Khabib Nurmagomedov – Page 47 – Syndication Server

What’s next for Conor McGregor? Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘is the fight to make’

Dana White says Conor McGregor will get his rematch, should Khabib Nurmagomedov get through Tony Ferguson.

LAS VEGAS – As soon as [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] defeated Donald Cerrone in swift fashion at UFC 246 on Saturday night, the speculation began.

Who will McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) face next? Jorge Masvidal? [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]? Kamaru Usman?

At the UFC 246 post-fight news conference, president Dana White made it clear which option he plans on pursuing next. He wants the rematch.

“When you look at what makes sense, we’re at a place right now where Conor was saying going into the Khabib fight (at UFC 229) – he had lot of personal stuff,” White said. “Some stuff (was) self-inflicted. He had injuries. He had all these things going on. He has been obsessed with getting that rematch because he knows he wasn’t 100 percent, right?

“When you look at this for Khabib, Khabib is 28-0. He’s undefeated. You start talking about this kid’s legacy. First of all, to go 28-0 in this sport? I don’t care who you’ve fought. It’s tough to do. Well, this guy is a world champion. After tonight, with how Khabib won the first time, and how famous Khabib has become since that first fight, we’re looking at Hagler-Hearns. We’re looking at Ali-Foreman (or) Ali-Frazier. This is a massive fight with global appeal. It’s the fight you make.”

A matchup between McGregor and Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) would mean Jorge Masvidal wouldn’t get his shot at the Irish superstar. While White acknowledged the interest from the respective parties, he thinks a title fight is key when it comes to McGregor’s next bout.

“If Conor and Masvidal fight, neither one of them even have the title,” White said. “Although Conor does want his ‘BMF’ title, (Masvidal) doesn’t have a world championship. Khabib is the fight to make.”

In recent weeks, McGregor has commented how he’d like to rematch Nurmagomedov in hostile territory. He’s expressed interest in a second fight with the current lightweight champ in his backyard of Moscow. But no way, said White, who listed viable potential cities.

“Nope,” White said. “It ain’t happening in Moscow. … Why do you think it’s not going to happen in Moscow? There are many, many reasons why it won’t happen in Moscow. When I just rattled off the places we could make it, those are the places that make sense. You could either do it in the U.K.; New York City; Dallas, Texas stadium; the stadium (in Las Vegas); T-Mobile (Arena) – those are all the places that make sense.

“Realistically, Vegas is always the place that makes the most sense when you have a massive fight. Unfortunately, Khabib is not a big Vegas fan after what happened to him last time. I don’t know.”

Before logistics for McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov 2 are configured, the Russian champion takes on Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April.

McGregor has said he doesn’t expect the fight to happen. It has been booked four previous times, and each fighter has pulled out twice each.

UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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Dana White: Conor McGregor focused on Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch, not Jorge Masvidal

Dana White says Conor McGregor wants a Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch next, not Jorge Masvidal.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] appears to be dead set on running things back with [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

UFC president Dana White said if McGregor beats Donald Cerrone on Saturday at UFC 246, he doesn’t think he’ll go after [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], a name he’s expressed interest in before.

White said McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) wants a rematch with UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC), who is slated to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18.

But McGregor doesn’t think the fifth time the fight has been booked will be the charm.

And if that’s the case, he hopes to step in and get his rematch with Nurmagomedov, who submitted him in the fourth round at UFC 229 in 2018. That was the most recent time McGregor fought.

“Here’s the thing: Realistically, Conor believes that Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson will not happen,” White told TMZ Sports. “We’ve tried to do this fight many, many times. Conor believes it won’t happen. Conor wanted to do this fight (with Cerrone) at 170 because he wants to turn right around and jump in and fight Khabib if that fight (with Ferguson) doesn’t happen. So again, we’ll see how this plays out. We’ll see what happens after this, and Conor is very focused on that rematch with Khabib.”

UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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Conor McGregor admits to drinking during fight week for Khabib Nurmagomedov loss at UFC 229

“I was drinking all the way through fight week last time.”

In the lead-up to UFC 246, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] has reiterated a point he’s made in the past.

The former champion thinks a disjointed, unfocused camp led to his fourth-round submission loss to [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] at UFC 229 in October 2018, which was his most recent fight.

But in a Monday interview with ESPN, McGregor revealed he consumed alcohol during fight week for that event – and it was more than just a quick swig of Proper No. Twelve on Conan O’Brien’s late-night show.

For his UFC 246 camp, McGregor said he hasn’t consumed alcohol. In fact, he said it’s been a few months since his most recent drink.

“Good couple of months ago (since I drank),” McGregor said. “Three, four months ago maybe. … I was drinking all the way through fight week last time (for Nurmagomedov).”

McGregor said the behavior wasn’t normal for him and that since he didn’t drink alcohol during fight weeks for past bouts, he’s unsure why he decided to for UFC 229.

“Not to that extent (it wasn’t common),” McGregor said. “I just had this venom in me or something. I don’t know why.”

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According to McGregor, it wasn’t uncommon for him to celebrate after intense sparring sessions. What McGregor described was essentially having full-on fights in the gym. With success in sparring came post-session celebration.

“I had people holed up in a hotel from that part of the world (Dagestan/Russia), and I would ring and arrange a fight and I would ring them and they would come down to the gym and have a full-blown fight – no head guard, gloves that were small,” McGregor said. “A fight. I’d win, I’d have a war, and I’d win and I’d knock the guy out then I’d go off and celebrate. Then I’d come back in three days – not doing what I should’ve been doing, not living the life I should’ve been.”

Since then, McGregor said he’s learned from his mistakes and made adjustments. He’s comfortable with where he’s at.

“I’m not going back there,” McGregor said. “I’m in a better place. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve been man enough to admit them and correct it, and that’s what I’ve done. I might not be perfect, but with a good sleep and a full belly, I’m damn close.”

McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) returns Saturday against Donald Cerrone (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in the UFC 246 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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Dillon Danis on Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 229 brawl: ‘He didn’t touch me at all’

But Dillon Danis remembers “uppercutting” Khabib during the mayhem.

Bellator prospect [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] says the infamous UFC 229 brawl did not go down the way everyone thinks.

After UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] submitted Danis’ teammate, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], in the fourth round of the October 2018 title fight, he jumped the cage and incited a brawl.

The person Nurmagomedov went after was Danis, when he leaped into the air to attack him. But Danis said that Nurmagomedov didn’t even touch him, as the two were quickly separated.

Speaking to “The Schmo,” in an interview released Wednesday, Danis gave his version of how it went down.

“No, he didn’t connect,” Danis said. “You know what’s funny, when he jumped over the thing, and he had his feet and his arms up, so like, he didn’t really know what he was going to hit me with. So I was like, am I going to get kicked right now or punched? I kind of just blocked then I hit him with a right hand, and then I remember him coming forward, and I was uppercutting him, and then he was just trying to run away, and I was trying to grab his head.

“It was just a whole mayhem and then everybody was getting punched, and cops were going all over the place, and … he didn’t touch me at all. I remember hitting him with a good amount of shots, and then I just remember him trying to pull away and run away from me, and I was trying to cup his head and uppercut him. But it was mayhem. Everything happened so fast.”

Danis is set to make his third appearance for Bellator on Jan. 25 against Kegan Gennrich at Bellator 238 in a 175-pound catchweight bout. Danis is currently in Las Vegas to help McGregor prepare for next week’s UFC 246 headlining bout vs. Donald Cerrone, which takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena.

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2020 vision: Bold predictions in MMA for the new year

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn looks into his crystal ball to make 10 bold predictions for 2020 in UFC, Bellator and PFL.

The past decade was a time of great evolution and change in MMA, much of which even the most diehard fight fans couldn’t have seen coming. What will the first year of the next decade bring? Here are 10 bold predictions as the 2020 schedule gets set to kick off.

