Issue 192
September 2020
We are living in unprecedented times, but the world of Mixed Martial Arts has continued to prosper. Over the next eight pages, we look at the men and women who, from January 2019 to July 2020, showed true excellence at the highest level of the sport
Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis
Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading male MMA fighter for his contribution to the sport.
Henry Cejudo is known for his trash talking, but there is no denying he has also backed it up. The former Olympic gold medallist went 3-0 between January 2019 and July 2020 before ultimately stepping away from the sport and relinquishing both his UFC flyweight and bantamweight titles. The run that saw him finish TJ Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes and Dominick Cruz in succession will go down in history.
Few fighters have ever entered the sport and made the impact that Israel Adesanya has in such quick time. Last year’s Breakthrough Fighter of the Year went on to defeat Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero in just 18 months and quickly established himself as the man to beat at 185-pounds. At 19-0, the Nigerian-born Kiwi has the UFC middleweight division at his feet.
It has never been doubted that Justin Gaethje is one the most exciting lightweights in the world, but in the last year and a half he has taken things to a whole new level. The current interim UFC lightweight champion has shown a totally different side to his game with his latest win over Tony Ferguson showcasing a more considered and tactical approach. He is a legitimate threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
2019 was Jorge Masvidal’s year. After a 16-month hiatus, “Gamebred” returned to the UFC Octagon with a bang by knocking out Darren Till at UFC London, before silencing Ben Askren at UFC 239 with that now infamous flying knee which proved to be the fastest KO in UFC history. Masvidal then went on to defeat Nate Diaz for the symbolic UFC BMF belt at Madison Square Garden at UFC 244 on another historic night.
Douglas Lima got both revenge and his Bellator welterweight title back in 2019. After becoming the first man to defeat the flamboyant Michael “Venom” Page in the semi-finals, Lima went on to beat Rory MacDonald and win both the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix and the Bellator 170-pounds strap at Bellator 232. At 32, Lima is hitting his prime and is apparently eyeing a second Bellator title this year.
Female Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading female MMA fighter for her contribution to the sport.
It is hard to look past Valentina Shevchenko when considering the greatest female flyweight of all time. “Bullet” looked nothing short of dominant during her successful title defenses against Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, and Katlyn Chookagian and she has now firmly cemented herself as the woman to beat at 125-pounds. Shevchenko truly is the queen of the UFC’s women’s flyweight division and it looks like staying that way for a very long time.
Weili Zhang entered 2019 relatively unknown but by the following year that had completely changed. After beating Tecia Torres at UFC 235, Zhang became the first Chinese fighter ever to capture a UFC title when she defeated Jessica Andrade in front of her hometown crowd in Shenzhen, China. “Magnum” then defended her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in Las Vegas in an incredible Fight of the Year candidate.
2019 could not have gone any better for Kayla Harrison after she picked up four wins en route to becoming the first woman ever to win the PFL women’s lightweight title. The multiple Olympic gold medallist defeated Morgan Frier, Bobbi Jo Dalziel and Larissia Pacheco for a second time to claim the belt at Madison Square Garden and take home a check for a cool $1 million.
Cris Cyborg fought just twice between January 2019 and July 2020, but she was setting records yet again. After defeating Felicia Spencer and earning a final win under the UFC banner, Cyborg became the first woman in history to have held Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC and Bellator titles after defeating Julia Budd at Bellator 238. At the age of 35, there seems to be no stopping Cyborg any time soon.
Amanda Nunes continued to stake her claim as the greatest women’s fighter of all time with three wins over the past 18 months. With convincing victories over Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie and Felicia Spencer, the Brazilian defended both her bantamweight and featherweight titles in relatively untroubled fashion. Nunes will now be looking to become the first woman since Ronda Rousey to win the Female Fighter of The Year award two years running.
Knockout of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who scores the most sensational knockout victory.
Jorge Masvidal KOs Ben Askren
(Flying Knee - UFC 239)
Jorge Masvidal promised he was going to make Ben Askren pay for all his trash talking and at UFC 239 he did exactly that. It took “Gamebred” just five seconds to launch himself through the air and land a picture-perfect knee to knock Askren out cold and send the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena wild. With the world watching, Masvidal executed the perfect plan and put himself in the record books.
