The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 46 are in, and every fighter made weight, clearing the way for the first UFC card of 2022!
Saturday, January 15, 2022, UFC Vegas 46 will take place inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The weigh-in results have all wrapped up and we’ll have those results to you shortly. But first, here’s a glimpse at the main event in store for fight fans tomorrow night.
Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze Preview
Calvin Kattar will once again be one of the two lead-off men to kick off the year for the UFC. Last year at UFC on ABC 1, Kattar faced Max Holloway and lost via unanimous decision. Despite the amount of punishment he took in the fight, Kattar says he would love to have a round 6 against “Blessed,” who Kattar believes to be the uncrowned champion of the featherweight division. But before then, he’ll have to deal with a “Ninja” by the name of Giga Chikadze.
Holloway was scheduled to have the opportunity to become re-crowned in a trilogy fight against Alexander Volkanovski, but he had to withdraw from the bout due to injury. Many names volunteered to replace Holloway, perhaps none louder than Chikadze, but Kattar did not join the list because he is eager to earn such opportunities by getting back in the win column following his one-sided loss to Holloway last year.
Calvin Kattar is ranked #5 in the featherweight division and has a professional record of 22-5. He is currently 0-2 in UFC main events, losing to Zabit Magomedsharipov via unanimous decision in 2019. However, both main events against Holloway and Magomedsharipov won Fight of the Night.
Giga Chikadze is currently ranked #8 at featherweight and is 14-2 as an MMA pro. He has won nine consecutive fights, and this will be his second consecutive main event. The last main event was his TKO victory over Edson Barboza last August in what earned him Performance of the Night.
You can catch the final face-off between tomorrow’s headliners below.
A 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂 featherweight fight is set for your first main event of 2022 🔥@CalvinKattar takes on @Giga_Chikadze 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓!
UFC Vegas 46: Kattar vs. Chikadze Weigh-In Results
UFC Vegas 46 kicks off exclusively on ESPN+ at 5PM ET, 2PM PT. The main card will be simulcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ starting at 7PM ET, 4PM PT.
You can view the entire weigh-in results and lineup below, courtesy of UFC.com.
UFC Vegas 46 MAIN CARD (7:00 PM ET ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+)
Main Event – Featherweight Bout: Calvin Kattar (146) vs Giga Chikadze (146)
An audience member had seen enough of an intergender MMA fight and decided to take action.
At a recent Russian MMA event, there was an intergender fight that took place between Russian pornstar and singer Alexander Pistoletov and his opponent, Sasha Mamaha. The event was from a promotion titled “Epic Fighting Championship.” It is unconfirmed if either fighter has competed in an MMA contest before.
In any case, what could already be viewed as a circus of a contest from a matchmaking standpoint became even more chaotic when an audience member rushed into the cage and interfered in the matchup.
According to Twitter user @Matysek88, the individual who interfered was a friend of Mamaha’s. After diving onto Pistoletov and appearing to attempt a rough chokehold on the porn star, the official and security were able to pry him off of Pistoletov and escort him out of the cage.
At that point, the fight was restarted and Pistoletov was able to earn the submission victory.
You can view the entire bedlam for yourself below.
Leon Edwards’ wait for a world title shot appears to be coming to an end.
Edwards had expected to be fighting for a world title a long time ago. Now, he has reached a point where he is unbeaten in 10 fights and yet was still booked in another non-title bout, this time in a grudge match against nemesis Jorge Masvidal.
After Masvidal was forced to withdraw from that bout due to a rib injury, that left Edwards without an opponent. Edwards insisted that he would not fight again unless he receives a world title shot.
History has shown that sitting out and waiting for a title shot can be a very risky play, especially as far as Edwards is concerned. Dana White has cautioned fighters against making such a move, with Edwards himself being among them at one point.
In an interview with TSN this week, however, White relented and agreed that Edwards is deserving of a title shot and is next in line for UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
“100 percent,” White said when asked if Edwards was next in line for Usman. “That kid’s had a rough run. He deserves it. If you look at it, Colby lost to (Usman) twice, Gilbert lost, Leon’s next. He’s number three.”
White also hinted that one of the reasons for granting Edwards the title shot is because of his willingness to do what he said no one else wanted to do last year: step up and fight Khamzat Chimaev.
“We were in a matchmaking meeting on Tuesday and I’m always like, ‘Nobody wants to fight him, nobody wants to fight him,’” White said. “Leon Edwards signed the bout agreement to fight him and I think he was ranked number three at the time. So I wanted to make that clear, publicly. He absolutely wanted to fight him, signed the bout agreement and then Khamzat got COVID and that was the end of that.
“I’m bringing it up for a reason because I said that and never gave that kid the credit he deserved. He said yes to it, signed the bout agreement, and was ready to roll.”
Leon Edwards first faced Kamaru Usman long before Usman was champion, in a unanimous decision loss in December 2015. In his most recent fight, he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 263 while Usman successfully defended his title in another rematch—against Colby Covington at UFC 268.
Brendan Schaub is coming to Joe Rogan’s defense after a coalition of medical professionals and educators called on Spotify to rein in Rogan’s alleged misinformation.
Recently, a letter was published by over 200 doctors, nurses, professors, and scientists imploring Spotify to create a policy to help tackle misinformation on the streaming platform. The specific material the coalition was referencing is the content disseminated and facilitated by Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
This comes after a controversial episode with Dr. Robert Malone aired last month, with the doctor being accused of “promoting baseless conspiracy theories” regarding COVID-19.
“This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform,” the letter wrote regarding JRE & the Dr. Robert Malone episode.
As of this writing, Spotify has not issued a response to this letter, but Rogan’s good buddy and fellow podcaster/comedian Brendan Schaub has addressed the criticisms Rogan has received. Schaub argues that, unlike other mainstream news outlets, Rogan does not have a hidden agenda.
“It’s like you want to shut this doctor down, which [Anthony] Fauci [Chief Medical Advisor to the President] has done over and over again. But I don’t agree with him. He tries to get them canceled. He’s notoriously known for that.
“But also with this it is like hold on, you want to cancel Rogan and this doctor because they don’t agree with what you’re saying? He is more qualified than you guys are… They don’t like that Rogan is this outliner who destroys all of them combined. So they’re trying to censor that… Joe doesn’t have an agenda. If you watch CNN or Fox, there’s an agenda, plan or narrative that they are pushing. Joe is not. (h/t Sportskeeda).
What do you make of all the criticisms against Joe Rogan, including the letter written by the medical coalition that targeted him?
Francis Ngannou has revealed what was said in his recent conversation with Dana White and also clarified his contract status with the UFC if he defeats Ciryl Gane next weekend.
As we approach the fight week for arguably one of the most anticipated heavyweight showdowns in UFC history, there is somehow a storyline attached to the bout with a public interest level right on par with that of the fight itself: Will this be Francis Ngannou’s final fight in the UFC?
Image Credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images
That question goes beyond the natural ponderings that manifest whenever a fighter approaches the final fight on their contract. What makes this situation particularly unique is the fact that Ngannou is still a reigning UFC champion. So the urgency for the UFC to get a deal done would seem immense, lest they permit the possibility of a fighter exiting the promotion while still holding a title.
Surely, it was this realization that helped inspire Dana White to meet with Ngannou for the first time in what Ngannou claims has been nearly four years. White briefly addressed the dinner meeting between the two recently, stating that the talk went well and that Ngannou simply needs to surround himself with better advisors.
