Rewatch the 2025 Struggle of the 12 months between Joshua Van and Brandon Royval forward of Van’s title battle in opposition to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323.
The perfect UFC battle of 2025, based on a broad consensus from main MMA retailers (together with UFC.com‘s official awards, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports activities, and fan discussions), was Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June.
This flyweight bout stood out for its relentless tempo, continuous putting exchanges, dramatic momentum shifts, and high-level ability on show. Van, stepping in on brief discover (simply three weeks after his earlier battle), changed an injured Manel Kape and upset the previous title challenger Royval through unanimous choice in an exhilarating back-and-forth battle that many known as an immediate basic within the flyweight division. It earned widespread acclaim because the clear Struggle of the 12 months, showing unanimously in high spots throughout year-end rankings and awards.
Different extremely praised contenders included:
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (intense bantamweight title battle with elite wrestling and putting)Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad (sudden stand-up battle in a welterweight title bout)Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (brutal gentle heavyweight slugfest)Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili rematch (technical masterpiece late within the yr)
However Van vs. Royval topped most lists for its pure leisure and pleasure.