Cody Garbrandt KOs Raphael Assuncao (Punch - UFC 250)
Riding a three-fight losing streak heading into his bout with Raphael Assuncao, many thought Cody Garbrandt would play it safe, but they were very wrong. The former UFC bantamweight champion stood toe-to-toe with Assuncao from the very first bell and with one second remaining in the second round he found a home for a thunderous right hand to knock the Brazilian out cold in spectacular fashion. It was his first win since December 2016.
Anthony Pettis KOs Stephen Thompson (Superman Punch - UFC on ESPN 6)
“Showtime” is known for his box of magic tricks and it needed just one to put away Stephen Thompson. “Wonderboy” had been controlling the contest for the most part of the opening nine minutes, but with five seconds left in the second round, Pettis exploded off the cage with a Superman Punch to put Thompson on the mat unable to defend himself. Yet again, Pettis showed the world he can be innovative and dangerous in any situation.
Sean O’Malley KOs Eddie Wineland
(Punch - UFC 250)
When you walk to the cage with rainbow colored hair you better be able to back it up and “Sugar” Sean O’Malley certainly proved he can. With a setup that mixed beautiful footwork and feints, O’Malley bamboozled veteran Eddie Wineland into dropping his left hand. The 25-year-old made him pay for it with a picture-perfect straight right to render Wineland unconscious before he even hit the mat. It was clever, classy, and clinical.
Douglas Lima KOs Michael Page
(Punch - Bellator 221)
It was going to take something very special to hand Michael Page his first ever loss and Douglas Lima produced exactly that. After being rocked by the Brit just seconds earlier, the Brazilian whipped in a low calf kick to knock Page off balance and down to the mat. Page quickly tried to get back to his feet, but Lima saw his opportunity and whipped in a short hook straight onto his chin to knock him clean out.
Submission of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who scores the most technical, exceptional submission.
Brent Primus SUB Tim Wilde
(Gogoplata - Bellator Birmingham)
Brent Primus had some problems with Brit Tim Wilde early on, but when the fight hit the mat, he made no mistake. After being knocked down to the mat, Primus showed incredible dexterity and brought his left shin to his chest. The American then adjusted his grip to push down on Wilde’s head and lock in a beautiful Gogoplata to get the first-round tap and pick up the win.
Bryce Mitchell SUB Matt Sayles
(Twister - UFC on ESPN 7)
The Twister submission is a thing of beauty and Bryce Mitchell became just the second man in UFC history to hit the submission at ESPN 7. Mitchell apparently learned the technique watching videos of Eddie Bravo on YouTube, but on the night, he pulled it off perfectly as he contorted Matt Sayles’ neck and spine in brutal fashion to get that tap and pick up a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Aviv Gozali SUB Eduard Muravitsky (Heelhook - Bellator 225)
Aviv Gozali scored the fastest submission in Bellator history with a beautiful Heelhook at Bellator 225. The Israeli lunged at his opponent Eduard Muravitsky with an Imanari roll and successfully entangled himself in the legs of his opponent. Muravitsky did his best to try to escape his predicament, but only succeeded in getting himself further entangled and was forced to submit to a Heelhook with just 11 seconds on the clock.
Demian Maia SUB Ben Askren
(Rear-Naked Choke -
UFC on ESPN+ 20)
Many looked forward to the grappling exchanges between Ben Askren and Demian Maia and they were not disappointed. Both men spent time in control of the exchanges on the mat, but it was the Brazilian who finished the fight after he reversed position and seized full mount before slickly taking Askren’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke to get the tap in round three. It was vintage Maia.
Misha Cirkunov SUB Jimmy Crute
(Peruvian Necktie - UFC on ESPN+ 16)
Misha Cirkunov looked to be in trouble against Jimmy Crute, but he turned the tide with a beautiful Peruvian Necktie. Crute was seconds away from forcing a stoppage as he pounded away in top position, but Cirkunov hit a crafty sweep to land on top and lock in a Prevuvian Necktie. Crute did all he could to escape, but with the hold firmly established he was forced to tap.
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who has made the most impressive progress.
Winning a UFC title is one thing but winning a UFC title in just 42 seconds in front of 10,000 rampant hometown fans is really something else. Weili Zhang accomplished exactly that at UFC on ESPN+ 15 and she did it in style as she disposed of the then champion Jessica Andrade in quick fashion. Factor in her successful title defense over Joanna Jedrzejczyk (a Fight of the Year nominee) and it adds up to the best year ever for a Chinese fighter on the world stage.
