Jon Jones, Leon Edwards Receive Multiple ESPY Nominations

UFC champions Jon Jones and Leon Edwards have received two ESPY nominations apiece.

ESPN on Wednesday announced the nominees for its annual awards show, which this year takes place on July 12 in Los Angeles. Jones and Edwards are joined by Amanda Nunes and Islam Makhachev as the candidates for the Best MMA Fighter Category. Additionally, Jones is on the list for Best Comeback Athlete, while Edwards is in the running for Best Championship Performance.

Jones returned to action following a three-year layoff at UFC 285, where he claimed the vacant heavyweight crown with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane. “Bones” is going up against the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray, the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas and the New York Mets’ Justin Verlander in the Best Comeback Athlete category.

Edwards was nominated for Best Championship Performance thanks to his improbable fifth-round KO of Kamaru Usman to claim welterweight gold at UFC 278 last August. The Englisman has since defended the belt, earning a majority decision triumph against Usman in a rematch at UFC 286. Edwards will be up against NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, 2022 World Cup star Lionel Messi and LPGA standout Rose Zhang in this category.

Makhachev claimed the lightweight title with a second-round submission of Charles Oliveira before defending the belt with a five-round verdict over featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on Feb. 11. He is currently in the midst of a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC.

Nunes, who is regarded by many as the greatest female MMA fighter ever, rebounded from an upset loss to Julianna Pena in 2021 to regain the bantamweight title with a dominant five-round verdict over “The Venezuelan Vixen” at UFC 277. She retired after defending the 135-pound belt in a lopsided triumph against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on June 10.

Voting for the ESPYs is currently underway and will continue until July 9 at 8 p.m. ET.