The first numbered UFC event of 2025 takes place in Inglewood, California this Sunday afternoon with both the Featherweight and Bantamweight titles on the line.
Islam Makhachev, the pound-for-pound best fighter in the entire UFC, is looking to defend his belt once again when he takes on Armen Tsarukyan.
The two first did battle way back in 2019 when Makhachev was having his seventh fight in the promotion, and he won by unanimous decision.
Merab Dvalishvili secured UFC gold for the first time in September of 2024, winning his 11th straight win against Sean O’Malley.
He takes on undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event but there are plenty of quality fights to look forward to on the main card.
We started the year with three wins from as many recommended bets last week and are looking to continue our winning streak.
Here are the best bets for the entire main card.
Islam Makhachev vs Armen Tsarukyan
Islam Makhachev continues his quest to mixed martial arts glory, and further solidify his legacy in the sport.
His mentor and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov set the bar high and if he is to surpass the heights that was set, he needs to continue beating every challenge put in front of him.
He has not only ascended the UFC ladder to become the Lightweight champion, but he has defended the belt three times now and is at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.
Armen Tsarukyan gets his second shot at Makhachev having fought the Dagestani legend back in 2019 at the infancy of both fighters’ UFC journey.
Both of these men are different fighters now and while Makhachev has been undefeated in this period, Tsarukyan has faltered only once.
We haven’t seen a more dominant wrestler and grappler than Makhachev since Khabib retired but the most impressive thing about his development has been his improvement in his striking, which was never more evident than his knockout win over the greatest featherweight of all time in Alexander Volanovski last year.
Tsarukyan is a very well rounded mixed martial artist who has excellent attacking and defensive wrestling but he will also pose a threat to the champion when the fight is standing.
He took Makhachev down in their first encounter, the first to achieve the feat against him, but I would suggest his wrestling credentials will be used defensively in this fight for the most part.
2 Units Fight To Start Round 4 @ $1.65
Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili secured UFC gold around his waist when defeating Sean O’Malley in September of 2024.
That was his 11th straight win which included victories against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo.
His game plan consists of heavy wrestling and he drowned Sean O’Malley in their title fight, eliminating any striking threat that the former champion posed.
Umar Nurmagomedov is a Dagestani wrestler who is a two-time world champion Sambo gold medalist before making his MMA pro journey.
He is undefeated in 18 pro fights including six in the UFC and seven of his 18 wins have been by submission.
This is the main reason he goes into this fight as the hot favourite despite not being the champion.
It’s one thing to be an incredible wrestler like Merab is, but he is rarely a threat to finish the fight once he gains a dominant grappling position and this is evident by the fact that 10 of his 11 wins on the streak have been decision wins.
5 Units Umar Nurmagomedov By KO/TKO or Decision @ $1.75
Jiri Prochazka vs Jamahal Hill
Former two division RIZIN kickboxing champion Jiri Prochazka won the UFC light heavyweight championship in just his third fight in the promotion.
He defeated Glover Teixeira by fifth round submission in an epic fight back in June 2022 before an injury sidelined him for over a year.
While he comes into this fight having lost two of his three bouts since the lay off, both defeats came at the hands of Alex Peireira.
Defeat at the hands of the Brazilian champion is something that Jamahal Hill has in common with his opponent on Sunday having lost to him via knockout in his last fight.
But let’s not forget Hill is also a former champion of the division having beaten the likes of Teixeira, Santos and Johnny Walker on his way to UFC gold.
This is set to be a high level striking battle between two very skilled men with a lot at stake for the winner.
2 Units Fight To End In KO/TKO
Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano
Beneil Dariush ascended the lightweight rankings with a win streak of eight fights in a row including wins over Tony Ferguson, Drew Dober and Mateusz Gamrot and looked destined for a title shot.
His momentum was ended by Charles Oliveira and Armen Tsarukyan in 2023, both losses coming via knockout.
Renato Moicano is a veteran of the UFC having made his debut way back in 2014 and he has wins over Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar.
The Brazilian may just be fighting in career best form and has won six of his last seven and four in a row.
This is a high level mixed martial artist match up between two men that are extremely well rounded with a lot on the line.
At his best Moicano is one of the best lightweight’s in the world and with the champion running out of opponent’s he could challenge for a title shot with a win.
3 Units Renato Moicano To Win @ $1.57
Kevin Holland vs Reinier de Ridder
There is no doubting that Kevin Holland is one of the most exciting fighters in the entire UFC and it is why Dana White and the matchmakers continue to give him fights on the main event of PPVs.
It’s not because of his record.
He has just three wins in his last eight fights but if you delve deep you’ll understand he is renowned for taking short notice fights and being unwavering in his search for the best scrap and opponent.
Again he finds himself a dangerous and exciting opponent in the form of Reinier de Ridder who is a former One Championship Middleweight champion.
He made his debut in the UFC with a submission victory over veteran Gerald Meerschaert in November of 2024 and has just two losses in 20 professional MMA fights.
12 of his 18 wins have been by submission and 22 of Holland’s 26 wins have been finishes.
This is a fantastic way to start the main card and I believe Holland has a number of pathways to victory.
2 Units Kevin Holland To Win @ $1.94