Merab Dvalishvili is widely regarded as the greatest bantamweight in history. Despite starting his UFC career with two straight losses, the Georgian has since put together an extraordinary run. Since 2018, he has torn through the division with 14 consecutive victories, taking out top names such as former champions José Aldo, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley, and even his opponent on Sunday morning, Petr Yan.

His fighting style is built on relentless, five-round pressure — a suffocating pace that breaks opponents who can’t keep up with his nonstop takedown attempts. He’s also not known for quick finishes; 76% of his wins have come by decision.

In 2025 alone, Merab has already defeated Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley, and Cory Sandhagen, with O’Malley being the only one to fall by submission.

Petr Yan comes into the rematch as a substantial underdog. At 19-5, the Russian is respected for his sharp boxing and strong grappling, but he simply hasn’t shown the level Merab brings. All signs point to Merab securing yet another unanimous decision victory.

Alexandre Pantoja is another fighter whose name carries real weight. At 30-5, the Brazilian has been steadily cleaning out the flyweight division and now looks to secure his fifth title defense this weekend.

A true all-rounder, “The Cannibal” is dangerous everywhere — he carries power in his striking and poses a constant threat on the ground with elite jiu-jitsu. In his recent outings, he submitted Kai Asakura in 2024 and Kai Kara-France in 2025.

Joshua Van, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the division’s most promising prospects and perhaps the only fresh contender capable of challenging the champion. At just 24, the fighter from Myanmar has compiled 15 wins with only two losses in his MMA career.

Since joining the UFC, he has put together five straight victories and showcased sharp, dynamic striking. Still, his only truly elite opponent so far has been Brandon Royval, whom he defeated by unanimous decision this June. Royval — already a two-time victim of Pantoja — managed to threaten Van throughout their fight and even looked to be getting the better of striking exchanges at moments.

Now, stepping in against the very best the division has to offer, Van is expected to face challenges far greater than anything he has encountered so far.

Jan Blachowicz cemented his place in light heavyweight history when he claimed the vacant title in 2020 by knocking out Dominick Reyes, then followed it up in 2021 with a dominant unanimous-decision win over Israel Adesanya.

But the old saying that MMA is a young person’s sport continues to ring true. Since defeating the former middleweight champion, Blachowicz has managed just one win in his last five fights, suffering losses to Glover Teixeira, Alex Pereira, and, most recently, Carlos Ulberg in March of this year.

Now 42 and carrying a 29-11-1 record, the Polish veteran no longer shows the same explosive power that once defined his game. He steps in against a dangerous rising contender looking to climb the light heavyweight ranks. Bogdan Guskov, 33, began his UFC tenure with a loss to Volkan Oezdemir in September 2023.

Since then, however, he has put together four rapid finishes and enters this bout fresh off a standout knockout of Nikita Krylov in July. With 15 knockouts and 3 submissions to his name, Guskov has a real chance to break into the division’s top five — especially if he can take out a former champion who may be approaching his final walk to the octagon.

Marvin Vettori (19-9-1) was once a major force in the middleweight division, taking on elite competition throughout his UFC career and even earning a title shot, where he ultimately fell short against Israel Adesanya in 2021.

Since that championship bout, however, the Italian has struggled to regain momentum. He has won only two of his last seven fights and enters this event on a three-fight skid, with losses to Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze, and Brendan Allen.

Bruno Ferreira, by contrast, is trending upward. At 14-2, “Hulk” arrives with two consecutive victories and has defeated five of his seven UFC opponents. Known for his knockout power and black-belt jiu-jitsu, every one of his career wins has come by quick finish.

This Saturday, the Curitiba native steps into the cage against the biggest name of his MMA career. Given the current trajectory of both fighters, the moment is ripe for Brunno to potentially become the first man to knock out or submit Vettori.

Ibo Aslan entered the UFC with plenty of hype. After earning his contract through the Contender Series in 2023, the undefeated Turkish prospect joined the organization, boasting an impressive run of 14 career knockouts.

But 2025 has been a year to forget. Once matched with tougher competition, he was submitted by Ion Cutelaba in February and later dropped a unanimous decision to Billy Elekana.

He now faces another difficult challenge: undefeated Polish prospect Iwo Baraniewski. At 6-0, “Rudy” also earned his spot through Dana White’s programme, having knocked out experienced black belt Mahamed Aly in just 20 seconds.

With four knockouts and two submissions in his young career, Baraniewski enters this matchup as the clear favorite — especially given the rising doubts surrounding Aslan, who has thus far shown himself to be dangerous only in pure striking exchanges.