For the first time since 2020, MMA Fighting brings back the Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award. Five years ago, Khamzat Chimaev took home the prize, while Kevin Holland’s incredible year was good enough for second place. After several years of MMA Fighting introducing the Rookie of the Year to the awards list, the switch back is now official.
The criteria for the award are exactly what the name sounds like: Which fighter broke through the most this year? It could be a fighter that people had high hopes for that made their big move, or an athlete that went from being viewed in a negative light to positive, or someone that the masses hadn’t really heard of, but made a name for themselves in short order.
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Which fighter broke the mold more than the rest? Time to find out who takes home the award.
1. Joshua Van
What a year it has been for Joshua Van — beginning the year without a number next to his name, and ending it with a UFC world title around his waist.
“The Fearless” certainly lived by the moniker throughout 2025, winning four bouts, including a flyweight championship victory in the final pay-per-view event of the ESPN era over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 earlier this month. His effort gives him the MMA Fighting Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award for 2025.
The 24-year-old made his pro debut in October 2021 and has already had an astounding 18 fights under his belt in just over four years. That’s an average of 4.5 bouts per year, which he nearly hit as a championship-winning fighter in the sport’s biggest organization. Van began the year with a tough out against undefeated fighter Rei Tsaruya and earned a unanimous decision at UFC 313 in March in a victory that many believe will age like a fine wine.
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As impressive as that win was, three months later is when Van truly put himself on the map as someone who checks off all of the boxes for a fighter that wants to get over with the UFC and the fan base: Saying yes to the opportunities the UFC puts in front of you, and fighting as much as possible. Van picked up an incredible finish of Bruno Silva at UFC 316 in June, and then came back three weeks later to face Brandon Royval at UFC 317, stepping in for an injured Manel Kape. Van not only picked up the biggest win of his career on short notice, but he did so in one of the most exciting fights of 2025, and in the history of the flyweight division, earning him a title shot in the process.
Van cashed in that ticket at UFC 323, and while it wasn’t an ideal ending, he became the UFC flyweight champion with an injury TKO win over Alexandre Pantoja. At just 24 years of age, Van is the second youngest fighter in UFC history — behind Jon Jones — to win a UFC world title. Congratulations to the 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year.
2. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
A heavyweight fighting five times and picking up four wins in the UFC is almost unheard of, but Waldo Cortes-Acosta did it, and did it with style.
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“Salsa Boy” entered 2025 coming off a decision win over viral knockout artist Robelis Despaigne, a performance that, while it was the right strategy, didn’t give Cortes-Acosta many new fans. So when he returned to action in 2025, Cortes-Acosta had a bit of work to do to change the narrative.
And boy, did he, as he knocked out Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 104 in March. He then followed that up with a game and grimy decision win over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316 before dropping a decision to past title challenger Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Shanghai.
However, November was one to remember for Cortes-Acosta, knocking out Ante Delija after receiving a brutal eye poke, then stopping Shamil Gaziev on less than a week’s notice at UFC Qatar, which has now set him up for the biggest fight of his career against Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 in January.
3. Valter Walker
The heel hook is so back, thanks to Valter Walker and his incredible consistency throughout 2025.
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Walker heel-hooked all three of his UFC opponents this year, all in the first round, and spent just over three minutes in the octagon this year. Not to mention, Walker heel-hook finished his final 2024 opponent as well — so he now has FOUR consecutive heel-hook submission wins. That’s insane in any weight class, but at heavyweight? It’s downright unbelievable.
The 28-year-old ended the year with an 84-second submission win over Louis Sutherland to close down a wild campaign. Hopefully, Walker’s injuries don’t keep him out too long, because heavyweight can use all of the excitement it can get.
4. Kevin Vallejos
Kevin Vallejos’ success in 2025 is no surprise considering most knew he had the goods when he was on Dana White’s Contender Series, getting a quick knockout, along with a UFC contract in September 2024.
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“El Chino” not only delivered three incredible victories along the way to kick off his promotional run, but he also ended the year with a No. 13 ranking next to his name in the UFC featherweight rankings, and did so with his first ever performance bonus, destroying Giga Chikadze with a spinning back fist in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 112 a little less than two weeks ago.
The 24-year-old will likely fight for a UFC title. The question is: How soon will it happen?
5. Thad Jean
The PFL has had a star problem for quite some time, so it was refreshing to see Thad Jean come along and give the promotion a massive boost in that department.
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Jean wasn’t even supposed to be in the PFL welterweight grand prix, but the alternate answered the bell and went on to win the entire thing with victories over Mukhamed Berkhamov, former Bellator champ Jason Jackson, and Logan Storley to capture the divisional grand prix title.
Not only that, despite the dominant nature of the win, Jean helped Storley have — by far — the most entertaining fight of his career. With a fun fighting style, room to grow, and the gift of gab, PFL struck gold with Jean. Hopefully, they can capitalize on this gift.
Here is how voting for MMA Fighting’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year played out
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