Justin Gaethje nominated for Best Fighter at 2026 ESPY awards

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has been nominated for Best Fighter at the 2026 ESPY awards following his knockout victory over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this month in Washington, DC.

The 37-year-old lightweight champion joins boxers Claressa Shields, Gabriela Fundora, and Terence Crawford in the category, MMA Mania reports. Crawford competed just once over the past two years but stopped Canelo Alvarez last fall to claim every major middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight belt.

Gaethje's path to the ESPY nomination

Gaethje has won three consecutive fights since his last setback, capping the run with his title-winning stoppage of Topuria at the White House venue on June 15. The ESPYs recognize excellence in sports performance yearly, with past MMA winners including Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O'Malley, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Voting for the award is now open online. The ceremony airs July 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with replays scheduled for ESPN and ESPN+ afterward.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — UFC champ Justin Gaethje nominated for ‘Best Fighter’ at 2026 ESPY awards