Overview
- MMA Fighting named Islam Makhachev its 2025 Fighter of the Year after he set the lightweight defense record at UFC 311 and later captured the welterweight title at UFC 322.
- CBS Sports awarded Fighter of the Year to Petr Yan, citing his late upset of Merab Dvalishvili to reclaim the bantamweight crown after a earlier win over Marcus McGhee.
- CBS Sports’ Fight of the Year went to Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval at UFC 317, a three-round thriller that propelled Van toward the flyweight title he later won after Alexandre Pantoja was injured.
- MMA Junkie’s Event of the Year was UFC 317 in Las Vegas, headlined by Ilia Topuria’s first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title and bolstered by Pantoja’s submission of Kai Kara-France.
- Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned spotlighted 2025 breakthrough fighters led by Joshua Van, with Michael Morales, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Quillan Salkilld and Kevin Vallejos also recognized.