MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year’: Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal is MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year” – and for good reason.

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] is MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year” – and for good reason.

Fortis MMA welterweight Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) had a monster 2019, defeating three difficult opponents in impressive fashion.

Neal’s year began sitting atop a 2-0 UFC record. At UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, Neal kicked, punched, and outpointed a very tough Belal Muhammad en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Six months later, Neal returned to the cage at UFC 240 in July. One month short of his 29th birthday, Neal took on Niko Price in a thrilling brawl. The two men traded barbs, before Neal eventually finished the Floridian with ground-and-pound in Round 2.

A win over a formidable opponent like Price set Neal up for an even bigger-name opponent in his final outing of the calendar year. In December at UFC 245, Neal made it three-for-three, and did so in short order.

Taking on fan-favorite “Platinum” Mike Perry in the final UFC pay-per-view of the year, Neal didn’t hold back. The Texas native landed a hard head kick, which wobbled Perry. From there, Neal didn’t let Perry off the hook. Instead, Neal swarmed and handed Perry his first career TKO loss at 1:30 of Round 1.

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What Neal did this year was nothing short of incredible. And while the general public is starting to take notice, he still isn’t quite getting the recognition he deserves.

All three of the opponents Neal faced this year were, and are, extremely difficult tests to pass. Muhammad, Price, and Perry are three of the UFC 170-pound division’s most violent. Since their respective fights with Neal, the trio has not lost a fight.

Expect 2020 to be a big year for Neal, who will almost certainly kick off the upcoming decade with a top-15 opponent. If his trajectory continues, we could see his name inserted into the title picture by the end of 2020.

2019 ‘Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year’ Honorable Mentions

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Feb. 2: UFC on ESPN+ 2 vs. David Teymur (submission via anaconda choke – Round 2, 0:55)
Win #2, May 18: UFC on ESPN+ 10 vs. Nik Lentz (TKO via punches – Round 2, 2:21)
Win #3, Nov. 16: UFC on ESPN+ 22 vs. Jared Gordon (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:26)

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Jan. 19: UFC on ESPN+ 1 vs. Mario Bautista (submission via armbar – Round 1, 3:31)
Win #2, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. John Lineker (via split decision)
Win #3, Aug. 17: UFC 241 vs. Raphael Assuncao (via unanimous decision)

[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Jan. 19: UFC on ESPN+ 1 vs. Karl Roberson (submission via arm-triangle choke – Round 1, 3:21)
Win #2, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. Ion Cutelaba (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 3:37)
Win #3, Sept. 14: UFC on ESPN+ 16 vs. Nikita Krylov (via split decision)

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, March 2: UFC 235 vs. Charles Byrd (TKO via elbows and punches – Round 1, 0:38)
Win #2, July 6: UFC 239 vs. Jack Marshman (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 1:12)
Win #3, Nov. 2: UFC 244 vs. Brad Tavares (knockout via head kick – Round 1, 2:27)

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. Mike Davis (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 4:16)
Win #2, Aug. 10: UFC on ESPN+ 14 vs. Aleksei Kunchenko (via unanimous decision)
Win #3, Sept. 28: UFC on ESPN+ 18 vs. Gunnar Nelson (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:26)

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]

2019 Record: 3-1
Win #1, May 11: UFC 237 vs. Bethe Correia (submission via armbar – Round 3, 3:24)
Loss, July 20: UFC on ESPN 4 vs. Raquel Pennington (via split decision)
Win #2, Sept. 21: UFC on ESPN+ 17 vs. Vanessa Melo (via unanimous decision)
Win #3, Dec. 14: UFC 245 vs. Jared Gordon (knockout via punch – Round 1, 4:51)

[autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]

2019 Record: 5-0
Win #1, June 6: PFL Regular Season vs. Vinny Magalhaes (TKO via punches – Round 2, 2:45)
Win #2, Aug. 8: PFL Regular Season vs. Bozigit Ataev (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:23)
Win #3, Oct. 31: PFL Playoffs vs. Sigi Pesaleli (TKO via strikes – Round 1, 1:13)
Win #4, Oct. 31: PFL Playoffs vs. Bozigit Ataev (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 4:26)
Win #5, Dec. 31: PFL Final vs. Jordan Johnson (TKO via ground-and-pound – Round 1, 2:01)

[autotag]Patrick Mix[/autotag]

2019 Record: 4-0
Win #1, Feb. 23: KOTC vs. Turrell Galloway (via TKO – Round 1, 1:45)
Win #2, June 14: Bellator 222 vs. Ricky Bandejas (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 1:06)
Win #3, Oct. 26: Bellator 232 (submission via Suloev stretch – Round 1, 3:49)
Win #4, Dec. 31: RIZIN 20 vs. Yuki Motoya (submission via guillotine choke – Round 1, 1:36)

Also see:

MMA Junkie’s 2019 Fight of the Year’: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum

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20 fights on our MMA wishlist for 2020

Here are 20 fights MMA Junkie hopes to see happen in 2020.

