The 12 months is midway over, and already greater than half of the UFC’s 11 championships have modified palms. To date, 2025 has proved to be a fertile time for the emergence of recent champions and the disappearance of previous champs in odd methods.
How odd? Three of the champions who surrendered titles did not lose them contained in the cage. Islam Makhachev introduced in Might he was vacating the lightweight championship to maneuver as much as welterweight, the place the UFC promised him a title shot. Ilia Topuria, who had already agreed to vacate at featherweight in February, received Makhachev’s previous 155-pound strap somewhat greater than per week in the past at UFC 317. A third belt was vacated at heavyweight, the place Jon Jones retired and the UFC promoted Tom Aspinall from interim to full champion — with out him having to put a glove on an opponent.
Past the gold-and-leather model of musical chairs, the UFC has seen some spectacular performances contained in the Octagon and memorable moments that promise nice fights forward. Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim break down ESPN’s decisions for the highlights of 2025 to this point.
Editor’s word: ESPN polled a 13-member panel of voters for these awards.
Greatest occasion: UFC 317
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Terrance McKinney wins through submission in simply 55 seconds
Terrance McKinney takes Viacheslav Borshchev down and forces him to submit simply 55 seconds into the primary spherical.
UFC 317 was headlined by probably the most iconic performances in UFC historical past.
The UFC’s International Fight Week card was strong from begin to end, however the pay-per-view occasion will likely be remembered for a few years for its important occasion. Topuria grew to become the UFC’s first two-weight champion with an undefeated report, and he did it emphatically by knocking out former champion and fan favourite Charles Oliveira.
That single efficiency made UFC 317 a transparent chief for greatest occasion of the midyear, however the remainder of the cardboard carried weight, too. Males’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja added to his future Corridor of Fame report with a title protection over Kai Kara-France through submission. Joshua Van cemented himself as a fighter to look at in a bout towards Brandon Royval that would contend for struggle of the 12 months come December. Payton Talbott reemerged as one of many sport’s most promising prospects. And the prelims saved the vitality excessive, with three first-round finishes and 4 early stoppages general in six bouts. — Okamoto
Battle of the midyear: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van at UFC 317
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Joshua Van, Brandon Royval lay all of it out in epic end
Joshua Van and Brandon Royval unleash fury on one another to finish their bout, with Van taking the win by unanimous choice.
Within the week main as much as UFC 317 on June 28, Van was nowhere to be present in ESPN’s divisional rankings and was scraping the underside of the UFC’s high 15 rankings. Within the quick time since, Van has surged to the highest of the ladder, only one rung down from champion Pantoja, whom Van will problem in his subsequent struggle. What prompted the meteoric rise? This historic struggle.
Van was a late alternative, introduced in to face then-No. 2 contender Royval. The 23-year-old was coming off a third-round knockout of Bruno Silva three weeks earlier at UFC 316, however the alternative to get a title shot subsequent, ought to he defeat Royval, was too good for Van to go up. And each fighters competed as if a title already was on the road.
It was toe-to-toe the entire method, and Van was particularly correct together with his assaults, touchdown 204 of his 305 important strike makes an attempt (66%). Royval related with 215, making their mixed complete 419 — probably the most ever in a three-round UFC struggle and the third-most landed in any struggle contained in the Octagon. Van earned a unanimous choice to win an all-action struggle that was not possible to match. — Wagenheim
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Merab Dvalishvili stops Sean O’Malley in dominant vogue to retain belt
Merab Dvalishvili celebrates after a large win over Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their bout to retain the title at UFC 316.
Dvalishvili and Topuria resulted in a impasse on the high of this class, every incomes 46.2% of the vote. That is wonderful, contemplating the 2 fighters of Georgian descent are additionally good associates. In the end, Dvalishvili earned the slight nod from ESPN due to his two title defenses in six months, in contrast with Topuria’s one. Dvalishvili handed Umar Nurmagomedov the primary lack of his 10-year professional profession at UFC 311 in January, which is a major feat of its personal. That win, coupled with Dvalishvili’s dominant showing in a rematch towards Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in June, has raised him to No. 3 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Dvalishvili is already awaiting a date for his third title protection of the 12 months towards Cory Sandhagen, and Topuria is probably going located for a high-profile title protection earlier than the top of the 12 months. So do not be stunned if we’re proper again to this identical debate in December for fighter of the 12 months. — Okamoto
Girls’s fighter of the midyear: Kayla Harrison
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Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to change into new UFC bantamweight champ
Kayla Harrison faucets out Julianna Pena in Spherical 2 at UFC 316 to change into the brand new ladies’s bantamweight champion.
Harrison is a UFC champion, and it was a very long time coming — simply not a very long time within the UFC.
An Olympic gold medalist in judo in each 2012 and 2016, Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 with the PFL and received two championships in her first two years. A UFC stint was subsequent on her objectives checklist, and final 12 months she lastly made it to the Octagon. Two dominant wins put her in line for a shot on the ladies’s bantamweight title.
Harrison was a heavy favorite over Julianna Peña at UFC 316 final month, and she or he shortly confirmed why. On her technique to securing a first-round kimura submission, Harrison outlanded Peña 30-9 in important strikes. The cherry on high of her victory was attractive retired former champion Amanda Nunes into the cage to face off, establishing one of many largest fights in MMA historical past. It simply retains getting higher for the 19-1 Harrison. — Wagenheim
Breakout fighter: Joshua Van
The place does one even begin? What’s most spectacular about Van? That he earned a title shot at 23 years previous? His willingness to just accept the danger of taking two fights and two weight cuts on the highest degree inside a span of 21 days?
