Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the top four honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.
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With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Submission of the Year.”
Check out a full recap of 2020’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 2020’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from May 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Thiago Moises def. Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN+ 29
[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) showed why one should never be counted out of a fight when he turned the tables on Michael Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) for the biggest win of his career.
After getting picked apart for the first round, Moises came out in the second and bum-rushed Johnson. He managed to tie Johnson up and falling back into an ankle lock. The tap came quickly after, and Moises was awarded the victor in a stunning comeback.
Cortney Casey def. Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 8
[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) picked up arguably the best win of her UFC career on Saturday when she finished Mara Romero Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in resounding fashion at UFC on ESPN 8.
Casey not only finished Borella in the first round, but she did it with an armbar that caused the Brazilian to scream out loud while tapping out. The victory marked a successful move up to the women’s flyweight division for Casey after spending her previous 10 octagon appearances at strawweight.
🅲🅰🆂🆃 🅸🆁🅾🅽 🍳@CastIron_Casey locks in the RD1 sub!
➡️ Tune in now on @ESPN! pic.twitter.com/pv0vvDhjzL
— UFC (@ufc) May 16, 2020
Casey Kenney def. Louis Smolka at UFC on ESPN 9
Bantamweight prospect [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] (15-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) submitted veteran Louis Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in perhaps the best performance of his career.
Kenney wobbled Smolka early in the first round and then sunk in a one-arm guillotine choke to finish the bout. With the win, Kenney rebounded from his first octagon defeat.
Wobbled and submitted Smolka with a one-arm guillotine 😤@ckmma135 #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/oM9c93jmVE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 30, 2020
Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott at UFC on ESPN 9
Former LFA champion [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took the first step toward getting to title contention at the highest level when he put away Tim Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) in a “Fight of the Night” affair.
Royval submitted longtime UFC fighter and former title challenger Elliott with an arm-triangle choke. Royval was a slight underdog in the fight and got the stoppage at the 3:18 mark of the middle round.
WELCOME TO THE UFC @BrandonRoyval 👏
Watch the #UFCVegas action on @ESPN and E+ pic.twitter.com/NYLxHDDUup
— UFC (@ufc) May 30, 2020
Mackenzie Dern def. Hannah Cifers via kneebar at UFC on ESPN 9
[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had to work through a relentless Hannah Cifers (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the early going, but ultimately did what she does best.
Dern made relatively quick work of Cifers – but only after she was able to get the fight to the canvas, where she forced Cifers to tap with a kneebar. The finish for Dern, the biggest favorite on the card, was the first leg-related submission in a women’s UFC fight.
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Moises picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Johnson in a stunning turnaround.
In the beginning of the fight it seemed the version of Johnson who owns victories over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier had arrived. He stopped Moises’ takedowns and got his striking off in the first round of the lightweight bout, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Then the second round came, and Moises was a different fighter. He rushed Johnson immediately and pulled guard when he was met with resistance. From there, he fell back and locked in a tight heel hook that forced Johnson to tap out at the 0:25 mark of Round 2.
The defeat put Johnson on a three-fight skid and dropped him to 3-8 in his past 11 UFC appearances. He appeared to suffer damage to his knee during the finish, too.
Moises, for his part, completed his UFC contract with a big finish. He made it clear he wants to stick around with a new contract, and called out former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.
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Big-time MMA returned earlier this month with three shows in eight days. What was the fallout from the second and third in that stretch?
Big-time MMA returned earlier this month with three shows in eight days. What was the fallout from the second and third shows in that stretch?
The MMA Rankings Report returns this week to break down UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla. Ahead of what is expected to be the UFC’s return to Las Vegas this week, pending the Nevada Athletic Commission potential approval Wednesday, take a look inside some recent moves ahead of Saturday’s welterweight clash.
“Gorgeous” George and “Goze” from MMA Junkie Radio take you through all the updates to the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
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Ben Rothwell only wants to fight guys that have momentum on their side.
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] only wants to fight guys that have momentum on their side.
After edging out Ovince Saint-Preux at UFC on ESPN+ 29 this past Wednesday in Jacksonville, Rothwell (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) called out Aleksei Oleinik.
But it appears that Rothwell won’t get his wish, after revealing that he had heard that Oleinik will likely face someone ranked ahead of him instead.
“It was right there at the cusp of the Top 10. (I) thought it was going to be a great fight for a lot of reasons. We haven’t fought before,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “Anyone else aside of that, I get to say the good old boring ‘whatever they bring,’ because they have their own plan. I have no idea what it is.”
