Issue 177
April 2019
Celebrating the men and women who have had the biggest impact on the sport in 2018. The categories include Best Fights, Knockouts, Submissions, Comebacks and more. This is your opportunity to show your appreciation for the people who make our sport the greatest and vote for your winners of the 11th Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading male MMA fighter for his contribution to the sport.
DUSTIN POIRIER had an impressive 2018 to say the least. After a win against Anthony Pettis towards the end of 2017, he went on to have two TKO finishes against top-ranked lightweight opponents in Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez with the former fight winning him a Fight of the Night Bonus after his TKO stoppage in Round 4. His fight against Alvarez was the main event at UFC on Fox 30 which he won again by TKO but this time in the second round. On this occasion he took home Performance of the Night honors. An amazing year in competition which qualified him as a standout nominee for Fighter of the Year.
Following in the trend of trying to dominate two weight categories as champion at the same time, DANIEL CORMIER cemented his status in the history of the sport by defeating his Ultimate Fighter coaching adversary, Stipe Miocic with a spectacular KO to add the heavyweight championship belt to his existing light heavyweight title. He defended both titles within the same calendar year, arguably his most emphatic period of combat success. Combined with his training, commentary and TV presenting, he is arguably one of the hardest working fighters in the sport.
AUNG LA N SANG is yet another double weight category champion competing in ONE Championship. He won the ONE light heavyweight championship early in 2018 and went to defend his ONE middleweight championship on two separate occasions. His work ethic in combat is only matched by his dedication to charity work – a true Asian martial artist and ambassador for the sport.
Despite competing only twice within the 12-month period, 2018 was the biggest year in the career of KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV. His bout against Conor McGregor set UFC PPV records and his win against the Irish fighter established the longest undefeated winning streak in MMA history. The Dagestani national became a worldwide sensation due to the incredible story prior to and after the McGregor fight, something he won in dominating fashion by controlling his opponent on the ground prior to sinking in a choke to win by submission.
GEGARD MOUSASI completes this year’s round-up of superstar nominees and it was a great year for the Dutch mixed martial artist having won and defended the Bellator middleweight world championship. He defended his title against Bellator welterweight champion, Rory Macdonald in a highly anticipated match-up which saw Mousasi take his win streak up to eight in a row and 45 in total after two rounds of competition.
Female Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading female MMA fighter for her contribution to the sport.
Despite her stellar achievements, few thought AMANDA NUNES would emerge victorious in her contest with fellow Brazilian, Cris Cyborg at UFC 232. But having KOed Cyborg for the first time in her career, she became the first female two-weight champ and staked a strong claim for female GOAT status.
Bellator’s first female flyweight champion ILIMA-LEI MACFARLANE has fulfilled her enormous potential this past year, nowhere more so than when she defended her title in her native Hawaii with an impressive third-round triangle choke submission of Valérie Létourneau. A fine ambassador for her island, she is now one of the sport’s most marketable figures.
The current UFC flyweight champion, VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO boasts an impressive 16-3 professional record, made more notable by the fact that two of those defeats were inflicted by Amanda Nunes and both went to the judges. The former kickboxer has an exciting style and with Russia’s growing importance to the UFC, is highly marketable.
TATIANA SUAREZ, the former wrestler and submission specialist made her name by winning the strawweight division of TUF 23 and remains undefeated in both her UFC and MMA career. A tilt at the title, currently held by Rose Namajunas, cannot be far away and would be eagerly anticipated by fight fans.
Only beaten once since 2015, JESSICA ANDRADE the Brazilian strawweight enhanced her reputation in 2018 with two victories, one of which, a knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, earned her a Performance of the Night bonus. Her reward is a title fight with Rose Namajunas in May.
Fight of the Year
Awarded to the two fighters involved in the most exciting fight of the year.