Without further ado …

* * * *

Khabib Nurmagomedov retires 30-0

UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has made no secret that he doesn’t intend to have an extended career. His body has gone through the ringer due to various injuries over the years.

Moreover, Nurmagomedov already has etched out an undeniable legacy. If he can add a few more layers to that, he honestly doesn’t have much reason to keep going. If Nurmagomedov can get through what many believe to be his biggest obstacle in Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April, then there really aren’t many true challenges left for “The Eagle.” Another win after that would bring his career record to 30-0, and if that fight is a massive one, like his long-desired Georges St-Pierre superfight – or perhaps a Conor McGregor rematch – he pretty much will have done it all.

The only reason for Nurmagomedov to stick around beyond that would be to reap the benefits of being a massive star (far bigger than now), and that money is hard to walk away from. Everyone around Nurmagomedov has long said financial security is of no concern to him, though. If that’s true, it elevates the chances of this happening.

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Four current UFC title reigns end prior to a successful defense

Of the UFC’s current crop of champions, the following have yet to register a successful title defense during their current reign: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (heavyweight), [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (middleweight), [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (featherweight), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (bantamweight), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (women’s featherweight), and [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (strawweight).

More than half of those title reigns will go down as a flash in the pan.

Jon Jones’ UFC title record gets broken

For more than eight years, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ record for youngest champion in UFC history has gone largely unchallenged. Rose Namajunas had an opportunity to break his mark back in December 2014, but she fell short of winning the inaugural strawweight title.

2020, however, is the year Jones will be bumped from the history books. 21-year-old [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (women’s flyweight or strawweight), 22-year-old [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (middleweight) and 22-year-old [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (bantamweight) are all on the rise, and have already secured ranked positions in their respective weight classes.

They all have challenging paths, but one will claim UFC gold in the next 12 months.

A.J. McKee becomes champion and Bellator’s biggest star

A.J. McKee at Bellator 236. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

Bellator has received criticism for the way its slow-played many of its prospects, but going into 2020, it’s difficult to look at [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and argue Scott Coker mishandled the development of a young man who will soon be the face of the organization.

At just 24, McKee already holds a plethora of Bellator records. He’s validated himself in a big way over his past few fights, advancing to the semifinals of the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix. In order to win that tournament (and the featherweight belt), he’s going to have to go through some real tough competition, but if he comes out the other end on top – watch out.

McKee has spent his entire career with Bellator. His fighting style is tremendously entertaining to watch, and he has personality for days. If adds a belt to all that, there’s no reason Bellator shouldn’t push him to the moon.

UFC disbands at least one weight class

The UFC flyweight division and women’s featherweight division have been on shaky ground essentially since their inceptions, and 2020 could be the year one – or both of them – finally go.

Yes, Henry Cejudo “saved” the flyweight division, and there is a vacant title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo lined up for Feb. 29, but what comes next? As fun as the weight class can be, there’s just not a lot of money-making fights at 125 pounds.

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In comparison to the women’s featherweight division, though, flyweight is a thriving wonderland. Champion Amanda Nunes hasn’t defended her belt since winning it in December 2018, and although the promotion has signed a few new fighters to the weight class, there’s still not much going on. Nunes really wants to defend that 145 title for her legacy, but once that happens, the UFC could finally decide to pull the plug.

(Next page: PFL’s future, UFC vs. Bellator, and more)

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UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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Firas Zahabi: ‘I would be surprised if Khabib ever gets more than one takedown’ on Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is “a difficult human being to keep down” – but even against Khabib?

Firas Zahabi doesn’t think [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] would be able to implement his game plan in a hypothetical fight against [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag].

