In 2024, UFC and MMA fans got to witness some really astonishing moments that left every combat sports lover jaw-dropped. From Max Holloway’s last-minute knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to Alex Pereira putting on career-best performances, there were some unforgettable moments. Naturally, fans started wondering whether 2025 could actually deliver similar or even better. Now, with only a few days remaining in the year, we might finally have our answer.

Following last year’s brilliance, this year also produced some truly awesome highlight reels that entertained the MMA world throughout. However, like every time, there were a few standout moments that left everyone saying, “Holy s***.” Still, picking the best moment is obviously subjective, but here’s our top 10 list of 2025’s best moments, which should reflect why we love this amazing sport, starting with…  

01. MMA Fight of the year: Joshua Van vs Brandon Royval (UFC 317)

Dana White brought to life a super clash between Manel Kape and Brandon Royval for the International Fight Week main card. However, the curse struck once again, as the flyweight fight was canceled for the second time due to the Portuguese powerhouse’s foot injury. Replacing Kape, Joshua Van accepted the clash against ‘Raw Dawg’ on just a few weeks’ notice, a move that turned out to be life-changing for the Houston native.

At UFC 317, both flyweights threw more than 400 total strikes in a fifteen-minute bout, setting a new divisional record. Royval was ahead as the fight reached its peak momentum in the final round, but Van landed a last-minute knockdown that swung the outcome firmly in his favor.

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Following this incredible victory, the 24-year-old earned a shot at Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 323 co-main event, which ended in disappointing fashion. In the first round, ‘The Cannibal’ suffered a broken elbow, making Joshua Van the second-youngest UFC champion after Jon Jones. In that sense, the Burmese native was technically part of two historic moments this year. 

Still, his war with Royval makes this list because it was one of the best fights of the year and completely stunned fans. But the next entry might feature the most staggering comeback the UFC world witnessed in 2025. 

02. Jiri Prochazka stunned Khalil Rountree Jr. (UFC 320) 

Whenever Jiri Prochazka enters the cage, it’s almost cemented that chaos is going to erupt. The Czech Republican has been an unsolved puzzle, one that only Alex Pereira managed to solve twice. Other than ‘Poatan,’ every light heavyweight has failed massively. Honestly, Khalil Rountree came very close on the UFC 320 main card, but once again, ‘BJP’ proved why he remains dangerous until the final bell.

In the three-round bout, ‘The War Horse’ looked like a freight train that refused to take his foot off the accelerator. Rountree marched forward with his signature Muay Thai attacks, mixing crushing leg kicks with straight punches. With that approach, he comfortably took the first two rounds, until Prochazka decided he’d had enough.

The former 205-pound king sensed Rountree slowing down in the third round, with less sting behind his shots. Turning the tide, Prochazka let his hands go, unleashing a relentless barrage. At first, the Czech’s punches looked wild, but on closer inspection, it was a technical display of power, landing clean uppercuts and left hooks that resulted in a stunning third-round knockout. 

‘The Samurai’ ended up winning a fight he was clearly losing after two rounds, creating one of the most sought-after highlights of the year. Once again, we’re left wondering what could possibly follow such an incredible knockout. Well, how about the birth of a legend… or more precisely, a legend killer? 

03. Ilia Topuria made it look easy against Charles Oliveira  

In the UFC, Ilia Topuria had already adopted the final boss aura after knocking out two established featherweight GOATs, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, back to back. Still, many doubted whether ‘El Matador’ could carry that same power against the bigger names at lightweight. The skepticism only increased when Charles Oliveira was announced as the man welcoming him to 155 pounds.

‘Do Bronxs’ has tasted defeat multiple times in his career, especially during his featherweight run. However, the former Brazilian champion had only been TKO’d once in the lightweight division, by Paul Felder at UFC 218 back in 2017. Because of that reason, MMA fans rightfully questioned whether Topuria could actually deliver on his promise to knock Oliveira out in the first round heading into UFC 317. Once again, the Georgian Spaniard fulfilled his prophecy.

Ilia Topuria brutally flatlined Oliveira in the main event of International Fight Week, becoming the 10th two-division UFC champion and the first to achieve it with an undefeated record. Clearly impressed, Dana White compared Topuria to Muhammad Ali, summing it up by saying, “I think tonight was his big night, and we have a star on our hands.” And it was hard to argue otherwise, as fans immediately began drawing comparisons between ‘El Matador’ and Conor McGregor.

So, Topuria knocked out yet another legend on his rise to superstardom, delivering one of the defining moments of 2025. That said, there’s only one individual who can truly match ‘El Matador’s star power. That man is none other than Alex Pereira.

04. Alex Pereira silenced doubters vs Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320  

This year, Alex Pereira’s status as one of the most vicious fighters took a massive hit as he lost against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Although ‘Poatan’ showed drastic improvement in MMA, fending off the Dagestani’s every takedown attempt. Still, it wasn’t enough for him to retain the 205 belt as Ankalaev ended up outlanding him on the feet to become the new king of the light heavyweights.

For the fans, Pereira was this dominance machine who seemed incapable of losing at 205 lbs. So, when Ankalaev outstruck him on the feet, ‘Poatan’s power instantly came under question. Though Joe Rogan revealed that the Brazilian legend had fought with a broken hand, which compromised his performance. Yet, doubts also mounted on Pereira because he looked hesitant for the first time.

With many questions, Pereira entered the cage to slay the dragon named Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. But this time, he looked different. From the opening bell, ‘Poatan’ showed he meant business as he closed the distance and landed a few devastating leg kicks, which made the Dagestani former champ switch stances. Soon, Pereira found the opening he needed and landed a solid right hand, followed by a barrage of ground and pound to seal the deal.

Alex Pereira was back on top of the world as he avenged the most significant loss of his career. Again, the question of what moment could match ‘Poatan’ reclaiming his stardom rises once more, something only another glorious moment could rival. 

05. Islam Makhachev created history at UFC 322    

After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, fans believed Islam Makhachev would eventually carry his mentor’s legacy in the lightweight division. Proving them right, the Dagestani icon defended the 155-pound belt four times, each defense showing a little more dominance than the previous one. Slowly, Makhachev’s status as one of the greats began to take shape.

Still, not many were convinced he had passed ‘The Eagle’ on the GOAT list, until the former lightweight champion created history at UFC 322.

Makhachev moved up a weight class to fight Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title at Madison Square Garden. Although he was a big lightweight, many still thought the Aussie’s size advantage could halt the Dagestani’s run. However, oddsmakers kept Makhachev as the favorite, knowing he would find a way to create history, and he did.

The 34-year-old Russian delivered a lopsided victory over Della Maddalena, controlling nearly 19 minutes of a 25-minute fight. In front of Khabib and his teammates, Makhachev became the 11th two-division UFC champion. But that wasn’t all. With that win, he captured a belt in a heavier division, something ‘The Eagle’ never achieved. 

Moreover, Makhachev’s lightweight résumé has already seen him move past Khabib, B.J. Penn, and Benson Henderson by successfully defending the title four times. Now, with another belt secured at welterweight, he has elevated his legacy even further.

Keeping those achievements in mind, some believe the Dagestani icon may have even surpassed his mentor. Because of this glorious moment, Islam, finally hoisting two belts, earns its place on our list as well. Next? A very unexpected entry! 

06. ‘JDM’ vs Belal Muhammad entertained the crowd at UFC 315      

Well, not many would expect to see Jack Della Maddalena vs Belal Muhammad’s scrap listed as one of the best moments of 2025. But there’s a reason this fight gets a mention here. Ahead of the UFC 315 main event, fans weren’t very hyped about the matchup, mainly because of two reasons. First, Belal was riding a 10-fight winning streak, so it was expected that he would wrestle his way to victory. Second, Jack Della Maddalena didn’t get many votes to put on a serious competition.

Because of the low hype, there were even reports about the UFC struggling with ticket sales for the event. However, on May 10th, both welterweights proved everyone wrong as they delivered one of the biggest bangers of the year against all odds. For 25 minutes, the Aussie and the Palestinian-American went back and forth, and at one point, the fight stood 2-2 on the scorecards, with everything coming down to the fifth round. 

Jack Della Maddalena edged that round 10-9 on the judges’ scorecards to win the fight. Still, fans walked away with a newfound respect for both fighters for delivering a fight no one expected. For that reason, the UFC 315 main event earns its spot on our list of top moments of 2025. Now, following this unexpected entry comes another very surprising fight, one whose ending no one saw coming.

