🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[TopTort777]

I think people have wrong perception Ankalaev. If the guy is from Dagestan, have huge beard and in his name or surname is Magomed, Ahmed, Islam, Abdul - that does not make them elite wrestlers instantly. Even though they have wrestling in DNA, it is hidden very deeply Check out Ankalaev stats. Barely use wrestling (take downs and control %). 0 wins by submission. If Big Ankl would be from Nurmagomedov clan, his wrestling would be different, even though he prefers striking. But he is not from Nurmagomedov clan  

[Synchronice]

Alex hasn't faced a good fighter with wrestling skills. The UFC and Dana are protecting him in this regard. Even his fight with Ankalaev was delayed for a very long time.

And please tell me... How many finishes does Ankalaev have? How many finishes does Islam have? How many title defenses does Topuria have? How many title defenses does Islam have?

Some things aren't even up for debate and have already taken their place in history...

I'm definitely not trying to offend you, but for the casual crowd who doesn't enjoy MMA, a bar fight could be a natural outcome, and I'd never argue with that...

You are not offending me, I'm not that type of person that gets offended by a healthy discussion, actually, I enjoy discussion with you. Alex hasn't faced a good fighter with wrestling skills, I agree with that but Ankalaev is the best wrestler in the division if I am not wrong. Different weight class has different skills. Featherweight and Lightweight is the most competitive and skilled class to my mind because average sized men are more in number, are more agile and can wrestle better than tall people and can strike extremely well too. Mike Tyson was 1,78 m.

Topuria doesn't have many title defenses but the ones that he has is phenomenal, we have to agree on that. Might be luck, might not but his title defenses have been so far too good. Islam is a phenomenal fighter too. The match between Topuria and Islam will be one of the best match, skill-wise.

[trendcoin]

I think people have wrong perception Ankalaev. If the guy is from Dagestan, have huge beard and in his name or surname is Magomed, Ahmed, Islam, Abdul - that does not make them elite wrestlers instantly. Even though they have wrestling in DNA, it is hidden very deeply :D Check out Ankalaev stats. Barely use wrestling (take downs and control %). 0 wins by submission. If Big Ankl would be from Nurmagomedov clan, his wrestling would be different, even though he prefers striking. But he is not from Nurmagomedov clan :D  

There aren't many excellent wrestling-based fighters in the Light Heavyweight division, and I know Ankalaev's wrestling skills aren't elite level, but even Ankalaev gave Alex a tough time in their first fight... A more elite wrestler could potentially show us "some matches" where he could stop Alex more easily... This makes Alex, in my view, someone who hasn't been fully tested, and that's why I don't consider him a complete fighter. He's undoubtedly an amazing striker, but he's not a complete fighter in my opinion. So, I tried to explain that... :)

You are not offending me, I'm not that type of person that gets offended by a healthy discussion, actually, I enjoy discussion with you.
...

Thank you, being misunderstood would upset me.


The UFC didn't give him a title fight, there's no event; Arman is doing what he knows best in the meantime.

Two elite athletes. One mat.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Shara “Bullet” Magomedov
Grappling match - Dec 30 - Yerevan 🇦🇲

https://www.instagram.com/p/DSaJCVkFBIk/

Also, he will be wrestling Lance Palmer on January 10th.

[TopTort777]

Btw that is an unusual behaviour from UFC, when the allow their fighters to participate in any combat sports. Previously they were strictly against their fighters to participate in other MMA promotions. Now they let them spar everywhere with everyone, participate in grappling matches. In the past they were not even allowed to be get into ring or octagon of other promotion. For example situation: your team mate participate in other promotion and win, and you, as an UFC fighter was not allowed to enter ring and congratulate him, as it was considered that you are promoting other promotion. Now the let do all that stuff.

[pawel7777]

We had an interesting situation last week. The UFC decided to drop 4 fighters from its roster, one of them being Rinat Fakhretdinov.
Fakhretdinov is 24-1-1, he had one loss at the beginning of his career, followed by 23 wins (and one draw inbetween). His latest bout was a 1st round KO win over Andreas Gustafsson in September 2025.

Islam Makhachev addressed that in an interview saying results are no longer enough, and fighters need to learn English and start hyping themselves up to be more marketable. He said that the UFC is not very keen on fighters who beat everyone up but stay quiet and are unable to sell a show:
https://x.com/ChampRDS/status/2005013845530562909

I wonder if the UFC and Fakhretdinov parted ways simply because they haven't come to an agreement in terms of money, or has the UFC dropped him intentionally to prevent a non-marketable fighter from climbing up the ranks.

