Ready or not, 2025 is now in full swing. Now that we’re about three days into this journey that we call a new year, there are still a few more projections from the fabled crystal ball that have to be given out.
Earlier this week, we celebrated New Year’s Day with the first half of our projections for the year from our crystal ball projections for the sport of MMA. Three projections were delivered there. Today, the remaining three will be made.
Let’s Look Into The Crystal Ball Again!
The ball remains at the workspace from last time, undisturbed by anything. Let’s not waste another moment and get going with the second half of our projections.
Crystal Ball Projection No. 4: ESPN Will Retain UFC Rights
Picking back up from where we left off on Jan. 1, our fourth projection deals with how you watch MMA’s top promotion on TV and/or on your favorite mobile device. 2025 marks the seventh and final year of the UFC‘s current television and streaming media rights deal with Disney-owned ESPN.
Initially, the current contract with ESPN and the UFC was set to lapse at the close of business in 2023, but was renewed for two more years just two months after it began in early 2019.
ESPN acquires full UFC package, adds broadcast television deal to streaming rights https://t.co/eY8Qgv7HBY pic.twitter.com/WNrSagp3gc
— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) May 24, 2018
As early as a year ago, the topic of whether or not the parties would renew the pact heated up. In May of 2024, Mark Shapiro, President of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the UFC and WWE, mentioned in a conference call that TKO’s exclusive negotiations window with Disney would open in the middle of this month.
“It’s a three-month window, with UFC and Walt Disney Company,” Shapiro said at the time. “They’re a great partner. They’re the best marketing machine in the business and they are the No. 1 premiere, automatic destination for sports fans everywhere, certainly in the US. That is the first-stop shop, that is the go-to when it comes to looking for sporting events.”
Although the UFC has been looking into a deal with several outlets for its new media contract, they seem content to have their events airing on ESPN inside the United States. Thus, it stands to reason that they’ll keep at least a segment of the rights package once 2026 rolls around.
Crystal Ball Projection No. 5: Global Fight League Will Become Viable Player in MMA Landscape
In our penultimate projection from the crystal ball for the new year, there’s a new entrant to the MMA fray. Last year, Darren Owen and Arun Parimi co-founded the Global Fight League. 2025 will be the first season of the GFL’s life.
Later this month, fighters signed to the GFL roster will be drafted into six 20-person teams during a selection meeting ahead of the season commencing this April. Any fighters who go undrafted during the Jan. 24 meeting will become free agents.
While a punch has yet to be thrown in the GFL, the organization has already signed some heavy hitters to the active roster. Such combat sports alums inked to the GFL for this season include Tyron Woodley (19-7-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC), Jessica Penne (14-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC), and most recently Paige VanZant (8-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC).
In addition, Cain Velasquez (14-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), a previous UFC Heavyweight Champion, has joined the GFL in a managerial capacity. The fact that the GFL is offering an equal split of the monies made from its cards for team owners and the competitors themselves, something that hasn’t been seen or heard of before in the sport of MMA is a major boon for the fighters who have signed to the league.
Therefore, the crystal ball shows that the Global Fight League can set itself up for success and challenge established promotions like the UFC in this and future years.
Crystal Ball Projection No. 6: CFFC Will Send (At Least) Three Champs to UFC in 2025
For our final glance into the crystal ball in the new year, we go to the regional MMA scene. Over the years, Atlantic City-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) has been a proving ground for the next big stars in the sport.
While CFFC is still four weeks away from its 2025 lid-lifter, Feb. 1’s CFFC 139 from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, don’t expect the new year to be any different for the promotion. The Feb. 1 card is headlined by a contest for the CFFC Flyweight Championship.
Current 125-lb titleholder Bilal Hassan (5-0, 1 NC MMA, 5-0 CFCC) will defend the strap for the first time against an as-yet-unnamed adversary. Hassan took the CFFC Flyweight Championship on Sept. 27 during CFFC 136’s co-main event by way of second-round submission due to a rear-naked choke against Jose Leon (2-5 MMA).
Given that a number of former CFFC champions move on to the green pastures of the UFC later on in their careers, a minimum of three titleholders will trade in their CFFC gold for a UFC contract at some point in the year.
Final Thoughts
Hope you enjoyed our looks into the crystal ball. Best of luck to all MMA promotions and fighters as the 2025 itinerary of events is about to kick off.
