Fight Coverage
The Ultimate Fight Card 2025
Twelve Months, 42 Events, And One Card Comprised Of The Year’s Best Moments
Playlists just don’t feel the same. Maybe that’s me showing my age (I’m 47 in case you ever wondered), but they just have a less curated, less pored over feel to them than the staples of my childhood, adolescent, and early adult compilation experiences: mixtapes and burned CDs.
With each of those formats, there were limitations that brought about consideration; you had a finite amount of space, and you couldn’t just hit shuffle, so the order of the tracks, the overall vibe of the collection, was something we thought about in great detail… at least I did. Songs had to flow into one another with some kind of sense; their place in the track listing being as far from random as possible.
A few years ago, my buddy Patrick Beaulieu suggested making a year-end compilation fight card, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
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The only criterion for this list is that the fights have to fall in the same slot on the card as they did originally, which is to say you’re not going to see a slew of main event matchups listed below. Instead, you’re going to see one fight from each position that was utilized over the course of the year. This always feels like an amazing snapshot of the year that was and such an incredibly fun piece to put together; I hope you enjoy it.
In the words of the inimitable Bruce Buffer, “It’s time!”
This is the Ultimate Fight Card for 2025.
Alex Pereira reclaims the light heavyweight title (UFC 320 —October 4)
Some people just have a gravitas to them where everything they do feels iconic, and “Poatan” is unquestionably one of those individuals. From his signature walkout and catchphrase to the little two-step he does with his team in the dressing room, Pereira produces viral moments and creates lasting images just about every time he steps into the Octagon.
Alex Pereira Stops Ankalaev In The First Round To Reclaim Title | UFC 320
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Alex Pereira Stops Ankalaev In The First Round To Reclaim Title | UFC 320
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His rematch with Magomed Ankalaev in October was no different.
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The Brazilian superstar said he wasn’t anywhere close to 100 percent for their first fight and promised the sequel would be different, which turned out to be an understatement. After fighting with less aggression and going the distance while losing his title in March, Pereira went straight after Ankalaev at the start of October, hurting him with the first real shot he threw and pounding out the finish soon after before offering his signature “Do you see this?” gesture towards the battered Russian.
Chama.
Valentina Shevchenko makes her case for G.O.A.T. status (UFC 322 —November 15)
The two-time defending flyweight champion Shevchenko welcomed the challenge of former two-time strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili in New York and used the opportunity to further bolster her case as the correct answer to the question of who is the greatest of all time in women’s MMA?
Shevchenko dominated throughout, showing her technical and tactical mastery while sweeping the scorecards against the befuddled and overmatched Zhang. It’s odd seeing a proven force like Zhang have so little to offer, but that was the case in this one, as Shevchenko controlled every aspect of the fight, rolling to her second successful title defense of the year while moving to 12-1-1 in the 125-pound weight class and 15-3-1 overall in the UFC.
Joshua Van delivers June double-up (UFC 317 — June 28)
Van showed he was ready for a step up in competition with his UFC 316 win over Bruno Silva at the start of June, but few expected that jump up the divisional ladder to come later in the month. Just a few weeks after stopping Silva, the then 23-year-old Houston native stepped in opposite No. 1 contender Brandon Royval in the final non-title fight on the UFC 317 main card, filling in for Manel Kape and giving himself the opportunity to go from outside the Top 10 to next in line to challenge for the title in the span of a couple of weeks.
And that’s precisely what he did.
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Level at one round each heading into the third, Van stayed on the gas and got the better of the exchanges over the final five minutes, ratcheting things up down the stretch to seal the victory and emerge as the top contender in the flyweight division. One of the undisputed best fights of the year, this was a true breakout moment for the first UFC fighter from Myanmar.
Manon Fiorot makes a statement in Vancouver (UFC Vancouver — October 18)
Rebounding after coming up short in your bid to claim championship gold can be tough; you work so hard to get to that moment, only to end up on the wrong side of the results, which has to be deflating.
That was the scenario that carried Fiorot into her fight with Jasmine Jasudavicius in Vancouver, as the French standout had dropped a unanimous decision to Shevchenko earlier in the year at UFC 315, and was back in Canada looking to get back in the win column against the surging and popular Canadian flyweight.
A left hand down the middle landed clean and put Jasudavicius on skates, prompting Fiorot to press forward, put her on the canvas, and pound out the finish. It was a resounding statement in a potentially tricky spot that solidified that “The Beast” is still very much in the championship mix in the 125-pound weight class.
Mauricio Ruffy delivers a Knockout of the Year candidate (UFC 313 — March 8)
Ruffy opened the UFC 313 main card in spectacular fashion, authoring one of the best finishes of 2025.
Roughly 90 seconds into his clash with King Green, Ruffy stuck the veteran lightweight with a right hand that got Green’s attention. With Green positioned behind the tram line and feinting attacks, Ruffy showed a left hook that forced a reaction from the California native, only for the Fighting Nerds representative to follow with a spinning wheel kick that landed flush, instantly ending the fight.
Though it took place less than 10 events into the 2025 campaign, it easily held up as one of the best knockouts of the year and could very well take home top honors when our year-end awards come out next week.
Bo Nickal shows his development (UFC 322 — November 15)
One of the most highly regarded prospects to hit the UFC in recent years, Nickal got embarrassed in his first appearance of 2025, suffering a second-round stoppage loss to Reinier de Ridder in a fight where the previously unbeaten hopeful had very little to offer.
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Matched up with Rodolfo Vieira in the final bout of the VeChain UFC 322 preliminary card slate, Nickal showed how much his striking has developed by busting up the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend on the feet through the first two rounds. Midway through the third, the decorated wrestler went high with a left kick that caught Vieira out and sent him crashing to the canvas with a thud.
