Currently, the UFC is facing a scarcity of American champions on its roster. Across 11 divisions, the promotion currently has only Kayla Harrison, the women’s bantamweight champion, representing the red, white, and blue flag. At UFC 320, Cory Sandhagen had the opportunity to end that drought, but the Georgian ended up putting an end to that possibility. Now, the question emerges—is there any hope left for American fighters to make a comeback?
This becomes especially important with the White House event approaching next year; the promotion might be in desperate need of some American champions. After Jon Jones’ retirement led to the belt being passed to Tom Aspinall, the men’s divisions no longer have a single champion from the United States. And now, after ‘The Sandman’ fell short against ‘The Machine’ at the T-Mobile Arena, the year 2025 has turned into nothing short of a nightmare for American fighters.
2025 has been brutal for American fighters
This year, global champions have dominated American contenders at nearly every turn. How, you ask? Well, let’s go back to the start of the year. At UFC 312, Sean Strickland had the chance to defeat Dricus du Plessis and retain his belt—an opportunity to put the United States back on the map. But the South African former champ put on a five-round masterclass, denying the fan-favorite his moment. And that wasn’t the only disappointment on the Sydney card.
The co-main event also followed a similar script. Tatiana Suarez stepped up as the top challenger to Zhang Weili’s strawweight crown, with fans believing her grappling would be too much for ‘Magnum’ to handle. But instead, the Chinese champion once again asserted her dominance, shutting down another American hopeful. From there, things only went downhill.
At UFC 315, Chicago’s own Belal Muhammad lost his title to Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena, setting back the U.S. championship scene even further. Then came UFC 316. Sean O’Malley, one of America’s most popular former champions, was hunting for redemption after his crushing loss at UFC 306.
However, the Georgian steamroller, Merab Dvalishvili, made it look even easier by submitting ‘Suga’ in the third round. As that result also didn’t go America’s way, the only bright spot came in the UFC 316 co-main event, where Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña—both Americans—clashed for the bantamweight title. If it weren’t for Harrison, it would’ve been a shutout for the American fighters.
After so many setbacks, Cory Sandhagen became the final hope to bring the 135 lbs championship belt home at UFC 320. But once again, ‘The Machine’ stood in the way, handing another American challenger a crushing defeat in front of his home audience. So, all in all, it can be said that 2025 has been a brutal year for American champions and contenders alike. And the bad news doesn’t stop there. It seems the contender landscape is looking even worse.
Not just the champs, UFC is running short on American contenders
As we’ve seen, this year has been unforgiving for American challengers, and it’s fair to say the situation doesn’t look like it’ll improve anytime soon. Why? The UFC isn’t just short on American champions—it’s running low on American contenders too.
Take the flyweight division, for example. The dominant Brazilian champion, Alexandre Pantoja, is on the verge of completely cleaning out the division. Joshua Van from Myanmar is expected to face him after his win over Brandon Royval at UFC 317. Beneath them sits Brandon Moreno, the former flyweight champ from Mexico, who will likely get the next crack at the title once Pantoja and Van settle their business later this year.
Looking at the picture, Royval seems to be the only realistic hope for an American title shot in the near future, as he currently holds the No. 3 spot. If not him, Alex Perez could still make a climb from No. 8 to challenge for the belt. But that will take time. Meanwhile, the 135 lbs division looks even tougher for the Americans. Merab Dvalishvili has already taken out top U.S. contenders Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen back-to-back. His next opponent will likely be either Petr Yan or Umar Nurmagomedov—both representing Russia.
In the featherweight division, only Aljamain Sterling is still holding the court for the United States, as Movsar Evloev, Diego Lopes, and Lerone Murphy continue to rise as global threats. And at UFC 320, Youssef Zalal defeated Josh Emmett, clearing another veteran contender from the 145 lbs title picture. However, the lightweight division offers a bit more hope.
Although Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett are seen as prime contenders, Justin Gaethje remains firmly in the mix. Max Holloway could also grab another big win to solidify his position. Following that, the welterweight division has some solid American names as well. Sean Brady, Kamaru Usman, and Joaquin Buckley are all sitting within striking distance; the 170 lbs division is looking promising. But with Islam Makhachev moving up and Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return expected soon, the landscape could shift dramatically once again.
In the middleweight division, Anthony Hernandez, Brendan Allen, and Sean Strickland are all in the conversation to face Khamzat Chimaev. But realistically, who’s next for him? Well, it’s either the Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov or the Dutchman Reinier de Ridder. So, once again, the global contenders seem to be edging out the Americans. Still, the 185 lbs division looks slightly better compared to the 205 lbs division.
At light heavyweight, Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg have both defeated Khalil Rountree and Dominick Reyes—cementing their own positions while pushing the Americans further down the rankings. To make matters worse, Jamahal Hill is on a steep decline, and there aren’t many promising U.S. prospects coming up.
Lastly, in the heavyweight division, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis remain the only notable American contenders who could potentially fight for the title. Even here, however, four of the top five ranked challengers come from outside the United States. And also, the situation in the women’s divisions isn’t much better, with limited options there as well.
So, as we’ve seen, there are plenty of challenges facing American contenders—but are there any fighters who could actually turn the tide? Let’s find out.
Only a handful of American challengers still have some realistic shots
Looking at the current scenario, it seems very unlikely that we’ll see any American fighters lifting a belt this year. However, there are a few challengers who could potentially make a big impact. At UFC 321, Umar Nurmagomedov will face Mario Bautista in a highly anticipated bantamweight bout—and it’s here that we might finally spot another potential U.S. title challenger.
The UFC could, of course, consider a rematch between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. But if Bautista manages to convincingly defeat Umar in Abu Dhabi, the promotion might prefer to put a fresh contender against ‘The Machine’ instead of going with a rematch.
That would keep the division moving while giving the Georgian a new challenge to think about. The reigning bantamweight champion has already expressed interest in fighting on the December card, so it will be interesting to see whether the winner of that bout can make a quick turnaround. A tough ask, but not impossible.
Another enticing scenario comes at UFC 322, where Erin Blanchfield and Tracy Cortez will collide in a flyweight rematch six years in the making. This fight could determine who faces the winner of Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili. If one of these two women makes a strong statement, Dana White might be very interested in giving them a title shot, potentially next year when the Paramount+ and CBS deal kicks in.
That said, the question remains: will American fighters continue to decline after Cory Sandhagen’s loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320, or is there still a chance for them to rise again? And who will it be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.