Midyear MMA awards: Top fighters and moments of 2025 so far

With half the year in the books, theScore hands out the gongs to the best of the best in mixed martial arts across five categories.

Male Fighter of the Half-Year

Winner: Merab Dvalishvili

When Dvalishvili toppled Sean O'Malley from the UFC bantamweight throne last year, many expected his reign to be short-lived. That was because Umar Nurmagomedov, the then-undefeated cousin of Khabib, looked like the future of the division. But the UFC's top bantamweight was Dvalishvili all along. He came through as the underdog in his first title defense against Nurmagomedov, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win at UFC 311 in January. Then, five months later at UFC 316, Dvalishvili made a statement in a rematch with O'Malley, tapping him out in the third round for his first submission win in the UFC and first finish since 2021. The 34-year-old Georgian has been a machine so far this year - pun definitely intended - and there's no stopping him.

Female Fighter of the Half-Year

Winner: Kayla Harrison

UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili was also in the mix for this award, but no one in women's MMA defined the first half of the year quite like Harrison. Her long-awaited coronation occurred at UFC 316 in June, when she easily submitted Julianna Pena to become the new women's bantamweight champ. Harrison proved she's a pound-for-pound great - just in case there was anyone who didn't already know it - and is single-handedly injecting life back into the division.

Fight of the Half-Year

Winner: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval

This fight just happened - it was at UFC 317 in late June - but it immediately jumped to the top of the list. Van and Royval delivered an instant classic, displaying tenacity, heart, and an insane amount of perseverance as they slugged it out for three rounds. Van and Royval combined for 419 significant strikes, the most in a three-round bout in UFC history. It also marked the first time two fighters landed at least 200 significant strikes each in a fight.

Knockout of the Half-Year

Winner: Mauricio Ruffy's spinning-wheel-kick KO of King Green

Ruffy of Fighting Nerds fame is a bad, bad man. Two minutes into the biggest fight of his career at UFC 313 in March, Ruffy spun to his right and clocked Green with a spinning wheel kick that immediately shut out the lights. It was quick, it was violent, and it was beautiful - all in one. It'll be tough for anyone to top Ruffy's finish for the 2025 Knockout of the Year.

Submission of the Half-Year

Winner: Jean Silva taps Bryce Mitchell with a ninja choke

Submission of the Year is probably still up for grabs as we enter the second half of 2025, but as of right now, another Fighting Nerd is in the lead. You don't see a ninja choke every day, and the fact that Jean Silva managed to pull one off against Bryce Mitchell - an elite-level grappler - at UFC 314 in April is super impressive. Silva got hold of the choke while on the feet, then dragged Mitchell to the mat and forced the tap, like a boa constrictor putting its prey to rest. Nasty stuff.