An accomplished list of mixed martial artists will vie for the honor of “Best MMA Fighter” at the 2022 ESPY Awards.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and two-time PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison are the nominees, which were announced on Tuesday. An award ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on July 20.
Previous “Best MMA Fighter” winners include Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov (twice). In the past, MMA fighters and boxers shared a “Best Fighter” category before it was separated.
Additionally, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is up for “Best Championship Performance” for her upset victory over Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. Other nominees in this category include Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp (Super Bowl LVI), Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) and the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar (Stanley Cup Final).
More must-reads: