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.
What will be remember about 2025 in combat sports? In the cage, the rise and eventual fall of Merab Dvalishvili feels like the biggest story, then there was the continued dominance of Russian wrestling as Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev dominantly captured titles without really taking a punch. There were, of course, incredible submissions, stunning upsets and wild back-and-forth wars in the last 12 months, too.
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What’s fun is that there’s no guarantee any of those stories will rank among the most popular of the year here on MMAmania.com. It’s always an unpredictable batch! So, as the year comes to a close, what stories drove the most traffic through MMAmania.com amidst the chaos?
Let’s take a look at the second batch batch (No. 1 to No. 5) …
*** Note: To check out the Top 6-10 stories at MMAmania.com in 2025 click here ***
No. 5: Jon Jones makes statement on Nate Diaz brawl in Thailand: ‘Play-fighting with Nate was not the best idea’
Writer: Ryan Harkness
Summary: Jones weighs on in Nate Diaz’s scrap on Russian TUF.
Why It Blew Up: For once, everything makes total sense here.
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First and foremost, we have two huge names in the headline between Jones and Diaz. Then, there’s the fact that “Diaz brawl” is probably the most evergreen phrase in MMA. There’s 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, 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.
No. 4: Mangled Michael Chandler rushed backstage following Paddy Pimblett loss at UFC 314, Dana White reacts (Video)
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 — that’s 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’s a reason UFC is maneuvering Pimblett so carefully into the title mix: “Baddy” is a star that moves the proverbial needle if given the opportunity, and this is the easily the best win of his career.
Chandler’s bloody mug surely didn’t hurt either.
No. 3: ‘UFC is scripted,’ says heavyweight legend, leaks Nashville results for July 12 fight card
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 — like his wholehearted embrace of cheating and eye-poking — while still having the charisma and jokes to keep fans tuning in. “The Black Beast” may be past his best at 40 years of age, but he’s still headlining events and drawing eyes to the sport.
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In this particular case of “Lewis says the darnedest things,” 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’ comments struck at the perfect moment.
I can’t confirm, but I also wonder if the traffic spiked after Lewis lived up to the “script” at UFC Nashville.
No. 2: Bye, Bye, Bo! Fans react to Bo Nickal signing next UFC fight: ‘Won’t be undefeated anymore’
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.
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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’s relatively little room for error. A young and talented prospect can think they’re doing everything right only to learn about an aspect of the game they were neglecting, and those lessons are taught the hard way.
In the case of Nickal vs. de Ridder, Nickal’s 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.
No. 1: Former UFC, WWE champ Brock Lesnar banned from professional wrestling — ‘He’s in so much trouble’
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Daniel Cormier comments on Brock Lesnar’s WWE status after Lesnar was named in last year’s trafficking lawsuit against former WWE owner Vince McMahon.
Why It Blew Up: It’s Brock Lesnar, baby!
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Conor McGregor may be the biggest star that MMA ever produced, but people are tired of the Irishman. He’s 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 — like Lesnar or Ronda Rousey — are comparatively rare and thus still in greater demand even if Mac sold more pay-per-views at his peak.
In the previous article, we also talked about crossover appeal. Lesnar has it in spades! He’s 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 in his shocking WWE return, even more traffic rebounded to this original post.
At 48 years of age and nearly a decade removed from his final UFC fight, Lesnar is still the king!
