Russian fighter Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion and No. 1 in the P4P rankings, has been named ESPN's Fighter of the Year.
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya earned the "Knockout of the Year" award in his rematch with Alex Pereira. UFC women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso won the "Submission of the Year" in her first fight against Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso also won "Women's Fighter of the Year."
Makhachev, 32, last stepped into the octagon against Alexander Volkanovski in October 2023 at UFC 294. That fight, which was stopped in the first round, ended in Islam's favor by knockout. He has 24 wins and one loss on his record.