17th annual World MMA Awards voting open; MMA Junkie and Mike Bohn receive nominations
Female Fighter of the Year finalists are Kayla Harrison, Dakota Ditcheva, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Valentina Shevchenko and Natalia Silva.
In addition, MMA Junkie (Media Source of the Year) and Mike Bohn (Journalist of the Year) also are finalists.
Fighters Only Magazine again is hosting the awards. The date and location for a black-tie ceremony hasn't been determined, although it typically coincides during the week of the UFC's final pay-per-view event of the year in December.
According to Fighters Only, a panel of MMA industry experts put together the list of award nominees for a year-long period covering July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Voting is now open at WorldMMAAwards.com.
Below is the full list of finalists by category:
Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year
Female Fighter Of The Year
Breakthrough Fighter Of The Year
International Fighter Of The Year
Fight Of The Year
Knockout Of The Year
Submission Of The Year
Comeback Of The Year
Upset Of The Year
Commentator Of The Year
Analyst Of The Year
Shawn Tompkins Coach Of The Year
Trainer Of The Year
Gym Of The Year
Referee Of The Year
Ringcard Girl Of The Year
Leading Man Of The Year
Best Promotion
Personality Of The Year
Best MMA Programming
MMA Media Source Of The Year
MMA Journalist Of The Year
Fighting Spirit Award
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19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Here's MMAmania.com's UFC 319 betting odds ‘Weekend Lock' … what's yours?
UFC 319 is less than 24 hours away … It all goes down this weekend (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In the UFC 319 main event, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis defends his title for the third time against the oncoming force Khamzat Chimaev, in one of the biggest fights of 2025. We have a weekly series at called 'Weekend Lock,' where we share one bet that we predict will slap in 'Chi-Town' when the chaotic dust settles. We also want to hear what our readers think (that's you!), so please tell us your most confident UFC 319 betting lock in the comments section below (full UFC Vegas 319 odds here). Last week's recap: Our UFC Vegas 109 lock cashed as Anthony Hernandez absolutely dogwalked Roman Dolidze for four rounds until he eventually strangled him, becoming the first fight to finish the Georgian fighter (watch highlights). Let's keep on, keeping on below: The UFC 319 'Prelims' features a very fun Middleweight fight between Michal Oleksiejczuk and Gerald Meerschaert, and the fight should be absolute chaos for as long as it lasts … which is a teaser for my Weekend Lock. This week, I'm locking in Oleksiejczuk/Meerschaert – Fight to Not Go the Distance at -380. Oleksiejczuk is an offensive buzzsaw with fight-ending power in both hands. The Polish striker is a notoriously fast starter, with 15 of his 19 career wins coming via knockout — most of them in the first round. He doesn't waste time feeling out his opponents; he pressures, throws in volume, and swings to end it. On the other side, Meerschaert has made a career out of being the Middleweight division's guillotine — if you leave your neck exposed, he'll snatch it. 'GM3' owns the most submissions in UFC Middleweight history (11), most finishes in UFC Middleweight division history (11), and thrives in messy grappling exchanges. When he wins, it's almost always inside the distance, and when he loses, it's typically via KO/TKO. Both men share one thing: they rarely hear the final horn. Oleksiejczuk's aggressive style makes scorecards a myth, while Meerschaert's kill-or-be-killed approach almost guarantees a finish one way or the other. Whether it's Oleksiejczuk landing a clean left hand early or Meerschaert capitalizing on a scramble to lock up a choke, this fight is tailor-made for an early ending. Oleksiejczuk is favored to win (-238) and knock 'GM3' out (-115), but honestly, Meerschaert's durability has somehow gotten better and is always there to grab a submission late; also, Oleksiejczuk has been tapped in two of his last three losses Just like last week, this bet is chalk, but it's the kind of chalk that's going to cash, and can be slotted into a parlay if that's what you want to do, because someone is getting stopped in this fight. While the track records are overwhelmingly in our favor, MMA is unpredictable. If Oleksiejczuk gets overly cautious after getting caught by Meerschaert or 'GM3' decides to play it safer than usual, we could see more cage control and less chaos. Still, history suggests otherwise — these two just aren't wired for 15-minute affairs. For what it's worth, this X/Twitter user is riding with Oleksiejczuk. Gerald Meerschaert To Win By KO/TKO/DQ: +100 Gerald Meerschaert To Win By Submission: +400 Gerald Meerschaert To Win By Decision: +650 Draw: +5000 Michal Oleksiejczuk To Win By KO/TKO/DQ: –115 Michal Oleksiejczuk To Win By Submission: +1000 Michal Oleksiejczuk To Win By Decision: +500 LIVE! Watch UFC 319 PPV On ESPN+ Here! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 319 from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In UFC 319's PPV main event, Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, defends his title against undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, in a high-stakes, five-round battle of unbeaten UFC records. UFC 319's PPV co-main event features a Featherweight showdown between Lerone Murphy and promotional newcomer, Aaron Pico, a high-profile free-agent signing stepping in on short notice. UFC 319 will also showcase a Welterweight clash between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, a Middleweight bout pitting Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, a Flyweight matchup featuring Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, and much more! UFC 319's start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET ('Early Prelims'), 8 p.m. ET ('Prelims' undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card)Don't miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action! Where to Buy: Check price at STREAM UFC 319 Remember that will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 319 fight card, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ 'Prelims' matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+). To check out the latest and greatest UFC 319: 'du Plessis vs. Khamzat' news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right .
