Across its 11 weight classes, the UFC boasts some of the most electrifying and captivating fighters in the world. Whether it is because of their eye-pleasing fighting styles, their talent with the microphone or their eccentric personalities, there are a handful of athletes in the promotion that have the ability to focus all eyes on them. And following a splendid 2025 across their respective careers, these combatants are gearing up to record another rip-roaring year under the banner of the greatest combat sports organization in the business.
Here are five of the most entertaining UFC fighters as the UFC schedule is underway.
Most Entertaining UFC Fighters Today
Justin Gaethje
When it comes to the lightweight division, there are a bevy of standout names that occupy the vaunted top 10 and are favorites for those who play social casinos and punters looking to make a bet. However, none have gripped UFC audiences on a consistent basis quite like the Arizona-born striking whizz Justin Gaethje fresh off his win vs Paddy Pimblett. In comparison to most of the individuals who have fought or are currently fighting in the organization, the Trevor Wittman disciple has accrued both a lengthy laundry list of accolades inside the Octagon, as well as a legion of adoring and die-hard fans. Considered the most popular entity in the weight category, “The Highlight” has earned a staggering amount of post-fight bonuses, including ten Fight of the Night and five Performance of the Night awards.
Recently given the monumental assignment of headlining UFC 324, Gaethje crossed paths with another lightweight standout in the quickly ascending Paddy Pimblett. Unbeaten in his past nine bouts, the touted Englishman had not tasted defeat since 2018 back during his tenure in Cage Warriors. Logging a brutal third round knockout over Michael Chandler in his last contest, “The Baddy” was given the chance to vie for gold in the main event of UFC 324, where he sought to bring down the old guard and establish his own place near the head of the pack.
While he may have been 37-years old at the time of his confrontation with Pimblett, Gaethje proved he still had more left in the tank by handing the European his first loss in the company. Nearly finishing his opponent in the first round, the Colorado competitor proceeded to go to war with Pimblett, with each man scoring over 170 total strikes across the 25-minute spectacle. Leaving the young phenom a bloody and bruised mess, Gaethje went on to capture the interim 155-lb strap to become the oldest man to win a belt in the weight class, setting himself up for a unification tilt against undisputed champion Ilia Topuria.
Carlos Prates
Enjoying arguably the most swiftest and most stupendous rise in UFC welterweight history, Carlos Prates has gone from hot prospect to potentially in the title picture in the span of under two years. Possessing a high degree of punching power that is rarely seen in the 170-lb landscape, the Brazilian juggernaut has rampaged his way through the rankings, netting a 100% knockout rate across all of his matches in the promotion since debuting in 2024. He has also secured a bonus in every single one of his victories, making him possibly the top finisher in the division.
In his final fight of 2025, the appropriately nicknamed “The Nightmare” locked horns with the most experienced and most credentialed adversary of his career up until that point at UFC 322, where he drew Leon Edwards. Coming up the ladder just as if not more so dominantly than Prates, Edwards had long been hailed as a staple of the upper echelon at welterweight. Enduring a long road toward his first title shot, “Rocky” wowed the combat sports world in 2022 when he knocked out Kamaru Usman to attain the championship. He then defended his throne once against Colby Covington before losing it to his nemesis Belal Muhammad.
Although he was coming off of a disappointing setback to Sean Brady earlier in the year, Edwards was still seen as a worthy foe for Prates on the feet, given his own stellar kickboxing skillset and extensive time competing in the Octagon. He had also never been bested by strikes in his entire professional career.
Looking in trouble early on when the Englishman managed to get ahold of his back when they were standing up, Prates, once more, showcased his terrifying strength when he flattened Edwards with a massive punch. Sending the previous incumbent crashing to the canvas, the Brazilian swarmed him with ground-and-pound to earn the first round stoppage, causing the audience to erupt in a deafening roar of cheers. Now firmly nestled in the conversation for the belt, fans eagerly await the next time Prates graces the cage and sends another poor soul careening into unconsciousness.
Diego Lopes
Before Diego Lopes made his short-notice debut at UFC 288 back in 2023 against the then and still undefeated Movsar Evloev, few could have predicted the warpath he would soon embark on. Failing to earn a contract with the organization back on the Contender Series two years prior, the South American bruiser had netted middling results on the regional scene, going 2-1 in his next three bouts. Evloev on the other hand was viewed as the next clear rising contender in the featherweight class, securing a key victory over divisional mainstay Dan Ige.
