The UFC recently announced their PPV for December, UFC 323 will take place on December 6 in Las Vegas from the T-Mobile Arena. It marks the final PPV event before the new deal with Paramount begins in 2026. Under the new deal, PPVs will stream on Paramount+ in the US at no additional cost, something that hasn’t happened since the PPV model came into effect in 1993.
BACK IN THE FIGHTING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD 👊#UFC323 will be in Las Vegas on December 6th!
Register your interest here 👉 https://t.co/Ciyl5FTSZL pic.twitter.com/K8Xr7KWoR6
— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2025
Despite being a historic card in its own right, we haven’t announced a main event yet. However, four bouts have been announced for the card. Marvin Vettori meets Brunno Ferreira, Maycee Barber clashes with Karine Silva, we have Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli and most importantly, we have former champion Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira. We’ll come back to that fight later.
We take a look at who could potentially headline the final PPV of the current era, UFC 323.
Who can we exclude?
Obviously, there should be a title on the line in the headline slot of UFC 323. It’s hard to predict, though. There are several fighters we can rule out from competing at UFC 323. Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira recently announced that he has a broken foot and won’t return until mid-2026. The welterweight title will be contested just a month before UFC 323, so it’s highly unlikely we’ll see that title match again so soon. It’s the same story for the women’s flyweight belt, which will also be contested at UFC 322.
It is also unlikely that the women’s bantamweight title will be contested again this year. Champion Kayla Harrison appears to be on a collision course with former champion Amanda Nunes. That said, while Nunes could be vacated in December, it’s more likely we’ll see the fallout in 2026. Lioness back in action.
So who leaves that?
The lightweight champion, Ilia Topuira, will likely be saved for the first PPV of the new era. He is a big star and no matter who he fights, he will be big.
The strawweight title will be contested at UFC 322 and it’s unlikely we’ll see Mackenzie Dern or Virna Jandiroba compete again in 2025.
It is also unlikely that Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight title will appear at UFC 323 as he is not typically the most active fighter. He has struggled in recent years to get cleared to fight in the United States, and is more likely to be shelved until 2026.
UFC 323 Headline Slot
The flyweight title could potentially be on the line again at UFC 323. Champion Alexandre Pantoja headlined the final PPV of 2024. After competing at UFC 317 in June, he will be available for a turnaround in December. The logical opponent Joshua Van also took part in UFC 317 and will therefore also be fit for a date in December. As we know, Moreno and Taira are on the card, so they can act as backup if necessary.
At UFC Rio, Michael Aswell showed up leak however, nothing has been confirmed yet that the fight was official.
Featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski is also a major possibility. He hasn’t competed since April’s unanimous decision victory over Diego Lopes. The undefeated Briton, Lerone Murphy, is the next logical opponentHowever, it appears the UFC may be looking for a Lopes rematch, which doesn’t make much sense. Volkanovski vs. Murphy could be a great headliner for UFC 323 and both men should be ready for a December dance.
Opportunities from outsiders
There is a remote possibility that bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will return soon. After another dominant performance at UFC 320, the Georgian suggested he wanted to return again this year. His problem is that he may not have a suitable opponent in December. A Petr Yan rematch could happen, but after the first fight was uncompetitive, there may not be much appeal for this fight. That said, the potential for Merab to make four title defenses in 2025 makes the fight big.
Depending on how the UFC 321 main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane goes, the winner is unlikely to make a quick turnaround. If we end up in the first round, there shouldn’t be any reason why he can’t turn around and compete again in December. It largely depends on the outcome of the other heavyweight fight at UFC 321 between Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida. The next contender will likely emerge from this fight, so if the winner leaves Abu Dhabi fresh, it could be a potential headliner.
Who do you want to see headline UFC 323?
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