Former UFC champion reveals his 2025 MMA awards | MMA News
As 2025 rapidly approaches its end, it is time to title some award winners from the last calendar yr. Websites, analysts, followers, and fighters make their picks identified, and former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad listed his picks in key classes.
Knockout of the Year
2025 noticed some vicious knockout finishes inside the octagon. There had been one-hitter-quitters, head kicks, spinning elbows. There had been knockouts in every conceivable manner, but for Muhammad one stood above the remainder.
“First up, we’ll talk about Knockout of the Year. My pick, I’m going with Diego Lopes against Jean Silva. Spinning elbow. It was a war. He got rocked,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “Man, anytime Diego is in a fight, anytime he’s in the cage it’s just nothing but chaos. It’s either he’s getting hit or he’s hitting.”
“Jean Silva went into that fight very hot. highly likely if he would have won that fight, he would have gotten a title shot. And I think the way Diego won that fight with the excitement, the crowd loves him, I think that knockout earned him a title shot.”
Submission of the Year
Knockouts are great, but forcing an opponent to stop via submission is equally satisfying. There had been a lot of submission finishes to select from and Muhammad settled on one from UFC 320.
Submission of the Year, I feel I’m going to go different, proper? Everybody’s going to go with the Jean Silva against Bryce Mitchell, but I’m going to go with Youssef Zalal subbing [Josh] Emmett who’s been in the sport a long time, been at the top, fought for the belt, and acquired him with an armbar in the first spherical is loopy,” Muhammad said.
“You do not actually see armbars anymore in the UFC. So, you get him to do it against a man like Emmett, you get my award.”
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Fighter of the Year
There’s usually a consensus when it comes to who’s awarded Fighter of the Year, and 2025 was no different. Muhammad went with who most people picked, Merab Dvalishvili.
“Fighter of the Year, I imply, you’ll be able to’t deny Merab, proper? To have 4 title fights, 4 title matches in a yr is loopy. For him to need to try for greatness, try for historical past, you’ll be able to’t be mad at him,” Muhammad said. “The schedule was loopy. The hardest guys in the division. I’m still going to give it to Merab.”
“Islam [Makhachev] acquired double-champ standing, Poatan (Alex Pereira) acquired his belt back. But I believed Merab, you’ll be able to’t deny the schedule, man. That was a loopy schedule. I feel I’m going to give it to him (Dvalishvili). I feel he still earned it.”
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