2025 has been a year like never before in the UFC. Two fighters became two-division champions, a few others received title shots, and some also announced themselves to the upper echelon of the UFC scene. And while it’s the Christmas season, and the fighters are at home enjoying quality time with their families, we have compiled a special list of fighters for you.

This list includes names who made 2025 their year. Their performances left a lasting impression; their status and credibility saw a huge upward trajectory, and they developed their own fan bases. To start this list, we have to talk about the man who made the biggest leap of them all.

1. Joshua Van

At the beginning of 2025, not many people had heard the name Joshua Van in the UFC. ‘The Fearless’ had been steadily climbing the ranks with a 7-1 record until he stood opposite former title contender Brandon Royval at UFC 317. Ranked #12 at that point, Van delivered a clinical performance in a fight of the year battle to seal a unanimous decision win and got the fans talking.

By the end of the night, Joshua Van came face-to-face with the then-champion Alexandre Pantoja to book their title fight at UFC 323. The Burmese-American fighter unexpectedly defeated the dominant Brazilian national after Pantoja broke his arm and suffered a knockout loss as a result. As such, Van became the second youngest champion in UFC history at 24 years old, second only to Jon Jones, who became champion at 23 years old.

2. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

The heavyweight division needed some rejuvenation, and we got that in 2025 with Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The Dominican Republic native, much like Joshua Van, had been building a steady record in the UFC, but 2025 saw him go the extra mile. ‘Salsa Boy’ fought five times in 2025, and although he lost to Sergei Pavlovich in August, he ended his year on a high.

What caught the attention of fight fans was Waldo Cortes-Acosta’s win over Ante Delija. He fought through a nasty eye poke to beat Tom Aspinall‘s teammate and even sent a message to the champion, who, at UFC 321, refused to fight after getting eye poked by Ciryl Gane. Thereafter, ‘Salsa Boy’ would beat Shamil Gaziev in dominant fashion, even though it was a short-notice fight. Cortes-Acosta has now entered the top 5, joining the elite of the division.

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3. Carlos Prates

If you want to stand out as a fighter in the UFC, you have to do something different. In Carlos Prates‘s case, confuse fans by being an athlete who doesn’t necessarily follow a fighter’s diet and smokes as well. But that’s not it for the Fight Nerd star. The welterweight put on some of the most exciting performances in 2025, announcing himself as the future of the division.

The welterweight star fought three times this year, starting his account with a loss. Ian Garry earned a decision win in April, but that loss did not derail Carlos Prates’s momentum. ‘The Nightmare’ would get back on a roll, racking up two back-to-back wins over Geoff Neal and former champion Leon Edwards, earning impressive knockout wins over both veterans. Prates is currently in the title conversation, and so is the next entry on our list.

4. Michael Morales

Michael Morales‘s UFC run has been nothing short of impressive. Currently on a 7-fight winning streak, the Ecuadorian has five knockout finishes in just five years with the promotion. This was the year that he announced himself to the UFC faithful, fighting twice, and the 26-year-old has maintained his unbeaten and unblemished record.

Michael Morales’ wins in 2025 have come against some top and experienced contenders. The first victory came against UFC stalwart Gilbert Burns, and it took the 19-0 fighter just one round to finish ‘Durinho’. On the other hand, Morales’ next win put him on the map among the elite in the 170lbs division. He beat Sean Brady, who was well on his way to earning a title shot, knocking him out once again in the first round and halting his winning streak.

5. Payton Talbott

There’s a notion that lighter weight classes may be more technical, but aren’t as exciting as the heavier weight classes. But guess what? Payton Talbott has turned that narrative around, making 2025 the biggest year in his professional fighting career. Yes, Talbott started the year with a loss to Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311, but he made the best of his opportunity in his next two fights.

At UFC 317, Payton Talbott came face-to-face against Felipe Lima, who debuted in 2024 and ended the year with two straight wins. However, the Brazilian could not surpass his fellow 27-year-old counterpart, dropping a decision loss. Thereafter, Talbott took on the former double champion, Henry Cejudo, in the biggest fight of his career. ‘Triple C’ found it hard to cope with his younger rival, and he dropped a decision loss to Talbott, too. The 27-year-old apparently retired the UFC legend for good this time.

