"Two champions vacated their titles to move up a division and claim a new belt -- lightweight (and former featherweight) champion Ilia Topuria and welterweight (former lightweight) champion Islam Makhachev. Another champ, Zhang Weili, vacated but fell short in a bid to rule a new domain. Three other former UFC champions ended 2025 back on top of their divisions. A couple of first-time champions essentially came out of nowhere."
"The two 2025 double titlists, Topuria and Makhachev, head this year's MMA Rank, but this top 50 list is not simply an acknowledgement of past achievements. It is an ESPN panel's projection of who will succeed most over the next 12 months based on recent performances, upcoming fights and variables that extend outside the cage. The order of 50 fighters was determined by a binary model that averages the voting results."
Title stability in the UFC collapsed in 2025 as multiple champions vacated belts or moved weight classes, allowing rapid ascents and comebacks across divisions. Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev both vacated to move up and capture additional titles, while Zhang Weili vacated and failed to secure a new crown. Several former champions reclaimed belts and a few first-time titleholders emerged. An ESPN panel produced a top-50 projection for likely success in 2026, using recent performances, upcoming matchups and external variables. The ranking order was produced by averaging panel votes through a binary model and named specific journalists as voters.
Read at ESPN.com
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