Speaking on the “FightTips” podcast, Zahabi said he doesn’t think that UFC lightweight champ Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC), would be able to keep his star student, former two-division UFC champ St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), down on the mat

“Even if Khabib would take Georges down, let’s give the best case scenario: I think Georges is getting up, personally,” Zahabi said. “He’s going to get up. Georges’ jiu-jitsu is impeccable. It’s impeccable. It’s not going to be like holding down anybody in the 155-pound division today. It’s another level. Georges, even if Khabib gets him down – and I love Khabib, I’m a mega Khabib fan, as a person and as a fighter, huge fan of his – Georges’ ability to get up is incredible, and I would be surprised if Khabib ever gets more than one takedown. It would shock me. It would surprise me, to be honest.”

St-Pierre, who remarkably had no collegiate or major wrestling background, is widely considered as one of the best wrestlers in MMA history, leading the all-time statistic for most takedowns landed throughout his career at 90.

He also has barely ever spent time on his back, which is why Zahabi thinks that stylistically, Numragomedov wouldn’t be able to display his usual dominant style of grappling.

“Georges is incredibly hard to take down,” Zahabi said. “Look at his career: How many times has he been taken down? And when he was taken down, how long did he stay down? It was a fraction of a second. He’s always up. He’s a difficult human being to keep down.”

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And if the grappling is neutralized for both fighters, they’d be forced to stand and trade, and Zahabi would give the edge to St-Pierre in the striking.

“There’s no way I can tell you I’m not biased – I’m biased for sure,” he said. “But I think Georges’ kicking ability alone will bank him in rounds. They’re both good jabbers, actually. I think Khabib is a good jabber. But I think defensively, Georges is far superior – defensively. His boxing is longer and better, more precise. If you look at it statistically, I think Georges’ numbers are better, and he has a superior kicking ability.”

But at 38, the longtime former welterweight king has nothing left to prove. One of the greatest fighters of all time, St-Pierre made a comeback in 2017 and took out Michael Bisping to claim the UFC’s middleweight title. While Zahabi wouldn’t rule out a St-Pierre return, it would have to be a fight that motivates him.

An undefeated 28-0 Nurmagomedov could just be that fight, but they’d have to meet somewhere halfway, or in a non-title welterweight bout.

“I don’t think he’s done,” Zahabi said. “I just think he’s so competitive that one day he’s going to see a guy that everybody think is unbeatable, and he’s going to want to come back. Khabib is one of those guys, but it has to be a 165 fight. Will the UFC do it? That’s the question.

“Georges doesn’t want to be champion at welterweight anymore because that means he would have to defend the title every three or four months, which I think that lifestyle, he’s done with.”

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Ali Abdelaziz on potential Nurmagomedov-McGregor rematch: ‘Conor’s not on our radar’

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz says Conor McGregor isn’t a factor in his client’s future fighting plans.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] may be targeting a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov later in 2020 – and Dana White may be on board with the idea – but it seems [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s camp aren’t interested in facing the man “The Eagle” finished at UFC 229 last year.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz said he understood why the UFC president is linking McGregor with a potential rematch for the UFC lightweight title, but also stated that the Irishman wasn’t in the Russian champion’s immediate plans.

“Listen, Dana’s the greatest promoter in history (and) I respect the man very much,” he said. “He has to make people care about Conor. And by mentioning Khabib’s name, he is making Conor more relevant. It’s OK. He promote, can do whatever. Khabib has a plan, Dana has a plan, sometimes we’ll get upset, sometimes we’ll agree. But business moves on.

“But Conor’s not on our radar. He might lose to “Cowboy” as far as I understand. I think he might lose.”

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Abdelaziz also said he was unimpressed by recent photos showing McGregor in excellent shape ahead of his UFC 246 return against Donald Cerrone on Jan. 18, and said that all the pre-fight talk from the Irishman’s camp should be taken with a pinch of salt ahead of the fight.

“Listen, his coaches before the fight (with Nurmagomedov) said: ‘He’s ready, he’s gonna knock Khabib out inside three rounds, he’s never been in better shape.’ And after that, they said: they had a horrible camp, his food was like a balloon. They’re liars.

