Our year-end MMA Awards continue, this time with Comeback of the Year (that’s a comeback in a fight itself, not a career comeback). This year, one fight and one fighter stood out above the rest, and it also ranks as fight of the year.
Comeback of the year 2025
Eddie Wet: It’s hard to top Jiri Procházka’s comeback knockout over Rountree Jr. hard to choose considering how brutal those first two rounds were. Rountree appeared to be on his way to an emphatic victory, but a brilliantly timed combination turned the entire fight on its head, giving the former champion one of the most dramatic finishes of the year.
Gabriel González: Jiri Prochazka on Khalil Rountree. In the third round it seemed that Prochazka had simply ended up on the wrong side of the stylistic match with the polished striker at Rountree. With the clock running, Prochazka began to find his mark and was able to stop Rountree with force to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and reaffirm his place in the title picture.
Jay Anderson: I have to go with Jiri Prochazka’s comeback against 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 also shared Fight of the Year honors.
Brett Cagle: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan. The final PPV of the year had one of the best brawls of the year during the preliminaries. Pole Iwo Baraniewski overcame early adversity to defeat Ibo Aslan in the first round. A memorable back and forth slugfest that fans won’t soon forget.
Mathis Desjardins: Write Procazka. Khalil Rountre Jr. [UFC 320]. Very few things this year in MMA have been as fascinating as watching Jiri Prochazka’s superheroic comeback against Khalil Rountree Jr. Hollywood usually writes these kinds of scripts for Rocky movies, not for real cage fights. Watching Jiri come to life in that third round was like watching Rocky Balboa step off the canvas and Ivan Drago KO in the final round.
Daniel Vreeland: Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree. Rountree came out at UFC 320 like a man possessed. He executed the game plan to a T early. He took advantage of Jiri Prochazka’s weak defensive attack and looked ready to stake his claim for another title fight in no time. Prochazka – as he often does – had other plans for the end of the fight. The much fresher fighter came out in the third and gave Rountree a beatdown, scoring a finish with just a few minutes left on the clock.
Bryson Hester: Costello van Steenis defeated. Johnny Eblen. Easy here, Costello Van Stennis, heavy underdog taking on the undefeated 16-0 champion, Johnny Eblen. Van Stennis was dominated for the vast majority of the 25-minute fight before coming back to secure a rear-naked choke in the final 10 seconds of the fight.
End result: It’s Jiri Prochazka who deserves our 2025 Comeback of the Year award by a comfortable margin, for his fight with Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320.
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