Ranking Ian Machado Garry and UFC's Most Exciting Contenders in 2025

Ian Machado Garry has long been considered one of the most promising young fighters in the UFC welterweight division, and this Saturday, he will participate in one of the most important tests of his career.

Let's recap.

By the final months of 2024, Garry was closing in on a welterweight title shot, with a perfect 15-0 record and impressive wins over Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Michael "Venom" Page behind him.

Unfortunately, he then suffered his first pro defeat in December, losing a close decision to unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov.

That was clearly not the way the Irishman wanted to finish the biggest year of his career, but he didn't lose much ground in defeat. In fact, it arguably elevated his reputation.

Heading into the fight, Rakhmonov was viewed as almost unbeatable. He was 18-0, with finishes in every one of his victories. Most fans expected him to decimate Garry.

In the end, though, the Irishman pushed the Kazakh to the limit and very nearly finished him with a choke in the fifth round.

Garry's fight in Kansas City on Saturday will see him take on Brazil's Carlos Prates, another undefeated contender with a knack for for finishing fights.

On the one hand, it's the 27-year-old's opportunity to rebound from the first loss of his career. On the other, it's his chance to remind the world that he is the only fighter to date who has been able to so much as trouble Rakhmonov and that he could still be a future champion.

In other words, it's Garry's chance to remind fans that, at the start of 2025, he remains one of the most promising contenders in all of MMA.

Who else makes that list? Keep scrolling to find out.

With all due respect to Garry and the many other promising contenders on the UFC roster, it's fair to say nobody has quite as much hype as Khamzat Chimaev.

The 30-year-old entered the UFC amid the COVID pandemic and immediately dazzled fans with stoppage wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee, and Gerald Meerschaert in the span of few months.

His hype has definitely dwindled a bit since then—mostly because he has become extremely inactive but also because he was pushed to the limit in fights with welterweight legends Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

However, after moving from welterweight to middleweight, Chimaev picked up the biggest win of his career, choking out former champion Robert Whittaker inside a round.

That victory was so impressive that it effectively erased the doubt and questions that dogged him after his close wins over Burns and Usman.

Chimaev is now considered the obvious next challenger for middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis—and a number of fans and analysts would give him a good chance of winning that fight.

The only problem is the South African is seemingly injured, which means Chimaev may need to fight another contender such as Caio Borralho in the meantime.

Paddy Pimblett has been been touted as a future title contender since he arrived in the UFC in 2021.

However, the Scouser has also had plenty of doubters, who noted that he used to be quite reckless in the stand-up and has been hurt quite badly in fights as a consequence.

As we head into the summer of 2025, though, Pimblett is undeniable. He may still have some holes in his game, but he is now on a nine-fight streak overall, and 7-0 since joining the UFC.

The 30-year-old hasn't been fighting cans in the UFC, either. His last three wins have come against crafty veterans in Tony Ferguson, King Green and former title challenger Michael Challenger, who he overwhelmed at UFC 314.

Time will tell if Pimblett will ever win a UFC title. With Islam Makhachev on the throne, and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria seemingly in line to challenge for the belt, there has arguably never been a worse time to be a lightweight in the UFC.

That being said, Pimblett has proved he has the chops to hang with the best, doubters be damned. Don't count him out.

We've already discussed how Garry suffered his first loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov last December. As such, it would be a travesty not to mention the Kazakh on this list too.

The truth is that, outside of Khamzat Chimaev, Rakhmonov might be the most feared fighter in the UFC right now. In fact, as far as the stats are concerned, he may actually be better than Chimaev. Possibly way, way better.

He doesn't have quite as many big-name wins as the Russian so far, but he finishes his fights more often, and he also shows up to the fights he signs up for and makes weight—something that cannot be said of Chimaev.

The unfortunate reality is that, despite beating Garry to improve his pro record to a stunning 19-0, Rakhmonov is currently injured. In fact, he is injured seriously enough that the next title shot at welterweight champion Belal Muhammad went to No. 5-ranked contender Jack Della Maddalena instead of him. That's a title shot Rakhmonov was promised for beating Garry.

The good news is that, unless Rakhmonov's injuries keep him out of action for the long term, he should be in position for a crack at the Muhammad-Della Maddalena winner.

Even if Garry wins against Prates in Kansas City this weekend, Rakhmonov will still most likely be next in line. His record is simply that good.

He's now 19-0, with finishes in every fight except his war with Garry, which he took on short notice. There are few fighters in MMA history who look as good as he does on paper.

Jean Silva looks like he could become a big star for the UFC.

Not only has the Brazilian left a trail of destruction behind him in the featherweight division, but he has also captured fans' imagination with his wild personality. Have you heard this guy bark at his opponents before and after his recent fights?

Silva earned his UFC contract with a decision win over Kevin Vallejos on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023. But that win was not indicative whatsoever about what he's really about.

Since earning his contract, the 28-year-old has won five successive fights in the Octagon, and all by finish. That includes wins over established names in Drew Dober, Charles Jourdain and most recently Bryce Mitchell.

The Mitchell fight was a gamble for the Brazilian. Silva called his opponent out shortly after the Arkansas native made some ridiculous comments about Adolf Hitler, and in doing so, positioned himself as a hero against an obvious villain.

The problem was that, while Mitchell is clearly woefully misinformed about almost everything that matters, he is also a good fighter. On paper, he had the skills to beat Silva.

Thankfully, he didn't. Silva completely shut down his grappling attack when they met at UFC 314, and while most fans expected him to win by knockout, he ended up choking the American unconscious; beating the Hitler sympathizer at his own game.

That win not only pushed Silva into the featherweight top 10, but it also proved he is ready to tangle with the division's best fighters.

A title shot is still a few wins away for Silva, but after embarrassing Mitchell, he's close.