The bout with de Ridder was clearly a bridge too far in that moment, but Nickal responded to the loss in the best way possible, making it clear he’s still an ascending talent to track closely in the middleweight division.
Jasmine Jasudavicius adheres to her motto (UFC 315 — May 10)
Jasudavicius likes to say that she’s “here for a good time, not a long time,” echoing the chorus of Canadian rock band Trooper’s second most well-known hit, and at UFC 315 in Montreal, the flyweight contender stuck to her word.
Paired off with former strawweight champ and two-division standout Jessica Andrade, Jasudavicius stung the Brazilian with a pair of right hands that allowed her to change levels and secure a forceful takedown. From there, she worked to the back, sunk in her hooks, flattened out the perennial contender, and eventually clamped onto the fight-ending choke.
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While her winning streak came to an abrupt end later in the year, this was a statement win by the engaging Canadian, who remains a Top 10 talent on the periphery of the title picture in the 125-pound ranks.
Elijah Smith channels “Rampage” Jackson (UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Hernandez —August 9)
As soon as Smith elevated and Toshiomi Kazama into the air and drove him into the canvas, knocking him out cold, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, doing the same thing to Ricardo Arona at Pride Critical Countdown 2014, instantly flashed in the minds of anyone old enough to remember the unforgettable finish.
The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate tagged Kazama with a flying knee right out of the gates, and as they worked through positions on the ground — the Japanese fighter hunting submissions, Smith defending and doing damage — the Road to UFC finalist Kazama attacked a triangle choke. With the hold locked in tight enough to be worrisome, Smith gathered Kazama up, hoisted him into the air, set his hands, and plunged him to the canvas, knocking him out cold.
This was an incredible finish and one of those performances that forces everyone to sit up and take notice. Just 22 years old, Smith is a long-term talent to watch closely in the ultra-competitive bantamweight division.
Rongzhu, Kody Steele show out in Sydney (UFC 312 — February 9)
This was one of the early entrants in the Fight of the Year race, and as we are ready to hand out our fictional hardware in the coming days, don’t be surprised to see this one in the mix for a place on the podium.
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Steele started well in his promotional debut, landing a few solid shots on the young Chinese veteran, but they only seemed to prompt Rongzhu to lock in and go on the offensive. He led the dance and landed the better blows the rest of the way, eschewing defensive fundamentals and movements in favor of slinging leather with Steele en route to collecting his first win since rejoining the UFC roster.
Fights like this often fall through the cracks when discussing the best, most entertaining bouts of the year because the stakes were minimal compared to some of the championship contests and matchups between contenders that inevitably deliver, but this was a captivating 15-minute affair that deserves a Top 10 spot on everyone’s forthcoming “… of the Year” lists.
Shauna Bannon finds the finish after getting floored (UFC London —March 22)
Bannon looked dead to rights when Puja Tomar went high with a left kick and sent her toppling to the canvas, but to her credit, the Irish strawweight did well to gather her wits quickly and go on the offensive.
As Tomar chased her to the ground in search of a finish, Bannon threw up her legs and worked to collect her left wrist, remaining diligent in her pursuit as her opponent tried desperately to defend. After a brief “attack and defend, adjust and readjust” sequence, Bannon eventually stretched out and extended the arm, drawing a quick and panicked tap from Tomar to secure the back-from-the-brink victory in London.
Shauna Bannon Submits Puja Tomar | UFC London
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Shauna Bannon Submits Puja Tomar | UFC London
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Quillan Salkilld makes a splash in his debut (UFC 312 — February 9)
Just as the broadcast team was talking about how Anshul Jubli believed his striking was far superior to that of his opponent in the UFC 312 opener, Salkilld fired a right hand down the pipe that landed clean and sent the Road to UFC tournament winner crashing to the canvas in a heap.
It took all of 19 seconds for the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to collect his first UFC win and put himself on the lightweight radar as an intriguing prospect to track. The Perth man would garner a decision win over Yanal Ashmouz midway through the year to move to 2-0 and then wrap up his rookie campaign with a short-notice, first-round knockout win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 321 that nearly earned Salkilld a second appearance in this collection.
Ramiz Brahimaj submits Austin Vanderford (UFC 320 — October 4)
This one had several elements that made it an easy choice to be included in this collection: a reversal of momentum, a slick finish, and an upset victory, all combined to produce Brahimaj’s third straight stoppage win.
Vanderford controlled the back half of the first round, but the Dallas resident came out more aggressively in the second, hurting the UFC sophomore with a head kick before clamping onto a 10-finger guillotine choke as Vanderford desperately tried to wrestle up and recover. A perennial underdog who opened his UFC tenure by nearly getting his left ear severed from the side of his head, the 33-year-old Brahimaj enters 2026 as a dark horse in the division, having won three straight and four of his last five inside the Octagon.
Daniil Donchenko stops Rodrigo Sezinando (Noche UFC — September 13)
Donchenko’s win over his fellow Team Cormier representative to win the welterweight competition on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter leads off this compilation because the young Ukrainian is someone I can see becoming a fan favorite and all-action staple in the division very quickly.
The 24-year-old is an aggressive striker who favors elbows over punches, especially in tight, recognizing that the damage done by the former is significantly greater and more sudden, plus when someone sees they’re bleeding, it can really shake them. That’s what happened in this fight with Sezinando, who was one of the favorites to win the whole thing heading into the competition.
Donchenko cut him early and put him away towards the end of the first round, extending his winning streak to five while both claiming a place on the UFC roster and joining the cast of competitors that can call themselves Ultimate Fighter winners.