The yr is midway over, and already greater than half of the UFC’s 11 championships have modified arms. Up to now, 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 Could he was vacating the light-weight 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, gained Makhachev’s previous 155-pound strap a bit greater than every week in the past at UFC 317. A 3rd 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 date.
Editor’s word: ESPN polled a 13-member panel of voters for these awards.
Finest occasion: UFC 317
UFC 317 was headlined by one of the iconic performances in UFC historical past.
The UFC’s Worldwide Battle Week card was sturdy from begin to end, however the pay-per-view occasion will probably be remembered for a few years for its fundamental 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 finest 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 observe in a bout in opposition to Brandon Royval that would contend for battle of the yr come December. Payton Talbott reemerged as one of many sport’s most promising prospects. And the prelims saved the power 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
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 prime 15 rankings. Within the brief 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 battle. What prompted the meteoric rise? This historic battle.
Van was a late substitute, 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 move up. And each fighters competed as if a title already was on the road.
It was toe-to-toe the entire manner, and Van was particularly correct along with his assaults, touchdown 204 of his 305 vital strike makes an attempt (66%). Royval related with 215, making their mixed whole 419 — probably the most ever in a three-round UFC battle and the third-most landed in any battle contained in the Octagon. Van earned a unanimous choice to win an all-action battle that was inconceivable to match. — Wagenheim
Dvalishvili and Topuria resulted in a impasse on the prime of this class, every incomes 46.2% of the vote. That is superb, contemplating the 2 fighters of Georgian descent are additionally good pals. Finally, 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 big feat of its personal. That win, coupled with Dvalishvili’s dominant displaying in a rematch in opposition to 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 yr in opposition to Cory Sandhagen, and Topuria is probably going located for a high-profile title protection earlier than the top of the yr. So do not be shocked if we’re proper again to this identical debate in December for fighter of the yr. — Okamoto
Girls’s fighter of the midyear: Kayla Harrison
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 gained two championships in her first two years. A UFC stint was subsequent on her targets listing, and final yr 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 favourite over Julianna Peña at UFC 316 final month, and he or she rapidly confirmed why. On her solution to securing a first-round kimura submission, Harrison outlanded Peña 30-9 in vital strikes. The cherry on prime of her victory was attractive retired former champion Amanda Nunes into the cage to face off, organising 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 simply accept the chance 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 ignored. It has been executed earlier than, nevertheless it’s not simple to make waves at 125 kilos. The champ, Pantoja, has executed an incredible job of delivering memorable performances at males’s flyweight. Brandon Moreno garnered consideration because of his success as the primary Mexican-born UFC champion. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, in fact, is the gold commonplace for MMA flyweights. Nevertheless, all of these fighters took years to construct their mainstream enchantment. Van is turning into a family identify out of nowhere. Unsurprisingly, this vote for breakout fighter of the midyear was unanimous. — Okamoto
Finest KO: Mauricio Ruffy’s spinning wheel kick in opposition to King Inexperienced at UFC 313
Probably the most consequential knockout of the midyear is the final one battle 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 current 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 turn into gigantic.
But when we’re speaking concerning the finest knockout, the setting wherein it occurred and aesthetics should be factored in, and no end so far 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 along with his first-round end of Inexperienced. What a manner 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
Finest submission: Jean Silva’s ninja choke in opposition to 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 complete 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 finally 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 yr, however Silva is perhaps the loudest of the group. He does all the pieces with ardour, together with his patented “bark” celebration. He has a giant alternative to succeed in 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
Finest second: Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes face off at UFC 316
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 successful 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 gained 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 arms 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 solely that when Nunes and Harrison battle, they are going to decide who’s one of the best fighter in ladies’s MMA. Set a date, UFC. — Wagenheim
Clearly, a gifted 26-year-old corresponding to Talbott is anticipated to enhance — however you may’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 battle he entered as an 11-to-1 favourite. Talbott’s largest concern in that loss was defensive wrestling. He gave up eight takedowns and virtually 10 minutes of management time.
That is a moderately giant gap to deal with, however Talbott mounted it in lower than six months. His efficiency in opposition to 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 yr. It is apparent Talbott has uncooked expertise. What we noticed at UFC 317 was the development of all the pieces else required to compete on the prime of the boys’s bantamweight division: a full talent set, maturity and the power to bounce again from a loss. It isn’t simple to revive hype as soon as it is gone, however Talbott did after which some. — Okamoto