2019 was a very special year for Alexander Volkanvoski as he became the first Australian to hold the UFC featherweight title. “The Great” ventured to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he defeated featherweight legend, Jose Aldo, before then beating Max Holloway for the title at UFC 245. The only other man to have the scalps of both Aldo and Holloway on their record is Conor McGregor.
Gilbert Burns surged up the UFC welterweight rankings with five wins between January 2019 and July 2020. The Brazilian was willing to take on all-comers during this 18-month period as he racked up victories over Mike Davies, Alexey Kunchenko, Gunnar Nelson, Demian Maia and the former champion Tyron Woodley. Burns now has the UFC welterweight title in his sights following his meteoric rise.
Jorge Masvidal was very well known before 2019, but during that year he took his profile to a whole new level. With his career seemingly at a crossroads at the start of the year, Masvidal ended it with The Rock wrapping the BMF title around his waist in front of Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden. Few can ever claim to have made the impact that Jorge Masvidal did during his 2019 campaign.
Russian bantamweight Petr Yan has lived up this his nickname “No Mercy” since debuting in the UFC in 2018 and he has now firmly cemented himself as one of the most dangerous men at 135-pounds. Yan’s recent interim UFC bantamweight title was set up following a dominant run in 2019 where he notched up victories over John Dodson, Jimmie Rivera and Urijah Faber. Yan looks an unstoppable force at 135-pounds in the UFC.
International Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading mixed martial artist from outside of the Americas.
It was only a matter of time before a Chinese mixed martial artist won a UFC title and Weili Zhang cemented her name in the record books when did exactly that last August. Zhang destroyed Jessica Andrade to claim the 115-pounds strap and went to prove the world it was no fluke by out-pointing Joanna Jedrzejczyk in what many consider to be one of the greatest women’s fights of all time at UFC 248.
Kamaru Usman dominated the UFC welterweight division in 2019, capturing the 170-pounds title and going on to defend it against his most bitter rival. “The Nigerian Nightmare” soundly defeated Tyron Woodley for the title at UFC 235, but it was his win over Colby Covington at UFC 245 where he truly showed his class.
Undfeated Israel Adesanya, the current UFC middleweight champion continued to light up the UFC Octagon in this period. After his epic Fight of the Year contender against Kelvin Gastelum, Adesanya danced his way through his title unification bout with Robert Whittaker and destroyed him inside two rounds in front of 57,000 fans at Marvel Stadium.
It is going to take someone very special to knock Valentina Shevchenko off her perch. The Kyrgyzstani-born Peruvian began her 2019 campaign with an incredible headkick knockout of Jessica Eye at UFC 238. Shevchenko then cemented her dominance over the division with two further successful title defenses against Liz Carmouche and Katlyn Chookagian.
Last year’s International Fighter of the Year winner, Aung La Nsang continued his impressive run in ONE Championship. “The Burmese Python” managed to defend both his ONE middleweight and ONE light heavyweight titles with wins over Ken Hasegawa and Brandon Vera in 2019. Nsang continues to be a great source of inspiration for the people of his birth country, Myanmar.
Fight of the Year
Awarded to the two fighters involved in the most exciting fight of the year.
Weili Zhang VS Joanna Jedrzejczyk
UFC 248
Only one woman got her hand raised, but it is fair to say that both Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk both left the Octagon at UFC 248 with the utmost respect from the MMA community. The fight went the full five-rounds and after 25 grueling minutes both women were battered, bloodied, and beaten. Zhang ultimately took home two of the three scorecards to retain her title by split decision, but it was incredibly close.
Kamaru Usman VS Colby Covington
UFC 245
Fights that have a lot of pre-fight trash talking and build-up more often than not end up underwhelming, but Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington lived up to the hype. The talented wrestlers spent the entire fight battling it out on their feet and after a back-and-forth slobberknocker, it was Usman who put Covington away with less than a minute left in the final round to retain his title.
Israel Adesanya VS Kelvin Gastelum
UFC 236
Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum put on one of the greatest UFC middleweight title fights of all time at UFC 236. With four rounds in the book, both men had dropped the other and with it locked at two rounds a piece the title hung in the balance as they entered the fifth. Adesanya ultimately dominated the last five minutes to take home the belt, but fans were on the edge of their seats throughout.
Dustin Poirier VS Dan Hooker
UFC on ESPN 12
UFC on ESPN 12 took place in front of no fans at the UFC Apex but that did not matter to Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The two men went toe-to-toe and never took a step back across five action-packed rounds in the UFC lightweight division. Hooker dominated the opening two stanzas, but Poirier upped the pace in the final three to seize the momentum and take home the scorecards.
