Who is the most excellent fighter in the world?
That depends on the fans who voted in the 2026 ESPY Awards. The nominees are UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, retired super middleweight boxing champion Terence Crawford, five-division boxing titleholder Claressa Shields, and undisputed unified flyweight boxing champion Gabriela Fundora.
Gaethje, who beat the crap out of Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 before destroying Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, was as high as -600 at BetOnline and currently
sits at 90% on Polymarket and 92% on Kalshi. Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez last fall to unify the super middleweight titles before retiring.
Shields and Fundora both notched two wins to improve to 18-0 but their opponents were unremarkable.
The 2026 ESPY Awards air TONIGHT (Weds., July 15) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App, live from inside the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Replays will be available on Thursday (July 16) on Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand.
The event will be hosted by comedian Marcello Hernández, a regular on Saturday Night Live, who recently starred in his own Netflix comedy special American Boy back in January. I’m sure Hernández can’t do any worse than some of the past comedians, like Tracy Morgan and Shane Gillis.
Remember to vote for “The Highlight” while there’s still time!