Rothwell has been a little confused with some of his recent bookings, which included Stefan Struve, who was coming out of retirement; Gian Villante’s heavyweight debut, a fight which was later canceled; and Saint-Preux, who was also moving up from 205 pounds.
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“Names that have been brought to me (have been) so out of left field,” Rothwell said. “Stefan Struve out of retirement. I’m like, ‘What’? Just out of left field. Then this next fight it’s like, ‘Gian Villante. Who?’ So it keeps happening where it’s out of left field (with) guys you never expect moving up to heavyweight, so it could be anybody.”
Rothwell said he’d be willing to take on a rematch if that kept him in the mix. However, his only request is that he faces someone coming off of a win, and cited the example of former victim Alistair Overeem as a potential next opponent that makes sense.
Rothwell knocked out Overeem in Mashantucket at UFC Fight Night 50 back in September 2014, but the big Dutchman scored a big win of his own in Jacksonville as he stopped Walt Harris in the main event of UFC on ESPN 8. As a result, “Big Ben” says a rematch with “The Reem” represents the sort of bout he’d relish for his next assignment.
“Rematches, they’re better if they make sense,” he said. “Alistair would be great because he’s coming off of a win, and I have a win over him so I’m sure he might want to get the win back. So that fight is good, but fighting a guy on a loss? Honestly, anywhere in the realm, I learned the hard way you don’t want to do that. If you’re on a win, two wins, three wins, (you) don’t want to fight a guy on a loss. It does nothing for you.”
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Anthony Smith wouldn’t have accepted an apology from Jason Herzog over last week’s stoppage for one reason: Smith didn’t think he was owed one.
Referee Jason Herzog apologized for his role in [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]’s loss to Glover Teixeira, but Smith doesn’t feel an apology was necessary.
Plenty of blame and finger pointing went down in the aftermath of last week’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event. Teixeira put on an impressive showing in his victory over his fellow former UFC light heavyweight title challenger in Jacksonville, Fla. After two close rounds, Teixeira turned up the heat in the third and put Smith through the wringer, as the bout turned one-sided and eventually became almost painful to watch.
By the time the bout was waved off in favor of Teixeira early in the fifth round, Smith’s injuries included a busted orbital bone, smashed teeth, and a broken nose.
This set off a firestorm of speculation in the MMA space about whether the fight should have been stopped sooner, to the degree Herzog felt compelled to issue an apology over the internet, in which he didn’t specifically name Smith, but made it clear to which fight he was referring.
#UFCJAX pic.twitter.com/Y4DefYSdrm
— Jason Herzog (@JasonHerzogMMA) May 15, 2020
But in a recent interview with ESPN, Smith said that while he hasn’t spoken to Herzog since the bout, if they did talk, he wouldn’t accept an apology, for a simple reason: He felt Herzog had no reason to feel sorry.
“I wouldn’t have accepted (an apology),” Smith said. “I wouldn’t have. Because I don’t need an apology. His hands are clean on this one. We’re good.”
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Not only did Smith believe Herzog doesn’t have to apologize for how he called the fight, but he wanted to make it clear he’d have no problem with having Herzog as the third man in for any future bouts.
“I think he’s a phenomenal ref, and I would love to have him in there with me again,” Smith said. “Because he’s very clear, he stays out of the way, he’s quiet.”
Smith believes the best referees are the ones who let the fighters fight. Along with Herzog, Smith singled out Keith Peterson and “Big” Dan Miragliotta for their approach to officiating fights.
“Keith Peterson is another guy who I really enjoy, too,” Smith said. “They don’t insert themselves, ‘Big’ Dan is good. they stay back, they let you fight, and sometimes you forget there’s a even ref in there. Like I said he’s very clear in there with his instructions, he speaks when he needs to. He’s great, man. He’s really, really good.”
"His hands are clean on this one… I think he's a phenomenal ref and I would love to have him in there with me again."@lionheartasmith wouldn't have accepted an apology from referee Jason Herzog because doesn't feel he's owed one. (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/9aKXoffsMi
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 19, 2020
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Some talk seems to point to a possible heavyweight match between light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and heavyweight Francis Ngannou. Could this be a matchup, or is it the wrong move for either one of these fighters?
Some talk seems to point to a possible heavyweight match between light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and heavyweight Francis Ngannou. Could this be a matchup, or is it the wrong move for either one of these fighters?