“It went pretty well,” Ngannou said about the meeting. “At this point, I’m not upset. I’m kind of chill about everything. And I went to him…we wished each other happy holidays, and I tell him my frustration. I expressed to him how I would like to stay in the UFC, but I don’t feel like the UFC still want me to stay. So I don’t feel (I’ve been) promoted anymore….I mean, maybe I’m wrong about that, but I didn’t see anything compared to what happened to different fighters.”
When asked what Dana White said in response to this observation, Ngannou praised the UFC boss for being quick on his feet.
“He bring up something really fast, and that’s why you know that Dana is very good,” Ngannou said with a smile. “He tell me like, ‘Yeah, we want you. Have you ever wanted to go somewhere and we didn’t take care of you?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I think it’s a little more than that.’”
Ngannou Clarifies Contract Status, Won’t Fight Again On Current Deal
PHOTO: MMA JUNKIE
Ngannou did not suggest there was any resolution at the end of their discussion, which means that there remains the question of what happens if he wins next Saturday? Would he be obligated to remain under contract with the promotion indefinitely as a reigning champion? Would he be obligated to fight one more time or until he loses the title?
According to Ngannou, neither of those options is true, but the Cameroonian did provide the two options that he says are present in the contract.
“Contractually, it’s really hard to explain. The UFC contract is very tricky. And they have this string. They can pull the string from anyhow. And that’s why you sign a 40-month contract and you find yourself after four years still dealing with that, even though you have been active and everything. Contractually, that means I have executed the eight fights that was on my contract…
“And the championship clause is (optional) because it says if at the end of this contract you’re a champion, you’re extended for three fights or one year.”
Because Ngannou signed his current deal in December 2017, the one-year extension to his four-year deal would mean he would become a free agent in December of this year without any contractual obligation to fight again in the interim. In fact, Ngannou says that we most certainly would not see him compete again under his current deal, regardless of what happens next Saturday.
“I would not fight for $500,000 or $600,000 anymore,” Ngannou declared. “I mean, it’s over. It’s over.”
How do you predict this contract saga between Francis Ngannou and the UFC will play out?
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
The fact that he ran the WEC/UFC featherweight division for as long as he did—from 2009 to 2015 and through nine successful title defenses—gave him a massive edge over almost everyone on this list in category #2. Much like Dominick Cruz, who appears earlier on this list, any time you have a résumé as extensive as José Aldo’s and you get on a winning streak, you will be provided full respect from our panel.
In 2021, Aldo went 2-0 to extend his winning streak to three. First, he defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision in August. Then, in his first main event since 2017, Aldo defeated a top-5 bantamweight (at the time) in Rob Font via unanimous decision. With that performance, Aldo put the bantamweight division on notice: ‘You’re next.’
All three of Aldo’s wins came against ranked opponents and none of the fights were close. So given his résumé and recent performances, categories #1 and #2 were both very strong for the Brazilian legend and are the main reasons for his ranking at #20.
Heading Into 2022: Don’t look now, but José Aldo may very well be one fight away from another title shot. He already fought Petr Yan for the championship, but that was three fights ago. That being said, his chances of getting another world title opportunity would probably be greater if he challenges a different champion, such as the current titleholder who will appear shortly on this list.
#19: Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje, Image Credit: USA TODAY
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Justin Gaethje will be the first to tell you straight to your face that he is a full-throttle warmonger. No one consistently puts on a show like him; no one promotes violence more ferociously than this “Highlight.” But beyond the performance bonuses and the thrilling clips, he’s also a first-rate competitor.
Gaethje has won five of his last six fights, with the lone loss coming to the unstoppable and damn-near unfair Khabib Nurmagomedov. Aside from that defeat, four out of those five wins were stoppages, and the latest win over Michael Chandler was considered Fight of the Year. Now, to be in a Fight of the Year candidate, that usually means you’ve left yourself wide open to suffering a loss.
This theoretically would impact category #3, his likelihood to win. However, when you’ve won in every non-Khabib fight you’ve had since 2018, you’ve built up enough credit in that area. And if anything, these wars have solidified that he is the most likely to emerge from near-fatal collisions as the sole survivor.
Gaethje’s career trajectory is also off the charts at the moment, with the American listed as the current #1 contender for the lightweight championship. This strengthens his case in Category #1, our most heavily weighted category.
Altogether, Gaethje’s performance quality, winning percentage, and body of work that includes wins over names like Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, and Michael Chandler have him pretty rock solid in all three categories.
Heading Into 2022: As noted, Justin Gaethje is currently the #1 contender and is currently expected to challenge champion Charles Oliveira for the world title this year.
#18: Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Up next on our list is the reigning, albeit controversial, UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling. What isn’t controversial about this champion is his skill set. Sterling has won six straight fights, five straight by non-DQ. This includes wins over four competitors who have been ranked in the UFC: Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz, and our #29-ranked fighter, Cory Sandhagen.
None of those non-DQ victories were competitive. In fact, in the case of Sandhagen, Sterling was able to submit the #4-ranked bantamweight less than two minutes into their fight and take home Performance of the Night for his troubles. Overall, Sterling’s record is a pretty 20-3, holding a winning percentage that proves “The Funk Master” is always more likely than not to do a victory dance.
Currently in his prime and unbeaten since 2017, Aljamain Sterling’s career trajectory is arguably as high as anyone in the bantamweight division right now. All in all, Sterling checks off all the categorical boxes of our criteria.
Sterling edges out Gaethje for this spot mainly because, in his three losses, he has been finished one time while Gaethje has been finished three times. He also has a longer winning streak than Gaethje at the moment, and he holds a victory over Cory Sandhagen, who is ranked higher on this list than anyone Gaethje has defeated.
Heading Into 2022: Look, Aljamain Sterling loves it when people count him out. He’s proven to be a soldier with a growing attack arsenal that he expects will silence his critics once and for all when he rematches Petr Yan at UFC 273 in April. Those critics, of course, label Sterling as a fake champion after he won the title from Yan via disqualification. The only thing on Sterling’s mind as a competitor coming into 2022 is leaving no doubt about who is the rightful top dog at 135.
#17: Colby Covington
Colby Covington
Reasoning Behind Ranking: As Kamaru Usman and Dana White have both stated in so many words, if ever there was an example of “If __ didn’t exist, he would be world champion,” it may be this man. Across two fights, Covington has demonstrated how narrow the gap is between himself and the UFC’s pound-for-pound #1-ranked fighter.
And outside of this rival, he has completely run through every opponent put in front of him since 2015. This includes lopsided victories over names like Demian Maia and former UFC champions Rafael dos Anjos, Robbie Lawler, and Tyron Woodley. Covington’s nonstop motor, enhanced striking, and suffocating wrestling make him visibly one of the most talented and well-rounded fighters in the entire promotion.
Accordingly, he would almost surely be favorited over any fighter at 170 pounds not named Kamaru Usman, which grants him large credit in category #3, and his résumé which includes the aforementioned victories affirm that he does NOT suck and gives him strong credit in category #2 as well.
Had Covington been more active, he might have found himself ranked even higher than this. That is how talented he has proven himself to be. But with the lack of steady activity recently and not winning a fight since September 2020, the #17 placement is very generous, if anything. But even in terms of recent performances, his latest loss to Usman was not treated as a net negative by our panel due to this performance validating just how close Covington is to being the best in the world.
