We wrap up our 2025 MMA Awards with perhaps the biggest of them all: Fighter of the Year.
This year was a tough one, as one of the biggest candidates on the men’s side was coming off a loss, while on the women’s side, a transition year saw many champs and contenders less active than usual. We had our work cut out for us in this category. And don’t miss our Best of 2025 Awards Show below as well!
Male Fighter of the Year 2025
Eddie Law: Merab Dvalishvili. He may have lost his final fight of the year and dropped the title, but what Merab Dvalishvili accomplished as champion was nearly unprecedented. Putting his belt on the line four times in a single calendar year is a feat matched only by Demetrious Johnson’s four straight title defenses in 2013.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Quite simply, his 3-0 run to start the year and his resilient effort in his fourth fight of the year I feel stands above the other great efforts seen in 2025. While he came up short in his historic attempt for a fourth victory in the calendar year, his performances against Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley, and Cory Sandhagen in championship fights should not be diminished.
Jay Anderson: Can you give Fighter of the Year to someone coming off a loss in his final fight of 2025? Well, I’m going to. Merab Dvalishvili all day. Attempting to defend a belt four times in a calendar year is the exact type of crazy Merab is. His loss to Yan aside (and a rematch is no doubt coming), he had a stellar year and defeated the boogeyman that is Umar Nurmagomedov. Not to mention Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen. Joshua Van is my runner up, and had his fight with Alexandre Pantoja not ended due the champ sustaining an injury, he might have taken it.
Brett Cagle: The current welterweight champion captured gold in a second weight division this year dismantling Jack Della Maddalena over five rounds. With two dominant wins this year, Islam is arguably the best pound for pound fighter alive.
Mathis Desjardins: It was all Merab Dvalishvili until he stumbled at the finish line. Even with the loss, Merab’s year was something to behold, it just feels wrong to give the award to someone who ended on a loss. With Merab on the outside looking in, I don’t believe anyone else had a win as impressive as Islam Makhachev’s thorough dismantling of the champion from a division 15 pounds heavier than his natural one.
Daniel Vreeland: Joshua Van. While the way that he captured the flyweight title was maybe not the exclamation point on this award that he may have liked, his 2025 was nothing short of amazing. He went a perfect 4-0 and dropped just one round all year – the second round in a fight of the year candidate vs Brandon Royval.
Bryson Hester: Merab Dvalishvili, despite losing his last time out, attempted an ambitious four title defenses within the calendar year. Merab dominated top ranked Umar Nurmagomedov in January (UFC 311 Fight of the Night), submitted Sean O’Malley in June in their rematch and cruised to a victory over Cory Sandhagen in October. Merab dropped his rematch to Petr Yan earlier this month but not without turning in a fight of the night effort for UFC 323. For that reason, Merab edges out Joshua Van in this category.
End Result: Merab Dvalishvili, loss to Petr Yan or no, had an incredible 2025, becoming a breakout star for the UFC, and defended his bantamweight title successfully three times before losing it in December. He takes it as our 2025 Fighter of the Year.