The year 2025 was the 33rd year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
UFC in 2025
Class action: anti-trust lawsuits Le v. Zuffa On August 9, 2023, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware granted class action status to more than 1,200 former UFC fighters who competed between December 2010 and June 2017 and are suing for $800 million upward to $1.6 billion in wages, as the lawsuit claims Zuffa had abused its power to suppress UFC fighters' wages. The anti-trust law also permits private plaintiffs to be able to recover three times the damages suffered, meaning the UFC may ultimately pay several billions of dollars' worth of damages. The case has a scheduled April 8, 2024 trial date. On March 20, 2024, TKO, UFC parent company reached an agreement to settle all claims in the class action lawsuits for $335 million where the settlement amount will be deductible for tax purposes. However, on July 31, 2024, Judge Richard Boulware ruled that the case would be heard by a jury and denied the preliminary approval for a settlement and reset for trial of in October. On February 6, 2025, Judge Richard Boulware of Nevada granted final approval for a $375 million settlement in the "Le vs. Zuffa" antitrust lawsuit for monopolistic practices. As part of the settlement, around $240 million to $260 million will be distributed to eligible fighters, specifically those who competed in at least one UFC bout from December 2010 to June 2017. These payments are expected to be made over the next year. Additionally, $40 million from the settlement will be set aside for administrative and legal expenses.
Johnson v. Zuffa Based on court filings from late July 2025, the Johnson v. Zuffa antitrust lawsuit, originally filed in 2021, is proceeding, and status conference for the case is scheduled for late August 2025.
Cirkunovs v. Zuffa and Davis v. Zuffa In May 2025, two antitrust lawsuits were filed against the UFC. One, led by former fighter Misha Cirkunov, specifically challenges the enforceability of arbitration clauses and class action waivers in UFC contracts. The other lawsuit, filed by former fighter Phil Davis, alleges that the UFC's anticompetitive practices also negatively impacted the ability of non-UFC fighters to secure fair wages.
Paramount and CBS partnership On August 11, 2025, the UFC announced a seven-year media rights agreement with Paramount Skydance Corporation worth $7.7 billion. Paramount+ will exclusively stream all events for seven years, starting in 2026. Some numbered events will also air on CBS. The agreement will allow the UFC to move away from pay-per-view as events will stream on Paramount+ at no additional cost. All 13 of the UFC's flagship events and 30 Fight Nights a year will be streamed on the Paramount+ service. UFC CEO and President Dana White announced the UFC would produce four big events per year on CBS, and that the UFC's planned card for the White House on June 27, 2026, would one of those events.
2025 by the numbers
The numbers below records the events, fights, techniques, champions and fighters held or performed for the year of 2025 in UFC. EventsNumber of EventsPPVContinentsCountriesCitiesFight Night Bonuses421351226169 Total $8,450,000Longest EventShortest EventHighest Income Live GateLowest Income Live GateHighest AttendanceLowest AttendanceUFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. 2:53:52UFC on ESPN: Gamrot vs. Klein 1:36:45UFC 322 $13,624,189UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs. Reyes $1,800,000UFC 322 20,664UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs. Reyes (exclud. APEX events) 12,543Title FightsUndisputed Title FightsTitle ChangesChampions Remained in Their DivisionsNumber of ChampionsNumber of Interim ChampionsNumber of Title Defenses2182LHW – Alex PereiraWFW – Valentina Shevchenko1309ChampionsDivisionBeginning of The YearEnd of The YearDivisionBeginning of The YearEnd of The YearHeavyweightJon JonesTom AspinallBantamweightMerab DvalishviliPetr YanLight HeavyweightAlex PereiraAlex PereiraFlyweightAlexandre PantojaJoshua VanMiddleweightDricus du PlessisKhamzat ChimaevWomen's BantamweightJulianna PeñaKayla HarrisonWelterweightBelal MuhammadIslam MakhachevWomen's FlyweightValentina ShevchenkoValentina ShevchenkoLightweightIslam MakhachevIlia TopuriaWomen's StrawweightZhang WeiliMackenzie DernFeatherweightIlia TopuriaAlexander Volkanovski FightsMost Knockouts at A Single EventMost submissions at A Single EventMost Decisions at A Single EventTotal Number of FightsTotal Number of Cage TimeUFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho 9UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama 6UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. 1052093:43:36FightersNumber of FightersUFC DebutantsReleases / RetiredFighters SuspendedNumber of Fighters Missed weight(At the end of Dec 31, 2025) 597941141332Champion feats Islam Makhachev became the first UFC Lightweight champion to record four consecutive title defenses. Magomed Ankalaev became the first Russian Light Heavyweight champion in UFC history. Valentina Shevchenko became the sixth fighter in UFC history to reach at least ten title‑fight victories. Kayla Harrison became the second fighter after Henry Cejudo to hold both an Olympic gold medal and a UFC championship with her UFC Bantamweight Championship win. Ilia Topuria became the first fighter in UFC history to claim titles in two weight classes (Featherweight and Lightweight) while remaining undefeated. Max Holloway became the first fighter to successfully defend the BMF title. Merab Dvalishvili's 20 takedowns at UFC 320 are the most in a UFC championship fight. Joshua Van became the first champion from Myanmar, the first champion born in the 2000s, and, at 24 years old, the second‑youngest first‑time champion in UFC history behind Jon Jones with his UFC Flyweight title win.Fighter feats Merab Dvalishvili set a new record for most takedowns landed by securing his 92nd at UFC 311. Andrea Lee set the record for most consecutive losses in the UFC by a woman (6) Nikolas Motta became the first fighter to earn two fight‑night bonuses in a loss, receiving Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night at UFC on ABC 8. Joshua Van and Brandon Royval combined for 419 significant strikes—the single‑fight record for a three‑round bout, the most in flyweight history and the third‑most all‑time—with Van landing 215 and Royval 204, marking the first fight in UFC history in which both competitors recorded at least 200 significant strikes. Steven Nguyen's six knockdowns at UFC on ABC 9 set the single‑fight record in company history, including five in Round 1, which also established the single‑round record. Khamzat Chimaev set multiple single‑fight records by landing 529 total strikes, including 411 to the head and 517 on the ground. Charles Oliveira extended his company records for most stoppage wins (21), most submission wins (17), and most fight‑night bonuses (21), and his 21 stoppage victories across UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce tied Mirko Cro Cop for the most in combined organizational history. Drew Dober broke the record for most knockouts in the UFC lightweight division (10) Valter Walker became the first fighter in UFC history to earn four straight wins by heel‑hook submission. Islam Makhachev's 16th consecutive octagon victory tied Anderson Silva's all‑time record for the longest winning streak in UFC history.