07. Ethyn Ewing vs Malcolm Wellmaker 

At UFC 322, Malcolm Wellmaker’s matchup turned into the most cursed fight on the card, as two of his opponents withdrew before fight night. As a result, the UFC decided to pair him with debutant Ethyn Ewing. The Georgian (USA state)—who also goes by the moniker ‘The Machine,’ like Merab Dvalishvili—had won his last two fights via knockout, that too against some decent contenders like ex-185 lbs king Dricus du Plessis’ teammate Cameron Saaiman. So naturally, fans expected another knockout. But Ewing had other plans.

‘The Professor Finesser’ looked incredible while evading Wellmaker’s strikes and firing back with some devastating shots of his own. There were moments when the Georgian landed a few vicious blows, but Ewing absorbed them like breakfast and kept pushing forward. Wellmaker slowly realized the debutant was built differently from his previous opponents, but by the time that realization hit, it was already too late. 

Ewing had already outlanded his opponent on the feet and showed no signs of fatigue. In the end, ‘The Professor Finesser’ pulled off one of the most unexpected upsets of the year, one absolutely no one saw coming. Because of that stunning performance, the new 135-pound sensation earns a solid mention on our list. Following the 27-year-old’s breakout win, only another grudge match could take the next place.

08. Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva    

In 2025, we definitely saw some competitive matchups, but there wasn’t much bad blood between fighters. However, that wasn’t the case with Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva’s UFC Noche main event matchup. Both fighters traded verbal shots before the fight, especially the Brazilian claiming he didn’t like Lopes’ energy heading into it. Furthermore, Silva revealed that they were close to brawling before the event. So the buildup was definitely heated, and the intensity carried straight into the fight.

At the UFC Noche main event, the former 145-pound title challenger showcased his dominant ground game against the Fighting Nerd, even mocking his opponent’s corner while doing so. But Silva managed to survive the danger and started landing big shots on Lopes. In the second round, ‘Lord’ grew furious and began throwing bombs with every strike. However, Lopes found a sneaky spinning back elbow late in the round, knocking Silva to the canvas.   

Without wasting any time, the Brazilian poured on ground strikes against his fellow countryman to secure the win, then celebrated by flipping the double bird at Silva’s corner, creating one of the most high-voltage moments of the year. What’s next you ask? A fight that flew under the radar. 

09. Nazim Sadykhov vs Nikolas Motta    

This year, many fights received massive appreciation from the audience, but there were still some barn burners that remained in the shadows. One of them is Nazim Sadykhov vs Nikolas Motta, which now comes to light. Both lightweights squared off at UFC Baku and delivered one of the most entertaining non-title bouts of the year.

In a 15-minute fight, Motta had Sadykhov on the back foot in the first round, landing heavy hook shots while mixing attacks to the body and head. For a moment, it looked like the Brazilian ‘Iron’ might score a knockout victory. But as fatigue set in, Sadykhov managed to survive the opening round. ‘The Black Wolf’ definitely took a beating, yet he noticed Motta taking deep breaths in his corner and may have told himself, “That’s it.”  

In the 2nd round, the Azerbaijani fought back like there was no tomorrow and ended up knocking out Motta with a right hook, earning a spot on our list as one of the best comeback moments of the year. With that, we reach the very end of our list, and it belongs to one of the most stellar knockouts of 2025.

10. Mauricio Ruffy vs. King Green    

This year, we’ve seen some stellar knockouts, many of which we’ve mentioned on our list. However, Mauricio Ruffy’s knockout against King Green at UFC 313 might be the flashiest of them all.

At the T-Mobile Arena, the Fighting Nerds lightweight warrior landed a picture-perfect spinning heel kick right on Green’s face, leaving him flatlined on the canvas. The knockout was so spectacular that Joe Rogan compared ‘One Shot’s fighting style to prime Conor McGregor, a compliment most fighters would love to hear at least once in their career.

Although Ruffy went on to lose his next fight against Benoît Saint Denis at UFC Paris, his knockout of King Green will remain one of those highlight-reel finishes fans will remember for a long time.

That being said, what do you think about our list of the top 10 best moments of 2025 and why we love MMA? Let us know in the comments section below.