6 - Izzy was (and still is) overrated This might be the most controversial one on the list, but hear me out. There was (and still is) a lot of hype around Adesanya due to him being a big name, which helped grow the UFC. But realistically, he wasn’t as good as we thought. Pre-Covid he was 23-0, KOing Paulo Costa and Whittaker and beating Romero and Anderson Silva by UD. The reason I think he’s overrated is because of his lack of grappling ability, the narrative of Pereira v Adesanya being a close rivalry (it was not close at all), and because he’s fumbled when the pressure was at its highest in 4 of his last 5 fights. Yes he’s class, top 20/25 OAT, but idk if he makes top 10 or top 15 like I’ve heard people say. 7 - Khabib barely scrapes top 10 OAT Name 5 of his wins before Conor, I dare you. Khabib was undefeated, had a range of submissions in his locker, and is one of the best grapplers to fight in the UFC. When it comes to being one of the best though, I’d put Cejudo over him. If you look at most of his fights, he fought cans, and most of his fights went the same way. He’d start off the round with some striking, before moving into a quick takedown, and then bullying his opponent with his weight. Was it effective? Yes. Was it exciting? No. If he didn’t beat Conor then he would be nowhere near these debates, and all of the Dagestani glazers keep forcing him into GOAT discussions when realistically, he isn’t even the Lightweight GOAT. 8 - 2025 will see the fall of the Fighting Nerds The Fighting Nerds are great, this is one of my opinions that I don’t like having, because I’m just trying to be realistic. I’m going with an underdog and saying that Bryce Mitchell is gonna beat Jean Silva this weekend, and even if Silva wins, I think he’s gonna get outclassed by some of the higher ranked fighters. Same goes with Carlos Prates, he would’ve beaten Geoff Neal, but Garry is too big of a jump for him. Garry was great against Shavkat, and I think he’s going to humble Prates. Caio Borralho might have a good year, he’s rumoured to be fighting Imavov this summer (maybe 317 but not confirmed), which can go either way. I think he has a chance against DDP or maybe Khamzat, but he might lose those. Ruffy I think is gonna go on a big win streak, beating a few ranked opponents. How he does against the top/rising contenders is something that is too early to predict, but I don’t think he’ll lose in 2025. 9 - Volk is top 5 OAT if he beats Lopes I think this is the make or break fight for Volk. A win would win him the title back and definitely put him in the conversations for top 5 OAT, overtaking Aldo as the 145 goat (for those who think it may be close). A loss however would make it 4 losses in the last 5, and with the featherweight division arguably the strongest it’s ever been, I think it would be a big drop towards the end of his career. He doesn’t seem as motivated anymore, but hopefully I’m wrong and he beats Lopes this weekend to show he’s still one of the best. 10 - Khamzat won’t beat DDP as easily as people think Khamzat is one of those fighters who’s very close to being a “perfect fighter” in my books. He has decent striking, good cardio, but his grappling is arguably the best in the UFC right now. A lot of people think he’s gonna ragdoll DDP, but I think it’s not gonna be that easy for one reason, DDP is the weirdest champion I have ever seen. The guy has the striking technique of a 6 year old, the grappling of a squirrel and the build of a transformer. The weirdest part is that his style is so unorthodox, no one knows how to beat him. He dominated Strickland in striking, who has one of the best defences in the UFC, he submitted Izzy, he destroyed Whittaker, and before Strickland he had a 95% finish rate. Khamzat is an absolute monster who is going to abuse his insane grappling like we’ve never seen before, and he’ll probably win, but don’t be surprised if DDP puts up a big fight. Wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t get uploaded due to the amount of writing, but leave your thoughts if you see this!!