2025 UFC Honors awards
Starting in 2019, the UFC created year-end awards with "UFC Honors President's Choice Awards" for categories "Performance of the Year" and "Fight of the Year" being chosen by UFC CEO Dana White. The other "UFC Honors Fan Choice Awards" are for categories "Knockout of the Year", "Submission of the Year", "Event of the Year", "Comeback of the Year" and, from 2020, "Debut of the Year" in which fans are able to vote for the winner on social media.
Winners traditionally received a commemorative trophy along with a set of Toyo Tires, but beginning in 2026, Toyo Tires was no longer a sponsor of the awards.
2025 UFC Honors AwardsPerformance of the YearFight of the YearKnockout of the YearSubmission of the YearDebut of the YearEvent of the YearComeback of the YearWinnerLerone Murphy defeats Aaron Pico UFC 319Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval UFC 317Ilia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira UFC 317Islam Makhachev defeats Renato Moicano UFC 311Quillan Salkilld defeats Anshul Jubli UFC 312UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2Jiří Procházka defeats Khalil Rountree Jr. UFC 320NomineeMaurício Ruffy defeats King Green UFC 313Merab Dvalishvili defeats Umar Nurmagomedov UFC 311Maurício Ruffy defeats King Green UFC 313Merab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O'Malley 2 UFC 316Malcolm Wellmaker defeats Cameron Saaiman UFC on ESPN: Machado Garry vs. PratesUFC 317: Topuria vs. OliveiraCésar Almeida defeats Abdul Razak Alhassan UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2NomineeIlia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira UFC 317Nazim Sadykhov defeats Nikolas Motta UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr.Lerone Murphy defeats Aaron Pico UFC 319Kayla Harrison defeats Julianna Peña UFC 316Ateba Gautier defeats José Medina UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. ErcegUFC 319: du Plessis vs. ChimaevShauna Bannon defeats Puja Tomar UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. BradyNomineeJoe Pyfer defeats Abusupiyan Magomedov UFC 320Diego Lopes defeats Jean Silva UFC Fight Night: Lopes vs. SilvaElijah Smith defeats Toshiomi Kazama UFC on ESPN: Dolidze vs. HernandezJean Silva defeats Bryce Mitchell UFC 314Beatriz Mesquita defeats Irina Alekseeva UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs. GamrotUFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. MakhachevCody Brundage defeats Julian Marquez UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. AlmabayevNomineeMichael Morales defeats Sean Brady UFC 322Jiří Procházka defeats Khalil Rountree Jr. UFC 320Ref
2025 UFC.com awards This is the first edition of the UFC.com Awards not written by the late former senior editor Thomas Gerbasi, who passed away in September 2025. 2025 UFC.COM AwardsNoThe FighterThe SubmissionsThe NewcomersThe KnockoutsThe Fights1Merab DvalishviliMerab Dvalishvili defeats Sean O'Malley 2 UFC 316Quillan SalkilldLerone Murphy defeats Aaron Pico UFC 319Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval UFC 3172Joshua VanJean Silva defeats Bryce Mitchell UFC 314Ateba GautierMaurício Ruffy defeats King Green UFC 313Jiří Procházka defeats Khalil Rountree Jr. UFC 3203Islam MakhachevKayla Harrison defeats Julianna Peña UFC 316Kevin VallejosCarlos Prates defeats Geoff Neal UFC 319Nazim Sadykhov defeats Nikolas Motta UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr.4Waldo Cortes-AcostaAnthony Hernandez defeats Roman Dolidze UFC on ESPN: Dolidze vs. HernandezDavid MartínezIlia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira UFC 317Jack Della Maddalena defeats Belal Muhammad UFC 3155(5) Valentina Shevchenko(5) Jiří ProcházkaValter Walker defeats Don'Tale Mayes UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues Kennedy Nzechukwu UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira Louie Sutherland UFC 321Malcolm WellmakerQuillan Salkilld defeats Nasrat Haqparast UFC 321Iwo Baraniewski defeats İbo Aslan UFC 323Ref
Releases and retirements These fighters have either been released from their UFC contracts, announced their retirement, or joined other promotions: