LeBron James, Nikola Jokić, and Lionel Messi Join Jon Jones, Leon Edwards and Islam Makhachev as Prestigious ESPY Nomination Reveals UFC Stars in Line for Esteemed Award

ESPN recently announced that their annual ESPY Awards show will be taking place on July 12 in the city of Los Angeles. As per recent reports, the ESPYS have nominated four UFC fighters for the award in several categories. The fighters include Jon Jones, Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, and recently retired Amanda Nunes.

ESPYS are presented to those athletes every year who demonstrated great, admirable, and inspirational performances in their respective sports. The first MMA fighter to win the ESPYS was the Hall of Famer and former double champion, Daniel Cormier. Since then, a few more have won it.

UFC champs Leon Edwards and Jon Jones get nominated in separate categories

Leon Edwards has been on a roll since winning the welterweight title. ‘Rocky’ got nominated in the ‘Best Championship Performance’ category for his exceptional performance at UFC 278. He defeated Kamaru Usman with an iconic head kick, in a fight in which ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ dominated until the closing stages of the fight. Edwards will share the nominated category with soccer superstar Lionel Messi and NBA 2023 finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.

Meanwhile, Jon Jones made a triumphant return to the Octagon after a three-year layoff at UFC 285. He was nominated for ‘Best Comeback Athlete’ after defeating Ciryl Gane within two minutes of their main event fight. Jones also set the record for winning the heavyweight championship in his first-ever fight in the division. Also, this isn’t the first time the ESPYS have nominated him.

Amanda Nunes and Islam Makhachev also receive nominations

Several UFC champions have been selected for ESPYS nominations. They included lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the list of nominees for ‘Best UFC Fighter’. He won the lightweight title at UFC 280 by defeating Charles Oliveira in a dominant fashion by submission. Makhachev also successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.

On the other hand, The ‘Best UFC Fighter’ shortlist also included former double champion Amanda Nunes along with Islam Makhachev, Jon Jones, and Leon Edwards. She retired after defending her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289. ‘The Lioness’ is arguably one of the best fighters to grace the Octagon. It will also be Amanda Nunes’ third ESPYS nomination.

READ MORE: “That’s the Same Way…”: Former New York Giants Stars Compares “Powerful” Jon Jones to ‘Achilles’ From Hollywood Film ‘Troy’

The ESPYS have also nominated MLB star Aaron Judge, who is already a four-time ESPYS winner. Also, LeBron James received a nomination after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s NBA scoring record.

Meanwhile, The UFC has become one of the biggest sporting promotions in the world. So far, three UFC fighters have received ESPYS. Now, we will have a few more winners in our hands. It is highly possible that the ‘Best Championship Performance’ and the ‘Best Comeback Athlete’ categories may have winners from other sports. However, we can surely bet that the UFC will have one ESPYS winner from the ‘Best UFC Fighter’ category.

What are your thoughts about the nominations? Drop your comments down below.

WATCH THIS STORY: After Intense Beef, Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones Faceoff Raises the Roof at PFL 5