[TopTort777]

I saw a nice comparison recently: "UFC fighter is like an singer on stage. If he sings well but not interested to audience, nobody is forced to provide him job and new concerts". I believe that Fakhretdinov has completed his contract obligatories, but hasnt done anything in media to be demanded, so he was released. UFC need those who can sell fight, and by selling does not only mean winning by spectacular KO or submission. Even those who lose manage to make good sales.

[pawel7777]

I saw a nice comparison recently: "UFC fighter is like an singer on stage. If he sings well but not interested to audience, nobody is forced to provide him job and new concerts". I believe that Fakhretdinov has completed his contract obligatories, but hasnt done anything in media to be demanded, so he was released. UFC need those who can sell fight, and by selling does not only mean winning by spectacular KO or submission. Even those who lose manage to make good sales.

Sure, but in my opinion, there should be some balance between the sports parts and the show business/entertainment part. If they indeed dropped Fakhretdinov only because he was lacking the entertainment factor (and not because of too high financial demands) then it could be a step in a very wrong direction.
We've already heard about an alleged pressure from the UFC to discourage fighters from using too much wrestling and keep fights standing because that's what fans prefer.
If they go too far down that route, we might end up with a WWE-style circus, where fighters would be forced to become more of an actors etc.

Maybe a good solution would be to introduce freak-fights or celebrity fights in addition to the usual sport fights. This has been done back in the days in Pride, and some organisations capitalise on that too, e.g. Eddie Hall fighting two guys in World Freak Fight League, or Polish Fame MMA organisation that grew really big by organising fights between different celebrities (mostly internet "influencers" etc).

[tokeweed]

So we have 14 fights confirmed for the UFC 324, these are:

Main event:
155 lb: Justin Gaethje (26-5) vs. Paddy Pimblett (23-3) – for interim belt
Co-main event:
135 lb: Kayla Harrison (19-1) vs. Amanda Nunes (23-5) – for the belt
Main card:
135 lb: Sean O’Malley (18-3) vs. Song Yadong (22-8-1)
265 lb: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (16-2) vs. Derrick Lewis (29-12)
145 lb: Arnold Allen (20-3) vs. Jean Silva (16-3)
Prelims:
125 lb: Natalia Silva (19-5-1) vs. Rose Namajunas (15-7)
135 lb: Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1)
185 lb: Ateba Gautier (9-1) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (10-3)
155 lb: Michael Johnson (25-19) vs. Alexander Hernandez (18-8)
Early prelims:
205 lb: Nikita Krylov (30-11) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (19-6)
125 lb: Alex Perez (25-10) vs. Charles Johnson (18-7)
265 lb: Josh Hokit (7-0) vs. Denzel Freeman (7-1)
135 lb: Ricky Turcios (13-5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (12-6)
170 lb: Ty Miller (6-0) vs. Adam Fugitt (10-5)
Source: https://www.lowking.pl/ufc-324-gaethje-vs-pimblett-z-oficjalnym-plakatem-w-rozpisce-14-walk/

This is looking really good. I'll be honest, I didn't have a clue that O'Malley and Umar would be fighting in that event. I'm guessing if O'Malley wins against Song, he could get a shot for the belt and if Umar beats Figueiredo, he could get a rematch against Merab and the winner of that fight would get another title shot.

In other news, good old Tony Ferguson won the Misfits boxing belt a week ago. He defeated a guy called Warren Spencer and knocked out his tooth. That was Tony's second boxing victory and he remains undefeated. He has no plans to retire anytime soon.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/37701216/ufc-tony-ferguson-knocks-out-spencer-warren-misfits-boxing/

I think both O'Malley and Nurmagomedov are at pole position to go for the belt if they win their respective match ups.  But between these guys, we all know that Nurmagomedov has a better chance to win in a 5 rounder.  O'Malley made it look close against Yan in 3 rounder and won via split.  But if that match was a 5 rounder, I think Yan would've won.

What could happen is Nurmagomedov could win the belt next year and Dvalishvilli will prolly fight for it some time next year after a couple of wins.  Just the way Dvalishvilli lost to Yan makes me think that the UFC isn't too excited to put him up there to fight for the belt atm.