Heading Into 2022: Colby Covington will finally get his long-requested grudge match against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 272 in March, and that’s one fight—and buildup—that you won’t want to miss a single second of.
#16: T.J. Dillashaw
T.J. Dillashaw: Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In another tricky placement on our list this year, T.J. Dillashaw comes in at a healthy #16 despite only having one fight since 2019.
Beginning with category #1, T.J. Dillashaw remains next in line for the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan II, which demonstrates his career trajectory is still trending very high. As far as recent performances, he emerged victorious from a classic battle against someone ranked high on our list, Cory Sandhagen, in his return after a two-year layoff. This is the only true “recent” performance from Dillashaw, which is the primary reason he is not ranked higher.
In category #2, though no doubt tainted by the USADA suspension of 2019, the fact remains the following victories occurred without any positive test results and must be fully acknowledged by our panel: prime Renan Barão (2x), Raphael Assunção, John Lineker, and two wins over Cody Garbrandt that were huge statement victories at the time. Furthermore, his championship loss to Dominick Cruz in 2016 was considered by most to be a toss-up that could have gone either way.
In category #3, Dillashaw has established himself as one of the most well-rounded fighters on the UFC roster. He can fight an entire contest on his feet with grace and efficiency, he can outwork his opponent with elite wrestling, and he also has among the highest fight IQs in the game.
Additionally, his victory over Cory Sandhagen helped answer questions on how likely he is to continue winning after his USADA suspension, and it also poses the question: if Dillashaw performed that well after a two-year layoff, how will he look moving forward?
Heading Into 2022: Now that he’s back in the world he loves, the #2-ranked Dillashaw isn’t shedding any tears about his past but looking to continue validating his career by becoming a three-time UFC champion. That may or may not require one more fight after he returns from knee surgery. One likely opponent for Dillashaw if that additional fight is required is the #3-ranked contender and fellow ex-UFC champ, José Aldo.
#15: Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Who would have thought two years ago that a 42-year-old Glover Teixeira would be world champion and rank at #15 on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021 list?? Based on the confidence he’s built on since his winning streak began three years ago, Teixeira’s self-belief was always there. And by taking it day by day, paying the requisite price, and bleeding for it, Teixeira now sits as the king of the UFC’s light heavyweight jungle.
Things haven’t always gone smoothly for Teixeira, but as far as his recent performances go, he has now won six consecutive victories, including the magnum opus of his career: submitting Jan Blachowicz to finally become UFC world champion.
During this career-defining stretch, Teixeira has defeated names like former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos, but of course, it was the victory over Blachowicz that earned Teixeira this placement on our list more than anything else.
It’s important to note that in terms of his body of work, this stretch, as remarkable as it has been, is not all that defines Teixeira’s legendary career. He has 33 career wins in total, which also includes wins over the likes of Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson among many others.
Heading Into 2022: Still an underdog heading into the new year, Teixeira is not expected by the oddsmakers to exit 2022 with the gold he came in with. He’ll have his first chance to prove the doubters wrong again if his anticipated bout against Jiří Procházka goes down this year.
#14: Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier, Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: When it comes to the respect of our panel, Dustin Poirier is getting paid in full by this placement at #14 of our list despite coming up short in his quest for lightweight gold at UFC 269.
Although this loss was Poirier’s most recent performance, he still came away with many points in Category #1 due to his back-to-back victories over Conor McGregor. Prior to that, he soundly defeated Dan Hooker via unanimous decision.
But what is ironically Dustin Poirier’s strongest category is still perhaps his body of work and résumé, despite failing to become UFC champion in 2021. Since 2017, Poirier’s record stands up against the very best of the best, with the Louisiana native going 8-2 in this stretch, including victories over former champions Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway, and another fighter who, like Holloway, is prominently featured on this list: Justin Gaethje.
Dustin Poirier has developed a reputation of having the resolve and stubbornness to keep pressing forward even after the most disheartening stumbles. So as someone who has never lost back-to-back fights in his 13-year career, the odds seem likely that he’ll be getting his hand raised once again sometime soon.
Heading Into 2022: The accompanying questions are following this latest bounceback attempt: What division will Poirier return to? And who will be his opponent?
While Poirier has made no secret that he’d love nothing more for the answers to those questions to be a welterweight bout against Nate Diaz, recent stalls in those negotiations leave those questions unanswered until further notice.
#13: Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Islam Makhachev does not have the names on his résumé as a Dustin Poirier or even a Justin Gaethje. But he has earned something that neither of them or any other current lightweight has: a reputation of being completely and utterly unstoppable.
In his last three victories, as the levels of competition have increased, so has the degree of dominance: with impressive submissions over Drew Dober, Thiago Moisés, and someone who appears on this list: Dan Hooker. Makhachev holds another victory over someone on this list, Arman Tsarukyan in what won Fight of the Night. To get an idea of just how dominant this guy is, even when he wins Fight of the Night, it’s still a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 unanimous decision!
The fact that Makhachev’s recent performances have been increasingly dominant through these nine fights and because he is now right smack dab in his prime at 30 years old, his career trajectory is arguably as high as anyone in the entire promotion who is not currently wearing UFC gold. And there is a very good chance that Makhachev would be the betting favorite over anyone in the division right now. Evidence of this can be found in him being a major -390 favorite over our #26-ranked fighter, Beneil Dariush, despite Dariush being on a monster winning streak himself.
The strength Makhachev carries in Categories 1 and 2 is what has earned him this lofty spot on our list.
Heading Into 2022: Conventional wisdom holds that Islam Makhachev is only one fight away from having the opportunity to join his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov in the hall of UFC lightweight champions. But first, as mentioned, he must get past #3-ranked Beneil Dariush in a fight scheduled for February 26.
#12: Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane, Image: UFC.com
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in hot and high on our list at #12 is the undefeated and remarkable Ciryl Gane.
In many ways, Ciryl Gane is ranked somewhere near where Khamzat Chimaev might be if he had four ranked, established, and highly respected names on his résumé like Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov, and Derrick Lewis, with none looking as if they had any business being in the cage with Gane. Meanwhile, this ascending star has no signs of fear or discomfort in front of the cameras and just dazzles like it’s second nature.
Unlike Chimaev, Gane isn’t known to steamroll his opponents in the first round. Instead, he’s able to pick them apart flawlessly over a prolonged stretch in the most dangerous division, which in some ways is even more impressive.
Chimaev comparisons aside, Ciryl Gane has brought an entirely fresh and new style to the heavyweight division that he showcases with smooth ease, as if partaking in a sparring session while his opponents are giving maximum effort.
The quality of Gane’s recent performance and career trajectory cannot be overstated. When you receive a heavyweight title shot after only 10 professional fights, that can only be due to a 10/10 rating on career trajectory and recent-performance quality. Most recently, Gane completely outclasses Derrick Lewis in Lewis’ hometown of Houston to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion.
Despite Islam Makhachev having more wins than Gane, the fact that Gane is undefeated with wins over a much higher level of competition scores Gane a spot above the Dagestani grappler.
And in regards to category #3, Gane’s flawless record joined with the fact that the odds have him dead even with the most feared man in the company and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Francis Ngannou, shows just how much respect he’s been given by the public despite his young career.
