Ruffy focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy may no longer be friends, but they shared an unforgettable night that reinforces their quality as fighters. The Brazilians were simply standouts at the traditional 'MMA Oscars' and took home important awards. At the ceremony held last Wednesday (8), in Las Vegas (USA), 'Lord' and 'One Shot' won in the categories 'Submission of the Year' and 'Knockout of the Year'.
To succeed at the 17th 'MMA Oscars', Jean and Ruffy left behind stiff competition based on popular vote. It's worth noting that this edition crowned the most outstanding performances that occurred between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. This is because the event, which was scheduled to take place in December and aimed to reward those who shone in the 2024/2025 season, never happened. Therefore, the winners were only announced now.
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Ruffy won the 'Knockout of the Year' award for the beautiful spinning kick he delivered to Bobby Green in March 2025. The strike was so spectacular that it triumphed over knockouts by Fares Ziam against Matt Frevola , Shara Magomedov against Arman Petrosyan, Gustavo Oliveira against Anas Azizoun, and Roberto Soldic against Saygid Arslanaliev.
Jean won the 'Submission of the Year' category for the arm-triangle choke that knocked out Bryce Mitchell in April 2025. The submission was so well executed that it surpassed submissions by Khamzat Chimaev on Robert Whittaker , Paddy Pimblett on Bobby Green , Virna Jandiroba on Amanda Lemos , and Steve Ray on Lewis Long.
Main winners of the 17th MMA Oscars
Best fighter: Merab Dvalishvili
He competed against Ilia Topuria , Alexandre Pantoja , Magomed Ankalaev and Gadzhi Rabadanov.
Best international wrestler: Paddy Pimblett
He competed with Dricus Du Plessis , Jack Della Maddalena , Reinier de Ridder and Phil de Fries.
Best female fighter: Kayla Harrison
She competed against Valentina Shevchenko , Dakota Ditcheva, Natalia Silva , and Jasmine Jasudavicius.
Best newcomer: Joshua Van
He competed against Jean Silva , Sean Brady , Reinier de Ridder , and Dakota Ditcheva.
Best fight: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval
He competed against Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes , Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber , Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad, and Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta.
Best knockout: Mauricio Ruffy against Bobby Green
He competed against Fares Ziam vs. Matt Frevola , Shara Magomedov vs. Arman Petrosyan, Gustavo Oliveira vs. Anas Azizoun, and Roberto Soldic vs. Saygid Arslanaliev.
Best finish: Jean Silva on Bryce Mitchell
He competed against Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker , Paddy Pimblett vs. Bobby Green , Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Lemos , and Steve Ray vs. Lewis Long.
Best gym: Syndicate MMA
He competed with American Top Team, Abdulmanap School, Fighting Nerds and Valle Flow Striking.
Best coach: John Wood, from Syndicate MMA
He competed against Khabib Nurmagomedov of the Abdulmanap School, Pablo Sucupira of Fighting Nerds, Mike Brown of American Top Team, and Mike Valle of Valle Flow Striking.
Best organization: UFC
Competed with PFL, LFA, Rizin and Cage Warriors.
Best leader: Dana White
He competed against Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Ed Soares, Peter Murray, and Graham Boylan.
Best narrator: Jon Anik
He competed against Brendan Fitzgerald, John Gooden, Michael Schiavello, and Sean O'Connell.
Best personality: Nina Drama
He competed against Joe Rogan, Bruce Buffer, Daniel Cormier , and Chael Sonnen.
Best MMA program: Contender Series
It competed with The Ariel Helwani Show, Jaxxon Podcast, The Anik & Florian Podcast and The Ultimate Fighter.
Best journalist: Ariel Helwani
He competed against Mike Bohn, Aaron Bronsteter, Ben Fowlkes, and Damon Martin.
Best specialized media: MMA Junkie
Competed with ESPN MMA, MMA Fighting, Uncrowned and Sherdog.
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