[trendcoin]

Sure, but in my opinion, there should be some balance between the sports parts and the show business/entertainment part. If they indeed dropped Fakhretdinov only because he was lacking the entertainment factor (and not because of too high financial demands) then it could be a step in a very wrong direction.
We've already heard about an alleged pressure from the UFC to discourage fighters from using too much wrestling and keep fights standing because that's what fans prefer.
If they go too far down that route, we might end up with a WWE-style circus, where fighters would be forced to become more of an actors etc.

Turkish fighter İbo Aslan recently announced that he had signed a six-fight contract with the UFC. https://x.com/Cage_PulseMMA/status/2004641615525421180

According to Ibo's statement in the video, Dana White came to him after the Iwo match and gave him the contract himself... :)

As Turks, we had high expectations for İbo Aslan, and he defeated Raffael Cerqueira with an impressive knockout in his first fight. But he lost his next three fights. You may have seen his last fight, Iwo vs. İbo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I_OYq-X0K0). So, I'm setting the stage to say that Turkish Twitter accounts were discussing the possibility of him being released from the UFC based on recent results, but the UFC gave him a new six-fight contract because he is a typical bar brawler... :)

Of course, the cost of the two fighters isn't the same for the UFC, but a system where the better one gets left out is doomed to degenerate and rot. I don't know if it's because the crowds want it or because sales are like this, but I think these choices have the potential to create problems for the UFC in the future...

[Pumared]

I saw a nice comparison recently: "UFC fighter is like an singer on stage. If he sings well but not interested to audience, nobody is forced to provide him job and new concerts". I believe that Fakhretdinov has completed his contract obligatories, but hasnt done anything in media to be demanded, so he was released. UFC need those who can sell fight, and by selling does not only mean winning by spectacular KO or submission. Even those who lose manage to make good sales.

I think a good example is Johnny Walker. He lost embarrassingly a few fights ago, he wasn't doing well, and other fighters were fired in the same situation. However, the guy adds value to the brand, he brings in the audience. He manages to attract attention with his craziness and his fighting style, whether funny or serious, he draws people in. I think that's the only reason he's still under contract.

[rdbase]

Official UFC YouTube channel has prepared 2025 knockout compilation. It is almost an hour long video. I have scrolled through it, found some cool moments of 2025 worth to remember. If you are bored, have free time or miss UFC (because it more than 1 month till next cool event), I advice to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZZ_3LeFxC4

Now situation with Topuria. I have seen posts on reddit about his recent Instagram post. All I can say that he has beaten all the men, but is loosing to a woman Problems inside family, divorce and relationship, that is nasty, that can hit harder than punch and cause more damage than brutal KO.

What did Topuria do and why is his ex wife so determined to make life very hard for him?  Lolol.  It wouldn't surprise me if Topuria fooled around with another girl or something. 

Anyway, can't wait for Pimblett vs Gaethje.  I wouldn't have thought highly of Pimblett before seeing him fight Chandler.  But after Chandler, Pimblett showed everybody that he belongs at the top in the UFC.  But let's see how he does against Gaethje.  Should be a good fight.

Regarding Topuria, I believe it was something on his part, something like betrayal or even the aggression he's trying to hide to maintain his current fame. I hope this information is leaked soon; I want to understand the real reasons for his absence.

Regarding Pimblett vs. Gaethje, I think it will take a backseat. There's been little discussion about it, and it will be at the beginning of the year amidst parties and various controversies involving other more famous wrestlers, so the comments will likely dwindle until then.

She is blackmailing him and all this seemed to arisen once he became successful.
So she is obviously out for a huge payday so to allow him to move on with his life.
For this Pimblett and Gaethje matchup, I never really liked it from the very start.
They are saying this fight was because Max Holloway does not want to fight him again since Justin wanted to have a rematch for the BMF belt but gets a retirement fight against Paddy the Baddy instead.
Dana hates him now from where he ended up in this matchup for UFC going into the new year.

[TopTort777]

I saw a nice comparison recently: "UFC fighter is like an singer on stage. If he sings well but not interested to audience, nobody is forced to provide him job and new concerts". I believe that Fakhretdinov has completed his contract obligatories, but hasnt done anything in media to be demanded, so he was released. UFC need those who can sell fight, and by selling does not only mean winning by spectacular KO or submission. Even those who lose manage to make good sales.

I think a good example is Johnny Walker. He lost embarrassingly a few fights ago, he wasn't doing well, and other fighters were fired in the same situation. However, the guy adds value to the brand, he brings in the audience. He manages to attract attention with his craziness and his fighting style, whether funny or serious, he draws people in. I think that's the only reason he's still under contract.

