Overview
- MMA Fighting honored Islam Makhachev as 2025 Fighter of the Year after he set the UFC lightweight defense record in January and then defeated Jack Della Maddalena in November to claim the welterweight title.
- Valentina Shevchenko reinforced her dominance with an eighth flyweight title defense over Manon Fiorot in May before outpointing Zhang Weili at UFC 322.
- Petr Yan reclaimed the bantamweight championship with a one-sided decision over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323.
- Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned named Joshua Van, Michael Morales, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Quillan Salkilld, and Kevin Vallejos as 2025’s breakthrough fighters, spotlighting a new wave of contenders.
- 2025 saw undisputed titles change hands in 10 of 11 UFC divisions and closed the promotion’s ESPN pay-per-view era ahead of a Paramount+ launch in early 2026.