Our year-end MMA Awards continue, this time with Comeback of the Year (that’s comeback in a fight itself, not a career comeback). This year, one fight and one fighter stood out above all the rest, and it doubles up as Fight of the Year as well.
Comeback of the Year 2025
Eddie Law: It’s hard not to pick Jiri Procházka’s comeback knockout over Rountree Jr. when you consider how brutal those first two rounds were. Rountree appeared to be cruising to a clear decision win, but a brilliantly timed combination flipped the entire fight on its head, giving the former champion one of the year’s most dramatic finishes.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Jiri Prochazka Over Khalil Rountree. In the third round, it seemed that Prochazka had simply ended up on the wrong side of stylistic matchup with the polished striker in Rountree. With the clock winding down, Prochazka began finding his mark and was able to violently stop Rountree to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and reassert his place in the title picture.
Jay Anderson: I’ve got to go with Jiri Prochazka’s comeback over Khalil Rountree Jr. The stakes might have been higher in Costello van Steenis vs. Johnny Eblen, which was also a big comeback win for van Steenis. Prochazka’s stood out just a little more, and it was a fight that shared Fight of the Year honors as well.
Brett Cagle: Iwo Baraniewski vs Ibo Aslan. The final PPV of the year had one of the best brawls of the year on the prelims. Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski overcame early adversity to knockout Ibo Aslan in the first round. A memorable back and forth slugfest fans won’t soon forget.
Mathis Desjardins: Jiri Prochazka def. Khalil Rountree Jr. [UFC 320]. Very few things this year in MMA were as mesmerizing as watching Jiri Prochazka’s superhero-like comeback against Khalil Rountree Jr. Hollywood usually writes scripts like this for Rocky movies, not real-life cage fights. Seeing Jiri come to life in that third round felt like watching Rocky Balboa get off the canvas and KO Ivan Drago in the final round.
Daniel Vreeland: Jiri Prochazka vs Khalil Rountree. Rountree came out at UFC 320 like a man possessed. He executed the gameplan early to a T. He exploited the weak defensive striking of Jiri Prochazka and seemed to be ready to stake his claim to another title fight in no time. Prochazka – as he often does – had different plans for the end of the fight. The much fresher fighter came out in the third and put a beatdown on Rountree, scoring a finish with just minutes left on the clock.
Bryson Hester: Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen. Easy one here, Costello Van Stennis, heavy underdog taking on the champion an undefeated 16-0, Johnny Eblen. Van Stennis was dominated for the vast majority of the 25 minute fight before coming back and securing a rear naked choke in the final 10 seconds of the fight.
End Result: It’s Jiri Prochazka earning our Comeback of the Year award for 2025 by a comfortable margin, for his fight with Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320.
