The 2022 World MMA Awards went down at the SAHARA Las Vegas. UFC legend Chael Sonnen was the host of the evening, where several MMA figures won various awards in different categories. All eyes were on the most anticipated awards, such as the male and female fighters of the year, knockout of the year, and submission of the year. After the recent feud between Paddy Pimblett and Ariel Helwani, the MMA journalist of the year also received anticipation.

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The nomination period for the awards was between July 2021 and June 2022. Following are the different categories and the winners of the 2022 World MMA Awards.

UFC fighters swept the 2022 World MMA Awards

UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski won the Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year award. Volkanovski beat the current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and former champion Charles Oliveira to the achievement.

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Alexander Volkanovski

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UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko won the Female Fighter of the Year. She beat the likes of Cris Cyborg, Kayla Harrison, and Julianna Peña.

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UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett won the Breakthrough Fighter of the Year. His competition included colleagues Tai Tuivasa, Mateusz Gamrot, and teammate Molly McCann.

Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira at UFC 275

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The UFC 275 title bout between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka won the fight of the year.

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UFC lightweights secured both the Knockout of the Year and Submission of the Year. Michael Chandler won the KO of the year for the UFC 274 win over Tony Ferguson. Charles Oliveira won the latter for submitting Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

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Aljamain Sterling won Comeback of the Year for overcoming ridicule and injury to beat Petr Yan. Julianna Peña won the upset of the year for beating Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.

2022 WMMA Awards (non-fighters)

UFC won the award for Best Promotion of the Year. UFC president Dana White won the Leading Man of the Year beating Scott Coker of Bellator and Peter Murray of PFL among others.

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Dana White

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Marc Goddard won Referee of the Year. Former UFC champion Michael Bisping won Analyst of the Year, beating the likes of Dan Hardy and Paul Felder. UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan won the Personality of the Year.

Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell’s ‘Morning Kombat’ won the Best MMA Programming while ESPN won MMA Media Source of the Year.

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Ariel Helwani won the MMA Journalist of the Year for the thirteenth time in a row. “Not bad for a content creator,” said Helwani, taking a shot at Pimblett.

Eugene Bareman and City Kickboxing won Coach of the Year and Gym of the Year, respectively. Heath Linden of the UFC P. I won Trainer of the Year.

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Ringcard Girl of the Year went to Brittney Palmer while Kevin Holland won the Fighting Spirit of the Year for bravery – in and out of the cage, and helping his community in the face of danger on multiple occasions.

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Yeswanth Praveen

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As Senior Editor of EssentiallySports’ UFC division, Yeswanth Praveen brings firsthand experience to our combat vertical. A competitive boxer since his college days, he still trains four times a week, keeping his connection to the sport sharp. An English major with a strong command of language, Yeswanth combines technical insight with compelling storytelling, decoding complex fight sequences while capturing the heart of a fighter’s journey. Since joining EssentiallySports in 2021, he has played a pivotal role in shaping our combat coverage strategies. His work has earned recognition from UFC veterans like Bruce Buffer and former heavyweight Brendan Schaub. His UFC takes on Twitter keep him actively engaged with fight fans. Whether breaking down a high-stakes title fight or profiling a rising prospect, Yeswanth delivers authenticity and depth.

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Rohini Kottu