As 2025 comes to a close, so too does the era of UFC pay-per-views.
The collection of PPV events this year was full of intrigue, as champions changed weight classes to capture their second belts (Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria), legendary careers reached their conclusion (Henry Cejudo and Jos Aldo), jaw-dropping knockouts (Carlos Prates, Lerone Murphy and Mauricio Ruffy) and an epic battle (Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval).
But for all that good, there was plenty of bad. A long-awaited heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane was ruled a no-contest because of an eye poke, the Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja championship match ended almost immediately because of a fluke injury and there were plenty of really bad fights scattered throughout the year.
As we look back on the year that was in UFC PPVs, we reflect on the original grades and decide if there is reason for revision after taking into account how each PPV holds up against the rest of the 2025 slate.
UFC 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira
Original fight card grade: A
Top-graded fight: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van (A+)
Hindsight grade: A
There's no denying that UFC 317 was the best fight card of the year. Van-Royval remains the frontrunner for ESPN's fight of the year award, while finishes from Ilia Topuria, Gregory Rodrigues, Jose Miguel Delgado and Terrance McKinney were all spectacular in their own way. There wasn't a horrible fight that night, which only amplifies the greatness of the card.
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2
Original fight card grade: B+
Top-graded fight: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan (A)
Hindsight grade: B+
This was the rare occasion in which there wasn't a particularly bad fight on the slate. While Pantoja's arm injury was unfortunate, the rest of the card excelled. Petr Yan's reclamation of the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili and Payton Talbott sending a gutsy Cejudo into retirement (again) were standout moments. But it was the 90 seconds of mayhem between Aslan and Baraniewski that should be watched repeatedly.
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes
Original fight card grade: B
Top-graded fight: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes (A-)
Hindsight grade: B+
This was an enjoyable night of action, sans the abysmal, F-rated Sumudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo fight. The main event delivered, as Lopes refused to quit, even though a resurgent Volkanovski was outclassing him. There was also the adrenaline rush of performances from Jean Silva, Paddy Pimblett and Dominick Reyes on the main card that delivered a variety of outcomes. UFC 314 was definitely one of the best cards of the year in hindsight.
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev
Original fight card grade: B
Top-graded fight: Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates (A)
Hindsight grade: B
Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko were so dominant and one-sided in their championship outings that their respective wins could be categorized as boring. But that label is more on their opponents -- Jack Della Maddalena and Zhang Weili, respectively -- who couldn't do anything of substance. Elsewhere on the main card, Prates, Michael Morales and Benot Saint Denis turned in highlight-reel finishes back-to-back-to-back to carry this card to a strong B score.
UFC 320: Pereira vs. Ankalaev 2
Original fight card grade: B
Top-graded fight: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira (A)
Hindsight grade: B
A card that started with underwhelming early prelims accelerated into high gear with seven of the final nine fights ending inside the distance. Ji Prochzka's stoppage of Khalil Rountree was an absolute battle that may not win fight of the year, but certainly is in the conversation. Dvalishvili was phenomenal in his third title defense of the year, mowing down Cory Sandhagen. And Pereira proved that his loss to Ankalaev four months earlier was a fluke when he easily reclaimed the light heavyweight title.
UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena
Original fight card grade: B
Top-graded fight: Brad Katona vs. Bekzat Almakhan (A-)
Hindsight grade: B
Anchored by a main event that exceeded expectations, UFC 315 overdelivered with a lineup of fights that more than made up for its lack of stars. The battle between Aldo and Aiemann Zahabi was a fun watch, regardless of the controversial conclusion, and Almakhan's knockout of Katona also stood out.
UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev
Original fight card grade: B-
Top-graded fight: Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico (A)
Hindsight grade: B-
A main event that ended up being a one-sided grappling affair by Khamzat Chimaev and an underwhelming scrap between Michael "Venom" Page and Jared Cannonier dragged down the card. But the back-to-back spinning back elbow knockouts by Prates and Murphy will remain one of the highlights of the year, carrying the card to an above-average grade that holds when compared to the rest of the year's events.
UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Moicano
Original fight card grade: B-
Top-graded fight: Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov (A)
Hindsight grade: B-
The first card of the year is usually the most difficult to grade, and UFC 311 was no different. Its original grade holds up as a middle-of-the-road event. While it will be remembered for the drama of Renato Moicano replacing Arman Tsarukyan on 24 hours notice, only to be mowed down in the main event by Makhachev, the rest of the card had its fair share of moments. The standout of the night was Dvalishvili kicking off a remarkable 2025 championship campaign by outpacing Umar Nurmagomedov for a unanimous decision win. Prochzka and Jamahal Hill's three-round brawl was also must-see TV.
UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3
Original fight card grade: C+
Top-graded fight: Carli Judice vs. Nicole Caliari (B+)
Hindsight grade: C
UFC 318 was light on star power outside of a BMF title fight between Holloway and Poirier, and the card was about as average as it gets. Expectations were sky high for the main event, and it fell short. And after the first six fights ended inside the distance, the final eight fights on the card all went the distance. Nothing was particularly bad, but no truly memorable moment stuck out. Looking back, this fight card should have been a C rather than a C+.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2
Original fight card grade: C
Top-graded fight: Jeka Saragih vs. JooSang Yoo (A)
Hindsight grade: C-
Outside of performances by Dvalishvili, Yoo, Van and Kayla Harrison, this was a tough card to watch. All seven decisions were one-sided, and head-scratching outings from Joe Pyfer and Patchy Mix didn't help, as this card barely earned a passing grade.
UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev
Original fight card grade: D+
Top-graded fight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. King Green (A)
Hindsight grade: D
Ruffy's highlight-reel knockout of Green is truly the only thing worth rewatching on a card that had two unwatchable fights (Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo and Francis Marshall vs. Mairon Santos). Looking back, the Justin Gaethje vs. Raphael Fiziev fight was more of a B than a B+. Knowing what we know now, the terribly slow Pereira-Ankalaev fight was more of an aberration from "Poatan" than the norm.
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2
Original fight card grade: C-
Top-graded fight: Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele (A-)
Hindsight grade: D
The main event was a slog that deserved a grade lower than the C it was given, and nine consecutive decisions severely underwhelmed in terms of action and entertainment. While it was a great performance in a winning effort, even Zhang's domination of Tatiana Suarez wasn't the sort of fight that demanded repeat viewings. Ultimately, it was a totally forgettable night of fights that was just as bad on paper as it was in practice. This wasn't the worst of the year, but it was pretty close.
UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane
Original fight card grade: D-
Top-graded fight: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Quillan Salkilld (A-)
Hindsight grade: D-
On paper, this wasn't a great card. In practice, it was even worse. When compared to the other numbered events in 2025, this was easily the worst card of the year. The most memorable moment on the card was Aspinall getting poked in the eye by Gane, ending the main event title fight in a no-contest. Outside of Salkilld's violent head kick knockout of Haqparast during the prelims, UFC 321 was virtually unwatchable. The card featured one of the most miserable fights of the year, as Jailton Almeida lost to Alexander Volkov despite taking him down seven times and piling up 11 minutes of control time.