CNET
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UFC 319: du Plessis vs. Chimaev — Everything to Know to Watch via Livestream
After a week that has seen the premier MMA promotion company ink a new multi-billion dollar TV deal, as well as firm up plans for an event at the White House, it's back to business in the Octagon this weekend, with UFC 319 offering up an intriguing middleweight title fight in Chicago. Saturday's main event sees South Africa's Dricus du Plessis aiming for a third successful title defense in a row as he takes on unbeaten Russian challenger Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis claimed the title with a win over Sean Strickland at the start of last year and comes into this fight off the back of an unanimous decision victory in a rematch with Strickland at UFC 312 in February. Chimaev hasn't fought since his win over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last October, in a devastating performance that saw him dislocate the New Zealander's jaw in a first-round submission. Catch all the action live by following our guide to watching UFC 319. Du Plessis and Chimaev both have unbeaten UFC records to protect coming into Saturday's headline fight. Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC UFC 319 start time UFC 319 takes place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday Aug. 16. The main card gets going at 9 p.m. CDT local time (10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT). Here are all the details for multiple time zones. US and Canada The main card starts Aug. 16, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) . . The prelims start Aug. 16, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) . . The early prelims start Aug. 16, 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT). UK The main card starts Aug. 17, 3 a.m. BST . . The prelims start Aug. 17, 1 a.m. BST . . The early prelims start Aug. 16, 11 p.m. BST. Australia The main card starts Aug. 17, noon. AEST . . The prelims start Aug. 17, 10 a.m. AEST . . The early prelims start Aug. 17, 8 a.m. AEST. Main event start time It's hard to say exactly when the main event will take place but if you're looking to only watch the fight between du Plessis and Chimaev, ring walks will start no earlier than midnight ET (9 p.m. PT). How to watch UFC 319 in the US While live UFC coverage in the US is set to change hands next year, for the time being ESPN Plus remains its home and the place to head to if you want to watch UFC 319, with Saturday's card being offered as a pay-per-view event. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site: Existing annual ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $80. New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of the UFC 319 PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $135. This is a decent deal. The ESPN Plus annual subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal. You can do all of the above at the link below. How to watch UFC 319 in the UK MMA fans in the UK can watch all the action from Chicago via TNT Sports and the good news is that unlike some UFC events on the network this event won't be PPV. Coverage gets underway on TNT Sports 1 with the prelims at 1 a.m. BST in the early hours of Sunday morning. TNT Sports TNT Sports Watch UFC events live in the UK with TNT Sports TNT Sports is the exclusive UK broadcaster for all numbered UFC events in the UK. You can access TNT Sports in exactly the same way as its predecessor BT Sport, including via Sky Q as a TV package, as well as the option of streaming online. It costs £31 either way and comes in a package that includes Discovery Plus' library of documentary content. See at TNT Sport How to watch UFC 319 in Australia You can watch UFC 319 through Main Event on Foxtel. That means you can also watch online via sports streaming service Kayo for AU$60. How to watch UFC 319 in Canada UFC 319's main card is available to watch through a variety of PPV providers, including cable operators such as Bell, Rogers and Shaw, as well as streaming services such as DAZN, Sportsnet Plus and UFC Fight Pass. Whichever option you choose, it's a PPV fee of CA$70 across the board. It's also worth noting that early prelims will be available to stream via UFC Fight Pass, while the event's Prelims will be shown on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Full fight card Main card Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis (c) (Middleweight title fight) Aaron Pico vs. Lerone Murphy (Featherweight) Carlos Prates vs. Geoff Neal (Welterweight) Michael Page vs. Jared Cannonier (Middleweight) Kai Asakara vs. Tim Elliot (Flyweight) Prelims Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight) Loopy Godinez vs. Jessica Andrade (Women's Strawweight) Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight) Early prelims
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UFC 319: Joe Rogan compares 'monster' Dricus Du Plessis' cardio to Merab Dvalishvili
Joe Rogan sees Dricus Du Plessis' cardio right up there with fellow UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 319 main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at United Center in Chicago. Rogan compared Du Plessis' continuous growth to Dvalishvili's, pointing to "The Machine" dominating and submitting Sean O'Malley in their UFC 316 rematch as an example. He told show guest Matt Serra he, in particular, should relate since he's coached Dvalishvili for years. "He's a monster, and you know this because you work with Merab," Rogan said of Du Plessis in a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." "There's guys that reach this level of discipline, and they achieve a level of cardio vascular performance that's just above everybody else's and then they maintain it. They get that advantage and they keep pushing it, and they slowly keep adding onto it. "Like you're seeing Merab now, particularly in the second O'Malley fight, you see he's a totally different beast. He's super confident, non-stop, and you can't keep up with that. The amount of hard work is extraordinary to get to that level, and I think Dricus is kind of a similar thing. I think that dude works so hard that he can go out there and fight full blast." Guests John Rallo, Serra and Din Thomas all spoke about how Chimaev's resume mainly consists of welterweights, but Rogan explained how that could serve as an advantage for "Borz." "Khamzat's speed is a big factor with his hand speed," Rogan said. "People forget what he did to Kevin Holland, the way he could ragdoll guys on the ground. But what he did to Gerald Meerschaert is pretty f*cking spooky. He's technical and sharp and straight down the middle. He is good standing up, and that's where it's going to be weird. That's where I want to see because Du Plessis makes everyone look stupid. He finds a way to get you."
