The 10 Best UFC Fights in 2025
The UFC has officially closed up shop for 2025, with no fights left on the calendar for the year. It was certainly a year to remember.
From the first card of the year to the last, which occurred at the UFC Apex on Dec. 13, we were treated to highlight reel KOs, slick submissions, epic comebacks, and tooth-and-nail wars.
Narrowing all the excitement down to the best of the year is difficult—and of course subjective—but here are the 10 fights we think stand out from the rest.
Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval
1 of 10
This one might have been the best fight of the year, period.
Joshua Van and Brandon Royval met at UFC 317 in June. Royval, the No. 1-ranked flyweight contender heading into the match, had originally been set to fight Manel Kape on the card. When Kape pulled out of the fight with an injury, however, Van agreed to step in on short notice.
Van was on a very impressive streak at the time, but it was undoubtedly the toughest test of his career. In the end, he passed it, defeating Royval in a wild, three-round brawl that left jaws on the floor.
In his next fight, Van ended up snagging the UFC flyweight title from longtime champ Alexandre Pantoja.
Granted, it occurred under disappointing circumstances, with Pantoja injuring his arm in the opening minute of the fight, but the stage is set for Van to have an amazing 2026.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
2 of 10
Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. are two of the most exciting fighters in the light heavyweight division—and actually the whole sport—so expectations were high when they were matched up at UFC 320 in October.
The fight absolutely lived up to expectation, as the two knockout artists began firing heavy artillery from the opening bell.
In the early going, it looked like Rountree might take it, as he repeatedly pounded Prochazka with powerful shots. However, he began to fade in the second half of the fight, at which point Prochazka pounced and finished things off with a vicious left hook.
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad
3 of 10
When Jack Della Maddalena challenged Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 315 in March, most people saw it going one of two ways.
Either Maddalena would win by knockout, or Muhammad would wrestle his way to a decision or late finish.
In the end, what we got was a bloody, five-round scrap that occurred almost entirely on the feet. It was not what anybody expected, but by the time it was over and Della Maddalena was being crowned the new welterweight champ, it was an immediate front-runner for Fight of the Year honors.
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Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili II
4 of 10
Nobody was busier than Merab Dvalishvili in 2025. The Georgian juggernaut, who started the year as bantamweight champ, partook in an absurd four title fights over the course of the year.
The last one, a rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 323 in December, didn't go his way, but it was one of the best fights of the year.
The first time Dvalishvili and Yan met, the former was able to use his world-class wrestling to control the fight and win a decision. The second time around, Yan flipped script, forcing the longtime champ into a standup fight, and tearing him up with his incredible kickboxing.
Dvalishvili never stopped fighting back—which is what made it such a great contest—but it was a masterclass from Yan, who will enter 2026 in his second reign as bantamweight champ.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
5 of 10
Merab Dvalishvili's year ended in disappointment with a loss to Petr Yan, but it certainly started on a high note.
In his first fight of 2025, Dvalishvili was matched up with undefeated Russian contender Umar Nurmagomedov, a protege of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Heading into the bout, the Russian was seen as one of the toughest tests of Dvalishvili's career. He definitely proved to be a game challenger, but in the end, the Georgian's pace, pressure and wrestling were too much.
It was an extremely entertaining fight, and an important one for Dvalishvili who was often called boring by fans in the past. It's safe to say that reputation is out the window now.
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier III
6 of 10
Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier's UFC 318 trilogy fight had all the makings of a classic from the moment it was announced.
Both of them rank among the most exciting and talented fighters in MMA history, and the bout had an extra layer of drama because it would be the last of Poirier's career.
It absolutely delivered. The two greats went toe-to-toe for five memorable rounds, and both had some big moments in the process.
In the end, Holloway won by unanimous decision, finally getting his vengeance for two previous losses to Poirier.
That wasn't the result Poirier wanted in his final Octagon appearance, but the fight itself encapsulated everything he was about: skill, determination and heart.
In many ways, it was the perfect sendoff for one of the most beloved fighters in the history of the sport.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
7 of 10
Alexander Volkanovski is irrefutably one of the best fighters in MMA history. However, after he lost the featherweight title to Ilia Topuria via knockout last year, there was reason to assume his time at the top was drawing to a close.
Not so.
At UFC 314 in the spring, Volkanovski was matched up with red-hot contender Diego Lopes in a fight for the vacant featherweight belt, after Topuria announced his plans to move up to lightweight.
It was an extremely dangerous fight for Volkanovski, as Lopes is a proven finisher on the feet and on the mat. The 30-year-old contender performed well, but the former champ reclaimed the title with a dazzling display of mixed martial arts brilliance.
It was an excellent fight, and one of the finest performances of Volkanovski's career.
Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva
8 of 10
Diego Lopes' first bid at the UFC featherweight title didn't go the way he planned, as he lost a decision to the great Alexander Volkanovski.
It's safe to say he rebounded in style, though.
Lopes was matched up with ferocious knockout artist Jean Silva, a representative from the famed "Fighting Nerds" team.
While it would have been in his best interest to try to finish Silva on the mat, he instead opted to slug it out with the Brazilian on the feet. That led to some entertaining sequences in the early phases, but Lopes ultimately put a stamp on things with a stunning, spinning elbow KO in Round 2.
The win was so impressive that it set Lopes up for a rematch with Volkanovski at UFC 235 on January 31. It's not a matchup anyone expected—not with fresh contenders like Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev waiting in the wings—but it should be another great fight.
Chris Duncan vs. Mateusz Rebecki
9 of 10
So far, every fight on our list has been a title challenge, or a clash of highly-ranked contenders. However, we've got to give some love to some of the lower-stakes contests of the year, which can be just as entertaining.
Case in point: An August lightweight clash between Scotland's Chris Duncan and Poland's Mateusz Rebecki. The two European talents threw everything they had at each other for three frenetic rounds of MMA madness, leaving each other bloodied and bruised in the process.
In the end, Duncan won the fight by unanimous decision, continuing his fast march toward the top of the lightweight division. However, the bout was so entertaining that both men walked away with $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
10 of 10
Jared Cannonier has spent years in the middleweight top 15, but he started 2025 riding back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.
So, when he was matched up with fearsome finisher Gregor Rodrigues in April—just before his 41st birthday—there was plenty of reason to believe he was on the way out.
The early phases of the fight seemed to confirm this feeling, as Rodrigues came out with all guns blazing. However, Cannonier wasn't done yet. Showing off all of his skill and experience, the former heavyweight gradually took control and finished things off with punches in the fourth round.
It was one of the best comebacks we saw in 2025, and a sorely needed win for one of the UFC's most battle-tested middleweights.
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