The Hit List: Can’t-Miss Fights of January

Patience could soon pay dividends of the life-altering variety for Arman Tsarukyan.

The 28-year-old American Top Team contender will challenge Islam Makhachev for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title when their rematch headlines UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan enters the cage on the strength of a four-fight winning streak. He last suited up on April 13, when he was awarded split scorecards against Charles Oliveira in their UFC 300 encounter. On the other side of the equation, Makhachev has emerged from the considerable shadow of longtime mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov and established himself as a true pound-for-pound ace. He has rattled off 14 consecutive victories, including a unanimous decision over Tsarukyan in 2019. Makhachev, 33, last saw action at UFC 302, where he put away Dustin Poirier with a brabo choke in the fifth round of their June 1 confrontation.

The Makhachev-Tsarukyan showdown is but one must-see fight in January. Here are four more:

Kai Tang vs. Akbar Abdullaev
ONE on Prime Video 27
Jan. 10 | Bangkok, Thailand
Tang serves as a poster boy of sorts for homegrown talent in ONE Championship. The Tiger Muay Thai rep will put his featherweight title on the line for a second time when he kicks off his 2025 campaign and confronts the unbeaten Abdullaev in an intriguing main event at historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Tang, 28, steps back into the spotlight with the wind of a 12-fight winning streak at his back. He last competed on March 1, when he cut down Thanh Le with punches in the third round of their ONE 166 rematch. Abdullaev, meanwhile, sits at a perfect 11-0 ahead of the most significant opportunity of his career. The 27-year-old Kyrgyzstan native has finished all 11 of his opponents, nine of them inside one round and three of them in less than a minute.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
UFC Fight Night 249
Jan. 11 | Las Vegas
Consistency has thus far eluded Ribas at the sport’s highest level. The 31-year-old former Jungle Fight champion will look to improve to 2-0 in her head-to-head series with Dern when their rematch shoulders the marquee at the UFC Apex. Ribas—who outpointed the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships gold medalist to a unanimous decision five years ago—has alternated wins and losses in each of her past seven outings. She has not fought since she wound up on the wrong side of a five-round unanimous decision against Rose Namajunas at UFC on ESPN 53 in March. Ribas’ opponent has long-term viability questions of her own. Dern, who turns 32 in matter of months, has not yet developed to the extent many had hoped when she arrived in the UFC as an undefeated prospect with a proven pedigree in 2018. Four losses in her past seven assignments have only emboldened her detractors.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC 311
Jan. 18 | Los Angeles
Dvalishvili has spent a little more than 100 days on the throne, and yet, viable would-be successors are already nipping at his heels. The Serra-Longo Fight Team export will defend his undisputed bantamweight championship against the unbeaten Nurmagomedov in a five-round co-headliner at the Intuit Dome. Dvalishvili, 33, has put together 11 straight victories in his climb to the top of the 135-pound weight class. The Georgian last strapped on the gloves at UFC 306, where he dethroned Sean O’Malley via five-round unanimous decision on Sept. 14. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, sports a perfect 18-0 record. The 28-year-old American Kickboxing Academy standout last suited up on Aug. 3, when he outdueled Cory Sandhagen across 25 minutes at UFC on ABC 7.

Sebastian Przybysz vs. Bruno Azevedo
KSW 102
Jan. 25 | Radom, Poland
The fate of the vacant Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki bantamweight crown will hang in the balance when Przybysz toes the line against Azevedo atop the Polish company’s first event of the year. Jakub Wiklacz severed ties with KSW and surrendered the 135-pound belt two weeks ago, clearing the way for a new champion. Przybysz, 31, previously held the title from March 20, 2021 to Dec. 17, 2022. He has not competed since Wiklacz choked him unconscious with a second-round guillotine to close out their rare pentalogy at KSW 95 in June. On the other side of the docket, Azevedo has won 11 of his past 13 bouts. The 34-year-old Brazilian last saw action on Aug. 24, when he disposed of Oleksii Polishchuk with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their KSW 97 clash. It was the 15th submission victory of Azevedo’s career.