Merab Dvalishvili won the 2025 Fighter of the Year ESPY for his dominant performance in the men’s bantamweight division, including three title wins.
Merab Dvalishvili’s trophy case just got a little more crowded.
During Saturday night’s UFC Nashville broadcast on ESPN, it was announced that Dvalishvili snagged the 2025 Fighter of the Year ESPY. His incredible performance in the men’s bantamweight division earned him this accolade.
Now, here’s the twist. The ESPYs don’t stick to the usual calendar year. Nope, they run from July 1, 2024, to June 20 of this year. So, Ilia Topuria‘s victory over Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title? Not part of the mix.
Instead, the spotlight shone on Dvalishvili. He clinched three title wins in that period. First, he took the belt from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. Then, he defended it against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. And finally, he submitted O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 316 in June. Quite the run!
The competition was fierce, though. Other finalists included middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis, women’s bantamweight champ Kayla Harrison, and former lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.