Sherdog’s 2025 Round of the Year

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Noche UFC has quickly become a high point of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s schedule every year, even when those events are not at the Sphere in Las Vegas. UFC Fight Night 259 delivered plenty of action as the latest installment in the series, including a firefight main event that won Sherdog’s “Round of the Year” for 2025.

While the main event of UFC Fight Night 259 was scheduled for five rounds, few thought featherweight contenders Diego Lopes and Jean Silva would need them. The two hard-hitting fighters put on a show on Sept. 13 in San Antonio, with both men landing vicious body shots and stunning blows. In a cruel twist of fate for “Lord,” the back-and-forth fight came to an end after Lopes landed a spinning back elbow late in the second round—similar to those that Silva had been throwing throughout the scrap. Lopes was able to capitalize on his hurt opponent and teed off with damaging punches on the ground that forced referee Mike Beltran to step in with just 12 seconds left in Round 2. The action didn’t end after the fight was called off, as Silva tried to continue fighting afterward and was held off by security.

There was no doubt that mixed martial arts fans witnessed something special at Frost Bank Center, as Sherdog’s Jay Pettry immediately declared it a “Fight of the Year” candidate. Here’s how he wonderfully summed up the action:

Silva comes out with a couple leg kicks. Silva with a right to the body. Silva steps in with a solid one-two. Lopes counters with a right during an exchange. Silva with a right hook, and he smiles. Silva goes body-head, and he does it again. Lopes is eating heavy shots. That propels Lopes to fire back. Silva steps in with an elbow, and he just misses a spinning back elbow. Lopes lands a calf kick, and he advances. Silva rocks his foe with a counter right. Silva touches the chin of Lopes again, and now he’s opening up, landing punches in bunches. Silva is mixing in some elbows to his offense. They trade low kicks. Silva digs to the body, but Lopes counters with a right. A big right lands for Silva. Lopes is still in Silva’s face. Silva overextends, and Lopes gets a takedown. He lands a series of rights from Silva’s back as he laces the right leg. Lopes slams Silva, but “Lord” rolls. Lopes is able to transition to side control during a scramble. Silva uses a single-leg to stand, and he’s unloading now. They’re both trading heavy punches, and a finish seems like it could be imminent. Silva kicks the body and is in pursuit of his opponent. A spinning elbow from Lopes—virtually the same one “Lord” has been using repeatedly—drops Silva near the fence. The Fighting Nerds product is stunned, and Lopes tees off with ground-and-pound. Silva isn’t recovering, and the assault continues. Beltran has finally seen enough, and he waves off the fight to save a badly bloodied Silva. In the aftermath of the stoppage, an upset Silva attempts to go after Lopes, but he’s held back by security. The slump for the Fighting Nerds continues, but there’s no shame in this defeat: This is a “Fight of the Year” candidate.

Plenty was on the line at Noche UFC, where Lopes was looking to rebound from his unanimous decision defeat to Alexander Volkanovski earlier in the year. With the win, the Brazilian not only showcased that he’s dependably one of the most exciting fighters inside the UFC but also earned another crack at the featherweight champion. In addition, Lopes took home $100,000 in bonuses for his efforts, as he won both “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors.

MMA fans were spoiled with great bouts in 2025. In fact, Sherdog’s runner-up for “Round of the Year” was just one vote shy of tying our winner. Light heavyweights Iwo Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan put on a memorably hectic 89-second fight at UFC 323 that could have easily won the award in a lesser year. The second round of Adrian Martinetti-Mark Vologdin from Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series also earned multiple votes.