Looking back on a crazy year in the UFC

 

As 2020 draws to a close, it's safe to say that it has been a year like no other. The outbreak of Covid-19 brought about an unprecedented remodelling of the sports worlds, the likes of which we have never seen before. Legends fell, contenders rose and legacies were built. We saw some utterly breathtaking fights, the return (albeit brief) of Conor McGregor, Khabib's retirement and the continuing dominance of the female GOAT Amanda Nunes. For me, 2020 was about the rise of new fighters like Kevin Holland and Khamzat Chimaev to name but a couple. Their meteoric rise to superstardom has become the stuff of legend and has only set mouths watering for their exploits in 2021. In what has been a bizarre and unpredictable year, there have been some landmark moments, so let's take a nostalgic look back on 2020 in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

The year kicked off in spectacular fashion with the return of 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor at UFC 246. In what was anticipated to be the beginning of a glorious fighting season, the Irishman dispatched Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in a devastating 40 second whitewash, leading many to claim that the king was back. Unfortunately this was not the case, as McGregor would not fight again in 2020, but will return on the first PPV card of the new year in a highly anticipated rematch with Dustin Poirier. I am hoping that we see some semblance of the old Conor return in January and am keen to see how the year turns out for him. 

The following month at UFC 247, we saw one of the more controversial moments of the year between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes. While Jones once again walked away victorious, many believed that the  previously undefeated challenger had done enough to earn the victory. This would certainly not be the last time we saw controversial judging this year, but more on that later. 

March began with the Flyweights. Perennial contender Joseph Benavidez faced off against 'The God of War', Deiveison Figueiredo, with the belt on the line after Henry Cejudo vacated in favour of fighting at Bantamweight. With Figueiredo missing weight and therefore ineligible to win the belt, all the pressure was now heaped onto Benavidez. Sadly, the American would come up short, suffering a devastating KO loss and seeing the belt slip through his fingers, in what turned out to be the beginning of a torrid year with the UFC. A couple of weeks later we were treated to one of the many fight of the year contenders of 2020. Zhang Weili faced off against former Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a five-round war at UFC 248. The Polish fighter looked almost inhuman at the end of the bout with an enormous hematoma on her forehead, as the two women battered each other for 25 minutes in front of crowd at the T-Mobile Arena.

Then the world changed. No more fans, echoey arenas and stringent testing measures implicated in order to battle the outbreak of the Coronavirus. 

But if there's anything we've learnt about the UFC and particularly Dana White, it is that the show must go on no matter how extreme the circumstances. After almost 2 months of inactivity, we were brought to the world of Fight Island. Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The UFC was back. 

Fight Island opened with UFC 249, Ferguson vs Gaethje. Originally intended to be the setting for Ferguson's bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Fight Island played host to two of the most bittersweet moments in recent memory. First, We witnessed the retirement of Triple C, who left in a blaze of glory after a TKO victory over Dominick Cruz. Love him or hate him, Cejudo will be missed in the sport. As the man who unseated Demetrious Johnson who looked invincible during his reign as Flyweight champion, as well as his seizing and defence of the Bantamweight belt, Cejudo cements himself as one of the sports greatest figures. A polarising character but a true martial artist who will be missed.

In the main event of UFC 249, many MMA fans saw their dreams crushed right before their eyes, as Justin Gaethje annihilated Tony Ferguson, washing away any possibility of a fabled fight with Khabib. Gaethje's dominance earned him the interim Lightweight belt and a shot at the king which would occur later in the year. For Tony, it was back to the drawing board. 

Coming into the summer, we saw the rise of Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland. Chimaev fighting in two weight divisions in the space of ten days, finishing both his opponents, before a devastating KO of Gerald Meerschaert in September set the world on fire. We were all expecting a fight with Leon Edwards at the end of 2020 but unfortunately it did not materialise and will now take place in 2021. A victory for either man puts them within touching distance of a title shot, which for Chimaev would be unprecedented. Kevin Holland enjoyed a standout 2020, going 5-0 with four finishes, including highlight reel finishes over Joaquin Buckley and Jacare Souza. Holland even went as far as to call out Chimaev, and for me he is the fighter of the year. 

