Fans will crown the most excellent fighter in the world when the 2026 ESPY Awards go live tonight from New York City.
The ceremony, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, features a stacked combat sports field decided entirely by fan voting.
Nominees include 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, known as "The Highlight," is coming off wins over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 and Ilia Topuria at UFC White House.
Crawford enters the ballot on the strength of his victory over Canelo Alvarez last fall to unify the super middleweight titles before retiring. Shields and Fundora each recorded two wins to improve their records to 18-0.
The event will be hosted by comedian Marcello Hernández, a regular on Saturday Night Live who starred in the Netflix comedy special American Boy in January. Replays of the 2026 ESPY Awards will be available on Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand.
