{"id":382334,"date":"2026-01-01T22:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/382334\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:43:16","slug":"mmamanias-top-10-most-popular-ufc-mma-articles-of-2025-pt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/382334\/","title":{"rendered":"MMAmania\u2019s Top 10 most popular UFC\/MMA articles of 2025 (Pt. 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) action is going into the history books. An advanced apology from myself and my editor when I continually type 2025 for the next three months.<\/p>\n

What will be remember about 2025 in combat sports? In the cage, the rise and eventual fall<\/a> of Merab Dvalishvili feels like the biggest story, then there was the continued dominance of Russian wrestling<\/a> as Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev dominantly captured titles without really taking a punch. There were, of course, incredible submissions<\/a>, stunning upsets<\/a> and wild back-and-forth wars<\/a> in the last 12 months, too.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s fun is that there\u2019s no guarantee any of those stories will rank among the most popular of the year here on MMAmania.com<\/a>. It\u2019s always an unpredictable batch! So, as the year comes to a close, what stories drove the most traffic through MMAmania.com<\/a> amidst the chaos?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the second batch batch (No. 1 to No. 5) …<\/p>\n

*** Note: To check out the Top 6-10 stories at MMAmania.com<\/a> in 2025 click here<\/a> ***<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 07: Nate Diaz is seen in the corner of Kron Gracie during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

No. 5: Jon Jones makes statement on Nate Diaz brawl in Thailand: \u2018Play-fighting with Nate was not the best idea\u2019<\/a>
Writer: Ryan Harkness
Summary: Jones weighs on in Nate Diaz\u2019s scrap on Russian TUF.
Why It Blew Up: For once, everything makes total sense here.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, we have two huge names in the headline between Jones and Diaz. Then, there\u2019s the fact that \u201cDiaz brawl\u201d is probably the most evergreen phrase in MMA. There\u2019s been a brawl involving a Diaz brother every year since like 2008! Even though nobody tuned in for the Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing match<\/a>, Nate Diaz is still a star who MMA fans care about, and a lot of people would watch if he comes back to the cage versus an appropriate opponent.<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,<\/a><\/p>\n

MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: Paddy Pimblett of England (R) punches Michael Chandler of the United States in a lightweight fight during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

No. 4: Mangled Michael Chandler rushed backstage following Paddy Pimblett loss at UFC 314, Dana White reacts (Video)<\/a>
Writer: Alex Behunin
Summary: Chandler took a beating at UFC 314
Why It Blew Up: This headline is stuffed with important words. Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett, UFC 314, Dana White \u2014 that\u2019s a lot of heat in a concise package. Furthermore, our man on the Las Vegas scene, Mr. Alex Behunin, was there to break the news at three in the morning. Finally, there\u2019s a reason UFC is maneuvering Pimblett so carefully into the title mix: \u201cBaddy\u201d is a star that moves the proverbial needle if given the opportunity, and this is the easily the best win of his career.<\/p>\n

Chandler\u2019s bloody mug surely didn\u2019t hurt either.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 01: Gervonta Davis in action against Lamont Roach Jr. during their bout for Davis\u2019 WBA lightweight title at Barclays Center on March 01, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

No. 3: \u2018UFC is scripted,\u2019 says heavyweight legend, leaks Nashville results for July 12 fight card<\/a>
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Derrick Lewis accurately predicts his first-round KO over Tallison Teixeira
Why It Blew Up: Derrick Lewis is a lovable troll. He walks the line expertly between saying outrageous things \u2014 like his wholehearted embrace of cheating and eye-poking<\/a> \u2014 while still having the charisma and jokes to keep fans tuning in. \u201cThe Black Beast\u201d may be past his best at 40 years of age, but he\u2019s still headlining events and drawing eyes to the sport.<\/p>\n

In this particular case of \u201cLewis says the darnedest things,\u201d he touches on the hot button topic of fight-fixing and scripted bouts. Between Jake Paul, Isaac Dulgarian, and the overwhelming presence of sports betting, 2025 was a major year for fight-fixing discourse, so perhaps Lewis\u2019 comments struck at the perfect moment.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t confirm, but I also wonder if the traffic spiked after Lewis lived up to the \u201cscript\u201d at UFC Nashville.<\/p>\n

\"DES<\/a><\/p>\n

DES MOINES, IOWA – MAY 03: (R-L) Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands knees Bo Nickal in their middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

No. 2: Bye, Bye, Bo! Fans react to Bo Nickal signing next UFC fight: \u2018Won\u2019t be undefeated anymore\u2019<\/a>
Writer: Dan Hiergesell
Summary: Fans forecast doom after Nickal vs. Reinier de Ridder announcement
Why It Blew Up: Fight fans love to see a highly touted prospect lose.<\/p>\n

We are in the Fraud Check era. Back in the day, prospects losing a couple times en route to achieving their potential was expected. The only way to gain experience in MMA is to get in fist fights with professional opposition where there\u2019s relatively little room for error. A young and talented prospect can think they\u2019re doing everything right only to learn about an aspect of the game they were neglecting, and those lessons are taught the hard way.<\/p>\n

In the case of Nickal vs. de Ridder, Nickal\u2019s arrogance built up the anticipation for the crash. Nickal dominated the wrestling world for years and years, and he expected to do the same in the Octagon. De Ridder may have entered the cage as a small underdog, but fight fans who have been around the block for a little while knew this was a dangerous matchup for the relative newcomer.<\/p>\n

\"INDIANAPOLIS,<\/a><\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 20: Brock Lesnar makes his entrance during Wrestlepalooza at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 20, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Marques\/WWE via Getty Images) WWE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

No. 1: Former UFC, WWE champ Brock Lesnar banned from professional wrestling \u2014 \u2018He\u2019s in so much trouble\u2019<\/a>
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Daniel Cormier comments on Brock Lesnar\u2019s WWE status after Lesnar was named in last year\u2019s trafficking lawsuit<\/a> against former WWE owner Vince McMahon.
Why It Blew Up: It\u2019s Brock Lesnar, baby!<\/p>\n

Conor McGregor may be the biggest star that MMA ever produced, but people are tired of the Irishman. He\u2019s been teasing his comeback for too long. He still draws more traffic than most, of course, but nobody is desperate for another tweet-and-delete or rant about Khabib. Quotes and updates regarding the stars of the previous era \u2014 like Lesnar or Ronda Rousey \u2014 are comparatively rare and thus still in greater demand even if Mac sold more pay-per-views at his peak.<\/p>\n

In the previous article, we also talked about crossover appeal. Lesnar has it in spades! He\u2019s a name in regular households and obviously among professional wrestling fans, and this article made it to all of those groups. When Lesnar proved Cormier wrong a month later<\/a> in his shocking WWE return, even more traffic rebounded to this original post.<\/p>\n

At 48 years of age and nearly a decade removed from his final UFC fight, Lesnar is still the king!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) action is going into the history books. An advanced apology from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,33601,638,82,702],"class_list":{"0":"post-382334","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-latest-ufc-mma-news","12":"tag-mma","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-ufc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}