With 42 total Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events throughout 2025 — on top of all of the other promotions such as Professional Fighters League (PFL), Dirty Boxing, and Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) — combat sports fans have probably forgotten about many of the wild moments that happened throughout the action-packed year.
From knockouts and post-fight interviews to funny in-cage spots, or maybe you’re a hardcore mixed martial arts (MMA) freak and remember everything.
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Well, either way, we’ve got you covered.
In part one of UFC 2025, “Rewind,” which runs from UFC Vegas 101 (Jan. 11, 2025) to UFC Mexico City (March 29, 2025), we look back at some of the most memorable moments from that specific event timeline, including Arman Tsarukyan’s pull-out that ruined his year, some big UFC debuts, and some awesome stoppages.
PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR
UFC Vegas 101: ‘Dern vs. Ribas’ – Jan 11, 2025 – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
A couple UFC rookies made their debut on the first card of 2025, and usually, I would highlight a knockout like Jacobe Smith’s nasty punch; however, I must remind you of Austin Bashi’s upset loss simply because I was hyping him up to be God’s gift — and I ended up with egg on my face as Christian Rodriguez won a unanimous decision.
UFC 311: ‘Makhachev vs. Moicano’ – Jan 18, 2025 – Intuit Dome, California
Ah yes, the UFC event that will haunt No. 1-ranked Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan for the foreseeable future. A day before UFC 311, Tsarukyan pulled out of his scheduled main event fight against Islam Makhachev … and has been put in MMA purgatory.
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Makhachev ended up fighting Renato Moicano and tapped him in the first round (watch highlights).
UFC Saudi: ‘Adesanya vs. Imavov’ – Feb. 1, 2025 – anb Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In the main event, Nassourdine Imavov scored the biggest win of his career by knocking out former Middleweight champion Isarael Adesanya in the second round (watch highlights) — however, there was a controversy that wasn’t really talked about — many fighters complained about the fresh paint fumes that severely altered their performances (Lucas Alexander was hospitalized for it).
UFC 312: ‘Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2’ – Feb. 9, 2025 – Qudos Bank Arena, Australia
Mixed martial arts (MMA) “Rookie of the Year” candidate, Quillan Salkilld, turned heads in his UFC debut when he knocked out Anshul Jubli in just 19 seconds (watch highlights). Oh, and you might just see Salkilld again in this series.
UFC Vegas 102: ‘Cannonier vs. Rodrigues’ – Feb. 15, 2025 – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
In the main event of UFC Vegas 102, former Middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier snapped his two-fight losing streak by knocking out Gregory Rodrigues, who was riding a three-fight win streak with two brutal knockout wins.
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It was a great win for “Killa Gorilla” as he was hurt multiple times in the fight.
UFC Seattle: ‘Cejudo vs. Song’ – Feb. 22, 2025 – Climate Pledge Arena,
Seattle, Washington
UFC Seattle was an awesome fight card with eight finishes — seven straight stoppages on the prelims. The one that stole the show was Ricky Simon, knocking Javid Basharat unconscious, becoming the first fighter to finish him.
UFC Vegas 103: ‘Kape vs. Almabayev’ – March. 1, 2025 – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
On a pretty forgettable Apex card, Manel Kape headlined his first UFC event and knocked out then-undefeated (in the UFC) Asu Almabayev … even though Kape poked Almabayev in the eye twice before the stoppage.
UFC 313: ‘Pereira vs. Ankalaev’ – March. 8, 2025 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
One of the finishes that will be on all of the ‘2026 Knockout of the Year’ lists occurred at UFC 313, when
Mauricio Ruffy landed a picture-perfect spinning wheel kick on King Green.
UFC Vegas 104: ‘Vettori vs. Dolidze’ – March. 15, 2025 – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Before UFC Vegas 104, Priscila Cachoeira was on the verge of getting released after losing two straight and being labeled an eye-gouging cheater, but she saved her UFC career by flatlining Josiane Nunes in the first round.
UFC London: ‘Edwards vs. Brady’ – March. 22, 2025 – O2 Arena, London, England
UFC London was a heavy decision fest — and while the main event ended in a finish with Sean Brady dominating Leon Edwards (watch highlights), Brazilian prospect Alexia Thainara retired Molly McCann from MMA by submitting her in the first round (watch highlights).
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For what it’s worth, McCann has switched to boxing and has found a newfound success.
UFC Mexico City: ‘Moreno vs. Erceg’ – March. 29, 2025 – Arena CDMX, Mexico
Mini Ngannou, Ateba Gautier made his highly anticipated Octagon debut at UFC Mexico City and absolutely crushed UFC-can Jose Medina, becoming the first person to crack his Bolivian chin.
Stick around for part two (of four) later this afternoon on MMAmania.com. In the meantime, checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