With a new year comes new things, including good ol’-fashioned fist fights. What kinds of matchups are we hoping to see in 2020? What kinds of bookings do we want the MMA gods to bless us with?

Here’s a list of some ideas and why they may (or may not) make sense:

20. [autotag]A.J. Agazarm[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag]

This list is being kicked off by “El Jefe” himself. I know this will automatically trigger the Twitter trolls, but hear me out. Danis and Agazarm easily are two of the best grapplers Bellator has in its lighter weight classes. The two have competed against each other plenty of times in the grappling world and they don’t have a lot of love for each other. Their name value doesn’t match their experience level in MMA, so they both often have fights against unknown opponents, which makes their fights hard to promote.

So why not pit them against each other? It makes sense for both fighters skill-level wise, it could be a fun buildup, and we could certainly see some fun, world-class jiu-jitsu.

19. [autotag]Kron Gracie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]

Let’s keep the jiu-jitsu train rolling. Gracie is jiu-jitsu royalty and Mitchell scored a cool-looking submission in his most recent fight – a twister. The UFC certainly is not shy about throwing Gracie against someone with far more experience (cough, cough – Cub Swanson). I know Mitchell is a bit more experienced than Gracie, but not by a crazy margin. Both guys need fights and have interesting and opposing personalities. Why not?

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20 fighters who could become stars in the 2020s

A new decade is upon us, and these 20 fighters could take a step to greatness within it.

Well, another decade of mixed martial arts action is in the books.

The 2010s featured the emergence of superstars such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey. For the first time in UFC history, a simultaneous double champion was crowned in McGregor. And then it happened again (Daniel Cormier, and again (Amanda Nunes, and again (Henry Cejudo).

The next decade is almost guaranteed to provide us with the next generation of UFC, Bellator, and PFL champions. But who are the likely candidates to become future stars?

From hot UFC and Bellator prospects, to fighters on the regional scene, to athletes yet to compete in MMA, the up-and-comer harvest is plentiful. Who could be the next McGregor? The next Israel Adesanya? The next Zhang Weili?

Let’s take a look into MMA Junkie’s crystal ball and see who could cross the threshold into stardom over the span of the next decade.

Two parameters were set for this list:

Fighters must be younger than age 30.
Fighters have yet to hold a major organization’s title.

Fighters who fit the criteria but have seemingly already achieved stardom were not considered.

Without further ado …

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Maycee Barber

Record: 8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 21
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’5″
Birthplace: Greeley, Colo.
Next Fight: Jan. 18 vs. Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 in Las Vegas

Nicknamed “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] is just that. The strawweight has proven her worth in a short period of time, competing for LFA and on Dana White’s Contender Series prior to her UFC debut. Three fights into her promotional tenure, Barber sports a 100 percent finishing rate. In her most recent outing in October, Barber blitzed and TKO’d fellow top prospect Gillian Robertson. The win moved Barber one step closer to her publicly set goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. She’ll look to continue her climb when she takes on her highest-ranked opponent to date, Roxanne Modafferi, at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

Paulo Costa

Record: 13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC
Age: 28
Weight class: Middleweight
Height: 6’1″
Birthplace: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Next Fight: TBA

It almost seems like a misprint that [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] can qualify for this list – but he does. It’s easy to forget his age and relatively brief UFC tenure when looking at his accomplishments. A physical specimen, the Brazilian middleweight Costa has quickly risen through the ranks en route to title contention. Costa went the distance for the first time in his career in August. In doing so, he defeated his most notable opponent to date, two-time title challenger Yoel Romero. The victory presumably has set Costa up for a title shot against champion Israel Adesanya. However, a shoulder injury has delayed “Borrachinha’s” return – but the rivalry with Adesanya is continuing to build in the meantime.

Mike Davis

Record: 8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC
Age: 27
Weight class: Lightweight
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: South Cairo, N.Y.
Next Fight: TBA

With an 80 percent winning percentage, [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] doesn’t have a bad record by any means. But still, it isn’t representative of the skills he possesses. The Florida-based lightweight has only lost two top-tier talents in Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Burns. With crisp boxing and a strong ground game, Davis is a scary matchup for any member of the UFC’s 155-pound division. Just imagine how good he could become. The man hasn’t even hit the dozen-fight mark of his pro MMA career. In his most recent bout, Davis administered one of the year’s biggest beatdowns, pummeling Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October.

