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Its been a years of up and downs for the UFC. We saw long time champions dethroned, while new champions emerged. We saw long time rivalries put to bed. We saw new contenders burst onto the scene, and long time vets depart the sport forever. When all is said and done, only one fighter can be the Sherdog 2025 Fighter of the Year.
Ilia Topuria - A fighter surrounded by self inflicted drama and controversy, Ilia Topuria became the newest entry of fighters to become a 2 division champion in the UFC. While Ilia has only fought once this year in the Lightweight Title Fight against Charles Oliveria, fans were shocked by how powerful and dominant Ilia appeared to be finishing the fight in short order. Weve seen many fighters move up and take a second belt, but to do so in the fashion that Ilia did knocking Charles out in just a little over 2 minutes moving his record to an impressive 17-0 makes him an easy nomination for this years fighter of the year award.
Islam Makhachev - Islam had two monumental achievements this year. The first achievement being that Islam cemented the longest consecutive defense streak amongst lightweights in UFC history with his 4th defense against lightweight Renato Moicano which he finished in the first round dominantly submitting his opponent via Brabo Choke. The second achievement being that Islam became a 2 division champion by beating the defending Welterweight Champion Jacka Della Madellena setting a tie with UFC Legend Anderson Silva for the most consecutive UFC wins (16) a record that has withstood the test of time for 13 years. At a record of 29-1 with no signs of slowing down, Islam has begun to reach a status on "untouchable" in the fight game.
Joshua Van - Joshua Van had the most active year amongst all nominees, catapulting his way up the flyweight rankings with four wins in 2025. Kicking the year off with a decisive decision win over Rei Tsuruya was definitely getting the year off on the right foot, but fans really started paying attention in the month of June when Van Knocked out Bruno Silva, then 3 weeks later took a 48 hour short notice fight against top Flyweight contender Brandon Royval and shocked the world putting on a fight of the night war inside the octagon and securing his title shot against flyweight Behemoth Alexander Pantoja. Van's fourth win of the year came in 26 seconds against the 5 time Flyweight champion when Van caught a kick forcing an odd scramble in which Pantoja injured his arm ending the fight. Some critics state Van did not truly "beat" Pantoja, where as supporters will argue Van forced the scramble via succesfull technique and won fair and square. Regardless, Van became the second youngest Flyweight Champion in UFC history and has a real shot at winning Sherdogs 2025 "fighter of the year" award.
Petr Yan - Petr "No Mercy" Yan has had a lot of success in the UFC, but 2025 was his long awaited return to the UFC's Bantaweight Title in which the striking expert managed to defeat on of the more dominant champions in the divisions history, Merab Dvalishvli. This win was an example of a gameplan executed flawlessly against an elite opponent at the highest level of the sport, and coming off of Yan's earlier 2025 win over Marcus McGhee - many fans feel Petr has had an elite year in MMA and may choose to vote for him for Fighter of the Year.
Valentina Shevchenko - Perhaps the most dominant female the sport has ever seen, Valentina Schevchenko quickly bounced back from a short hiccup against Flyweight contender Alexa Grasso and dominated Manont Fiorot early in the year. It wasn't long before fans began to discuss "whats left" for Valentina, but feelings of boredom in the division subsided quickly when Zhang Weili the 4 time defending Straweight champion decided to leave the division in pursuit of UFC immortality and an argument as the greatest female fighter in the world. The fight between the two champions took place at UFC 322, for what may have been the most anticipated WMMA fight in ufc history. The hope, excitement, and general tension faded almost immediately when the fight started because Valentina Schevchenko dominated the challenger in every facet of mma. From the striking, to the clinch game, to the ground game, Weili couldnt touch Valentina anywhere. Valentina won in such a dominant fashion it left a permanent mark on the sport and may have cemented her claim as the WMMA GOAT. But for now, we will settle with asking you if she is your 2025 Fighter of the Year.
Thats it folks, another year in the books. I want to thank everyone for continuing to make this website a wonderful place to post and moderate. See ya around my friends. - Cheeks
Ilia Topuria - A fighter surrounded by self inflicted drama and controversy, Ilia Topuria became the newest entry of fighters to become a 2 division champion in the UFC. While Ilia has only fought once this year in the Lightweight Title Fight against Charles Oliveria, fans were shocked by how powerful and dominant Ilia appeared to be finishing the fight in short order. Weve seen many fighters move up and take a second belt, but to do so in the fashion that Ilia did knocking Charles out in just a little over 2 minutes moving his record to an impressive 17-0 makes him an easy nomination for this years fighter of the year award.
Petr Yan - Petr "No Mercy" Yan has had a lot of success in the UFC, but 2025 was his long awaited return to the UFC's Bantaweight Title in which the striking expert managed to defeat on of the more dominant champions in the divisions history, Merab Dvalishvli. This win was an example of a gameplan executed flawlessly against an elite opponent at the highest level of the sport, and coming off of Yan's earlier 2025 win over Marcus McGhee - many fans feel Petr has had an elite year in MMA and may choose to vote for him for Fighter of the Year.
Thanks bud, appreciate you.
