Which MMA Fighter Had The Best 2025?

2025 is almost over in the MMA world, as we look at who had the best year.

While several fighters had big runs, Merab Dvalishvili and Islam Makhachev had a strong year. Despite losing his title, Dvalishvili had arguably the most impressive calendar year in UFC history due to his unprecedented activity. He attempted four title defenses in a single year, a feat never before seen in the modern era.

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Merab started 2025 by giving the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss at UFC 311. He followed this up by becoming the first man to submit Sean O’Malley in June and then dismantled Cory Sandhagen in October. Although he eventually lost his belt to Petr Yan at UFC 323 in December, his willingness to defend the title every three months shows he had an impressive year.

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Islam Makhachev also moved past the shadow of his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, by becoming a double champ. Makhachev began the year by defending his lightweight title with a submission of Renato Moicano at UFC 311. He then dismantled Jack Della Maddalena to become the new welterweight Champion, tying Anderson Silva’s record for the longest win streak in UFC history (16 consecutive wins).

Elsewhere, Ilia Topuria became a two-weight world champion. After vacating his featherweight title, he moved up to lightweight and delivered a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to claim the vacant belt. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira continued his run of dominance by reclaiming his Light Heavyweight title at UFC 320, knocking out Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds. The Brazilian, though, suffered a broken toe.

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"I did an X-Ray in Las Vegas and an MRI here, and we have a fracture on my foot, but I still don’t know what will happen, or how long it will take for me to recover," Pereira stated

So let us know who you think had the best year.

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