With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominee: Morgan Charriere def. Nate Landwehr at UFC on ESPN 70
Morgan Charriere spoiled Nate Landwehr's homecoming with a big knockout of Nate Landwehr in their featherweight bout.
Charriere (21-11-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stunned the Nashville crowd with a finishing barrage of the hometown fighter Landwehr (18-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC). When the third round, it didn't take long for him to unload a barrage of strikes that led to the finish.
OH MY GOODNESS 🤯@Morgan_Chapa just DID THAT! #UFCNashvillepic.twitter.com/iqIUV9smDj
— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2025
Nominee: Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen at PFL Africa
If he does nothing else, Costello van Steenis will always be remembered for his insane comeback against Johnny Eblen to claim the PFL middleweight title.
Not only did he claim the belt, van Steenis (17-3) did so in improbable fashion when he rallied and submitted Eblen (16-1) with nine seconds left in their five-round bout. The stoppage came at 4:51 of Round 5 for arguably the most stunning result in PFL history.
DOUBT. HIM. NOW.
COSTELLO VAN STEENIS REAR NAKED CHOKE WITH 10 SECONDS LEFT!!#AndNew PFL Middleweight World Champion!#PFLCapeTown 🇿🇦 | TODAY | Grand Arena, GrandWest | Cape Town, South Africa | 🇺🇸 LIVE NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/eAby40lnU6
— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2025
Nominee: Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier at UFC 318
Max Holloway finally got his get-back against Dustin Poirier when he emerged victorious from their trilogy bout and sent "The Diamond" into retirement on an L.
After losing to Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) by submission in 2012 and decision in 2019, Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) made the most of his last chance in New Orleans when he scored a unanimous decision win to successfully defend the BMF title and split the retirement moment of Poirier.
FOREVER LINKED 🤝@BlessedMMA & @DustinPoirier go the distance at #UFC318! pic.twitter.com/j2o03hFE3G
— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2025
Nominee: Steven Nguyen def. Mohammad Yahya at UFC on ABC 9
Steven Nguyen made history – at the expense of Mohammad Yahya's face – in their featherweight bout
Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) a record-breaking six times. The fight was stopped between Round 2 and Round 3 due to Yahya's grotesquely swollen eye.
STEVEN NGUYEN GETS THE WIN BY DOCTOR'S STOPPAGE AFTER SETTING A UFC RECORD SIX KNOCKDOWNS AT #UFCABUDHABI 💥 pic.twitter.com/i8DPfrvLYa
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 26, 2025
The winner: Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland at UFC 318
It was a fight UFC matchmakers had tried to make multiple times prior and when it finally came to fruition, it proved worth the wait.
Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland came to blows at UFC 318 and fans were treated to an all-time-wild brawl. When the dust settled, Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was named winner by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
As the fight progressed, the craziness increased. Rodriguez had a strong first round, but peaked in Round 2 when he froze and dropped Holland (28-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) with a combination. Holland somehow survived and scored a beautifully-timed takedown midway through the round.
In Round 3, Holland stunned Rodriguez multiple times. Uppercuts were his biggest weapons, which totally flashed Rodriguez twice. Although the referee he was close to intervening, he did not. Rodriguez was allowed to fight on and for good reason. He scored a takedown on Holland and entered mount.
Rodriguez, 38, has won three fights in a row. He entered UFC 318 off back-to-back wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Cast Your Vote!
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Fight of the Month for July 2025: No snub for a UFC 318 banger
