Gaethje earns sole MMA nomination at 2026 ESPYs after stunning Topuria for undisputed title

Justin Gaethje is the sole MMA representative among the 2026 ESPY Best Fighter nominees, recognised after a career-defining run that culminated in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

The nominations were announced on Thursday, placing Gaethje alongside boxers Terence Crawford, Gabriela Fundora, and Claressa Shields. It marks a structural change at the ESPYs: the long-standing Best MMA Fighter category — which since 2019 had honoured names such as Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Jon Jones — has been merged with the Best Boxer award into a single Best Fighter prize.

Gaethje’s nomination is built on a remarkable few months. In January, he defeated Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold the interim lightweight title twice. He then converted that interim reign into undisputed gold earlier this month, stopping Ilia Topuria in their unification bout at UFC White House — a result widely described as one of the most surprising outcomes the promotion has ever produced.

For a fighter who has spent his career at the centre of the lightweight division’s most brutal exchanges, the undisputed championship represents the peak of what has already been a Hall of Fame-calibre career. The ESPY nomination adds a layer of mainstream recognition to a title run that has already generated significant attention across combat sports.

Voting for the 2026 ESPYs is open until July 15, with the ceremony taking place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.