“He looks like a blew-out balloon. He’s a bodybuilder. That’s what I think. He’s getting no love from us.”

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And with Abdelaziz stating that McGregor wasn’t in position to challenge his client later this year, he suggested another one of his fighting stable was a more worthy contender to Nurmagomedov’s UFC lightweight crown.

“What about guys like Justin Gaethje?” he suggested. “He’s been winning and knocking people out. Logically, he is (the next top contender). He’s ranked number three. Number two, Dustin Poirier, fought for the title. That’s the only fight that makes sense for him, for his career, to fight the champion.”

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Gaethje has made no secret of his desire to face McGregor inside the octagon, but Abdelaziz says the UFC has made a wise move by keeping the Irish superstar well away from the former WSOF champion and his hard-nosed, come-forward fighting style.

“Listen, Conor does not want to have to do anything with Gaethje,” he said. “We understand, like I said, Gaethje takes a lot of people into deep water. We understand Conor is a quitter – he quit when he was in deep water. The UFC made the right choice not to (have Conor) fight Gaethje, because he would have beat his ass. Simple.”

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Conor McGregor: Khabib Nurmagomedov scared to rematch, thinks he was winning at UFC 229

Conor McGregor: “I just smell (expletive). That’s all it is. He’s afraid, and that’s it.”

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] may have lost the first battle against [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], but the former UFC champion thinks the war is far from over.

In his first interview since his UFC 246 comeback was made official, McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) told TheMacLife.com he thinks Nurmagomedov is scared of a potential rematch.

“(Nurmagomedov) is trembling,” McGregor said. “That man is trembling. He doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want it. You get it. He’s trying not to lose it again … I just smell (expletive). That’s all it is. He’s afraid, and that’s it. Everyone wants it. The boss wants it – Dana (White) wants it. We all want it. He can run, but he cannot hide. I look forward to it.”

The two fighters squared off in October 2018 at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) submitted McGregor in the fourth round. The finish was quickly put on the back burner when Nurmagomedov jumped into the crowd and initiated a post-fight melee with McGregor’s corner.

Up until the finish, McGregor thinks he was winning the majority of the fight. The Irishman pointed to a statistical advantage in the striking department and said Nurmagomedov hadn’t done much with his takedowns prior to the finishing sequence.

“In my mind, I won Round 1,” McGregor said. “I outstruck him 3-1. OK, he had position on that mat – but I outstruck him 3-1. What did he do in the first round? Second round, look at the lackadaisical approach I had to him. He was just running around the outside of the cage. He got that lucky shot and had a great second round. What happened after that? I was winning the third round, (and) even in the opening exchanges in the fourth round. I was winning the fourth round up until that trip.”

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Another factor that led to his defeat, McGregor said, was a poor training camp. McGregor pointed at himself and blamed his disrespect toward those around him for his UFC 229 demise.

“That (loss) was after a horrendous camp where I was so disrespectful to the people that believe in me,” McGregor said. “I was disrespectful to my team with my lack of commitment, and I still went out and done that.

“Then, I also landed a blow on his blood brother and his cousin, so we’re happy with it. It’ll come back to him. Like I said, he can run but he can’t hide … No, no, no: It’s far from (over).”

McGregor returns to action at UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone in a welterweight main event. UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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20 fight finishes that shaped the 2010s in MMA

This list is filled with shocking and sensational knockouts and submissions from the 2010s.

Given that my colleagues already have done a fantastic job of covering everything from the top fighters to the top moments of the decade, I figured I’d contribute to the retrospective content by examining some of the more memorable fight finishes from the last 10 years – parsing out technical trends and evolution while paying homage to performances that are worthy of the ole “Baba O’Riley” highlight reel.

As you’d hope with any maturing sport, the cultural fist-fighting phenomena that is MMA has improved from many perspectives.

