It’s that time of year again, time for MMA Under the Tree. MMA Under the Tree is a tradition that’s now eight years strong and has now spanned three different websites. Every year at the holidays, we pause to reflect on the year gone by with friends and family and give gifts.
While the holiday season is a quiet one for arenas that have held MMA events throughout the year, such as T-Mobile Arena and the UFC Apex, both in Enterprise, NV, the action will resume in earnest once the calendar switches to January a week from Thursday, Christmas Day. Until then, fans all over the world get a break to enjoy the holidays and all of the associated trimmings, including MMA Under the Tree
Before we get started with this year’s version of the Under the Tree article, let me plug in the tree… What’s that? Is that a cellphone ringing? Let’s find out who it is! Come on!
MMA Under the Tree: A Voicemail From Santa Himself
The voicemail picked up, but let’s play it back. “Merry Christmas, Drew! It’s your old buddy, Santa Claus! The elves tell me you’ve been a really good writer this year and I just found out you’re doing another MMA Under the Tree article this year!”
“As you know, this makes me so happy. Well, it’s almost Christmas Eve again and there’s a little extra room in the sleigh this year to accommodate a human copilot. I was wondering, “Drew, with your mind so bright, care to join me in my sleigh tonight?”
Santa, let’s go. We have a few stops to make along the way before we’ll be heading back home for the holidays, so let’s waste no more time and get going with MMA Under the Tree for this Christmas season.
MMA Under the Tree: To: MMA Fans in Several Countries. From: The UFC
Unwrap that first box and you’ll find some clocks and wristwatches. Hmm, but why are the clocks set to 9 pm and the wristwatches set to 6 pm? Effective with Jan. 24’s UFC 324, the UFC’s new era of cards on Paramount Plus begins.
With that T-Mobile Arena card, the main card for flagship events will now begin an hour earlier than what’s been customary at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT. Asking MMA fans to set aside extra time once a month on a Saturday night for a flagship card is a big ask.
Although the difference between the old starting time of a main card and the new one may not seem like much, imagine that you’re someone going to work the day after the show. You can’t stay up too late on Saturday night. Given that the main card now starts at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT most weeks, people who go to work on Sundays no longer need to sacrifice too much shuteye after the main event.
There are still more gifts to deliver, so let’s keep going, shall we?
MMA Under the Tree: To: Jamel Herring. From: David Feldman and BKFC
While this is primarily an MMA article, we now leave MMA for just a quick moment in this edition of MMA Under the Tree. This next gift is some gauze and tape from David Feldman. Come the new year, Jamel Herring will be needing that as he enters a new phase in his combat sports life. Herring, formerly the WBO Junior Lightweight Champion, will be joining BKFC’s active roster effective with the Jan. 17 BKFC 86 card in Uncasville, CT.
Herring boasts a record of 24-5 with 12 knockouts in traditional boxing and just turned 40 this past October. Most recently in the ring, he went 10 rounds with Jackson Jon England. What would turn out to be his final appearance in boxing ended with a split decision defeat for the WBO Global Super-Featherweight Championship.
With more than a year away from active competition, Herring now readies for his return to action on the third Saturday in January. That mid-winter evening, he’ll be squaring off against Matt Guymon (2-1 bare-knuckle.) How Herring does in his bare-knuckle debut remains to be seen. We’ve still got more presents to dole out before we’re done.
MMA Under the Tree: To: Fans of the SmartCage. From: The PFL. NOTE: DO NOT OPEN UNTIL FEB. 7 AND MARCH 20, 2026, RESPECTIVELY.
For our next gift in MMA Under the Tree, we’ve got three belts, but you can’t open that box just yet. You’ll have to wait until well after New Year’s to see these belts for yourselves. On Feb. 7, the 2026 PFL schedule will begin with PFL Dubai.
This card will be headlined by two title fights at the top of the bill. The PFL Dubai main event will feature the PFL Lightweight Championship battle between undefeated champion Usman Nurmagomedov (20-0, 1 NC MMA, 2-0 PFL) and 2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament Champion Alfie Davis (15-5 MMA, 3-1 PFL) in a champ vs. champ battle.
With stakes that high, no wonder this contest looks to be one of the most exciting fights of 2026 in the sport of MMA. Just the fact that these two men are already champs going into the Feb. 7 contest makes this tilt must-see TV alone. If you’re thinking of making plans for Feb. 7, don’t.
Your co-main event that evening will take place in the welterweight division. Former Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Ramazan Kuramagomedov (13-0 MMA) will make his PFL promotional debut in his first fight in over a year and a half as he squares off against Shamil Musaev (20-0-1 MMA, 4-0 PFL,) the 2024 PFL Welterweight Champion, for the Vacant PFL Welterweight Championship.
On March 20, PFL Madrid takes place. That day’s main attraction happens at middleweight in a rematch of a 2020 fight between Costello van Steenis (17-3 MMA, 2-0 PFL) and Fabian Edwards (13-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC.) Although the tree will be long gone, these gifts will be well worth the wait, for certain. We have one final gift in this edition of MMA Under the Tree, so let’s open it right away!
MMA Under the Tree: To: Fans of the UFC. From Paramount Plus
This final gift is one that’s always welcome, especially around the holidays. Santa’s given UFC fans their money back for Christmas this year.
Earlier on in the year, the UFC stunned everyone by signing a seven-year. $7.7 billion (USD) deal with Paramount Plus. This pact, initially for viewers in the United States of America only, has since been amended to include audiences in Australia and Latin American markets, Brazil included.
In addition, selected UFC flagship events will be simulcast on linear television via CBS Sports. The best news of all this Christmas for MMA fans is this: UFC shows, numbered cards included, are accessible to Paramount Plus without an additional fee.
This is a gift that will keep on giving for years to come.
MMA Under the Tree: Happy Holidays!
That wraps up our look at MMA Under the Tree for the 2025 holidays. On behalf of everyone here at MMA Sucka, best wishes for a happy, safe and healthy holiday season and may good luck greet you in the upcoming new year.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