6. Jaqueline Amorim

We’ve been talking about the male fighters a lot, so let’s move in a different direction and discuss the female prospects in the UFC. On that note, let’s talk about Jaqueline Amorim, who fought twice in 2025, but it was a mixed bag for the Brazilian strawweight fighter.

Amorim opened her year and faced the experienced fellow Brazilian Polyana Viana. In their three-round matchup, Jaqueline Amorim came out on top, submitting Viana with a rear-naked choke in the second round. However, in her next fight, the 30-year-old would drop a decision loss to Mizuki Inoue, but that does not take away her ability to take on tougher and more credible contenders if given a chance.

7. Lone’er Kavanagh

British fighters have started to make a lot of noise in the UFC, and Lone’er Kavanagh is the latest among the bunch. Having entered Dana White‘s promotion with a 6-0 undefeated record, the 26-year-old made his way to the main roster after recording a thunderous win on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Since making his debut last year, Lone’er Kavanagh recorded a 2-fight winning streak, beating Jose Ochoa and Felipe dos Santos. However, the flyweight fighter’s momentum was halted when he lost to Charles Johnson, getting knocked out in the second round of their 3-round fight. Kavanagh may not have gotten the desired result, but he showed a lot of promise, making us wonder what holds for him in the future.

8. Ethyn Ewing

Ethyn Ewing is one of the most exciting entries on this list. He’s one of the two fighters on this list who made great use of his short-notice opportunity to start discussions among fans as a fighter to watch out for in the future. Including Ewing’s name on this list may create a bit of confusion, but hear us out.

Ethyn Ewing had the most unlikely of UFC debuts ever. Fellow featherweight fighter Malcolm Wellmaker saw two opponents pulling out as he was scheduled to fight at UFC 322. Within 48 hours of the PPV, Dana White called for Ewing to take the spot, which he did, leaving his full-time job at the construction site. It was a tough challenge for ‘The Professor Finesser’ who stepped up to take on a fighter who had a 2-fight winning streak and would have been on this list himself if not for the impossible.

However, Ethyn Ewing made the most of his opportunity, earning a unanimous decision win over Malcolm Wellmaker and destroying his opponent’s momentum in the process. Now, the fight community is waiting to see what lies ahead in the months and years ahead.

9. Jacobe Smith

Jacobe Smith may not have had the most impact this year like the other entries on this list, but he’s done pretty well for himself. He’s one of the few undefeated fighters on this list who fought twice this year and recorded both of his wins with a finish.

Jacobe Smith introduced himself as a finishing artist, having entered the UFC with a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He kept that habit going when he debuted this year, beating Preston Parsons with a 1st-round knockout win.

Thereafter, at UFC 317, Jacobe Smith showed his ground-game prowess, submitting Nico Price in the second round with a good old-fashioned rear-naked choke in the second round. 2026 could be the year that he breaks out as a contender, but we’ll have to wait and see.

10. Quillan Salkilld

Quillan Salkilld had one of the best 2025s among anyone on the UFC roster. The soon-to-be 26-year-old made his debut this year after bursting onto the scene through Dana White’s Contender Series. Salkilld then introduced himself with a 19-second knockout win over Indian MMA prospect Anshul Jubli. The good run of form carried on to his next fight against Yanal Ashmouz, against whom he recorded a unanimous decision win.

For the final fight of the year, Quillan Salkilld wasn’t even scheduled to fight at UFC 321, but he took the opportunity Dana White presented to him on 10 days’ notice, and the Australian fighter did not disappoint. Salkilld took on Nasrat Haqparast, and it took him just a little over two minutes to put his rival to sleep with a terrifying highlight-reel head kick knockout that left his foot broken. Talk about making a statement, that one made a ruckus.

Well, eagle-eyed fans may have a lot more names in mind, so let us know the prospects that we missed out on this list. Drop your comments below.