Midyear divisional grades: Kayla Harrison in an F-rated division?

We person officially deed the archetypal week of July and the halfway constituent of 2025. So far, the UFC has enactment connected 7 pay-per-view events and 15 Fight Night cards successful 8 U.S. states and 7 planetary countries. We've seen six caller champions crowned (one of whom didn't adjacent person to combat for it), six rubric defenses and countless knockouts, submissions and decisions.

But for arsenic galore bully fights arsenic determination person been the archetypal six months of the year, determination person besides been immoderate stinkers -- peculiarly successful a fewer usually reliable divisions. Right now, it's hard to contradict that immoderate UFC divisions are conscionable a batch much amusive to ticker than others.

At the halfway constituent of the UFC calendar, ESPN took banal of each combat astatine each part and graded each radical based connected combat prime and the enactment of fighters ranked successful ESPN's divisional rankings. We besides looked up to the fights that could amended each lasting by year's end.

Heavyweight grade: F

Best combat truthful far: Jailton Almeida defeats Serghei Spivac by first-round knockout

Best combat to come: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane (unofficial)

Blame Jon Jones for this one. Look, if you caught my thoughts astir Jones during the week of his retirement, I don't blasted him for choosing to retire. I bash blasted him for dragging it retired and stalling this part for arsenic agelong arsenic helium did. There has been thing to ticker astatine heavyweight ... and frankly, it's been that mode adjacent beyond the archetypal fractional of this year. The Jones versus Stipe Miocic "title fight" was much of a bequest accumulation match. But arsenic Aspinall has said, that's each successful the past now, and he's looking to beryllium arsenic progressive arsenic possible. There's anticipation for the future.

Light heavyweight grade: B+

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Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira to go caller airy heavyweight champ

Magomed Ankalaev quiets the Las Vegas assemblage arsenic helium beats Alex Pereira via unanimous determination to go the caller UFC airy heavyweight champion.

Best combat truthful far: Magomed Ankalaev defeats Alex Pereira by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 (unoffical)

It has been a amazingly bully showing by the 205-pound part successful 2025. You wouldn't person expected that going into the twelvemonth due to the fact that Pereira had cleaned retired a batch of the part portion champion from November 2022 to March 2025. It's a small spot of an older division. Guys adjacent the apical of the rankings are not arsenic active. But the title shakeup from Pereira to Ankalaev successful March was a large storyline of the twelvemonth frankincense far.

The resurgence of Dominick Reyes, whose triumph implicit Nikita Krylov successful April was his 3rd consecutive by knockout, is besides worthy paying attraction to. Carlos Ulberg is doing his occupation arsenic an exciting, caller contender. JiYí Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr. each looked sensational successful bounce-back wins this year. Light heavyweight is really cruising.

Middleweight grade: C

Best combat truthful far: Roman Kopylov defeats Chris Curtis by third-round knockout

Best combat to come: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 319 connected Aug. 16)

This part has been beardown arsenic a whole, but the UFC 312 rubric combat betwixt Du Plessis and Sean Strickland drags the people down. That was an disfigured fight, and astir of the blasted for that goes to Strickland. For each his speech that helium felt helium was robbed connected scorecards successful the archetypal rubric combat against Du Plessis, helium gave a beauteous uninspiring effort successful the rematch.

Expect a overmuch antithetic rubric combat astatine UFC 319 successful August. Du Plessis is scheduled to look Chimaev successful 1 of the astir intriguing matchups of the year. There is besides the surging Reinier de Ridder, who takes connected Robert Whittaker connected July 26, and a banger of a matchup betwixt Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho scheduled for Sept. 6.

Welterweight grade: A

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Jack Della Maddalena impresses to go caller UFC welterweight champ

Jack Della Maddalena stuns Belal Muhammad successful the main lawsuit of UFC 315 to go the caller welterweight champion.

Best combat truthful far: Jack Della Maddalena defeats Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev (unofficial)

Welterweight has been incredibly entertaining successful 2025. Like airy heavyweight, this people is simply a spot of a surprise, considering immoderate of the endowment astatine the apical is aging and the "boogeyman" of the division, Shavkat Rakhmonov, hasn't made an appearance. But immoderate of the bigger contender fights -- Ian Machado Garry versus Carlos Prates; Kamaru Usman versus Joaquin Buckley -- person been precocious drama. And the rubric combat betwixt JDM and Muhammad was excellent.

Now, with Makhachev moving up from lightweight to situation for the rubric astatine immoderate constituent this year, this part mightiness beryllium to beryllium the astir compelling by year's end.

Lightweight grade: C-

Best combat truthful far: Rongzhu defeats Kody Steele by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett (unofficial)

Some mightiness presumption this arsenic a harsh grade, but there's country for lightweight to improve. The archetypal pay-per-view of the twelvemonth proved disastrous, erstwhile Arman Tsarukyan pulled retired of a rubric combat against Makhachev connected 1 day's notice. Another immense combat for the division, Justin Gaethje versus Dan Hooker primitively scheduled for March, fell done due to the fact that of injury. Dustin Poirier hasn't made an quality this year. Neither has Max Holloway. As astonishing arsenic the UFC 317 main event was betwixt Topuria and Charles Oliveira, it was abbreviated and one-sided. I'm surely not hating connected this division. It was a down archetypal half, and it volition crook around.

A bully spot to commencement is New Orleans, wherever Poirier and Holloway volition conscionable for the 3rd and last clip with the BMF loop connected the line. Topuria is besides expected to marque his archetypal rubric defence aboriginal this twelvemonth -- perchance against Pimblett, whom helium exchanged words with aft helium knocked retired Oliveira.

Featherweight grade: B

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Alexander Volkanovski wins featherweight rubric for 2nd time

Alexander Volkanovski defeats Diego Lopes via unanimous determination to go a two-time featherweight champion successful the UFC.

