Issue 169

August 2018

The leading mixed martial artists from outside of the Americas

VOLKAN OEZDEMIR

Swiss fighter Volkan Oezdemir stepped up to face Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston, Texas and did enough to win a split decision and set his UFC career off on the right path. He needed a combined time of just 70 seconds to KO Misha Cirkunov in May, and then Jimi Manuwa in July, pitching himself as Europe’s top light-heavyweight.

MARTIN NGUYEN

Martin Nguyen made history with ONE Championship in 2017, as he won both the featherweight and lightweight titles with consecutive knockouts against defending champions. The Aussie fighter first got redemption over featherweight kingpin Marat Gafurov, and then toppled Filipino champion Eduard Folayang.

DARREN TILL

Darren Till didn’t waste any time on his return to UFC, and put in three quickfire victories in May, September and October to get the hype train back. The latest against Donald Cerrone convinced the UFC to bring the show back to Till’s hometown of Liverpool - a childhood dream completed.

ROBERT WHITTAKER

With eight straight wins, 2017 has been a real coming-out party for Robert Whittaker at the elite level. A TKO finish over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and five-round decision win over Yoel Romero showed just how far the Aussie has travelled, and for his troubles, the interim title he picked up against the Cuban was upgraded to undisputed middleweight champion when the return of Georges St-Pierre was no longer imminent.

KAMARU "THE NIGERIAN NIGHTMARE" USMAN

Building on a strong 2016, Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman dominated a durable Sean Strickland in April to go 5-0 in the Octagon. From there, he met Sergio Moraes, a Brazilian on a seven-fight unbeaten streak, and finally found the KO he had been so desperately seeking in the prior encounter. Showing a skillset that increases with each outing, the former stand-out wrestler proved that he is a threat in any area of the fight, and put the other welterweights on notice.