Van is making historical past with these performances. He is the one fighter in UFC historical past to land 100 or extra strikes in six of his first 9 appearances. And did we already point out … he is solely 23 years previous.
He is doing all of this in a division that has been traditionally and notoriously missed. It has been accomplished earlier than, nevertheless it’s not straightforward to make waves at 125 kilos. The champ, Pantoja, has accomplished an ideal job of delivering memorable performances at males’s flyweight. Brandon Moreno garnered consideration resulting from his success as the primary Mexican-born UFC champion. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, in fact, is the gold customary for MMA flyweights. Nevertheless, all of these fighters took years to construct their mainstream enchantment. Van is changing into a family title out of nowhere. Unsurprisingly, this vote for breakout fighter of the midyear was unanimous. — Okamoto
Greatest KO: Mauricio Ruffy‘s spinning wheel kick towards King Green at UFC 313
Probably the most consequential knockout of the midyear is the final one struggle followers have seen: Topuria’s one-two starching of Oliveira to win the light-weight championship. It’s particularly spectacular when positioned within the context of Topuria’s latest profession: It was his third straight KO, with the opposite victims being the estimable featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway. The 17-0 Spaniard is a huge killer whose personal profile within the sport has change into gigantic.
But when we’re speaking concerning the greatest knockout, the setting by which it occurred and aesthetics have to be factored in, and no end up to now in 2025 has been extra breathtaking and sudden than Ruffy’s spinning wheel kick to break down Inexperienced. Competing on a UFC 313 card headlined by two of the promotion’s human spotlight reels, Ruffy upstaged each Alex Pereira and Justin Gaethje together with his first-round end of Inexperienced. What a method for Ruffy, like his Combating Nerds teammates, to announce his arrival as a light-weight to be reckoned with.
Together with Topuria’s KO, Malcolm Wellmaker’s knockout of Kris Moutinho at UFC Battle Night time from Atlanta on June 14 additionally obtained three first-place votes. Wellmaker’s explosive proper hook in Spherical 1 wanted no follow-up, simply admiration. — Wagenheim
Greatest submission: Jean Silva‘s ninja choke towards Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314
This was a picture that stayed with you for some time. Silva went to UFC 314 as a person on a mission. The whole efficiency was electrical, as Silva walked down his prey, shrugged off all of Mitchell’s makes an attempt to get him to the mat and ultimately buried Mitchell with the ninja choke. Mitchell tapped, however the choke was so tight that the lights clearly went out from behind his eyes earlier than the referee may intervene.
The Combating Nerds have been on an absolute tear this 12 months, however Silva is perhaps the loudest of the group. He does the whole lot with ardour, together with his patented “bark” celebration. He has a giant alternative to achieve one other degree within the second half, as he’ll headline Noche UFC on Sept. 13 with one other action-packed featherweight, Diego Lopes. — Okamoto
Greatest second: Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes face off at UFC 316
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Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison face off after Harrison wins belt
Kayla Harrison beats Julianna Peña and calls out Amanda Nunes, who declares within the Octagon she’s coming again.
We’re clearly in an period of postfight in-cage faceoffs. There have been none for years earlier than the 2 PPVs in June mixed for 3 in-Octagon stare-downs. UFC 317 had Pantoja welcoming his subsequent challenger, Van, to the cage after the co-main occasion and Topuria going nostril to nostril with Paddy Pimblett after profitable the light-weight title in the principle occasion.
However neither of these produced the chills that Harrison and Nunes did earlier within the month.
Their faceoff got here instantly after Harrison received the UFC ladies’s bantamweight championship. Nunes, the best fighter ladies’s MMA has ever seen, got here into the Octagon and bowed towards Harrison, who reciprocated. The 2 ladies shook palms and hugged earlier than addressing the group.
“I really feel like we knew this was going to occur,” Harrison stated. “I’ve the belt, she has the legacy. Let’s put it on the desk.”
It was refreshing that no phony beef was driving the narrative between these onetime teammates at American High Workforce. Their storyline is just that when Nunes and Harrison struggle, they’ll decide who’s the very best fighter in ladies’s MMA. Set a date, UFC. — Wagenheim
Clearly, a proficient 26-year-old reminiscent of Talbott is predicted to enhance — however you’ll be able to’t count on him to do it as quick as he has. Talbott started 2025 with an enormous loss to Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 in a struggle he entered as an 11-to-1 favourite. Talbott’s largest concern in that loss was defensive wrestling. He gave up eight takedowns and nearly 10 minutes of management time.
That is a slightly giant gap to deal with, however Talbott fastened it in lower than six months. His efficiency towards Felipe Lima at UFC 317 was so composed and well-rounded that it instantly returned Talbott to the identical degree of hype he had coming into this 12 months. It is apparent Talbott has uncooked expertise. What we noticed at UFC 317 was the development of the whole lot else required to compete on the high of the lads’s bantamweight division: a full ability set, maturity and the flexibility to bounce again from a loss. It is not straightforward to revive hype as soon as it is gone, however Talbott did after which some. — Okamoto