Who Are the Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2025 UFC Season? Here’s a look at Joshua Van, Islam Makhachev, and others

The end of 2025 marked a major shakeup in the UFC as every weight division experienced a lot of new champions, record amounts of milestones being achieved, and former champions being less competitive, among other things. Some of the biggest success stories from 2025 were Joshua Van, Islam Makhachev, and Valentina Shevchenko. Conversely, Leon Edwards and Dricus du Plessis were struggling to remain relevant in their respective divisions after having enjoyed success as previous champions.The UFC was able to maintain momentum due to the surprising turnaround of title holders who came to an end due to a sudden title loss; thus demonstrating the ability for a fighter to swiftly establish, take, or reclaim their "Dominance," which was evident for both Islam Makhachev and Alex Pereira, who have dominated their respective professions.As we enter into 2026, the fight results from Joshua Van, Valentina Shevchenko, and Leon Edwards still significantly impact their division's future and potential future title holders.Joshua Van became one of the biggest winners of the UFC’s 2025 season by capturing the flyweight title. Joshua won the flyweight title after working his way up from being outside of the Top 15 at the beginning of the year. He used high output and improved defensive wrestling to win the championship against Alexandre Pantoja, which also made him the second-youngest champion in UFC history.Islam Makhachev continued his elite career and legacy by defending the lightweight title, moving up to fight Jack Della Maddalena in the welterweight division, and winning the welterweight championship. Makhachev is a two-division champion and continues to solidify his place in the UFC as one of the most well-rounded fighters.Valentina Shevchenko showcased her veteran experience by successfully defending the flyweight championship for the second time in two different fights before the end of 2025. Shevchenko earned a victory via a well-measured decision over Zhang Weili, further continuing her championship résumé and continuing to be one of the most successful UFC champions in history.Leon Edwards, once a welterweight champion, faced a tough year following the loss of his title. After his title loss, Leon Edwards struggled to regain momentum, suffered multiple losses due to continued grappling weaknesses, and created a delay in his return to title contention.Dricus du Plessis, who was viewed as a middleweight title contender at the start of the 2025 UFC season, suffered a big setback after his title loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a lopsided fight where the South African's unique fighting was neutralized by Khamzat's domination over Dricus through continued controls of the wrestling aspect of the fight.A major turnaround of the 2025 UFC season was the return of Alex Pereira to the top of the light heavyweight division after knocking out Magomed Ankalaev in their rematch, which quickly reshaped the light heavyweight division and put Alex back at the top of his weight class.The 2025 UFC season ultimately reinforced a familiar reality. It became clear that continuous adaptation and evolution are mandatory for success in the UFC, as seen through Joshua Van, Islam Makhachev, and Alex Pereira, and that even past champions can quickly find themselves in rapid decline.Also Read: UFC Fight Night 253: Fighters react to unexpected results and career-defining moments.