It’s fair to say that after eight months of thrilling fight nights and PPV events, the UFC has brought us some incredible moments.
There have been plenty of fascinating knockouts, submissions, fights, shocks and newcomers that have taken place in the Octagon.
Of course, four months of UFC action is still upon us with some heavily anticipated battles.
But here are the best highlights and moments that the UFC has produced in 2025 so far.
Best Knockout
While the video above of Ilia Topuria knocking out Charles Oliveira to become a two-division champion is a strong contender, a more unique knockout takes this spot.
Well-known Fighting Nerds mixed martial artist, Mauricio Ruffy, was set to face King Green at UFC 313.
The fight was featured on the main card with the Brazilian being a big prospect, and Green being a recognised veteran.
Just over two minutes into the contest, Ruffy lands a wicked spinning wheel kick, catching the American perfectly.
The former Lightweight contender was out cold with the Las Vegas crowd going mental, knowing that a future ranked fighter was on the horizon.
Best Submission
Despite a lengthy list of various submission wins, there was one that had to reign supreme.
UFC 316’s headliner was an exciting rematch for the Bantamweight title between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen.
The Georgian won the first bout after becoming the new champion at UFC 306, and then successfully defended the belt against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.
Even though fans believed O’Malley would do a better job in the second fight, it would not be the case. ‘The Machine’ managed to lock in a Ninja Choke at the end of round three, making the Montana-born fighter tap.
This was Dvalishvili’s second submission win out of 20 victories, as this particular battle made him a high contender for the G.O.A.T. of the 135-pound division.
Best Fight
Everyone loves a back-and-forth battle, whether it is for 15 minutes or 25 minutes.
Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van Etten had to be the most thrilling watch, being a big highlight for UFC 317.
Both fighters showed heart, determination and grit for three rounds as they exchanged strikes multiple times.
This was a Flyweight title eliminator, meaning the winner would face Alexandre Pantoja, and Van succeeded with an unanimous decision win.
This last minute of their battle just showed how crazy it was, and the crowd reaction was nothing but deafening.
Best Newcomer
Plenty of debutants have already made a name for themself in 2025, proving that they have future potential.
But, no newcomer will have looked more impressive than 31-year-old, undefeated mixed martial artist, Malcolm Wellmaker.
Wellmaker made a great first impression on his debut after knocking out Cameron Saaiman in the first round at UFC Kansas City.
‘The Machine’ then fought at UFC Atlanta, earning a first-round knockout against Kris Moutinho, making himself the hottest prospect at 135 pounds.
The Augusta-born fighter still has a lot to prove, but he’s definitely bringing the hype with him on his UFC journey.
Biggest Shock
There have been multiple head-scratching moments this year, whether it was Jared Cannonier’s comeback win against Gregory Rodrigues, Lerone Murphy knocking out hyped debutant, Aaron Pico, or even Kyle Daukaus stopping Michel Pereira on short notice.
However, the most significant one occurred in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was coming off a title loss against Dricus Du Plessis, looking to redeem himself.
The Frenchman was on a roll of three consecutive wins, hoping to get into middleweight title contention.
Remarkably, in the second round, Imavov cracked Adesanya with a right hand before a couple of follow-up shots stopped the bout.
Something which many did not see coming, leaving the Riyadh crowd dropping their jaws.