THE UFC kicks off 2025 in real style this Saturday with a brace of championship fights, typically, featuring two legit #1 contenders.

Lightweight king Islam Makhachev aims to makes history with a fourth defence of the 155lb strap in the UFC 311 main event against former foe Arman Tsarukyan.

Whilst, in the co-main in Inglewood, California, unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov challenges for bantamweight honours against freshly-minted champion Merab Dvalishvili.

It is a Dagestan versus Georgia double-header that promises to deliver some irrefutable answers to some sizeable questions.

THE REMATCH

Makhachev, 33, not only faces leading contender Tsarukyan for a second time, but also the spectre of a lightweight belt that’s never been successfully defended four times.

His coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, along with fellow Hall of Famers BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar and the sublime Benson Henderson all managed to three defences of the belt. But their reigns went no further.

This weekend, Makhachev, riding a 14-fight win streak, can surpass them all and ignite his own fighting legacy.

As well as picking up UFC gold, Islam has stopped seven of his last eight inside the Octagon, was last year named as the pound-for-pound #1 and, seemingly, improves exponentially with every fight camp.

Yet the same can also be said of the challenger.

Tsarukyan, 28, lost his UFC debut against Makhachev in a Fight of the Night in Russia in 2019, but bounced back in style.

The Georgian-Armenian, who splits his training time between Russia and Florida, has gone 9-1 in the UFC since, stopping four of his last six, and outpointing former champ Charles Oliveira last April.

With strong boxing and a wrestling base that dates back to his youngest years, Tsarukyan has campaigned for this rematch. On Saturday night, he has to back up all the talk.

MAULER MATCH

Down at 135lb, new king Dvalishvili also faces the toughest possible assignment in the weight class.

Whilst there are plenty of former champions and more established names knocking around the bantamweight top 15, Nurmagomedov’s unbeaten terror campaign could no longer be ignored.

Despite only six wins in the Octagon, the 29-year-old has rapidly climbed the rankings courtesy a near perfect blend of aggressive striking and typically controlling Dagestani grappling.

During his 18-fight unbeaten run Umar has hardly dropped more than a rounds or two, with one unanimous decision after another stacked against a 50% finish rate

Similarly, over the last 11 fights of Merab’s 18-4 career the Las Vegas-based Georgian has powered and mauled his way to a series of near whitewash decisions.

The 34-year-old hardly dropped a round of fighting during his run to the championship, which begs the question: with too unstoppable objects on a collision course, who breaks first?

EAGLE MMA

Makhachev is the very best mixed martial arts has to offer heading into 2025. To defeat him, Tsarukyan is going to have to raise that bar significantly.

Power is his advantage. He has to land hard and often early to dictate the pace and range of the fight, get ahead om the scorecards and drive Makhachev backwards.

A gameplan for easier written than delivered.

As for Dvalishvili, the defending champion has defeated stronger wrestlers than Nurmagomedov, more talented strikers too. But he’s never faced a foe with both attributes at such a high level.

Whoever wins the first round send the other back to his corner in distress, after all, losing rounds is just not what either man does.

Umar has the broader skillset, so going to gameplan B and C won’t be a problem. But if Merab’s usual unrelenting shoot–takedown–maul–style hits a snag, he’s got few fewer tricks up his sleeve.

TIP: Eagle Double – Makhachev & Nurmagomedov on Points

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