Josh Emmett VS Shane Burgos
UFC on ESPN 11
Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos put on a show at UFC on ESPN 11. Emmett tore his ACL in the first 15 seconds of the fight, but that did not stop him digging deep and going to war with Burgos in a breathless opening ten minutes where both men gave as good as they got. Despite his injury, Emmett went on to clearly win round three and take the decision.
Comeback of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who made the most striking comeback.
Stipe Miocic VS Daniel Cormier
UFC 241
After being knocked out inside a round in their first contest, Stipe Miocic was an underdog heading into his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 241. The second fight looked to be heading in favor of Cormier once again in the opening rounds, but Miocic turned the tide when he levelled the champion with numerous body shots and finished him at the end of round four to regain his title.
Eddie Alvarez VS Eduard Folayang
ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes
Eddie Alvarez looked to be heading to his second straight loss under the ONE Championship banner, but you should never rule out “The Underground King.” Eduard Folayang kicked Alvarez off his feet and looked to be ground-and-pounding his way to victory, but the former UFC and Bellator champion sweeped him superbly and transitioned into a rear-naked choke to pull off an incredible comeback win.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik VS Alistair Overeem
UFC on ESPN 7
Alistair Overeem looked to be on his way to a clear decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ESPN 7, but you should never count a heavyweight out. Overeem dominated the opening four rounds and much of the fifth, but with just seconds left in the fight Rozenstruik levelled the Dutchman with a right hook and sliced his top lip in two. The fight was stopped with just four seconds left in the final round.
Peter Queally VS Ryan Scope
Bellator Dublin
They say, “You’ll never beat the Irish” and Ryan Scope may well believe that now. At Bellator Dublin Scope looked to have to Peter Queally in dire trouble in rthe second ound after knocking the Irishman down with a headkick and swarming him with ground and pound. Queally somehow survived the onslaught and went on to finish Scope just seconds later as the packed-out 3 Arena went absolutely wild.
Cody Garbrandt
Career
After three straight losses many believed Cody Garbrandt’s best days were behind him, but at UFC 250 he responded in the best possible way. With all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, the Team Alpha Male man took on Raphael Assuncao and he didn’t take a step back en route to knocking him out cold with a buzz-beater right hand at the end of the second round. What a way to respond to the doubters.
Upset of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who has overcome huge odds to claim victory.
Alexander Volkanovski VS Max Holloway
UFC 245
It was always going to take someone special to dethrone Max Holloway and at UFC 245 Alexander Volkanovksi proved he was that man. Many thought Holloway’s height, reach and striking would be too much for the Aussie to handle, but Volkanovski put together a superb game plan utilizing leg kicks throughout the five rounds to outpoint his foe and ultimately win the title.
Henry Corrales VS Aaron Pico
Bellator 214
Henry Corrales stole the show at Bellator 214 when he knocked out Aaron Pico in just 67 seconds. Prior to the fight, Pico had won his previous four bouts by way of knockout and Corrales was widely dismissed as a major threat. Corrales made the prospect pay for his reckless aggression though and after Pico failed to break a clinch, he was levelled with a right hook and knocked out cold.
Khama Worthy VS Devonte Smith
UFC 241
CSet Set up as a last-minute replacement, Khama Worthy took the fight on just four days’ notice but he pulled off a massive upset over highly-touted lightweight prospect, Devonte Smith who started the bout as a -1000 favourite. Worthy got the shock win with a minute left in round one after catching Smith with a short hook and finishing him with ground and pound. It was widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets of 2019.
Kai Asakura VS Kyoji Horiguchi
RIZIN FF 18
Kai Asakura shocked the world when he handed Kyoji Horiguchi his first loss in over four years. Many expected it to be a showcase bout for Horiguchi, but it was anything but. Asakura marched the champion down from the opening bell and almost immediately caught him with a right hand. With Horiguchi wobbled, Asakura took his time and with just over a minute on the clock he finished the fight with another huge right.
Timofey Nastyukhin VS Eddie Alvarez
ONE Championship 92
Timofey Nastyukhin made a huge statement at ONE: A New Era when he shocked the world and defeated Eddie Alavrez in the ONE lightweight grand prix tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Alvarez was making his ONE Championship debut but it was Nastyukhin’s night as he took the fight to the American from the opening exchanges and finished him via TKO after just 55 seconds following a big right hand that badly busted up Alvarez’s left eye.
