Alexander Volkanovski may soon celebrate another title defense and first ESPY victory.
The UFC’s featherweight champion is one of four fighters nominated for the Best MMA Fighter ESPY, an annual award presented by ESPN that is voted on by fans. Volkanovski will be joined by Charles Oliveira (uncrowned lightweight champion UFC welterweight champion) and Kayla Harrison, a two-time PFL lightweight champ.
Volkanovski defends his title against Max Holloway in a trilogy bout this Saturday at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.
The 2022 ESPY nominations were announced Tuesday, with a ceremony to take place on July 20 in Los Angeles.
The 2019. Best MMA Fighter ESPY Award was established. Two-time winner Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier were previous winners. Prior to 2019,, MMA fighters as well as boxers were competing in the Best Fighter category. However, it was split into two separate awards. Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Demetrious Johnson are past recipients of the Best Fighter award.
Julianna Pena, UFC bantamweight champion, was also nominated for the Best Championship Performance award. “The Venezuelan Vixen” scored a massive upset over long-reining champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 this past December, ending Nunes’ six-year, 12-fight unbeaten streak. They will rematch their match at UFC on July 10 days following the ESPY award ceremony.
Pena’s competition includes Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, F1 driver Max Verstappen, and recent Stanley Cup winner Cale Makar.
In the Best Boxer Category, 2021 winner Tyson Fury takes on Shakur Stevenson and Katie Taylor.