As was highlighted during the UFC’s return in Jacksonville, can we all agree that MMA referees have a tough job?
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, Simon Head fills in to host while “Gorgeous” George, “Goze” and special guest Farah Hannoun recap the UFC’s week in Jacksonville and more. Let’s go!
SHOW RUNDOWN:
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 28 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.
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Which star shone brightest as the UFC returned to action in Jacksonville? MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, Simon Head, and Dave Doyle name their winners.
After a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC made its return with three events in eight days in Jacksonville, Florida. UFC 249, UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC on ESPN 8 each featured a host of eye-catching performances, but which fighter stood out as the star performer over the course of the eight days?
That’s the question we put to MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Farah Hannoun and Dave Doyle as they sound off in the latest edition of Triple Take.
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Fans loved watching [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] long before he got his hands on UFC gold, but his performance to win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249 showed that he had evolved his game to go that extra yard and push him to within touching distance of a fight with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Gaethje’s fan-friendly fighting style had already won him a legion of supporters, but it also put him in harm’s way more often than perhaps was sensible, and his back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez – both in the later rounds – showed that there was still some refinement needed if “The Highlight” was to go all the way to the top.
His performance against Tony Ferguson proved that those refinements had been made, as Gaethje produced the best performance of his career to win the interim belt and book himself a future date with “The Eagle.”
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I’ve felt for awhile that Gaethje had the best combination of skills to test Nurmagomedov and potentially even hand the Russian his first defeat, but I wasn’t sure if his gung-ho approach would count against him against the other top contenders. Now he has taken his game to a different level, beaten Ferguson and showed that he’s championship-ready, those doubts are now out of the window.
Gaethje is ready, and his upcoming clash with Khabib could turn out to be one of the fights of 2020.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Henry Cejudo goes out on a high
John Hackleman admits he would have thrown the towel in if it were his fighter, but it may not have necessarily been the right move.
John Hackleman says he would have stopped the [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] fight at UFC on ESPN+ 29, but also said people with a similar view should cut Smith’s corner some slack.
Hackleman was in Teixeira’s corner for the fight, as his man stopped Smith late in Round 5 of the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event after an encounter that saw “Lionheart” suffer a prolonged beating.
Smith’s corner from Factory X Muay Thai was criticized for not throwing in the towel to protect their fighter, who suffered facial fractures and had his teeth smashed, before referee Jason Herzog finally decided to stop the fight late in Round 5.
Herzog also took heat for letting the fight drag out, and later took full responsibility for his handling of the situation.
But Hackleman, who’s had no issue throwing in the towel for his fighters in the past, thinks both Herzog and Smith’s corner should receive the benefit of the doubt.
“I think the referee did a great job, first of all,” Hackleman told MMA Junkie. “I think there were times where it looked stoppable, but people gotta remember, I’m the stopper. Everybody that knows me, even the referees, I stop fights with my fighters very quickly, and too quickly I think sometimes, so it doesn’t just show caring for the fighters. Sometimes I fight to stop the fights quickly enough where my fighter probably would have recovered and maybe had a second chance.
“And sometimes that means double their purse because they didn’t win, they don’t get a win bonus, and sometimes it means taking them out of a title contention, so stopping the fight has a lot of ramifications. I stop them too early, and I admit that, and my fighters know that, and if they have a problem with that, they can have someone else work their corner. So then there’s stopping it perfectly – like how many people do things perfectly? Sometimes it’s gonna err on a little too late and, in my case, sometimes it errs on too soon.”
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Hackleman thinks Smith still had a fighting chance and, while he admits he would have thrown in the towel if it were his fighter, it may not necessarily have been the right move.
“Watching it from where I was watching it, my vantage point was, Anthony Smith was still dangerous,” Hackleman said. “He could have stopped it in the third round, but don’t forget: Anthony Smith nailed Glover a couple of times in the fourth round. So one of those punches could have easily knocked out a fighter. So if he stopped it in the third, now he would have never had a chance to win it in the fourth. So are you stopping it too soon or too late? I don’t know.
“I wasn’t in his corner, and I know this for a fact. I know Marc Montoya loves his fighters and treats them like family but, with that said, I would have stopped it. But that’s not always the right way. All I know is, I wasn’t in his corner, I wasn’t watching it like that. I was watching it thinking he’s still dangerous till the end, as Glover’s cornerman.”