Aside from the obvious growth of audience and accessibility, the quality of fighting, in general, has seen a sure-and-steady uptick since 2010 – particularly in the athleticism department. In fact, you could argue that one of the quiet benefits to the global expansion and corporate interest-era of this past decade is the increase in the level of athletes we’re seeing accumulate in MMA’s proverbial talent pools.

Not only have more Olympic medalists and collegiate athletes successfully made the jump to mixed martial arts, but we’ve also seen small countries like Surname or unassuming giants like China make their mark in regards to flexing their athletic powers. Coupled with the ever-growing index of techniques (from fighting to fight prep), and we’ve been privy to fighters – from all around the world – finding increasingly fun and explosive ways to finish fights.

Since it’s practically impossible to include all of the best fight finishes from the past 10 years, I decided to limit myself to 20 selections that I believe helped shape the state of fighting over the last 10 years.

Without further ado …

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‘Shogun Rua’ knocks out Lyoto Machida

‘Shogun’ Rua and Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. (Getty Images)

Date: May 6, 2010
Event: UFC 113

With Frankie Edgar dethroning B.J. Penn just one month prior, the decade starts off with what are the beginnings of a trend in regards to “auras of invincibility” being shattered, as well as stylistic conundrums being figured out. And sure enough, after finishing the previous decade off with a sour decision at UFC 104, [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] exacted his revenge in 2010 by emphatically ending the undefeated streak of then-light heavyweight champion [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] at UFC 113.

Not only did Rua build off of his previous successes of low kicks and right hands to eventually find the crashing counter, but he also provided a useful blueprint for future fighters when it comes to dealing with karate stylists in mixed martial arts (see Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page or Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson).

Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko

Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko in 2010. (Getty Images)

Date: June 26, 2010
Event: Strikeforce/M-1 Global: “Fedor vs. Werdum”

As I mentioned, 2010 in MMA was essentially the first few seasons of “Game of Thrones” wrapped into one year in regards to watching our heroes fall.

[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], who finishes 2009 with a surprisingly competitive fight with Brett Rogers, starts off the decade with a rude reminder from [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] that the guard still works in mixed martial arts.

At this particular time in the sport, the jiu-jitsu guard was trending down both in popularity and proven application at the highest levels; therefore seeing someone like Fedor (of all people) falling into the grappling honeytrap was incredibly surprising. To Werdum’s credit, he masterfully played possum like an NBA player trying to draw an offensive foul, further placating Fedor’s strong sense of security from topside – something that ultimately cost the Russian his legendary winning streak.

Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen

Date: Aug. 7, 2010
Event: UFC 117

It’s hard to forget fights that happen on your birthday, especially when it comes to classics like this one.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag], who had surprised me with his brand of promotional candor since his WEC victory over Bryan Baker, ended up surprising us all by backing up his words when taking on the great [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] at UFC 117.

After four-plus rounds of domination from Sonnen, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Silva was going by the wayside like Fedor, Penn and Machida had done months before him. However, despite being down on the scorecards (as well as sporting an injured rib), Silva shows off elite, clutch-player sensibilities that would make the likes of Michael Jordan or Reggie Miller proud, as the then-UFC champ secured a triangle-armbar submission in the fifth round that reminded us all there are no safe spaces in MMA so long as there’s time on the clock.

Edson Barboza TKOs Mike Lullo

Date: Nov. 20, 2010
Event: UFC 123

Legend bashing wasn’t the only thing going on in MMA back in 2010, as there were fighters like [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] stepping onto the scene to help start/reinforce the trend of leg bashing.

Sure, the decade prior had a solid offering of leg kickers like Pedro Rizzo, Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk, but it’s hard to ignore that those men were all heavyweights while Barboza – the only fighter to officially earn two leg-kick TKOs under the UFC banner – is a lightweight.

Of course, Jose Aldo’s domination over Urijah Faber at WEC 48 would’ve also been a great example to list if it fit the bill for a fight finish, but it’s ultimately hard to deny Barboza’s consistent commitment to killing his opposition with kicks, as well as his contributions toward this decade’s trend of attacking the legs.

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