Another example is Tony Ferguson. Only after a series of 8 wins he was released from UFC. 7 lost fights and UFC still kept him. Anyone else would have been released immediately after 3 losses.

Situation with Fakhretdinov might be following: he was released because he wasnt showing what UFC expected to see. Before UFC his % of early finishes was higher. 16 finishes in 20 fights. After he sings for UFC, we see 1 submission over old Kevin Lee, who used to be in UFC, then released, resigned and released again. KO over guy who was having his second fight in UFC (not a very great achievement). 3 UD and 1 draw. You sign KO artist, get an average guy. Btw, I have checked facts, but found that Welterweight (division Fakhretdinov was in) is most stacked in UFC.

[Pumared]

I saw a nice comparison recently: "UFC fighter is like an singer on stage. If he sings well but not interested to audience, nobody is forced to provide him job and new concerts". I believe that Fakhretdinov has completed his contract obligatories, but hasnt done anything in media to be demanded, so he was released. UFC need those who can sell fight, and by selling does not only mean winning by spectacular KO or submission. Even those who lose manage to make good sales.

I think a good example is Johnny Walker. He lost embarrassingly a few fights ago, he wasn't doing well, and other fighters were fired in the same situation. However, the guy adds value to the brand, he brings in the audience. He manages to attract attention with his craziness and his fighting style, whether funny or serious, he draws people in. I think that's the only reason he's still under contract.

Another example is Tony Ferguson. Only after a series of 8 wins he was released from UFC. 7 lost fights and UFC still kept him. Anyone else would have been released immediately after 3 losses.

Situation with Fakhretdinov might be following: he was released because he wasnt showing what UFC expected to see. Before UFC his % of early finishes was higher. 16 finishes in 20 fights. After he sings for UFC, we see 1 submission over old Kevin Lee, who used to be in UFC, then released, resigned and released again. KO over guy who was having his second fight in UFC (not a very great achievement). 3 UD and 1 draw. You sign KO artist, get an average guy. Btw, I have checked facts, but found that Welterweight (division Fakhretdinov was in) is most stacked in UFC.

These are very clear examples of this, showing that if you offer entertainment, know how to promote yourself and attract an audience, the UFC will reward you. Tony Ferguson has stayed around all this time mainly because of the legacy and history he built in the UFC.

[tokeweed]

Here's the UFC's greatest moments vid for 2025 is gonna be live in 24 hours...  The thumbnail has Joshua Van, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.  So I'm guessing it's gonna be the match ups with Van vs Royval, Topuria vs Volk or Holloway or Oliveira and the Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch?

What do you guys think?

GREATEST UFC MOMENTS To Ring In The New Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7GDYV1drU

[Pumared]

Here's the UFC's greatest moments vid for 2025 is gonna be live in 24 hours...  The thumbnail has Joshua Van, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.  So I'm guessing it's gonna be the match ups with Van vs Royval, Topuria vs Volk or Holloway or Oliveira and the Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch?

What do you guys think?

GREATEST UFC MOMENTS To Ring In The New Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7GDYV1drU

Just seeing Poatan in the thumbnail, you already know that half the video will be made up of his best fight moments. How many fights has he had this year? Five or four? There's a lot to show just from him; he really worked hard this year, unlike a certain top 1.

[TopTort777]

Here's the UFC's greatest moments vid for 2025 is gonna be live in 24 hours...  The thumbnail has Joshua Van, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.  So I'm guessing it's gonna be the match ups with Van vs Royval, Topuria vs Volk or Holloway or Oliveira and the Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch?

What do you guys think?

GREATEST UFC MOMENTS To Ring In The New Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7GDYV1drU

Just seeing Poatan in the thumbnail, you already know that half the video will be made up of his best fight moments. How many fights has he had this year? Five or four? There's a lot to show just from him; he really worked hard this year, unlike a certain top 1.

Lol, only 2 fights. Lost to Ankalaev and lost his belt, and regained belt half year later. That is it. We saw Pereira more on media than in octagon this year I would say that for Poatan this year was kinda easy or boring. Previous years were much cooler because he had different opponents and 3 fights per year.

I would not add Topuria to GREATEST moments of 2025. KOed Oliveira is his only achievement this year. Family issues this year reset all his achievements.

I would put Yan vs Merab fight as one of the greatest moments of the year. Nobody believed in Yan. Almost nobody get belt back, and it took Yan 4 years to get it back. But I would put Merab as a fighter of the year. 4 title fights, dominated everyone. Except Yan, but come on, 4th camp/title defence. If that fight was next year, fight would go different. Dont forget that in every fight Merab got an injury before it.

