2025 Australian MMA Male Next Level Fighter of the Year - Alex Volkanovski

This award is for the men performing at the peak of the sport, UFC level, representing Australia and New Zealand on the biggest stage and actually moving the needle.

1st: Alexander Volkanovski

2nd: Quillan Salkilld

3rd: Jack Della Maddalena

Jack Della Maddalena had a whirlwind year. He climbed the mountain, took the belt off Belal Muhammad, then ran into the nightmare matchup and the nightmare night against Islam Makhachev. The win was legacy stuff. The loss was brutal, but it doesn’t erase what he achieved. Becoming champion is forever.

Quillan Salkilld, though, is basically the UFC’s rookie of the year. Three fights, three wins, and three totally different tests. He iced Anshul Jubli in under 20 seconds, found a gritty decision when he had to, then landed a thunderous head kick to put Nasrat on the highlight reels. That’s the full package, violence, composure, and the ability to level up fast. In almost any other year, Quillan wins this award comfortably.

But 2025 belonged to Alexander Volkanovski.

Volk turned back the clock and reclaimed his featherweight crown in a performance so dominant it felt like a reminder to the whole division. The most inspiring part is what it meant historically. He became the first “little guy” champion, in the lower weight classes, to win a UFC title over 35. After everything he’d been through, he still found a way to be great again, and he did it while carrying that mentality he’s made famous: adversity is a privilege.

And that’s why it’s his. Even with Quillan’s perfect year and Jack’s championship moment, it’s still Volk’s world until he decides it isn’t.

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