Justin Gaethje favored for Best Fighter at 2026 ESPY Awards
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje enters tonight's ESPY Awards as the overwhelming favorite to claim the Best Fighter trophy over a field that includes two boxing champions and a retired legend.
Gaethje, who stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 last month and battered Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 before that, sits at 90 percent on Polymarket and 92 percent on Kalshi, per MMA Mania. He peaked at minus-600 at BetOnline. The other nominees are retired middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight titleholder Terence Crawford, five-division boxing champion Claressa Shields, and undisputed flyweight Gabriela Fundora.
Crawford lone threat to Gaethje's coronation
Crawford unified the middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight division by defeating Canelo Alvarez last fall, then hung up the gloves. Shields and Fundora both improved to 18-0 with two wins apiece, though neither faced marquee opposition. Gaethje's two stoppage victories over ranked contenders evidently carry more weight with voters.
The 2026 ESPY Awards air Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App, live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Replays will be available Thursday on Disney Plus, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand. Saturday Night Live regular Marcello Hernández hosts the ceremony.
Original reporting:
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