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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Vinicius Oliveira def. Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night 250
Vinicius Oliveira (22-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) threw themselves all over the cage for 15 minutes with wild exchanges in a hotly contest bantamweight affair.
Ultimately, Oliveira kept his UFC record perfect with an upset unanimous decision over a game Nurmagomedov, who was unable to keep up his pace from beginning to end at the same rate as the Brazilian.
Nominee: Rong Zhu def. Kody Steele at UFC 312
The lightweight matchup between Rong Zhu (26-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and newcomer Kody Steele (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) produced an absolute exhilarating three rounds of action.
The lightweights put on an entertaining scrap for 15 minutes. Despite Zhu winning every round to claim a unanimous decision, Steele kept the fight intense until the very last second, and concluded with both fighters yelling in excitement for their work.
Nominee: Alonzo Menifield def. Julius Walker at UFC Fight Night 252
In a back-and-forth fight with each side visibly worn out by the second round, Alonzo Menifield (16-5-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) eked out a win over promotional newcomer Julius Walker (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Both men had their moments throughout the three rounds. Walker showed flashes of the hype around him coming into his octagon debut, but Menifield showed his veteran experience and was able to dig deep and claim the split decision nod from the judges.
Nominee: Rob Font def. Jean Matsumoto at UFC Fight Night 252
Rob Font (22-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) came through as an underdog once again when he took the undefeated record of surging bantamweight prospect Jean Matsumoto (16-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
Font showed he’s still capable at 37 when he went tit-for-tat with Matsumoto for three rounds. He managed to stay a stay ahead in the important and action-filled moments, then in the end his hand was raised in a split decision.
The winner
The winner: Jared Cannonier def. Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Fight Night 251
Jared Cannonier proved once again why he’s been at the top of the middleweight division for so long.
Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) battled and overcame early adversity as he finished Gregory Rodrigues (16-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) with strikes at 0:21 of Round 4.
CANNONIER KNOCKS OUT RODRIGUES IN ROUND FOUR 💥 #UFCVegas102 pic.twitter.com/xxbwDClJuR — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 16, 2025
Early in Round 1, things looked increasingly grim for Cannonier, who was dropped by the hulking Rodrigues’ aggressive attack. Even shots that didn’t drop Cannonier seemed to connect square. But Cannonier displayed his signature heart and chin to persevere.
After a competitive Round 2, Cannonier really started to swing the momentum late in Round 3. He dropped Cannonier and pounded away with big shots as the Brazilian bled all over the place from his face.
Whether it was tiredness or damage, Rodrigues staggered to his feet between rounds. Immediately in Round 4, Cannonier found success with his strikes. He dropped Rodrigues again and this time finished him off.
With the win, Cannonier, 40, snapped a two-fight skid that was comprised of losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.
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