The UFC held 42 events this year, with fighters delivering non-stop, thrilling action.
Remarkably, there have been 11 title changes in the UFC, three of which have been caused by a fighter vacating their championship.
This year was also the last under the ESPN deal, as the UFC now moves into the Paramount era, with multiple exciting battles already announced.
To summarise the top-tier highlights in the UFC, they have been categorised to showcase the best moments of 2025.
Male Fighter of the Year
Merab Dvalishvili
While the Georgian did lose his bantamweight title against Petr Yan at UFC 323, Dvalishvili has had an exceptional year.
‘The Machine’ successfully defended the belt three times this year with wins over Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen.
Known for his wrestling, Dvalishvili contested with his opponents in the striking department, which has been a huge improvement from previous years.
The 34-year-old has been heavily respected in the MMA community for competing in four fights as a UFC Champion.
Female Fighter of the Year
Valentina Shevchenko
The second reign as Queen of the Flyweights has been a tough one, but Shevchenko has shown why she is the current #1 Women’s P4P Fighter.
The ‘Bullet’ defended her title at UFC 315 against Manon Fiorot, performing at a good enough standard to win by unanimous decision.
The Kyrgyz UFC Champion was then challenged by Zhang Weili at UFC 322, winning a comfortable decision victory.
These two title triumphs have shown why Shevchenko is currently the best female fighter on the planet.
Knockout of the Year
Lerone Murphy vs Aaron Pico – UFC 319
There were so many unreal knockouts in 2025, but UFC 319 saw the best one of the year.
At the United Center in Chicago, Murphy stepped up to face UFC debutant Aaron Pico in what was bound to be a high-paced matchup.
Three minutes into the first round, the unbeaten Englishman countered Pico’s takedown attempt with a spinning back elbow.
The attack left the former Bellator fighter unconscious as the crowd were in complete shock, especially after seeing a spinning elbow KO in the bout before his own.
Submission of the Year
Jean Silva vs Bryce Mitchell – UFC 314
The UFC was not short of submissions this year, from crucial Rear-Naked Choke wins to stand-out Guillotines, but UFC 314 undoubtedly showed one of the most impressive finishes of the year.
In an event full of intriguing featherweight matchups, the fight between Silva and Mitchell was most interesting for UFC fans due to the fiery rivalry.
The Brazilian was producing a dominant display, happily striking with Mitchell until a takedown attempt saw a tempting opportunity.
‘Lord’ Silva locked in a Ninja Choke on the American, cranking the next so tightly that the 145lbs contender had to tap.
Fight of the Year
Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van – UFC 317
Everyone loves a good scrap, especially when two fighters deliver a non-stop striking battle that goes the distance.
Both Royval and Van were in a position where the winner would receive the next flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.
A total of 419 significant strikes were exchanged between the two warriors for three rounds as the pace of the fight was so high.
Van landed a late knockdown in the third round, which indefinitely secured him the unanimous decision win as the fans enjoyed every minute of the contest.
Comeback of the Year
César Almeida vs Abdul Razak Alhassan- UFC Vegas 101
Comebacks have been even more satisfying to watch, as those moments have provided some of the best moments in UFC history.
The APEX arguably hosted the best comebacks, but the best one occurred in the first event of the year at UFC Vegas 101.
Alhassan was ready to extend his 100% KO rate as he knocked down Almeida with a powerful straight right hand.
The Ghanian came close to a finish and started to land multiple strikes against the cage, until Almeida threw a vicious left hook, which left Alhassan out cold.
Debut of the Year
Ateba Gautier
A lot of newcomers put their division on notice, but no one did it quite like the Cameroonian.
Gautier made his UFC debut in Mexico City at the end of March against Jose Daniel Medina.
‘The Silent Assassin’ made quick work of the Mexican, landing plenty of powerful punches before a vicious knee gave the referee no choice but to stop the bout in the first round.
Since then, Gautier has fought two more times and has been a problem at middleweight, earning first-round knockout wins over Robert Valentin and Tre’ston Vines.
Event of the Year
UFC 320
There were plenty of events which left fans pleased with a night full of organised violence, but UFC 320 just edged the #1 spot.
This PPV included 14 fights, which saw some stunning submissions by Ramiz Brahimaj, Joe Pyfer and Youssef Zalal; and unreal knockouts delivered by Gautier, Daniel Santos and Edmen Shahbazyan in the prelims.
Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. had an incredible three-round war, with the Czech winning by knockout, and an enthralling high-level title fight in the co-main event, with Dvalishvili defeating Sandhagen.
Finally, Alex Pereira claimed revenge against Magomed Ankalaev in the headliner with a first-round TKO win as the fan-favourite regained the light heavyweight championship.
