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:
Dillon Danis
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.
Bryce Mitchell
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?
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 …
****
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.
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.
Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack a trifecta of major MMA events and react to the latest news and notes.
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,012 of the podcast, the guys unpack a trifecta of major events from the weekend, with Bellator 235 and 236 in Honolulu, as well as UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea. The guys also react to the latest news and notes.
THE RUNDOWN:
The weekend got off to a bad start for Bellator, with former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag] forced to withdraw hours before the Bellator 235 headliner because of illness. When and where should Barnett vs. Ronny Markes take place now?
At UFC on ESPN+ 23, [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] took care of business in a big way with a first-round TKO finish of ex-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Did “The Korean Zombie” do enough to shake up plans of title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway? Are you warm to the idea of a No. 1 contender fight against [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag]?
At Bellator 236, [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] retained her flyweight title with a dominant performance against Kate Jackson, and [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] advanced to the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix with a submission of Derek Campos. The guys weigh in on both outcomes and more from the card.
[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], the Glory Kickboxing middleweight champion better known as the guy who knocked out Israel Adesanya, wants to fight MMA. Are you into it?
[autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] has his next fight lined up for Jan. 25 at Bellator 238. Is this guy a star for the promotion?
It sure does seem like [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] would rather fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] instead of receive a welterweight title shot vs. Kamaru Usman. Does this make sense?
Former Bellator champion [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] left the promotion to sign with PFL. Good or bad move for him?
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2019.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2019: Here are the four nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
* * * *
The Nominees
Stephen Thompson def. Vicente Luque at UFC 244
In case there were any doubters — and going in, there sure seemed to be — [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 11-2 UFC) proved he’s still very much a factor in the UFC welterweight division against [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 10-2 UFC).
The two time title challenger returned to vintage “Wonderboy” form as he picked apart one of the division’s hottest fighters in Luque over the course of three rounds. The judges’ scores at New York’s Madison Square Garden were 30-26, 30-26, and 29-27 as Thompson won by unanimous decision.
[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) became the UFC’s “Baddest Mother(expletive)” after defeating [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) in their highly anticipated welterweight matchup.
Masvidal continued the most stellar run of his career, and perhaps wrapped up his claim to “Fight of the Year,” when he picked Diaz apart to claim the “BMF” belt. Unfortunately the end came in an anticlimactic matter, with “Gamebred” winning by doctor stoppage TKO in the third round after multiple cuts on Diaz’s face.
John Salter def. Costello van Steenis at Bellator 233
Prior to his encounter with [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in their middleweight main event, [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) never went the distance in 20 pro mixed martial arts fights, win or lose.
Finally, that changed. Salter dominated the first two rounds in his bout with van Steenis, which was enough to win out over a later rally as he earned a unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board, putting Salter back in contention in Bellator’s 185-pound division.
Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Calvin Kattar at UFC on ESPN+ 21
[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was made to work for it, but the Dagestani featherweight contender picked up arguably the most important win of his UFC career against [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC).
The matchup was rearranged from their original booking at UFC on ESPN 6 in October, with the matchup kept as a three-round affair despite headlining status. And after three entertaining rounds, it was Kattar who was in the ascendency, but Magomedsharipov who was ahead on the scorecards to take a unanimous decision.
On a night in which the president of the United States and Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were both in the house, New York State Athletic Commission Chief Medical Officer Nitin K. Sethi apparently decided he wanted to be the star of the show.
Masvidal and Diaz delivered as advertised through the first three rounds of their main event for the “BMF” title. Diaz, however, was cut above and below his right eye, and while Diaz has fought his way through plenty worse in his career, Sethi took a cursory glance at Diaz between rounds and decided to call off the fight, much to the chagrin of the capacity crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
It went in the books as a TKO stoppage at 5:00 of the third round, but Masvidal, for his part, made it clear he was unsatisfied with the stoppage and was ready to run things back as soon as possible.
[lawrence-related id=459344,459430]
“For a fact, you gave me the love I’ll give you the love,” Masvidal told Diaz. “I don’t like to leave the ring like this with my opponent still conscious. We have to run it back.”
Masvidal was sharp from the fight’s outset, firing heavy hands with malicious intent. What turned out to be the bout’s most important sequence occurred early in the first round. Masvidal caught Diaz with a wicked elbow off the break, then landed a sneaky head kick which dropped Diaz to the mat. Somewhere in that flurry, Diaz was busted open around his right eye.
Masvidal was cautious about going to the mat with Diaz, which enabled Diaz to recover, but he continued to outwork Diaz in the standup throughout the first and into the second.
Diaz likes to stalk his foes, use pressure, and turn up the volume. But every time it appeared Diaz was going to turn up the heat, Masvidal managed to escape and reset.
[lawrence-related id=459532,459479]
Diaz is a cardio machine known for coming on in the late rounds. While Masvidal also won the third round, the round was also Diaz’s best, as he started to show signs he was getting it together, landing effective combos.
That built the anticipation for the championship rounds, but that’s when the doctor decided it was a good idea to step in and end the fight.
“The Rock” came in and placed the specially made “BMF” belt around Masvidal’s waist, and while Masvidal accepted it, he made it clear he wants a rematch. Diaz, for his part, let everyone know he’s down.