Heading Into 2022: Next weekend, Ciryl Gane will take part in the first blockbuster fight of 2022 when he faces the aforementioned “Predator” Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight title unification bout at UFC 270 live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
#11: Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker, Credit: USATSI
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Robert Whittaker has shown the world that he can be touched, he can be moved, he can be rocked, he can be shaken,
It looked as though perhaps “The Reaper” might have been turned into a relic after reigning champion Israel Adesanya finished him at UFC 243. But stories of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
Since that loss, Whittaker has earned major points in Category #1 with three straight unanimous decision victories in his recent performances over other premier strikers Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.
Whittaker also hits both categories #2 and #3 with the facts that he is a former world champion and has won an incredible 12 out of his last 13 fights. This is especially noteworthy when considering who he’s faced. We’re talking about a prime Jacare Souza, Yoel Romero (2x), and Derek Brunson, along with the other aforementioned names and many others.
Robert Whittaker is without question worthy of a spot in our top 10. What gives our next fighter the oh-so-slight edge over him is the fact that they are a current titleholder. You can find out who that person is in the conclusion of our list tomorrow, as well as who fills out the rest of the top 10.
Heading Into 2022: Robert Whittaker will have an opportunity to fix that “not a champion” blip when he faces Israel Adesanya in a rematch of their 2019 bout at UFC 271 next month.
Stay tuned to find out who all are in the top 10 of our list in the exciting conclusion of the MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021 list tomorrow!
The Nunes family had a brief scare recently when Amanda Nunes fell while holding her toddler daughter Reagan.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the fall. In fact, Amanda’s wife Nina got a good laugh out of the entire episode. You can watch the video and see Nina Nunes’ written reaction below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYh1XvyJZOM/
“Raegan was not injured in the making of this video. Amanda’s ass may hurt a little. Also, I have probably watched this 1000 times. ???,” Nina Nunes wrote.
The Nunes family welcomed baby Reagan into their household last September, thus making Amanda Nunes the first mother champion in the UFC. That topic was briefly disputed by new bantamweight champion Julianna Peña, who called herself the first “mom champ” after submitting Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 last month.
Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña will more than likely have another opportunity to express themselves in a way that leaves no room for misunderstanding: the ultimate proving ground of the UFC Octagon. Dana White and both mom champs have already signed off on the idea. If and when that rematch does take place, you can expect a happy and healthy Reagan to be in the warm grasp of Nina Nunes as part of the jam-packed audience.
A coalition of over 200 medical professionals and educators have written an open letter to Spotify to implement a “misinformation policy” in response to content disseminated on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The impetus behind the letter was the December 31, 2021 episode featuring Dr. Robert Malone. In the letter, the authors accuse Spotify of failing to “mitigate the spread of misinformation” by allowing such episodes to stream to an estimated audience of over 11 million people.
The letter accuses Malone of “promoting baseless conspiracy theories” and claims “the JRE has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The letter would also accuse Rogan of repeatedly spreading “misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine.” The authors argue that Rogan has “discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are ‘gene therapy,’ promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 (contrary to FDA warnings), and spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.”
The authors proceed to argue that such information is particularly harmful due to the demographic of the podcast. They state that the average age of JRE listeners is 24 years old and that this is concerning because “unvaccinated 12-34-year-olds are 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID than those who are fully vaccinated.”
The impassioned letter continues by stating that medical professionals are directly impacted by the content shared on the JRE podcast, as they have to work overtime to repair “the public’s damaged understanding of science and medicine.”
“This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform,” the letter concludes.
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Leon Edwards’ placement in the top 30 of our list should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the run he has been on since 2016. After losing to current champion Kamaru Usman in 2015, Edwards’ wins have kept spinning like the rims of a Cadillac. This includes victories over two names on our list: Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque. In total, Edwards has remained unbeaten after 10 fights, which naturally gives him a strong edge in the “likelihood to win fights” category.
So why isn’t he ranked higher if he’s been unbeaten in so many fights? Firstly, Edwards’ lack of activity has hurt him in regards to the “recency” of his performances. He has only won one fight since July of 2019. Second, none of his wins have come against someone at the top of the division. As you’ll see with someone later on our list, however, that doesn’t necessarily prevent a higher ranking. The difference between that individual and Edwards is they have been able to finish opponents with more decisive victories while Edwards generally has not, even having a spit decision against Gunnar Nelson three fights ago.
Heading Into 2022: The #3-ranked Leon Edwards’ next fight is uncertain. But with Jorge Masvidal now booked against Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns in the works, there’s a good chance that leaves Edwards as the odd man in for once, and he may very well finally get his title shot against Kamaru Usman.
#29: Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: No lengthy winning streaks here. Nope, just an exquisite fighting style and talent that was clearly developed through years of crafting and hard work. Make no mistake about it, though, Sandhagen has deployed these talents to generate results in the line of combat. Indeed, “The Sandman” has shut out the lights of many men with lofty dreams of war, including one of the best knockouts of 2021 over Frankie Edgar.
More than half of Sandhagen’s victories have come by way of KO/TKO, including his last two victories that came over ranked opponents Edgar and Marlon Moraes. As was the case with Edgar, the Moraes KO was also a frontrunner for KO of the year in 2020.
As for that missing winning streak? One of the losses came against the “super interim” bantamweight champion, if you will, Petr Yan, in what was a fairly competitive fight overall and won Fight of the Night, and the other was against former champion T.J. Dillashaw in a fight that was about as close as it gets, with many fans and pundits scoring the fight in Sandhagen’s favor.
In essence, we are not counting the Dillashaw fight as a “full” loss due to just how much of a legitimate coin toss the bout was. That plus his much higher finishing rate gives him the slightest of edges over Edwards. Additionally, the only time Edwards faced anyone around the level of Dillashaw was against Kamaru Usman in a fight where he was soundly defeated.
Sandhagen’s résumé and likelihood to win a fight were both awarded extra points when considering his wins over other respected names like John Lineker and Raphael Assunção. His only losses have come to the very best in the division: the aforementioned Yan and Dillashaw as well as current champion Aljamain Sterling.
Heading Into 2022: Despite his setbacks, Cory Sandhagen remains ranked #4 in the elite bantamweight division. There’s no word on who is next for him. A fight against fellow striker Rob Font could be enticing, with the two currently ranked right next to one another and both coming off a loss, or perhaps a potential masterpiece of MMA art against fellow flowing mover Dominick Cruz.
#28: Zhang Weili
Zhang Weili
Reasoning Behind Ranking: It was nothing but “Magnum” bullets kicking down the door when Zhang Weili burst onto the UFC scene in 2018. From 2014-2021, Zhang compiled a total of 21 straight victories with only one prior defeat. She also holds wins over notable opponents Tecia Torres and our #42-ranked fighter and former strawweight champion, Jéssica Andrade, to capture the title in 2019 with a first-round blitz. And who can forget her victory over Joanna Jędrzejczyk in one of the greatest fights in the entire history of MMA?
The reason Zhang is not ranked higher is because of category #3. Her likelihood to win fights at the highest level has been brought into question over the past three fights. First, though her bout against Jędrzejczyk was an all-time war and an admirable showing by both women, that fight could have gone either way, which causes a direct impact on her likelihood to win a major fight.
Her loss to Rose Namajunas in her next bout was obviously the biggest impact to Zhang in this third category, where she was knocked out in under two minutes at UFC 248. Then, although the judges’ scorecard could have gone her way against Namajunas at UFC 268, she again came up short in a major fight. That said, if one more round had gone against her in the Jędrzejczyk fight, she very easily and plausibly could be on a three-fight losing streak right now.