ROBERT WHITTAKER VS. YOEL ROMERO II
The second encounter between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero was just as memorable as their first. In something of a role reversal of the original bout, Whittaker’s early efforts weathered the storms caused by Romero in the later rounds to allow the Australian champion to secure victory for a second time. Romero missed weight meaning he wouldn’t have been able to take the Championship in any event, but the fact that the fight took place allowed fans the pleasure of watching a true contender for best in class!
JUSTIN GAETHJE VS. DUSTIN POIRIER
If you look through the archives of past nominees, you can see the same names appear within the same categories. Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier are far from strangers to the Fight of the Year category proving their ability to always perform. Three rounds of war were held before Poirier came out to the 4th and brought the heat. Gaethje, a fighter with amazing heart and stamina would have fought to the death in front of his home crowd at UFC on FOX 29 in Arizona. He needed the protection of Referee of the Year nominee, Herb Dean to stop the fight.
DOUGLAS LIMA VS. RORY MACDONALD
We expected epic. And we got it. After all, this was Rory MacDonald, who has signed his life away to cage wars. Against Douglas Lima, a welterweight of the most brutal design and make-up. MacDonald came through an horrific-looking leg injury, showing an incredible depth of will, to claim the Bellator welterweight title at The Forum, Los Angeles, in January 2018.
MacDonald had to dig deep with a superhuman effort in his five-round decision victory over incumbent champion Lima. The exhausting, see-sawing title fight was a thriller.
TONY FERGUSON VS. ANTHONY PETTIS
UFC 229’s Fight of the Night was one of vindication for both fighters. Tony Ferguson, previously stripped of an interim title, had a point to prove and a desire to keep himself in the mix in the highly lucrative cauldron of fights driven by a category containing unbeaten fighters like himself and Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as the money fight of Conor McGregor. His opponent Anthony Pettis clearly wanted to demonstrate that as a former champion he still had the fire and ability to compete at the top level. Both fighters brought their best and it resulted in a barn burner hampered only by a broken hand for Pettis who up until that point was still the Showtime!
THIAGO SANTOS VS. JIMI MANUWA
UFC 231 brought a light heavyweight battle between Thiago Santos and Jimi Manuwa that was action from the offset. This fight was an all-out slugfest from beginning to end with both fighters throwing and taking blows which could have knocked out a horse. Ultimately, it was the Englishman on the receiving end of a KO in the second round but not before establishing a performance that any combat sports fan would respect. This was the fourth fight within the year for Santos, which demonstrates a great work ethic to go with his punching power.
International Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the leading mixed martial artist from outside of the Americas.
GEGARD MOUSASI is undefeated since 2015 and with a staggering 45 wins to his name, Bellator’s Dutch champion is still a force of nature within the Octagon. 2018 saw him take the middleweight title from Rafael Carvalho and defend it against Rory Macdonald with neither fight ever in serious danger of going to the judges.
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV. Perhaps the most disappointing side-effect of that post-fight melée, is that it detracted so much from everything which had gone before, which was infact a comprehensive dismantling of Conor McGregor, both on the floor, as expected, but also on his feet, which wasn’t.
Admittedly Dana White is not known for his understatement, but his recent declaration that the Nigerian-born New Zealander ISRAEL ADESANYA “has got it” not only suggests Adesanya has a bright future ahead of him in the UFC, but echoed what has also been said by more sanguine commentators within the sport.
One of ONE Championship’s prize assets AUNG LA N SANG, aka the “Burmese Python” was gainfully employed in 2018, first winning the light heavyweight title and then successfully defending his middleweight belt twice. His superstar status in his native Myanmar bodes well for ONE’s efforts to dominate the Asian market.
The Nigerian-born welterweight KAMARU USMAN boasts a 14-1 record and carries with him a weight of expectation after his impressive, Performance of the Night victory over Rafael dos Anjos in the TUF 28 finale. Whatever the outcome of his upcoming title shot against Tyron Woodley, he looks certain to be a fixture of the division.
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who has made the most impressive progress in 2018
ISRAEL ADESANYA is a star of 2018. Within his first year of joining the UFC he fought four times and won all four fights. The former Glory Kickboxing champion brings with him a very fluid and entertaining fighting style that gained him the nickname of ‘The Last StyleBender. One of the most exciting athletes to watch in 2019!