[trendcoin]

Here's the UFC's greatest moments vid for 2025 is gonna be live in 24 hours...  The thumbnail has Joshua Van, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.  So I'm guessing it's gonna be the match ups with Van vs Royval, Topuria vs Volk or Holloway or Oliveira and the Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch?

What do you guys think?

GREATEST UFC MOMENTS To Ring In The New Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7GDYV1drU

Oh my God, what am I seeing? You might not like Volk, Oliveira and Holoway, and I can understand that, but why do you think they deserve such punishment? Why don't you tell a dark wizard to cast a spell on them instead of wishing for them to have a rematch with Ilia? :)

We've seen some great title fights in all weight classes except heavyweight this season. Hopefully, the issue there will be resolved next year, and we'll see the excitement ramp up. It was a weight class with limited competition, and now it's on the verge of becoming almost completely forgotten...

[TopTort777]

Guys, what is the tradition in your country, to celebrate Christmas on 24-25 December or New Year 31/12-01/01 is the main event? I want to congratulate everyone with incoming New 2026 Year, wish good health to your and your family, and may your UFC bets never lose Wish that next year we would have even cooler events and less bs fights (eye pokes and injuries that make opponents accidental champions:D)

[Synchronice]

There aren't many excellent wrestling-based fighters in the Light Heavyweight division, and I know Ankalaev's wrestling skills aren't elite level, but even Ankalaev gave Alex a tough time in their first fight... A more elite wrestler could potentially show us "some matches" where he could stop Alex more easily... This makes Alex, in my view, someone who hasn't been fully tested, and that's why I don't consider him a complete fighter. He's undoubtedly an amazing striker, but he's not a complete fighter in my opinion. So, I tried to explain that...

I'm 100% sure that Alex's mistake in the first fight was that he didn't care about the fight and instead was travelling to Australia and other countries. He wasn't really training and it was visible in that fight. Ankalaev didn't gave him a hard time with his wrestling skills because he couldn't take down Pereira and to be honest, that wasn't the fight of Champions, that was a terrible fight, Pereira didn't even box, which is strange. In the second fight, Pereira showed him his real strength.
I agree with you, Pereira hasn't been fully tested and I think that in his division, that won't happen. He is an amazing striker and that's it. I would say that Topuria is a complete fighter in UFC, more complete than Islam Makhachev and despite the fact that we haven't seen much wrestling from him, I'm sure into this because the guy started his career from wrestling and got into boxing when he was 17 years old and mastered it, so his wrestling must be on a high level as well. He was a wrestler and then became a boxer.

[tokeweed]

Here's the UFC's greatest moments vid for 2025 is gonna be live in 24 hours...  The thumbnail has Joshua Van, Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.  So I'm guessing it's gonna be the match ups with Van vs Royval, Topuria vs Volk or Holloway or Oliveira and the Pereira vs Ankalaev rematch?

What do you guys think?

GREATEST UFC MOMENTS To Ring In The New Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7GDYV1drU

Just seeing Poatan in the thumbnail, you already know that half the video will be made up of his best fight moments. How many fights has he had this year? Five or four? There's a lot to show just from him; he really worked hard this year, unlike a certain top 1.

Lol, only 2 fights. Lost to Ankalaev and lost his belt, and regained belt half year later. That is it. We saw Pereira more on media than in octagon this year I would say that for Poatan this year was kinda easy or boring. Previous years were much cooler because he had different opponents and 3 fights per year.

I would not add Topuria to GREATEST moments of 2025. KOed Oliveira is his only achievement this year. Family issues this year reset all his achievements.

I would put Yan vs Merab fight as one of the greatest moments of the year. Nobody believed in Yan. Almost nobody get belt back, and it took Yan 4 years to get it back. But I would put Merab as a fighter of the year. 4 title fights, dominated everyone. Except Yan, but come on, 4th camp/title defence. If that fight was next year, fight would go different. Dont forget that in every fight Merab got an injury before it.

Can't disagree with making Yan vs Dvalishvilli the best fight of the year.  Yan was slightly more than 3 to 1 underdog, he already lost to Merab and everybody wrote him off as just another guy that Dvalishvilli will dominate in the cage.  Turned out it was the other way around.  Yan came in prepared and schooled his opponent.

And this is what I love about MMA and the UFC specifically.  The sport never ceases to surprise and amaze.