“I’m going back for this mother(expletive), right back,” Diaz said. “Let me heal this up and go again.”
UFC featherweight standout Zabit Magomedsharipov addresses critics who say he has cardio issues.
[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] has addressed his cardio critics.
With a perfect 6-0 start to his UFC tenure, Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has been near flawless in his performances and has emerged as a top featherweight contender.
But if there’s one thing many have been critical of, it’s his cardio. Magomedsharipov has shown a tendency to slow down in the third round. He has gone to the judges’ scorecards on three occasions in the UFC, most recently when he picked up a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar in November in Moscow.
All three judges awarded Kattar the third round, but Magomedsharipov, who is known for his in-cage acrobatics, wonders if fans want to see an entertaining battle, or a safe win? He took to Instagram to explain his case.
[lawrence-related id=462240,461793,461656]
“Many criticize my endurance without thinking about how much energy a non-standard work in a battle can take,” Magomedsharipov said via translation. “I always strive to please my fans, but, of course, we will tighten the functionality anyway. Entertainment in battle or a simple victory without risk? What would you give priority to?”
Greg Hardy is potentially out up to 180 days after injuring his hand at UFC Moscow.
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] is one of five fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 21.
The event took place Nov. 9 at CSKA Arena in Moscow and streamed on ESPN+.
One half of the co-main event, Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) dropped a three-round, unanimous decision to heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]. As speculated on the broadcast, Hardy injured his right hand/wrist and faces a 180-day medical suspension as a result.
Additionally, four other fighters have been handed out six-month suspensions. [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag], [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag], and [autotag]Grigorii Popov[/autotag] were also handed 180-day suspensions for injuries sustained in their respective losses.
Check out the entire UFC on ESPN+ 21 medical suspension list below (acquired via MixedMartialArts.com):
[autotag]Grigorii Popov[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until nasal x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by ENT physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Alexander Yakovlev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until left elbow x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 14 days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right eyelid laceration with 21 days no contact
[autotag]Rustam Khabilov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Sergey Khandozhko[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by OMF physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Shamil Gamzatov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Anthony Rocco Martin[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for nasal laceration with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for hard bout with 21 days no contact
[autotag]Zelim Imadaev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right temple laceration with 21 days no contact
Alexander Volkov: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
Greg Hardy: Suspended 180 days or until right hand/wrist x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for hard bout with 21 days no contact
What does another big weekend of MMA action mean for the rankings? We walk you through it all in this week’s rankings report.
It was another eventful weekend in the MMA world. Consider the highlights:
[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] continued his climb up the 145-pound ladder with a win over Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 21.
[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] returned to action, as the former Bellator champion decisioned Greg Hardy in the UFC Moscow co-feature.
[autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] proved she’s still a factor in the Bellator featherweight division with her impressive unanimous-decision victory over Leslie Smith.
So what does this all mean for the weekly USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and “Gorgeous” George Garcia walk you through the changes in the video above.
After another impressive victory, how close is Zabit Magomedsharipov to the top of the 145-pound rankings?
With an impressive victory over the ultra-tough Calvin Kattar on Saturday in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 22, the only real question left for [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] is how close he might be to a featherweight title shot.
The Dagestani standout remained unbeaten in the UFC with his victory in Moscow, and there isn’t a whole lot of daylight left between him, champion Max Holloway, and top contender Alexander Volkanovski, who square off for the title next month at UFC 245.
So where to rank Magomedsharipov after another impressive outing? We’ve settled on No. 4, for now. Maybe he gets the UFC 245 winner, maybe he’s one more fight away, but a title shot sometime in 2020 certainly seems plausible the way things are going.
That wasn’t the only matchup of note with divisional implications over the weekend. We also had former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]’s win over Greg Hardy. And over at Bellator 233, former featherweight title challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] made her case for another championship match with a nice win over the well-respected Leslie Smith.
To find out where they landed in their respective divisions — or to learn where your favorite or least favorite fighters currently rank — scroll up above to check out the current USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
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, John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze touch on the biggest storylines from UFC on ESPN+ 21 and around the world of MMA.
Show rundown:
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] traveled all the way to Moscow on short notice for the biggest test of his early career and came away with a three-round unanimous decision loss to former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 21. What did this performance tell us about the controversial former NFL standout? Did it tell us anything significant about his MMA outlook moving forward?
[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] remained undefeated in the UFC at 6-0 with a three-round unanimous decision win over [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN+ 21 headliner. Afterward, Magomedsharipov called for a title shot. Was this the performance that sealed the deal? Or does Magomedsharipov need a more signature victory to stake his claim?
At first, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] said he wanted an immediate rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Then he was like, “peace out fight game.” Now he’s clarified he isn’t actually leaving the fight game, after all. What does all of this mean for Diaz’s future?
UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has made it clear that [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] is his next title defense of choice over Corey Anderson. Is that the right next move? What about heavyweight?
[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] is off to Bellator and has detailed the reasons why he left the UFC to jump ship. What do we make of this move and his outlook with Bellator?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 2 of “Spinning Back Clique” in the video above.