Breaking through in 2018 via a three-fight winning streak on the Bellator stage, AARON PICO had a stellar year winning each of his fights within the first round. Despite coming from a wrestling background, having won US national championships across numerous styles, he has an ability to generate tremendous power with his punches. Combined with an all-out fighting style, Pico has become a crowd pleaser, something which has enabled him to become a fast-track star on the Bellator roster.
With an unprecedented participation in five UFC fights during the year, THIAGO SANTOS found his way into the UFC after success on The Ultimate Fighter, Brazil. Despite losing his second fight of the year, he subsequently went on to great success, winning his next three bouts and bagging Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses along the way. His last fight of the year against Jimi Manuwa in London has also been nominated for the Fight of the Year award.
A.J. MCKEE is currently on a 13-win streak with Bellator. He broke through this year achieving headline status as well with convincing first round wins in the last two of his three fights in 2018. The 23-year-old featherweight is definitely one to watch as the global featherweight divisions across all promotions continue to grow into some of the most exciting in the sport.
A former Strikeforce and Bellator fighter, ANTHONY SMITH is now ranked at No. 3 In the UFC light heavyweight division. He participated four times in 2018, losing his first fight to fellow award nominee, Thiago Silva in a Fight of the Night middleweight battle. He subsequently moved to light heavyweight and achieved victory over former champion, Rashad Evans before achieving two first round Performance of the Night victories over Shogun Rua and then 2017 Breakthrough Fighter nominee, Volkan Oezdemir.
Knockout of the Year
Awarded to the fighter who scores the most sensational knockout victory.
YAIR RODRIGUEZ VS. CHANG SUNG JUNG
In what was already one of the most talked-about fights, came one of the most talked-about knockouts. Huge performances from Yair Rodriguez and Chang Sung Jung culminated in a last-second finish by Rodriguez, who was at that point losing the fight. It was only upon slow motion replay that the nature of the blow was revealed – an upward elbow delivered with incredible force that sent the Korean Zombie crashing to the mat and created potentially one of the best highlight moments of all time.
VITOR BELFORT VS. LYOTO MACHIDA
Vitor Belfort must have thought that history was repeating itself when he suffered the second knockout of his UFC career via a heavy front kick from a fellow Brazilian. Much like the famous KO delivered by Anderson Silva, karate master, Lyoto Machida paid homage to his fallen countryman after delivering the brutal blow at UFC 224, a bout which would retire the MMA legend Belfort as well as being the last time Machida competed within the Octagon.
MANDEL NALLO vs. CARRINGTON BANKS
As far as walk off knockouts go, the vicious knee from Mandel Nallo against Carrington Banks at Bellator 207 is one of the best of 2018. The event marked the first occasion that Banks had been stopped by blows. The timing, power and precision applied to land the shot from a standing position was a perfect combination of skill and athleticism which allowed Nallo to maintain his perfect unbeaten record.
AMANDA NUNES vs. CRIS CYBORG
Cris Cyborg was the most feared and successful female fighter on the planet. With brutal power and ability, she dominated every opponent and established a 13-year, 20-fight winning streak. That was until she met Amanda Nunes in arguably the most anticipated female fight ever. With precision and power, Nunes took the fight to her opponent and secured victory in devastating fashion that shocked the world, knocking out Cyborg after just 52 seconds in the first round at UFC 232.
BRIAN ORTEGA vs. FRANKIE EDGAR
The fight between Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgar took place in Las Vegas in July 2018 at UFC 222 shortly after Ortega had accepted his 2018 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Award. His original opponent, Max Holloway had to pull out of the fight and cancel his attendance at the awards show due to a health scare. Edgar became the last-minute replacement, stepping up in usual fashion due to his desire to compete and always being in shape. However, the fight would become a tough one for the NY native who suffered from an elbow to the jaw followed by an uppercut which would send him crashing to the canvas and extended the unbeaten record of Ortega.
