Sidekick Awards For MMA (UFC) 2025
The UFC calendar in 2025 delivered exactly what the sport promises at its highest level. Brutal finishes, ruthless momentum shifts, and fighters rewriting their ceilings in real time. Titles changed hands, reputations were damaged, and a new wave of contenders announced themselves on the biggest stages available.
These awards focus strictly on what happened inside the Octagon in 2025. No projections, no hypotheticals. Just the moments and performances that defined the year.
SHOP: Kickboxing Equipment
Best KO: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira (UFC 317)
Ilia Topuria’s knockout of Charles Oliveira was the most emphatic finish of the UFC year.
Stepping up to lightweight, Topuria wasted no time making a statement. A clean right hand followed by a crushing left dropped Oliveira in the first round, ending the fight at 2:27 and crowning a new lightweight champion. Oliveira, one of the most dangerous submission artists the division has ever seen, was unable to survive the opening exchange.
What elevates this knockout above the rest is the context. Title fight, new division, elite opponent, and zero hesitation. Topuria didn’t edge his way into lightweight relevance, he forced the division to acknowledge him instantly.
Best Submission: Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley (UFC 316)
Merab Dvalishvili is known for suffocating pressure, not highlight-reel submissions, which is exactly why this finish stood out.
Against Sean O’Malley, Dvalishvili imposed his wrestling from the opening minutes before locking in a rare north-south choke to force the tap. It was a submission born from exhaustion, control, and relentless pace rather than a sudden scramble.
The moment mattered because of who was on the receiving end. O’Malley’s striking had carried him to the top of the division, but Dvalishvili removed every ounce of space and rhythm before closing the fight with authority.
Most Embarrassing Loss: Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady (UFC Fight Night, March 2025)
Some losses are damaging because of how they happen, not just who they happen against.
Leon Edwards’ defeat to Sean Brady was a harsh reminder of how quickly narratives can collapse. Edwards was controlled on the ground, neutralised in transitions, and eventually submitted via guillotine choke in the fourth round. At no point did he look comfortable or in control.
What made the loss particularly brutal was the lack of resistance. Edwards was outworked, outgrappled, and left without answers, turning what should have been a routine contender bout into one of the most uncomfortable performances of the year.
Breakthrough Fighter Of The Year: Joshua Van
Every year, one fighter forces the division to recalibrate its future plans.
In 2025, that fighter was Joshua Van. Beginning the year outside the title picture, Van surged through the flyweight division and capped his rise by capturing the UFC Flyweight Championship. His performances combined composure, pace, and finishing instinct well beyond his experience level.
Rather than scraping by, Van consistently imposed himself, proving he belonged among the elite. By year’s end, he wasn’t a prospect anymore, he was the standard.
Best Fighter Of The Year: Islam Makhachev
No fighter in 2025 matched Islam Makhachev’s level of dominance and achievement.
Makhachev defended his lightweight title and then went one step further, capturing the welterweight championship later in the year to become a two-division champion. Across both weight classes, he dictated where fights took place, neutralised elite opponents, and imposed a level of control that bordered on inevitability.
In a sport built on chaos, Makhachev brought structure. That ability to dominate without drama is what separates great champions from truly special ones.
The Sidekick UFC Awards for 2025 reflect a year where execution mattered more than noise. Knockouts were decisive, submissions were suffocating, and the very best fighters proved that at the highest level of mixed martial arts, mistakes are punished instantly.
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