Heading Into 2022: Zhang Weili remains ranked #1 in the strawweight division and due to the closeness of her last fight against Namajunas, she could still be within one win from another title shot. Her next fight is currently unknown, but her former foe in the aforementioned MMA classic, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, likes the idea of running it back.
#27: Stipe Miocic
Reasoning Behind Ranking: The primary reason for Miocic’s somewhat low ranking given his body of work and well-established talent is not because he got knocked out by Francis Ngannou. Anyone knows there’s no shame in that. It’s simply because that’s the only image of him in the Octagon since August 2020. And his win before that came in 2019. That means he is 2-2 in his last four fights and had a poor showing in 2021. So it was category #1 that was the main hindrance from Miocic being ranked higher on our list.
As for why he’s ranked as high as he is despite going 0-1 in 2021 and 2-2 in his last four, the reason for that is fairly clear given Miocic’s body of work and résumé. He has put on for The Land by decorating it with gold, with more successful title defenses than any heavyweight in UFC history. He holds wins over Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, and perhaps the two biggest feathers in his cap: a one-sided victory over current champion Francis Ngannou and two wins over someone who was once in the heavyweight GOAT running himself, Daniel Cormier.
Because of all of the above, Miocic remains the consensus HW GOAT in the eyes of many and there is no indisputable evidence that he is on the decline. But that uncertainty works both in his favor and against him since we do not have any more evidence about where he stands due to a lack of consistent activity.
Had Miocic gone 1-0 or even 1-1 in 2021, he’d likely find himself in or right outside our top 10. But after getting dominated and knocked out in his only fight of the year without a win since the summer of 2020, it’s hard not to reward fighters who have been more active and/or had a better 2021 record.
Heading Into 2022: Stipe Miocic is truly in a state of limbo at this present time and there is no sign whatsoever of who he’ll fight in 2022 or if he would even be willing to fight this year in any bout that isn’t a title shot. Nevertheless, the two-time former champion is ranked #2 in the heavyweight rankings coming into the year.
#26: Beneil Dariush
Beneil Dariush, Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: After coming out from the shadows of his last loss in 2018 against Alexander Hernandez with a unanimous decision win over Thiago Moisés, Beneil Dariush is still rolling with seven consecutive wins. For Dariush to be placed over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Zhang Weili, Conor McGregor, etc., it is clearly because of the fact that he hit a home run in our highest-weighted category (category #1), which factors in career trajectory and recent performances that has brought his momentum to a boil.
In terms of career trajectory, he is likely one win away from a world title shot in arguably the most competitive division in the UFC (lightweight). And in recent performances, he has not only remained highly active, but four of Dariush’s seven straight wins have earned him performance bonuses, including his latest KO over Scott Holtzman.
Dariush’s win streak includes victories over Moisés, Drew Dober, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and someone whom our panel still has a lot of respect for and thus carries a lot of weight: Tony Ferguson.
Because of the quality and longevity of his winning streak, Dariush also warrants a great deal of respect in category #3, his likelihood to win fights. Because not unlike Charles Oliveira, although Dariush may have encountered many setbacks throughout his career, there is nothing that says one can’t flip a switch and enter a new, championship gear. As of this writing, there is no evidence that Dariush hasn’t flipped that switch.
Heading Into 2022: If Dariush is able to get past his next challenge, Islam Makhachev, then he will almost be guaranteed to have a much higher ranking next year, regardless of what else happens in 2021. As far as the UFC rankings go, he currently sits at #3 in the division.
#25: Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachbowicz, Image Credit: Josh Hedges | Credit: Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Jan Blachowicz comes in at #25 on our list, which may be a controversial placement due to him being behind not one, but two light heavyweights on this year’s list. One reason for this conservative placement is because his latest loss to Glover Teixeira was a poor showing overall, with Teixeira defeating him with relative ease despite coming in as the underdog. That greatly impacts category #1.
Category #3 was also awarded less than many others ranked ahead of him because, to this day, Blachowicz is not given the full respect from oddsmakers and pundits as someone who just held the world title. In fact, in his next fight against #3-ranked Aleksandar Rakić, the odds are even, and he is not expected to be champion by the end of the year. Furthermore, what was also taken into consideration with category #3 is some other setbacks that have occurred throughout his career, with losses to names like Corey Anderson, Patrick Cummins, and Jimi Manuwa.
That said, you have to give Blachowicz his respect and credit in all three categories for his victory over Israel Adesanya in March of 2021. Blachowicz was able to earn a unanimous decision against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and a reigning champion. A victory over Adesanya is a huge notch on his résumé that no one else in the world can claim. He also holds a victory over someone else on our list, Dominick Reyes, where he was able to capture the championship in September 2020. Plus, prior to his loss to Teixeira, he had won five straight, meaning he is 5-1 in his last six fights.
Heading Into 2022: Now 38 years old, Jan Blachowicz will once again become the hunter after briefly being the hunted. Coming off a painful defeat to Teixeira in October, will his fire that was forged in flame drown from the huntsman’s pain? Or will he emerge from last year’s wreckage with the use of Polish Power? We’ll get our first and perhaps only answer this year when he takes on Aleksandar Rakić on March 26.
#24: Jiří Procházka
Jiří Procházka, Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Right out the gate, we’d like to point out that these rankings do not only consider success in the UFC. We take a holistic approach to a performer’s entire body of work, as evident with Michael Chandler, who also cracked the top 50 of our list. In the case of Jiří Procházka, he serves as living proof that one can build a very strong résumé and body of work outside of the UFC, especially when that résumé is validated upon your performances upon entering the Octagon.
For category #2, which factors in body of work, for those who solely have a UFC-centric mindset, this ranking will likely be a bit too generous, maybe even disrespectful to someone like Jan Blachowicz who has been champion. However, unlike Blachowicz, Procházka is on a crazy winning streak, winning 12 consecutive fights, without losing a fight since 2015.
Through his decade-long tenure as a formal mixed martial artist, this retro ninja has been the ruination of lesser men. In what may be the craziest statistic available on this year’s list, a mindblowing 25 of Procházka’s 28 wins have come by KO/TKO, including his two wins inside the Octagon. Those wins were both over former title challengers: Volkan Oezdemir and someone who appears on this very list: Dominick Reyes, taking home Performance of the Night for both victories and Fight of the Night as well against Reyes in what was one of the best fights of 2021.
Procházka’s victory over Reyes after running straight toward danger and adversity also showcased his ability to win, which gives the samurai an extra boost in category #3. What also gives him a boost in this category is the fact that oddsmakers and experts have him pegged as the most likely person to end the year as light heavyweight champion.
Heading Into 2022: While it has not been confirmed, all indications point to Procházka being the first challenger to Glover Teixeira’s reign as light heavyweight champion. Should he win that fight and maybe tag on one successful title defense, we could be talking top-5 territory for Procházka in next year’s list depending on how dominant those performances were.
#23: Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Next up on our list is former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Figueiredo is placed higher than former champions Jan Blachowicz and Zhang Weili for a variety of reasons.
Figueiredo’s career winning percentage is significantly higher than Blachowicz’s, which directly impacts category #3, and his recent performances from the span of 2020-2021 were stronger than Zhang’s on the whole. Figueiredo went 3-1-1 during this stretch with all finish victories while Zhang went 1-2 with the lone victory being a split decision.
Furthermore, Figueiredo was one groin kick away from defeating current champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 in what was ultimately a majority draw. Also, similar to Procházka, when Figueiredo wins, he makes a statement, with 17 of his 20 victories being stoppages. He also doesn’t discriminate on the method in which he gets it done with nine wins coming by KO and eight by submission. When Figueredo’s work is done, there may be no one left standing to destroy this God of War.
