5 UFC champions who are destined to lose their titles in 2025
With no further UFC title fights in 2024, it's now worth looking towards next year for the promotion's champions. So how many of them will hold onto their titles in 2025?
The UFC saw a total of six champions lose their crowns, so whether 2025 will beat that total is an interesting question. However, it's safe to say that a handful of titleholders already feel like dead men — or women — walking going into next year.
Here, then, are five UFC champions who feel destined to lose their titles in 2025.
#5. Ilia Topuria - UFC featherweight champion
After the year he's had, it seems crazy to suggest that Ilia Topuria might lose his featherweight title any time soon.
'El Matador' not only shocked fans by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to claim his title, but he most recently defended it against Max Holloway in dominant fashion, too. Essentially, he appears to have all of the tools to become the most dominant featherweight in UFC history.
However, based on what we've heard this week, there's a chance Topuria will lose his title in 2025, albeit not inside the octagon.
In an interview with a Spanish radio outlet, 'El Matador' suggested that he's fought his last fight at 145 pounds and would be moving to 155 pounds in 2025. He also claimed he wants Charles Oliveira first and is willing to give up his featherweight crown to do this.
Given that top contender Diego Lopes has already challenged Volkanovski for a fight for the vacant title, it definitely feels like a Topuria-less future lies ahead at 145 pounds.
Therefore, while nobody has proven capable of beating 'El Matador', he is destined to lose his featherweight title next year nonetheless.
#4. Weili Zhang - UFC strawweight champion
It's been a long time since we've seen reigning strawweight champion Weili Zhang in action. 'Magnum' last fought in April, outpointing fellow Chinese star Xiaonan Yan at UFC 300.
Thankfully, fans don't need to wait too long into 2025 for her return. It was announced last week that Zhang will defend her title in the co-headliner of UFC 312 in early February against Tatiana Suarez.
However, while it'll be cool to see 'Magnum' in the octagon again, it definitely feels like the chances of her losing her crown are high.
Sure, Suarez's strength of schedule in recent years hasn't been great — she last fought in 2023 — and she's very injury-prone. When she does fight, though, she's looked absolutely unstoppable.
Thus far at least, nobody's been able to stop her takedown and top game, and she's bullied her way to wins over top fighters like Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade.
Zhang may be able to test her more than she's been tested to date, but based on the evidence we've got, the TUF 23 winner is basically a force of nature. She's felt like an uncrowned champion for some time.
With that in mind, it's hard to see 'Magnum' keeping her title next year, no matter how skilled she is.
#3. Dricus du Plessis - UFC middleweight champion
Few UFC fighters enjoyed the levels of success that Dricus du Plessis managed in 2024.
Not only did 'Stillknocks' manage to claim the middleweight title from Sean Strickland, but he also stunned observers by submitting former champ Israel Adesanya in his first title defense.
The South African has still not been beaten in the octagon, taking his record there to 8-0. He's proven that he has knockout power on the feet and that he's comfortable grappling with most foes too.
So why does it feel so certain that he's going to lose his title in 2025? Because even if he gets past Strickland in their rematch — which has been booked for February at UFC 312 — he'll face Khamzat Chimaev at some point.
'Borz' answered any remaining questions around him in October, when he broke former champ Robert Whittaker's jaw en route to submitting him in just under four minutes.
Sure, du Plessis also beat Whittaker, but it's honestly hard to see how he's going to stop Chimaev from taking him down and smashing him on the ground too.
Basically, Chimaev has felt like a guaranteed titleholder ever since his 2020 debut, and 2025 is likely to be the year that he recognizes that destiny. Unfortunately for 'Stillknocks', it means his destiny is to lose his crown.
#2. Julianna Pena - UFC bantamweight champion
In many ways, it was a surprise that Julianna Pena was granted a shot at the bantamweight title held by Raquel Pennington in October at UFC 307.
It was less of a surprise when 'The Venezuelan Vixen' dethroned 'Rocky', of course. Most fans were picking her to win the bout anyway, as Pennington — no offense intended — always felt like a placeholder champ of sorts following the retirement of Amanda Nunes.
However, given that Pena had not fought since losing the title to Nunes in the summer of 2022 — and hadn't won since upsetting 'The Lioness' in late 2021 — to see her in a title fight was still stunning.
This was not only because she hadn't fought in some time; she'd also leapfrogged Kayla Harrison in the process.
Harrison debuted in the octagon in April with a dominant win over Holly Holm, and it felt right away like the former PFL titleholder would easily claim the UFC title, too.
Pena got there first, of course, but based on the way Harrison dealt with both Holm and Ketlen Vieira, it's hard to imagine her surviving against the Olympic gold medallist.
Not only is Harrison the better grappler, but she appears to be the far more explosive athlete, too.
Pena is a great fighter, no doubt, and it feels unfair to write her off against anyone. Based on her two octagon bouts, though, Harrison definitely feels like the heir to the throne, and it's likely that 2025 will see her ascendence, ending Pena's reign in the process.
#1. Belal Muhammad - UFC welterweight champion
When Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July, it felt like the culmination of a career of sheer hard work.
'Remember the Name' debuted in the octagon way back in 2016, and for most of the years that have followed, he didn't really look like a contender.
However, when he rode a 10-fight unbeaten streak all the way to a title shot and then dethroned 'Rocky', it was hard not to be impressed.
Despite this, it's hard to imagine Muhammad holding onto his title for all that long, even through 2025.
Firstly, while he's a great fighter, the number of dangerous contenders in the welterweight division is nothing short of scary.
Muhammad will likely have to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov in a bout that many fans will favor him to lose first.
But if he does get past 'The Nomad', there are still the likes of Jack Della Maddalena, Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates to potentially contend with. All of these men are young, hungry and dangerous contenders who would provide Muhammad with a difficult stylistic match.
Essentially, even for a great fighter like 'Remember the Name', to survive 2025 with his title intact would be nothing short of a miracle.