On Wednesday night, ESPN announced its nominees for this year’s ESPY awards, the winners of which will be announced on the live July 13 show from Los Angeles where John Cena will be the host.
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is nominated along with Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns in the category of Best Breakthrough Athlete.
Holly Holm’s win over Ronda Rousey was nominated for Biggest Upset, along with Middle Tennessee over Michigan State in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and Roberta Vinci over Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. Because fans vote for the awards, Holm could have a good shot at winning.
Holm was also nominated for Best Play Of The Year for her November 2015 knockout of Rousey in Australia.
McGregor and Robbie Lawler were nominated for Fighter of the Year which is weird since McGregor last lost in a fight against Nate Diaz, while many thought Lawler lost in his last outing against Carlos Condit, a fight he won via a razor-thin split decision.