Figueiredo’s finish count is less than Procházka’s number, but the Brazilian is ranked higher due to being rewarded for being a former champion, which is tied to category #2. Additionally, Figueiredo has more victories/finishes in the UFC.
Heading Into 2022: Entering the year, Figueiredo is ranked #1 in the flyweight division. His next bout will be a trilogy fight against reigning champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 next weekend.
#22: Julianna Peña
Reasoning Behind Ranking:
They said she would never make it But she was built to break the mold And capture the only dream that she’d been chasing on her own.
I think we all know what the reason behind this placement is.
In terms of recent performances, it’s pretty hard to top submitting the consensus WMMA GOAT in her prime after outgrappling and submitting an Olympic silver medalist wrestler (Sara McMann), both in the same calendar year. And as the new champion who is still only 32 years old and having just bested the biggest threat in her division, her career trajectory is also at or near a 10/10. Thus, the points awarded to Peña in Category #1, our most significant category, are about as high as anyone on our list.
The new champion also does not come up empty in category #2 (body of work, achievements, and résumé), as she is the first woman to ever win The Ultimate Fighter. She also holds victories over names like Cat Zingano, former champion Nicco Montaño, and former title challenger Jessica Eye.
And in our final category (likelihood to win fights), not only did she just earn a heap of credibility by soundly defeating the WMMA GOAT, but her only losses in the UFC have come against former champions Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie. In those bouts, she took one round against both fighters before losing. This helps support her frequent claim that she is often underestimated and is among the best in the world. And as long as she has the bantamweight strap wrapped around her waist, she is the best in the world.
Reasoning Behind Ranking: What lands Brandon Moreno at #21 and ahead of Julianna Peña is his hyperactivity over the past two years and the fact that he is unbeaten in his last seven fights. Moreno’s 2021 only had one performance, but he sure did make it count when he became the first man to ever submit Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263.
14 of the UFC’s baby-faced assassin’s 19 victories have been stoppages, including his last two wins over Figueiredo and Brandon Royval. And in his draw against Figueiredo at UFC 256, he took home Fight of the Night and participated in one of the greatest flyweight fights of all time.
In addition to the unbeaten streak and his UFC 263 performance, Moreno was also awarded heavy points in Category #1 for his career trajectory. The fact that Moreno has demonstrably and steadily improved and is only 28 years of age made him one of the top earners in this category.
In category #3, although he was once seen as an underdog, the fact that he is currently listed as a steady betting favorite over the #1 contender and is undefeated in his last seven fights makes him the most likely to win a fight in his division at the close of 2021.
Heading Into 2022: As noted earlier, Brandon Moreno will now be taking on Deiveson Figueiredo in a trilogy fight at UFC 270 next weekend to further cement himself as the guy in the UFC flyweight division.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 9!
A police investigation is ongoing after two petrol bombs were thrown at Conor McGregor’s Black Forge Inn Pub overnight.
According to an initial report from The Sun, the two bombs were found on the premises following the criminal incident. Fortunately, there was no damage caused, but local police are encouraging any potential witnesses to come forward with information to assist with the investigation. They are also seeking dashcam footage to help identify the perpetrators.
McGregor is universally regarded as the biggest superstar in UFC history. His most recent bout saw him lose to Dustin Poirier via doctor’s stoppage after breaking his leg. He is expected to make his Octagon return later this year.
MMA News will keep you updated as more information becomes available on this developing story.
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: This “Silent Assassin” has been continuing to make a loud bang in the welterweight division every time he sends a body to the floor. The “assassin” description is well-suited and tailor-made for Vicente Luque, as an astonishing 19 of his 21 career wins have been finishes, including his last four performances: stoppages of Niko Price, Randy Brown, and two ranked opponents: Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa.
The assassin finished his last two jobs cleanly and in the same fashion: putting his assignments to sleep with a flawlessly executed D’arce choke.
Heading Into 2022: Vicente Luque has quietly won 10 of his last 11 fights. Due to this hot streak, he enters the year ranked at #4 in the welterweight division. As of now, there is no sign of whom he might face next to kick off 2022 or when that bout might be.
#39: Brian Ortega
Brian Ortega, Image Credit: Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: The primary reason behind Brian Ortega’s ranking is because, at the moment, the only two fighters in the world to defeat him are the top two featherweights in the promotion: Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
The reason for this is Ortega proving to be a versatile winner at the highest level. First, he can rock you on the feet, and he can always roll you on the mat. His winning percentage and the constant threat he poses to his opponent from start to finish of a bout factored largely in category #3. The latter was perhaps never more evident, even in a losing effort, than in the memorable Round 3 of his classic battle with Alex Volkanovski at UFC 266.
Also, while not in the same calendar year, his masterclass striking display against someone in the top 50 on our list, The Korean Zombie, also worked in Ortega’s favor in terms of the quality of recent performances. Additionally, Ortega has won performance bonuses in three of his last four fights.
Heading Into 2022: There is currently no word yet on who might be next for Ortega. The 30-year-old enters the year ranked #2 in the featherweight division.
#38: Derrick Lewis
Derrick Lewis, Image Credit: AP Photo/John Locher
Reasoning Behind Ranking: When it comes to being a winner, Derrick Lewis may be one of the most underrated fighters in UFC history. Sure, he is not a classic, textbook mixed martial artist. But when it comes to meeting the objective of winning and finishing fights, he’s a certified future Hall of Famer.
In category #1, Lewis’ recent performances only had one bump, which came against the undefeated and #1-ranked Ciryl Gane. Overall, he has won five of his last six fights, though, including a win over someone ranked in our top 50, Curtis Blaydes.
In category #2, which considers body of work and résumé, Lewis has made more tops drop than any other fighter in UFC history with 13 knockouts. Some of the notable names included on that list are the aforementioned Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura, and Alexey Oleynik to name a few.
This ranking is arguably on the low and conservative end for Lewis, all things considered. However, his consistent underperformance in his biggest fights, including a very lopsided loss to Ciryl Gane during the year, greatly impacted him. He has also struggled in many of the fights that he did win, which is considered by us and, more importantly, the oddsmakers and gamblers when contemplating how likely he actually is to win fights in the future.
Heading Into 2022: Derrick Lewis has never been far away from a title shot in recent years. He is currently ranked #3 at heavyweight. “The Black Beast” says he wants to focus on having fun, low-pressure fights moving forward. His 2022 debut against Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa at UFC 271 next month most certainly fits that description.
#37: Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor, Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Yes, the selected image above was very intentionally chosen. It serves as a reminder of how much strength McGregor has in category #2 of our criteria, which considers body of work and résumé. When only considering category #1, this placement might be considered high for McGregor. After all, he hasn’t won a fight in two years now and is 1-3 in his last four fights.
It is for that reason that a fighter the caliber of McGregor is ranked as low as he is, comfortably outside of the top 25. There is no further penalty necessary for his recent performances, especially considering whom they came against and how exactly the fights unfolded. At UFC 229, he became the only fighter to win a round off of Khabib Nurmagomedov on all three scorecards. And at UFC 264, an obvious argument can be made that the fight ended too abruptly to be overly harsh on McGregor.
As for the image, it shows a man who was the first simultaneous double-champion in UFC history. It shows a man with victories over not one, not two, but three men ranked high on our list: Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, and of course, José Aldo in arguably the most historic knockout in UFC history.
