Fighter of the Year: Merab Dvalishvili

LowKick MMA's 2025 Female Fighter Of The Year: Valentina Shevchenko

When Valentina Shevchenko stepped into Madison Square Garden on November 15 to face Zhang Weili, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Two champions, two legacies, one question: who owns the crown in women’s mixed martial arts? The UFC women’s flyweight champion answered with a masterclass that left no doubt. Shevchenko dismantled the former strawweight queen across five rounds, earning a perfect 50-45 scorecard from all three judges in what bec…

Fighter of the Year: Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili has been recognized as Fighter of the Year for 2025, thanks to his prolific achievements in the UFC bantamweight division. He ascended to the championship by defeating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 and successfully defended his title against notable challengers, including a unanimous decision win against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. Despite a setback against Petr Yan in December, where he lost the title, his dynamic performances so…

UFC's Valentina Shevchenko is the 2025 Female Fighter of the Year

Ed Mulholland-Imagn ImagesEd Mulholland-Imagn Images Last year when I did my fighter of the year articles, the female fighter of the year came from the PFL and not the UFC. Last year, I gave that distinction to Dakota Ditcheva who really became a star in 2024. However, this year, the award is going back to the biggest promotion in the world. In fact, the award was decided in a head-to-head matchup that took place just over a month ago at UFC 322…