sports
Four fighters named nominees for 2026 ESPY best fighter award
The UFC lightweight champion is one of four athletes nominated for the joint combat sports honor. The ESPY Awards ceremony is set for July 15.
Jun 25, 5:00 PM·1m read1 source
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Four athletes—Justin Gaethje, Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields and Gabriela Fundora—are nominees for the 2026 ESPY best fighter award. The 2026 ESPY Awards will take place on July 15 and cover achievements from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
The combat sports category is returning to a single joint award after being split into separate MMA and boxing honors since 2019. Gaethje won the undisputed UFC lightweight title by defeating Ilia Topuria at the White House in June 2026. He had earlier defeated Paddy Pimblett to claim the interim title, giving him two UFC title wins within the award period.
Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez during the period to become the first male boxer in the four-belt era to win undisputed titles in three weight divisions. Shields recorded two decision wins while defending her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and WBF female heavyweight titles. Fundora retained her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring flyweight titles twice, both by knockout.
Merab Dvalishvili won the 2025 combat sports ESPY after defeating Dricus du Plessis, Islam Makhachev and Kayla Harrison in the voting. Fans can vote for the 2026 winner at ESPYS.com.