In category #3, Conor McGregor is still among the most respected fighters in the world in terms of likelihood to win a fight strictly because of the danger he possesses on the feet, especially in the early rounds. And while it is true McGregor hast lost three of his last four fights, it’s important to remember who the losses came against: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier, so we’re talking about the best of the best.
Just to provide a glimpse of how respected McGregor’s skill is despite these losses: He was favorited to defeat Dustin Poirier both times in 2021 and was the smallest underdog against Khabib Nurmagomedov (+135) since 2014.
Heading Into 2022:“The Notorious” could see about a billion in the next two years, and yet, by all appearances, he’ll still be down for a proper scrap. McGregor’s desire to compete despite his generational wealth seems to be well intact as he looks to make his return no later than the summer of this year. The big question is: Who will it be against?
#36: Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #36 on our list is Carla Esparza. Some newer fans may think of Esparza as a gatekeeper who has just recently caught a hot streak. More knowledgable MMA fans are aware that she is, in fact, a historic champion, not unlike Conor McGregor.
In Esparza’s case, she is the first strawweight champion in UFC history. She may not get the respect of Conor McGregor or many others in category #3, likelihood to win a fight, but the primary reason for her placement over McGregor and the 65 others is because of category #1, the quality of her recent performances and career trajectory, which is our highest weighted category.
In addition to that, she was also awarded strong points in category #2 (body of work/résumé) for her status as a former champion. She also holds a victory over someone ranked higher on our list, Rose Namajunas. Lopsided losses to Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Tatiana Suarez are the two main reasons that prevent Esparza from being ranked higher. She also has suffered split-decision losses to Claudia Gadelha and even Randa Markos.
Heading Into 2022: Those setbacks are now in the past. “The Cookie Monster” has harvested her sorrows and used them to help cultivate her recent bloom, which has produced five consecutive wins and a #2 ranking in the strawweight division. Esparza is currently expected to challenge Rose Namajunas in a rematch of their 2014 bout.
#35: Askar Askarov
Askar Askarov, Credit: Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Askar Askarov is the 35th ranked fighter on our list due to his career trajectory and likelihood to win fights. In terms of career trajectory, he is currently ranked #2 in the flyweight division, behind only former champion Deiveson Figueiredo. That is because he remains undefeated at 14-0-1, which of course earned him heavy points in category #3, his likelihood to win fights. And oh, by the way, that one draw was against current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
Askar’s winning percentage factors into category #2 as well, awarding the Russian for what he has accomplished thus far. And it’s worth noting that he is winning and competing against strong competition, including wins over the legendary Joseph Benavidez as well as someone who appeared just outside the top 50 on our list, Alexandre Pantoja.
Heading Into 2022: Askar Askarov has been confident that his time to reign will come since his arrival, just waiting on the UFC to pull the trigger and allow him to bullet through another target. The next target has been identified as Kai Kara-France on the date of March 26. With a win, it is highly probable that this flyweight bullet will be aimed directly toward a title shot.
#34: Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns, Image Credit: 2021 Jeff Bottari
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Gilbert Burns has only had one scratch on his smooth welterweight playlist that has contained a medley of hits featuring names like Gunnar Nelson, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Stephen Thompson. Burns has won seven of his last eight fights in total, with the lone loss coming to the UFC’s #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Kamaru Usman.
Burns was greatly awarded in all three categories for his welterweight résumé and winning percentage. The quality of recent performances is the only area where there could be some pushback, as in his 1-1 2021 campaign, he was knocked out by Usman and won what many considered to be an underwhelming fight over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264.
Heading Into 2022: Burns is currently ranked #2 in the stacked welterweight division. While it is still unofficial, it is highly likely that he will be facing Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 in April.
#33: Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz
Reasoning Behind Ranking: When you have been as great as Dominick Cruz has been throughout his career and manage to get on a winning streak again, no matter how slim it is, you are going to get maximum respect from our panel.
Cruz’s points in category #2 (achievements/body of work) are obviously the main reason behind this placement. The one and only bantamweight “Dominator” has held the title twice and completed five title defenses going back to his WEC days. In addition to that, his recent performances include a 2-0 record in 2021 to show that he is still very much relevant.
Also, in terms of category #3 and his likelihood to win, his record of 24-3 remains one of the best in the entire company. And one of the losses, against Henry Cejudo at UFC 249, had a stoppage that many felt was premature. And when you see how Cruz survived to come back and defeat Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269, that argument is provided a little more credence.
Given his age of 36, which is considered to be on the older end in the bantamweight division, there are still many questions on how likely Cruz is to win a fight against the fighters at the top of the division, especially since he’s 2-2 in his last four fights. So despite his winning percentage, that was all considered and prevented him from being placed higher on our list. Additionally, his victory over an unranked Casey Kenny was only a split decision, which also dinged “The Dominator” a bit in the Quality of Recent Performances section.
Heading Into 2022: Dominick Cruz is currently ranked #7 in the bantamweight division. Knock on wood, if he can stay healthy and active the way he did in 2021, then it is inevitable that we find out just how high a level Cruz is still operating at in the modern bantamweight landscape. It is unknown who his next opponent will be, but he has expressed interest in a dream fight against José Aldo.
#32: Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Michael Bisping has said that if Israel Adesanya did not exist, Marvin Vettori would be the UFC middleweight champion. Given the fact that the only two losses in Vettori’s last 10 fights came against Adesanya adds some support to that argument. Indeed, “The Italian Dream” keeps getting W’s, winning six of his last seven fights, which includes victories over two names on our list: Jack Hermansson and Paulo Costa.
His victory over Costa earned him Performance of the Night. The quality of this victory from both a name and performance standpoint was weighed heavily in multiple categories.
Additionally, the fact that Vettori was favored to beat Costa, who had only lost to Israel Adesanya coming into that fight, illustrates how respected Vettori is as a fighter in terms of his likelihood to win fights.
During this seven-fight stretch, Vettori’s wins have all been comfortable, coming by unanimous decision along with one submission victory over Karl Roberson.
Heading Into 2022: Marvin Vettori is ranked #2 in the middleweight division behind only former champion Robert Whittaker. There is currently no word on who might be next for the proud Italian.
#31: Aleksandar Rakić
Aleksandar Rakic
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Aleksandar Rakić comes in at a healthy #31 on our list. The primary reason behind this placement is his career trajectory and his likelihood to win fights.
Aleksandar Rakić only has one loss in the UFC and this was in a split decision (Volkan Oezdemir). Outside of that, Rakić has been nothing short of impressive. In the UFC, he is 6-1, including recent wins over two former title challengers who made our list: Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. It was the performance against Smith that really put light heavyweights on notice, as Rakić executed his game plan masterfully and looked swift, sharp, and lethal in his attacks.
In that fight, he also showed an ability to adapt and explore various paths to victory, including grappling when necessary. Based on the eye test, Rakić is one of the most skilled overall strikers in the division and also has the fight IQ to deftly employ his full arsenal.
Odds-wise, Rakić is currently placed at about a pick ’em against former champion Jan Blachowicz. This illustrates the respect Rakić is being given by oddsmakers.
Heading Into 2022: Aleksandar Rakić enters 2022 ready for war as always, whether it’s against Jan Blachowicz, Jiří Procházka, and whoever else is placed in front of him this year. Up first is Blachowicz. After that? Well, that could very well be a world title shot.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 8!
