2025 MMA awards: Our top fighters, moments of the year

With 2025 nearly in the books, theScore's Nick Baldwin celebrates the best of the best in mixed martial arts with nine year-end awards.

Male Fighter of the Year

Winner: Islam Makhachev

Merab Dvalishvili was the front-runner for this award virtually all year - from Jan. 18, when he upset Umar Nurmagomedov in his first UFC bantamweight title defense, until Dec. 6, when he dropped the belt to Petr Yan in his fourth defense of the year. Fans will remember Dvalishvili's 2025 campaign for a long time, but in the end, Makhachev takes the prize. He made quick work of short-notice replacement Renato Moicano in his final lightweight title defense at UFC 311 in January. Then, the Dagestani moved up to welterweight at UFC 322 in November and became the promotion's 11th two-division champion with an absurdly dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena. That performance once again cemented Makhachev as the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA.

Female Fighter of the Year

Winner: Valentina Shevchenko

Shevchenko appeared to be on a downward slope in recent years, as she went winless in 2023 and scored just one victory in 2024. But the UFC women's flyweight champion returned to her dominant ways in 2025. She handed Manon Fiorot her first loss in seven years at UFC 315 in May. Six months later, Shevchenko outclassed former strawweight champion Zhang Weili at UFC 322. The matchup was billed as a long-awaited superfight, but in the end, it wasn't even remotely competitive. Shevchenko, at 37 years old, proved this year that she has a lot left in the tank.

Event of the Year

Winner: UFC 317

There were several memorable events this year, including UFC 322 and UFC 323, but UFC 317 stood out above the rest. In the main event of the June 28 card, Ilia Topuria made history by knocking out Charles Oliveira in devastating fashion and becoming the 10th fighter in Octagon history to capture titles in two weight classes. The event also featured an epic bout between Joshua Van and Brandon Royval, Alexandre Pantoja submitting Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title, and a slew of finishes on the prelims. UFC 317 had a bit of everything, and it ended on a high note with Topuria's crowning moment.

Fight of the Year

Winner: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval at UFC 317

Speaking of that epic fight between Van and Royval, it just happened to be the best we saw all year. The two flyweights slugged it out for three rounds, showing tenacity, heart, and an insane amount of perseverance. They combined for 419 significant strikes, the most in a three-round bout in UFC history. Van sealed the deal with a knockdown late in the third round, earning a unanimous decision victory and a title shot against then-champion Pantoja.

Knockout of the Year

Winner: Mauricio Ruffy's spinning-wheel-kick knockout of King Green at UFC 313

There were a ton of knockouts to choose from this year, but Ruffy's March 8 victory held up as the best. Just two minutes into the biggest fight of his career, Ruffy - a surging lightweight prospect at the time - clocked Green with a spinning wheel kick, sending him to the land of wind and ghosts in the blink of an eye. It was one of the most creative and vicious knockouts we'd seen in a long time.

Submission of the Year

Winner: Jean Silva's ninja choke against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314

Mitchell is an elite grappler, but he was the one doing the tapping when he fought Silva on April 12. During an exchange in the clinch, Silva trapped Mitchell in a ninja choke then dragged him to the mat and forced the tap, like a boa constrictor putting its prey to rest.

Round of the Year

Winner: Round 1 of Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan at UFC 323

Baraniewski-Aslan is a perfect example of why MMA fans are MMA fans. The Dec. 6 undercard bout lasted just 1:29, but it was a legitimate contender for Fight of the Year. Aslan dropped Baraniewski early on, but the latter survived and went on to score two knockdowns of his own. "This looks like a bar fight," UFC color commentator Joe Rogan exclaimed as the two swung for the fences. Baraniewski closed the show with a TKO finish, delivering one of the most exhilarating moments of 2025.

Upset of the Year

Winner: Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott at UFC 311

Talbott went into the fight as a red-hot bantamweight prospect with a 9-0 professional record and a 3-0 UFC record. A -1050 betting favorite, Talbott was expected to take care of business and continue his rise in the division. Barcelos, however, had other plans. He dominated Talbott on the ground from start to finish, scoring eight takedowns and amassing over nine minutes of control time. Barcelos took home a lopsided unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-26), recording the sixth-biggest upset in UFC history based on odds.

Breakout Fighter of the Year

Winner: Joshua Van

Van began the year ranked No. 15 in the UFC flyweight division and ended it with the belt around his waist. That's the definition of breakout fighter. The 24-year-old defeated Rei Tsuruya, Bruno Silva, Royval, and Pantoja over the past 12 months (two of those victories came in the span of four weeks), going from top prospect to champion in record speed. Van had one of the best years in the entire sport and likely would've been Fighter of the Year had it not been for the fluky ending to his title win over Pantoja at UFC 323.