In one of the more magnificent debuts in recent memory, Lopes gave Evloev everything that he could handle, giving the Russian grappler a very hard time on the ground despite Evloev’s own highly-impressive wrestling talents. The Brazilian ended up losing the match, but he did take home a hefty $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus and major fan recognition for his troubles.
Proving that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder, Lopes kickstarted a trail of utter devastation through the weight category, whirling past the best opposition in his division in dominant fashion, trouncing the likes of Sodiq Yusuff, Ige and Brian Ortega, snatching two more performance awards. This streak of greatness catapulted the young scrapper into a high-stakes championship contest opposite the man whom many call the greatest 145-lb competitor of all time, Alexander Volkanovski, at UFC 314.
Notching five title defenses during his first reign as champion, Volkanovski had carved out a place for himself among the all-time greats of the sport by demolishing fellow featherweight titans like José Aldo, Ortega, The Korean Zombie (Jung Chan-sung) and Max Holloway three times. Baffling, however, the Aussie wound up dropping his strap to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, but following the Spaniard’s vacating of the belt, Volkanovski got the call to fight for his former throne against the popular Lopes.
In what could be called one of the most entertaining championship fights of 2025, the two men stood toe-to-toe nearly the entire time, bludgeoning each other with hard shots, with both suffering one knockdown each. While his stiff punches did give “The Great” trouble early on, Volkanovski was able to rally in the latter rounds, pummeling Lopes with his technical striking to become champion once more.
In less than a week, these two fan-favorites will collide again at UFC 325 in what looks to be another sterling main event showdown. Getting back into the win column last September with a rip-roaring starching of Jean Silva, Lopes now has a second opportunity to finally claim UFC gold. For fans, there is no doubt that their rematch will keep them firmly on the edge of their seats.
Jiří Procházka
For almost five years, Chechia’s own Jiří Procházka has remained a fixture of the upper most echelon of the UFC’s light heavyweight elite. Crashing into the promotion in 2020, “Denisa” needed only two victories in the Octagon to earn himself a shot at the strap, snatching it away from then incumbent Glover Teixeira.
A freak shoulder injury in training, though, saw Procházka willingly vacate his championship, eventually coming back to fight for it again at UFC 295, where he was knocked out by Glory Kickboxing legend Alex Pereira. Following his devastating triumph over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300, flattening his fellow European with a volley of punches, Procházka locked horns with the Brazilian for a second time at UFC 303, losing once more by strikes.
Although he did contemplate a move to middleweight, Procházka, instead, chose to stay at 205-lb, determined to reassert his power as the best in the division. And in 2025, he accomplished just that after logging two back-to-back wins over former title-holder Jamahal Hill and the hulking Khalil Rountree Jr. It was his victory over the latter that garnered Procházka a great deal of praise and adoration from the realm of combat sports. Dropping the first two rounds of the tilt on the scorecards, the Czech dug deep in the third, bloodying the American with non-stop pressure before flooring him with a gigantic left hook that put him out completely. The win granted Procházka a rare combination of a Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus.
Valter Walker
At just 28-years of age, Valter Walker has begun to take the heavyweight division by storm. Coming up from the international regional circuit, the Brazilian submission expert had built up a flawless run, garnering a perfect 10-0 professional record while capturing belts in organizations such as Arena Global, MMA Series and Titan FC.
Getting the call to compete in the UFC in 2024, Walker made his debut against Polish fighter Łukasz Brzeski at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2. Though he did manage to nail four takedowns and accrue over seven minutes of control time, “The Clean Monster” lost largely in the standup department, being outlanded by Brzeski nearly three to one in overall strikes. After a relatively close match, Walker lost the unanimous decision to fall short in his freshman Octagon assignment.
Turning his fortunes all the way around and then some, Walker would then surprise everyone by winning his next four contests in a row. Despite earning a bit of boos from his first round submission triumph over Junior Tafa, the South American quickly claimed his place as a big favorite with the fans by achieving three more finishes inside five minutes. What caused excitement within the mixed martial arts community, however, was the fact that he was doing this all by heel hook, a notoriously difficult submission to pull off consistently. Set to battle Marcin Tybura this coming March, Walker will aim to dazzle the planet by toppling the esteemed veteran to take a sizable leap up the heavyweight rankings.
Michael is an experienced writer and editor in sports media circles. As the founder and owner of Last Word On Sports INC, a partner at Sports Heroics, he brings a wealth of experience to the ownership group at Sports & Media Investors Group, LLC, which owns NYFights.com.