Ciryl Gane

Record: 6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 29
Weight class: Heavyweight
Height: 6’5″
Birthplace: France
Next Fight: TBA

It’s been a long time since MMA has seen a heavyweight prospect with the upside of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. Working under esteemed MMA coach Fernand Lopez, France’s Gane has served as a main training partner for Francis Ngannou. Now, it’s his time. Possessing many of the same skills as Ngannou, Gane also brings some differences to the table. His athleticism and quickness is unusual for a heavyweight. Possessing a strong kickboxing background, Gane has shown he’s evolved past being a one-dimensional competitor. In two out of his three UFC outings, Gane has won by submission.

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Way-too-early top 10 MMA fighters of the 2020s

Israel Adesanya is among the fighters who could finish the 2020s as one of the decade’s best.

I’m sure you’ve checked out MMA Junkie’s countdown of our fighters of the decade for the 2010s and have your own opinion on who would have made your list and what order you would have listed them. Now, with a new decade upon us, it’s time to look forward and ponder which names might dominate the MMA landscape over the course of the next 10 years.

And that hugely important job of pugilistic prognosticator fell to yours truly as I pick up the baton and attempt to compile a list of fighters who could lead our fighters of the decade list from 2020-2029.

So here, in no particular order, are my 10 selections in this way-too-early list:

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Jon Jones

Let’s not mess around here. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, and there’s nobody on the horizon that’s likely to change that soon. And with Jones dominating the UFC’s light heavyweight division, a brand-new chapter could soon open up for “Bones” when he takes the plunge and moves up to heavyweight.

Skill-wise, there’s no doubt he has everything in his locker to be every bit as dominant at heavyweight as he currently is at 205 pounds, but there’s always that X-factor of heavyweight punching power. Jones tends to drag his opponents into deep water, but at heavyweight it only takes one shot to end your night.

To that end, at 32, Jones’ style has avoided taking damage for the bulk of his career. Heavyweights tend to last longer and peak later than other weight classes: Witness Daniel Cormier holding the UFC belt past age 40. Current champ Stipe Miocic is 37, and his first reign began when he beat a then-38-year-old Fabricio Werdum.

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The challenge that lies ahead for Jones is arguably the most fascinating – and dangerous – of his MMA career. And the matchups he’ll face over the course of the coming years will make for some of the most-watched fights of the decade.

He was our No. 1 fighter for the 2010s, and he’s my early-money favorite to finish the 2020s as not only MMA Junkie’s fighter of the decade once again, but also as the consensus greatest mixed martial artist that ever lived.

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UFC champ Israel Adesanya sees unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan as a future foe

Israel Adesanya is keeping eyes on all the happenings in the UFC middleweight division, and that includes the come-up of Edmen Shahbazyan.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is keeping eyes on all the happenings in the UFC middleweight division, and that includes the come-up of [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag].

Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is an unbeaten rising star at 185 pounds who has vocalized his desire to become youngest champion in UFC history. He just turned 22, and has a little less than two years to break Jon Jones’ mark in the record books.

After getting three solid wins to begin his UFC career, Shahbazyan really turned heads with a brutal knockout of Brad Tavares at UFC 244. Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was unable to stop Tavares inside five rounds when they fought, and the champ said the performance got his attention.

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“I saw his fight,” Adesanya said during a recent appearance on the “JRE MME Show” with host Joe Rogan. “I didn’t know who he was until (my manager) told me. Then I rewatched his fight. He hit Brad Tavares with the head kick and that kind of got my attention, like, ‘Oh (expletive), who is this kid?’ At 185, he’s 22. He’s on the come-up. I played with Brad for five rounds. He starched him in one round. I’m not taking that lightly.”

UFC president Dana White said following UFC 244 that he’s high on Shahbazyan’s talent, but admitted caution must be taken with a prospect of this nature. Whether Shahbazyan is able to accomplish his goal of claiming the belt inside the set timeline remains to be seen, and only time will tell if Adesanya still holds the strap should he get there.

Adesanya’s immediate focus is on the division’s established top contenders such as Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero and more, but “The Last Stylebender” admitted Shahbazyan is more than just a blimp on the radar.

“I look at that kid – eventually when he comes up I’m sure I’ll see him at some point,” Adesanya said. “I need to get back to work. I’m working, but I’ve got the FOMO.”

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