"[Khamzat Chimaev] beats them all" - Fans throw in names as they debate which fighter will end 2025 as the UFC middleweight champion

Khamzat Chimaev is deemed the likeliest to be the UFC middleweight champion by the end of the calendar year according to an online sports betting outlet. The current champion Dricus Du Plessis is set to defend his belt against the man who he claimed the crown from, Sean Strickland, when they run it back for their rematch at UFC 312 on Feb. 8.

X account @OnPointMMA shared a graphic with betting figures from Bet US on who will be the 185-pound titleholder by the end of 2025, with DDP positioned at +110 while Strickland is situated at +300.

Robert Whittaker is the biggest longshot at +4000 while former two-time divisional kingpin Israel Adesanya is favored at +1600. The man who stands above all in this discourse is Khamzat Chimaev at -225.

X users began to engage in some discourse regarding these lines, with several passionate fans offering up their thoughts.

@MCPC141 said,

"Khamzat beats them all. It's just a matter of booking him a fight in Arabia somewhere. His Visa issues are a pain in the a**e"

@KL6Soup stated,

"dricus honestly mate but in my heart of heARTS BOBBY KNUCKLES TAKES THE BELT AGAIN BABYYYYYYYYYY"

@thetroofmf quipped,

"DDP and Strickland run through Khamzat in a 5 rounder, IF, they make it through the initial onslaught."

[Images Courtesy: @OnPointMMA tweet thread on X]

Check out the odds for who will be the UFC middleweight champ by the end of 2025 below:

---

Khamzat Chimaev is in the crosshairs of a former UFC champion

Khamzat Chimaev seems poised to potentially get the next crack at the middleweight belt after the dust settles on Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2. Another former multi-time kingpin of the weight category seems intrigued by a future fight with the unbeaten 'Borz'.

The 30-year-old is being eyed by Israel Adesanya who must first get past his next challenge at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 1. Adesanya is set to collide with Nassourdine Imavov but recently indicated how impressed he was with Khamzat Chimaev running through Whittaker last October at UFC 308.

Adesanya has a pair of wins over Whittaker in middleweight title clashes and directly knows how talented he is. This is why Israel Adesanya was so impressed by the native of Russia and stated that the quality of the win made him want to fight Chimaev at some point in the future.