The Hit List: UFC, PFL Fights We Want to See in the Second Half of 2025

Weili Zhang looks to have exhausted most of her worthy opposition—outside of Virna Jandiroba, of course—as Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight titleholder. Perhaps the time has come for the Chinese superstar to take her talents elsewhere.

“Magnum” turns 36 in August and would benefit physically and perhaps mentally through freeing herself from a taxing weight cut, vacating her thrown and moving to 125 pounds to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the undisputed UFC women’s flyweight crown. The allure of becoming a historic two-division champion can never be denied, especially for someone in her mid-30s. Zhang has rattled off five consecutive victories since her ill-fated two-fight series with Rose Namajunas in 2021, having bested Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Carla Esparza, Amanda Lemos, Xiaonan Yan and Tatiana Suarez in succession. Already well established as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all-time, she has little left to accomplish in her current iteration. Shevchenko would serve as her most significant test to date. “Bullet” retained her women’s flyweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 on May 10. While Shevchenko has several worthwhile contenders in the queue—they include Natalia Silva, Jasmine Jasudavicius and the eventual Mayce Barber-Erin Blanchfield winner—none provide the level of intrigue a Zhang superfight offers. It would be a difficult opportunity for either woman to turn down at this stage of the game.

A Zhang-Shevchenko showdown ranks as one fight we want to see from the UFC and the Professional Fighters League in the second half of 2025. Here are four more:

Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev:

The former Professional Fighters League champions find themselves in the featherweight semifinals, albeit pitted against different opponents at PFL 2025 World Tournament 5 on June 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. A PFL champion in 2023, Pinedo has recorded four straight wins, all of them finishes. A trilogy bout with Gabriel Braga stands between the 28-year-old Peruvian and a spot in another tournament final. On the other side of the equation, Khaybulaev was a PFL champion in 2021. The undefeated Russian improved to 22-0-1 with a split decision over Jeremy Kennedy in their hotly contested quarterfinal on April 3. Next up for Khaybulaev: a confrontation with South Korean upstart Tae Kyun Kim.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Thursday, June 12 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

Phil Davis vs. Simeon Powell:

Davis turns 41 in September, so this could conceivably be his last legitimate chance at another major mixed martial arts championship. The four-time NCAA All-American wrestler an ex-Bellator MMA titleholder was sensational in his May 1 promotional debut, as he wrecked Rob Wilkinson with punches in the second round of their light heavyweight quarterfinal. Sullivan Cauley awaits Davis in the 205-pound semis at PFL 2025 World Tournament 7 on June 27 in Chicago. Powell, meanwhile, was a PFL Europe finalist in 2023, when he emerged as one of the more promising homegrown talents on the company payroll. The 26-year-old Englishman boasts an 11-1 record with eight finishes and would provide Davis with a compelling generational clash should he get past Antonio Carlos Jr. in his light heavyweight semifinal.

Dakota Ditcheva vs. Liz Carmouche:

True tests have been few and far between for Ditcheva during her rise to superstardom. The American Top Team export torched the competition—Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, Jena Bishop and Taila Santos were all victimized—during her run to a million-dollar payday in 2024. Ditcheva, 26, has won all 14 of her pro bouts, 12 of them by knockout or technical knockout. The once-beaten Sumiko Inaba serves as her next obstacle on July 19 in South Africa. Carmouche, meanwhile, might still be the most recognizable name on the PFL’s 125-pound roster. The 41-year-old Bellator champion toes the line against the undefeated Elora Dana in a women’s flyweight semifinal at PFL 2025 World Tournament 6 on June 20 in Wichita, Kansas. Plenty of hurdles stand between Carmouche and a theoretical pairing with Ditcheva, but the possibility undoubtedly piques the interest of PFL matchmakers.

Merab Dvalishvili-Sean O’Malley winner vs. Cory Sandhagen:

Dvalishvili and O’Malley are set to rematch one another for the undisputed bantamweight championship in the UFC 316 main event on June 7, and their second encounter figures to carry wide-ranging implications for the 135-pound weight class. A cardio machine and takedown monster, Dvalishvili bullied O’Malley to a five-round unanimous decision in September, then went on to retain his title at the expense of Umar Nurmagomedov some four months later. O’Malley has not suited up since. On the other side of the equation, Sandhagen has posted wins in four of his past five outings. He was well on his way to what appeared to be another strong and successful appearance against Deiveson Figueiredo before the Brazilian suffered a knee injury in the second round, resulting in an anticlimactic conclusion to their UFC on ESPN 67 headliner on May 3.