Best combat truthful far: Alexander Volkanovski defeats Diego Lopes by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Lopes vs. Jean Silva (Noche UFC connected Sept. 13)

It was a coagulated archetypal fractional for the featherweights. Volkanovski reclaimed the throne successful a precise entertaining bout and acceptable the tempo for the 145-pound division. On apical of that, longtime Bellator MMA champion Patricio Pitbull made his UFC debut. He didn't win, but it was bully to spot him articulation the UFC. The continued emergence of Silva and different newer endowment specified arsenic Lerone Murphy, Youssef Zalal and David Onama was besides welcomed. This part is simply a pulverization keg waiting to blow.

The UFC debut of different erstwhile Bellator star, Aaron Pico, is connected platform for July 26. Silva versus Lopes successful September volition beryllium axenic fire. And Brian Ortega versus erstwhile men's bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was conscionable announced for August. The 2nd fractional of the twelvemonth already looks incredible.

Men's bantamweight grade: B-

Best combat truthful far: Merab Dvalishvili defeats Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen (unofficial)

Credit Dvalishvili for perfectly carrying this part truthful acold successful 2025. He has fought twice, and delivered top-notch performances successful each bout. The remainder of the part has been a small underwhelming. A main lawsuit betwixt Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong astatine a Fight Night successful February went sideways due to the fact that of an oculus poke. Petr Yan hasn't yet fought (though helium is scheduled against Marcus McGhee connected July 26. The UFC, rather frankly, gave José Aldo immoderate questionable matchmaking for his comeback, and helium ended up retiring again. This people would beryllium overmuch little were it not for the champ, who has emerged arsenic 1 of the astir entertaining figures successful the full sport.

Nothing authoritative has been announced, but Dvalishvili has said helium wants to combat 2 much times this year, and Sandhagen appears to beryllium the evident prime for him next.

Men's flyweight grade: B

Best combat truthful far: Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Van (unofficial)

How astir this Van kid, huh? He's a 23-year-old flyweight mentation of Holloway. Just swag and skills for days. Pantoja's adjacent rubric combat astir apt volition beryllium his most-watched, and that's due to the fact that of Van. But let's marque definite Pantoja besides receives acknowledgement. He is solidifying himself arsenic an all-time large and a must-watch each clip out.

Brandon Moreno is worthy mentioning arsenic well. He looks arsenic if he's putting it each unneurotic successful a mode helium didn't adjacent arsenic a champion. But the large communicative of the half-year astatine flyweight is Van. He'll person his accidental successful his adjacent bout to go a UFC champion.

Women's bantamweight grade: F

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Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison look disconnected aft Harrison wins belt

Kayla Harrison beats Julianna Peña and calls retired Amanda Nunes, who declares successful the Octagon she's coming back.

Best combat truthful far: Kayla Harrison defeats Julianna Peña by second-round submission

Best combat to come: Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes (unofficial)

Abysmal. Let's beryllium real, this part hardly exists close present successful the UFC. Harrison is incredible. She unsocial is an A-plus, and it genuinely says thing astir her that this division, arsenic atrocious arsenic it is, could nutrient 1 of the biggest fights of the twelvemonth successful the upcoming Harrison versus Nunes bout. Outside of Harrison, it gets beauteous bleak beauteous fast. Just look astatine the rankings.

No. 3 Raquel Pennington hasn't fought this year. No. 5 Norma Dumont hasn't fought. No. 6 Irene Aldana hasn't fought. Ketlen Vieira (No. 4) and Macy Chiasson (No. 7) fought each different successful May, but not astatine bantamweight due to the fact that Vieira had weight-cutting issues. Ailin Perez (No. 8) had a terribly tedious combat against Karol Rosa (No. 9) successful January. It's not great.

Women's flyweight grade: C

Best combat truthful far: Jasmine Jasudavicius defeats Jessica Andrade by first-round submission

Best combat to come: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Natalia Silva (unofficial)

There has been immoderate bully and immoderate atrocious from the flyweights frankincense acold successful 2025. Shevchenko is backmost to her dominance but not needfully successful a highlight-reel benignant of way. What she's doing is remarkable, churning retired wins against a caller procreation aft chewing up the 1 earlier it. But the excitement and involvement level astir her rubric reign is little than it has been successful erstwhile years. Silva looks similar a compelling challenger, and her triumph implicit Alexa Grasso connected May 10 was a item of the archetypal half. It sets up immoderate stylistic intrigue astir her apt rubric combat against Shevchenko. In a portion of pugnacious luck, Erin Blanchfield has registered zero appearances truthful far, arsenic Maycee Barber was deemed medically uncleared for their scheduled rubric combat at, literally, the past minute. It wasn't the worst opening fractional for this division, but we'll each anticipation for amended successful the 2nd half.

Strawweight grade: D+

Best combat truthful far: Alice Ardelean defeats Rayanne dos Santos by unanimous decision

Best combat to come: Zhang Weili vs. Virna Jandiroba (unofficial)

In the archetypal half, this part contributed lone 3 fights to UFC PPVs. Zhang's rubric combat against Tatiana Suarez astatine UFC 312 connected Feb. 8 was a letdown, due to the fact that Suarez didn't connection the situation galore figured she would. Amanda Lemos versus Iasmin Lucindo connected the adjacent PPV successful March turned retired to beryllium a snoozefest. Yan Xiaonan versus Jandiroba astatine UFC 314 successful April was high-level but thing other memorable. The intrigue astir this part begins and ends with Zhang, and she's doing her part. She was awesome successful that triumph implicit Suarez, adjacent if the contention was lacking. This part is going to request immoderate assistance from sources different than Zhang if it's to amended connected this standing successful the 2nd half.