The goat hunter

Fabricio Werdum, UFC 188

Fedor Emelianenko was the greatest heavyweight of all time when Pride was the dominant force in the sport. Then Cain Velasquez was dubbed the GOAT in the modern day. But now you have just one guy who’s submitted them both and tapped the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira too. So what does that make him?

Regardless of where Fabricio Werdum fits into your personal list of heavyweights, one thing’s assured following his utter domination of Velazquez in Mexico City: the Brazilian is, today, the undisputed baddest man on the planet.

Not only did ‘Vai Cavalo’ (Go Horse) submit the AKA standout on his return to the Octagon after a near two-year absence due to injury, he put a thorough beating on him for the best part of two rounds. He then baited him into a takedown attempt at the start of the third, which led to a perfect guillotine choke. Sensational.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Hisaki Kato, Bellator 139

Leading up to his scrap with Hisaki Kato, Glory and Bellator middleweight Joe Schilling couldn’t help but throw some verbal shots at some of his previous opponents, specifically for the way they chose to fight him.

According to the 31-year-old, he didn’t like how athletes could win by fighting like “straight-up vaginas” and that, with the exception of Melvin Manhoef, nobody was willing to engage him on the feet. Well, Schilling can now add the Japanese striker to the list of opponents who are willing to stand and trade with him.

During the second round of their fight in Kansas, Kato launched himself towards Schilling, cracking him on the chin with a devastating superman punch and stiffening him up like an ironing board before his lifeless body bounced off the Bellator canvas. Ladies and gentlemen, we have another legit ‘Knockout of the Year’ contender.

This guy is sick

Yair Rodriguez, UFC 188

For most fighters, blowing chunks inside the Octagon live on the main card of a pay-per-view event would be the type of behavior that would haunt them for the rest of their career. But Yair Rodriguez showed the skills to generate far more distinguished headlines in the future with his performance at UFC 188.

The TUF Latin American featherweight champion may have ruined his sponsors’ T-shirt and left a UFC lackey reaching for the mop and bucket in Mexico City, but throughout his bonus check-winning three-round war with the game Charles Rosa, he also showed he’s got the skills to pay the bills.

Working flashy kicks and constantly driving forward, Rodriguez earned a split-decision on the judges’ cards and showed the world he’s a talent to look out for. Just don’t stand downwind from him after he leaves the cage.

Fake it 'till you make it

Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock, Bellator 138

In a contest that appeared as dodgy as a seven-figure lottery-winning email from a Nigerian prince (all he requires is your bank details), Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock staged one hell of a performance in New Orleans.

At times their viewer-grabbing showdown appeared more suitable to the WWE ring rather than a Bellator cage. For 40 seconds, both were locked head-to-head, yet Kimbo failed to throw a single punch up close. Then, somehow, the former boatyard brawler turned into a jiu-jitsu magician to defend and escape a rear naked choke from Shamrock – a guy who’s won 23 of his 28 fights via submission.

The right hook from Kimbo that ended the fight may ultimately have been as real as it gets. But what went before it left a bemused Planet MMA asking in unison, ‘Did that really just happen?’

Don't blink

Ryan Spann, Legacy FC 42

On a card where all but two of the 11 scheduled fights failed to reach the second round – and three on the main card didn’t venture past 25 seconds – Legacy Fighting Championship 42 at the Golden Nugget Casino in Louisiana was packed with highlight reel knockouts and submissions. Likely much to the delight of cageside UFC president Dana White.

Of the rapid winners, Joel Scott connected with a ‘KO of the Year’ style right knee to the chin of Justin Radar after just 24 seconds, while former star of MTV Caged, Matt Schnell, displayed heavy hands by blasting Chute Boxe’s Wanderlei Leite in a mere 19 seconds.

But the night’s quickest winner was Ryan Spann who took three steps back to the cage against the onrushing Larry Crowe before delivering a perfect right hook counter to pick up his first career KO with just eight ticks on the clock.

Dragon slayer

Yoel Romero, UFC Fight Night 70

Same sex marriage outbursts (or not) aside, Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero arrived as a legit title contender when the UFC touched down in Hollywood, Florida, courtesy of a ruthless display of ground striking against former world champion Lyoto Machida.

The ATT southpaw sized ‘The Dragon’ up in the opening round, before finally upping his work rate in the second. But it was in the third when he really turned things round. After forcing Machida to the ground he exploded with a series of devastating elbows, which forced referee John McCarthy into action to halt his assault.

The former world champion and Olympic silver medalist freestyle wrestler extended his UFC run to 6-0, and with a rivalry with ‘Jacare’ Souza already bubbling, expect that matchup to produce 2016’s first 185lb title contender.

Nasty by name...

Timofey Nastyukhin, One Championship 28

Russian sensation Timofey Nastyukhin was back to his trademark soccer-kicking, bomb-dropping ways in Guangzhou, China, when he tore through Japan’s Yusuke Kawanago in just 92 seconds to reaffirm his featherweight contender status in One Championship.

On a card that also featured two wildly entertaining four-man, winner-takes-all tournaments at feather and flyweight, Nastyukhin – whose equally cool flying knee/soccer-kick KO of Eduard Folayang made these pages in December – looks like a man on a mission.

Whether his latest performance, which extended his slate to 9-1, got Mongolian champ Jadamba Narantungalag looking over his shoulder is unknown. But with skills like this, perhaps the Russian national football team should be made aware of this deadly finisher.

Unlimited edition

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, UFC Fight Night 69

There are two things Joanna Jedrzejczyk truly enjoys in this world: buying a rare pair of Jordans, and battering other strawweights into a bloody mess. And at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany, the sneaker-freak UFC champ carved open Jessica Penne with her vicious Muay Thai combinations to extend her record to 10-0.

Jedrzejczyk barely gave Penne a chance to breathe, let alone launch an attack of her own, as she stalked the Californian before landing a barrage of strikes to force a late third-round TKO.

The champ earned a cool $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for her stellar in-ring work, meaning she can add to her already impressive collection of kicks. When you’re the champ, life is good.

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