The summer months saw defences from Amanda Nunes against Felicia Spencer, Kamaru Usman against Jorge Masvidal and Alexander Volkanovski for a second time against Max Holloway. We also saw a new Bantamweight champion crowned when Petr Yan dismantled Jose Aldo in a dominant display to win the vacant belt. He is scheduled to fight Aljamain Sterling in 2021. Volkanovski and Holloway put on a show at The Apex, but fans at home were left shocked when the fight was scored in favour of the Australian, casting yet more scrutiny onto the judging system and those who practiced it. For Volkanovski now, a fight with Brian Ortega is being targeted for February, and Holloway returns in January against surging Featherweight Calvin Kattar in a fight that is guaranteed to bring fireworks. 

August saw the cementing of a Heavyweight legacy like no other, as Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier, closing the door on an epic trilogy and validating his claim as the greatest UFC Heavyweight of all time. Miocic won a 5-round battle of attrition, which was somewhat marred by an eye-poke but did not detract from the monumental effort put in by the champion. He now awaits a rematch with Francis Ngannou. We also saw one of the biggest hype trains derailed at UFC 252, as Sean O'Malley lost via TKO to Chito Vera. In a bizarre turn of events O'Malley suffered an injury midway through the first round and was unable to continue. I hope O'Malley makes a strong return in 2021, as he is still one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.

In September, we witnessed the crowning of a new Light-Heavyweight champion, as Jan Blachowicz bested Dominick Reyes on Fight Island in brutal fashion. The Polish powerhouse now stands at the top of the division having been in the promotion for 6 years, and will welcome Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to the Light-Heavyweight division in 2021 in a blockbuster superfight. Adesanya, who defeated rival Paulo Costa on the same night that Blachowicz became champion, will be moving up to 205 in an effort to build on his legacy and if victorious, entice Jon Jones to drop back down the Light-Heavyweight for a superfight to end all superfights.

October was potentially the most pivotal month for the UFC, as it saw one of it greatest dynasties and champion's walk away from the sport. Before that however, we saw the knockout of the year. Joaquin Buckley, in true Mortal Kombat fashion, executed a wild jumping spinning back kick knockout on Impa Kasanganay, blowing the minds of fans and the commentary team cage-side. In a year of crazy knockouts, Buckley takes the cake for me with one of the most creative and brutal finishes I've ever seen. 

Then we were treated to the emotional rollercoaster that was UFC 254. Khabib Nurmagomedov delivering a vintage performance in honour of his late father and coach Abdulmanap, dispatching Justin Gaethje in a devastating 2-round display before he announced his retirement in the cage, sending shockwaves through the MMA universe. Khabib leaves the sport undefeated at 29-0, and a pioneer of Martial Arts through the way he conducted himself in and out of the cage, he will be missed.

November was the month of the veteran, as Glover Teixeira put on the performance of a lifetime to submit former title challenger Thiago Santos at 41 years of age and stake his claim as the number 1 contender at Light-Heavyweight. However he will have to wait for his shot against the winner of Blachowicz and Adesanya. 

UFC 255 saw a Flyweight showcase, as Figueiredo defended the belt once again, but the story of the night was the immediate turnaround of the champion and new number one contender Brandon Moreno, who were rebooked on 3 weeks notice to face each other at UFC 256, which turned out to be one of the best fights of the year. We saw yet another defence for Valentina Shevchenko, as she beat Jennifer Maia to a decision victory. A bout with Jessica Andrade now awaits her in 2021, which is sure to be a barn burner. 

We closed out the year with UFC 256, where Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a draw in one of the wildest fights I have ever seen. We now wait for their rematch in 2021, which once again promises fireworks. The co main event between Charles Oliveira and Tony Ferguson was a tough watch for all. It capped a terrible year for 'El Cucuy' and a breakout year for 'Do Bronx', who dominated the action from bell to bell, nearly breaking the arm of Ferguson in the first round. Two devastating losses in his last two fights means that Ferguson now finds himself in a tricky position. I hope he has a better 2021 and we once again see the fighter that we were used to seeing. Oliveira now finds himself at the top of the division, and his call to fight the winner of McGregor and Poirier was perfect. 2021 will certainly be an eventful one for the Brazilian. 

On the final card of the year, Stephen Thompson reminded us that he is not going anywhere at Welterweight, as he put on a 5-round clinic against Geoff Neal to cap an incredible year of fights. Once again the UFC showed how impressive a business model it has incorporated, and all credit must go to Dana White and the UFC brass for giving us such an incredible year in times of such uncertainty. 2021 promises even more highlights and we are sure to see even more breathtaking moments in the premier Mixed Martial Promotion in the world!

~ James Eakin

Image credits: [Centre] "About the UFC - The Sport", UFC. Available at: https://www.ufc.com/about/sport [Accessed Dec '20].