Our awards are very similar to those given by other outlets, but for more specifics, see the MMA Awards page.
Men’s Fighter of the Year
This year was a strange one for the category. Merab Dvalishvili fought four times, and was in the lead for essentially the entire year before ending it with a loss against Petr Yan. His only competition for the award was Islam Makhachev, who wrote his name in the history books by becoming a “champ-champ”, but was only half as active as Merab. I’ve said many times that I’d rather more draws be awarded than watch judges score fights for the wrong guys. And for that very reason, Merab and Islam will share the award for 2025.
Winner [tie] – Merab Dvalishvili, Islam Makhachev
3rd Place – Joshua Van
Honorable Mention – Petr Yan
Women’s Fighter of the Year
Though her decision win over Manon Fiorot may have been deemed controversial by some, Valentina Shevchenko wins this award, and for a record 4th time. It wasn’t one of her very best years, but she benefits somewhat by having little serious competition in the category.
Winner – Valentina Shevchenko
2nd Place – Seika Izawa
3rd Place – Kayla Harrison
Honorable Mention – Mackenzie Dern
Most Improved Fighter of the Year
You can’t go wrong with Joshua Van here. He went 4-0 on the year, ending it on a high note by picking up the UFC Flyweight Championship. It wasn’t the greatest of wins, but it still counts.
Winner – Joshua Van
Honorable Mention – Thad Jean
Comeback Fighter of the Year
We have strict criteria for this award (see the MMA Awards page), so it is definitely more objective in nature than comeback awards issued by other outlets. There were no runaway winners for this award in 2025, but Sullivan Cauley edged it out. Not having fought for almost two years, he had two wins in 2025, including one over Phil Davis, which won one of our upset of the year awards.
Winner – Sullivan Cauley
Rookies of the Year
Rarely do we get such an obvious choice, but Sora Sugiyama easily wins the Men’s award. Fighting in the oft-forgotten Strawweight division, he went 3-0 in 2025 and finished the year ranked at #2. As for the women, two names bubbled to the top of the list: Millie Eriksson and Alina Dalaslan. Dalaslan gets the award by the slightest of margins, due to an additional win and higher end-of-year ranking.
Winners – Sora Sugiyama (M) and Alina Dalaslan (F).
Most Noteworthy Fight of the Year
Winner – Petr Yan UD(5) Merab Dvalishvili
Upsets of the Year
Most Lopsided – Costello Van Steenis SUB(5) Johnny Eblen
Most Noteworthy (Standard) – Magomed Ankalaev UD(5) Alex Pereira
Most Noteworthy (Glicko) – Sullivan Cauley UD(3) Phil Davis
Most Noteworthy (Glicko No Req) – Alex Junius KO(1) Mario Piazzon