in his championship fight with Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval posted back-to-back split decision wins over Moreno and Taira to work right back into the mix. He rolled the dice by agreeing to fight Van on short notice in June and landed on the wrong side of things, forcing him to take a half-step back in quest for another championship opportunity.

ROYVAL VS KAPE: View Fight Card

Set to wrap his fifth year on the UFC roster, Kape is within arm’s reach of a championship opportunity for the first time, having earned consecutive stoppage wins and gone 6-1 over his last seven outings after dropping each of his first two fights. “Starboy” is a dynamic and explosive talent, and when he’s locked in, there are few in the division as dangerous as the former Rizin standout.

These two were first scheduled to meet in March, but Royval was forced out, resulting in Kape facing and beating Asu Almabayev. They were rescheduled for UFC 317 in June, but then Kape broke his foot, leading to Van tagging in on short notice, outgunning Royval down the stretch and landing opposite Pantoja at UFC 323.

The winner of this one will have as good a case as anyone for a championship opportunity as we head into 2026… unless Van topples the champion the week before and next year’s title slate begins with a rematch.