3 ex-UFC champions who can win their belts back in 2025 ft. Alex Pereira 

UFC is the epitome of MMA, and attracts top fighters from around the world to compete against each other. As a result, being a champion in the UFC is regarded as a huge achievement for the fighters. However, it has frequently been observed that defending the title is much harder than becoming a champion.

In recent years, there have been fighters such as Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman who managed to defend the titles multiple times. However, top fighters like Sean Strickland, Sean O’Malley, Leon Edwards have also struggled to keep their title, and rarely reach three successful title defenses. At the pinnacle of UFC, the competition is extremely high and everybody wants to fight the champions.

Absorbing all that pressure and defending the belt isn’t an easy task, and losing it is very common as well. But what separates champions from others is the ability to come back and take their lost glory. In 2025, there are some fighters who can achieve that success and shock the fans.

1. Alex Pereira’s immediate title rematch 

Alex Pereira has become the biggest pay-per-view superstar on the UFC roster in the last few years. ‘Poatan’ had a meteoric rise to the top, and beat Israel Adesanya to become the middleweight champion. After losing the belt, he moved up and continued his dominance in the 205 lbs division. 

As the light heavyweight champion of the world, Pereira defended his belt thrice in the span of seven months. He brutally knocked out corner champions such as Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka and then beat Khalil Rountree. Recently at UFC 313, he fought Magomed Ankalaev and was a fan favorite to win the bout. 

However, the Russian outsmarted Alex Pereira and won the fight via unanimous decision. Losing Pereira could be a huge loss for UFC as a result, Dana White has already talked about an immediate rematch. The fight might take place later this year, giving ‘Poatan’ a great opportunity to reclaim his throne.

2. Alexander Volkanovski’s ultimate comeback 

Alexander Volkanovski was one of the most dominant champion’s in recent times. As a former pound-for-pound king, he defended his featherweight title five times, beating dangerous fighters such as Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Yair Rodriguez to name a few. However, it wasn’t enough for the Australian superstar who wanted to become a double champion and went against Islam Makhachev.  

The first fight was close but the Dagestani took the victory via unanimous decision. But that wasn’t enough and at UFC 294, the ‘Great’ came on short notice for a second shot at his double champion dream. This time, he got knocked out and he faced a similar result against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. 

Volk lost his title and took a huge gap but now he has an opportunity to get his title back at UFC 315. After Topuria vacated the belt and moved up, Volkanovski will fight top prospect Diego Lopes for the title. Going into the fight, the veteran is still a fan favorite and the hype around the fight is massive.

3. Sean O’Malley’s rematch against Merab Dvalishvili 

Sean O’Malley rose to UFC stardom with flashy knockouts and a charismatic personality. After impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series, he built a strong record, showcasing knockout power. In 2023, he captured the bantamweight title by defeating Aljamain Sterling via viral KO, which further boosted his popularity. 

O’Malley defended the belt once, but eventually faced Merab Dvalishvili, whose relentless pressure and wrestling overwhelmed him. At UFC 306, the Georgian star secured a dominant victory, ending O’Malley’s reign. Despite the loss, O’Malley remains a top contender, continuing to be one of the UFC’s biggest stars.

Dvalishvili has also defended his title once against Umar Nurmagomedov and is ready to fight O’Malley again. ‘Suga’ is currently on a social media detox, and focuses on his training to regain the title. While there has been no official announcement, many fans believe that this fight is in the works for 2025. 

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