Fights. That’s why this site exists, and to that extent, it’s why you’re on it right now. Every Saturday night, or on other nights as the schedule dictates, fans of combat sports gather around their laptops, smartphones or connected devices to log onto their streaming service of choice, such as DAZN or ESPN+ to watch the fists fly.
It’s become a tradition to do this week in, week out for as many of the 52 weeks of the year that the schedule has fight nights circled on them. From time to time, you’ll have fights that make fans of MMA or boxing ensure that their popcorn is ready before the bell tolls to begin the first round of the contest.
With seven months of 2025 almost gone, there have been a number of entertaining scuffles that have taken place in rings and cages throughout the world. Today, we present a countdown piece of some of the best bouts to date this year.
UFC 316 in New Jersey Kayla Harrison in blue gloves of the United States faces Julianna Pena red gloves, also American, in the womens bantamweight title fight at UFC316, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, June7,2025. new jersey nj usa Copyright: xVANESSAxCARVALHOx
Fights Countdown Ground Rules
Before we commence with this countdown, there are a couple of ground rules that we have to consider. First and foremost, fights taking place between Jan. 10, 2025 and July 26, 2025 are ripe for the picking here.
Secondly, this countdown isn’t just limited to MMA. Any fight from any combat discipline is up for discussion. Simply put, this means that nothing is off the proverbial table today.
With those preliminaries out of the way, why don’t we get going?
Fights Countdown: No. 5: BKFC KnuckleMania V (Jan. 25, 2025): Johnny Garbarino vs. Apostle Spencer
In at No. 5 on this fights countdown, we travel to Philadelphia, PA. On the night of Jan. 25, the soon-to-be-renamed Xfinity Mobile Arena, known currently as Wells Fargo Center, served as the host venue for BKFC KnuckleMania V.
This card was the first time that BKFC held an event in Philadelphia, with the promotion coming back twice more later in 2025, most recently on July 25. KnuckleMania V already had a fair amount of buzz attached to it ahead of the show, given that Conor McGregor, part owner of the promotion, showed up at the ceremonial weigh-ins the previous evening.
During the main card, Johnny Garbarino knuckled up for a middleweight contest against Apostle Spencer, finishing his opponent with an overhand right in just 59 seconds’ time. Garbarino used the opportunity afforded to him with the post-fight interview to propose marriage to his girlfriend, being given her mother’s blessing earlier the same day.
The future Mrs. Garbarino said yes to her boyfriend’s proposal. Since that night, Garbarino has finished two more opponents, both in Philadelphia, moving up to light heavyweight (185 lbs) for his July 25 win.
Fights Countdown: No. 4: UFC 311 (Jan. 18, 2025:) Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder
The No. 4 entry in our countdown here today happened a week before KnuckleMania V. Under the ominous backdrop of Southern California contending with devastating wildfires right after the start of the year, some doubt was cast as to if UFC 311 could safely be held at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA on its intended date.
Although Dana White was prepared to move the show to Las Vegas, no adjustment was required, providing a respite for Los Angelinos in the wake of tragedy. That night’s card featured a middleweight fight versing Kevin Holland with Reinier de Ridder.
In only RDR’s second UFC promotional appearance, he showed why he was a double-champ in ONE Championship, grappling with Holland before taking back mount. Although Holland tried his best to withstand RDR’s offensive prowess, the latter secured the body triangle to submit his opponent inside the first round.
Fights Countdown: No. 3: PFL Chicago (June 27, 2025:) Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery II
In at No. 3 on the fights countdown is a middleweight clash from the semifinal phase of the 2025 PFL World Tournament. On June 27, the PFL touched down in The Windy City of Chicago for the last card before the tournament finals began.
The evening’s main card featured a rematch between Dalton Rosta and Aaron Jeffery. Their first match against one another saw the latter drop the former from the ranks of the unbeaten by way of unanimous decision. Chapter two of this story was a back and forth affair with Rosta enduring a surge of punches in the clinch from his opponent in the final round.
Rosta pulled away with the split decision victory that Friday night, avenging his only career defeat.
Fights Countdown: No. 2: (July 12, 2025:)Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
At No. 2 in our fights countdown, we go back to the ring to look at a traditional boxing match in New York City. July 12 saw a 12-round super-middleweight contest matching Edgar Berlanga with Hamzah Sheeraz for the right to become the mandatory challenger for the WBC Super-Middleweight World Championship. During the fourth round of the bout, Sheeraz floored Berlanga with a vicious combination, only to get dropped a second time moments later after the restart.
While Berlanga was ever the gamer, in this fight, by the time that the fifth round began, it was clear that this was Hamzah Sheeraz’s world. Sheeraz went in for the kill with a brief flurry of shots to force the referee to call the fight off.
Fights Countdown: No. 1: (June 7, 2025:) UFC 316: Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison
The top entry in our fights countdown took place in Newark, NJ. Former PFL Women’s Lightweight Champion Kayla Harrison completed her meteoric rise to the top at 135 lbs when she took on now-former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Pena in UFC 316.
Harrison’s June 7 fight vs. Pena was her third appearance in the promotion. During the final seconds of the second round of a scheduled five in this championship contest, the judoka from Middletown, OH who had already accumulated north of four minutes in ground control time, went to work on a kimura submission.
This move proved to be beneficial for Harrison, who locked in the kimura to force Pena to tap out. As 2025 continues, one question is who will Harrison take on for her first defense of the title?