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: For nearly a full decade, Thiago Santos has served as the unrelenting sledgehammer of the UFC. Santos is tied for the most knockouts in middleweight history. Whenever your name is linked with Anderson Silva’s in terms of in-cage achievements, you’ve done something right in your career. He also is tied for third in the most UFC knockouts overall. These facts were considered when awarded “Marreta” points in the “body of work” category.
Another quasi-achievement for Santos is being the only fighter to officially win a scorecard off of Jon Jones. Many fans credit Dominick Reyes or Alexander Gustafsson for giving Jones his greatest challenge, yet it was Marreta who came the closest to actually handing Jones his first non-DQ defeat. With scorecards of 48-47, 48-47, and 47-48, the fight literally could not have been any closer.
As far as recent success, Santos has not looked quite the same or as deadly since returning from surgery on both knees immediately following that bout against Jones. First, he was defeated by Glover Teixeira via rear-naked choke in November 2020. And last year, Rakić cruised to a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian. However, his recent performances aren’t all dim, as he defeated countryman Johnny Walker with a unanimous decision victory of his own last October, albeit in a performance that still displayed a somewhat dulled Marreta.
Heading Into 2022: Thiago Santos is currently ranked #5 in the light heavyweight division. He will have a very tall task ahead of him in his next contest, when he faces surging Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev on March 12.
#49: Jared Cannonier
Jared Cannonier, Image Credit: AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Once lost in the grand shuffle, Jared Cannonier rebuilt and lifted himself to being amongst the middleweight elite. At heavyweight, Cannonier was 1-1 in the UFC. At light heavyweight, he went 2-3. Neither divisional records would hardly net someone a place on our Top 100 list.
Since moving down to middleweight, however, Cannonier has experienced a fresh start, with any past failures almost rendered irrelevant due to the obvious physical and performance differences between the Jared Cannonier of old and the 4-1 Killa Gorilla that has become a problem for the middleweight division.
Cannonier’s only loss in the division came to former champion Robert Whittaker, in what was a competitive fight in which Cannonier was able to take one round off “The Reaper” on each of the judges’ scorecards in a 29-28 unanimous decision loss. In 2021, Cannonier was able to rebound with a unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of a Fight Night event last August.
Heading Into 2022: Jared Cannonier is ranked #3 in the middleweight division. The wide belief is that he is one win away from receiving his first UFC title shot. That one win must come against Derek Brunson at UFC 270 in two weeks.
#48: Giga Chikadze
Giga Chikadze, Image Credit: UFC.com
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Six fights into his professional MMA career, Giga Chikadze appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series looking for a contract in MMA’s premier promotion. When the advanced kickboxer was shut down by the grappling of his opponent and stopped with a rear-naked choke, it looked as though we would never see what could become of the flashy yet precise striker.
Four years later, not only did Chikadze make it to the UFC, but he’s gone 7-0 since his arrival in 2019. In fact, in his most recent victory, he managed to outclass one of the UFC’s most versatile and respected strikers: Edson Barboza.
This finish made for the third straight for Chikadze, joining TKO wins over another UFC vet, Cub Swanson, as well as Jamey Simmons. Meanwhile, there has yet to be a UFC battle that this Ninja hasn’t survived, and no moment has been too big for this dual-sport athlete who eyes featherweight gold.
Heading Into 2022: In order to get that crack at the title in 2022, Chikadze will first need to defeat Calvin Kattar this weekend at UFC Vegas 46. He had hoped to be selected to fight Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 272 on short notice, but instead, as of this writing, it appears that honor will go to the next man on our list.
#47: Chan Sung Jung
The Korean Zombie, Image Credit: USA TODAY
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Whenever Chan Sung Jung competes, he never fails to bring the crowd out of their seats, with lively chants of “Zombie! Zombie! Zombie!” Throughout his 15 years as a pro, he’s managed to do this by ending 14 of his 17 fights before they had a chance to go to the judges.
Some of the names he’s notched onto his résumé include Dustin Poirier, Renato Moicano, and former lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, with each of those victories winning Performance of the Night, with the chants growing louder.
In fact, six of The Korean Zombie’s seven UFC victories have earned him performance bonuses. And in terms of his current career trajectory, he has won three of his last four fights, most recently over Dan Ige last June.
Heading Into 2022: It is unknown what is next for Zombie as he enters the year as the #4-ranked featherweight. However, as alluded to earlier, there are very strong indications that Zombie will be challenging Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 272 as of this writing. Should Jung be able to capture UFC gold after a decade-plus run in the WEC/UFC, those chants will ring louder than ever before.
#46: Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler, Image Credit: Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Michael Chandler may still be considered the new kid on the block to many UFC fans, but this Division I All-American has been competing for world championships since 2011 when he captured the Bellator lightweight championship by defeating Eddie Alvarez via rear-naked choke.
Throughout his nine-year Bellator run, Chandler managed to capture the lightweight title on three separate occasions. In addition to his victory over Alvarez, he also holds wins over notable names like Benson Henderson, Brent Primus, and Patricky Pitbull among others.
Once he arrived in the UFC, he instantly showed the world that he could shake up any lightweight division in the world in a single round.
Michael Chandler KOs Hooker, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Chandler had already paid his dues by his UFC arrival, but his knockout of Dan Hooker at UFC 257 made it clear that he belonged in MMA’s ultimate proving ground. And even though he would lose his next two fights, he did win a round against the current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, seemingly being within blowing distance of becoming champion himself. He then took part in what was arguably the 2021 Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje. For these reasons, Chandler earned a spot within the top 50 of our list.
Heading Into 2022: Michael Chandler is ranked #5 at lightweight. There have been strong rumblings of a potential fight against Tony Ferguson being first up for “Iron” Mike, but Chandler has let it be widely known that he would much rather prefer a big fight against Conor McGregor.
#45: Derek Brunson
Curtis Blaydes, Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In Derek Brunson, you are looking at a man whose strength of schedule is comparable to anyone in our sport who has never been champion. He’s shared the Octagon with names like Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Israel Adesanya, and many others. He’s managed to continue fighting the best of the best by having his arm raised far more often than not.
At the moment, Brunson is riding the second five-fight winning streak of his decade-long UFC career, including a dominant, statement victory over one of the names on our list, Darren Till, and wins over middleweights who, at the time, were riding major waves of momentum: Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan. By now, Blonde Brunson has given everyone plenty of reasons to believe in his rebirth.
Heading Into 2022: In addition to the quality of recent performances, which weighed strongly for Brunson, his career trajectory as a whole is as promising as it’s ever been. If he is able to defeat Jared Cannonier at UFC 270 in two weeks, then Blonde Brunson will almost assuredly have an opportunity to become Gold Brunson.
#44: Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes, Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #44 is one of the more underrated fighters on our list, Curtis Blaydes. Curtis Blaydes is the type of guy who will beat you in a fighting game by tapping the same buttons over and over, no matter what you or those watching have to say about it. But make no mistake, Blaydes is the real deal—a true, authentic martial artist who has fought at the highest levels of MMA’s version of Mortal Kombat.
While Blaydes hasn’t always wowed with his performances, especially in his most recent wins, the fact remains that when he does win, you can count on it being a one-sided victory, which means that each of his 15 victories has either been a finish or a unanimous decision. This, along with the fact that he’s only ever been defeated by the current champion (Francis Ngannou) and the #3-ranked heavyweight (Derrick Lewis) means that Blaydes is one of the strongest fighters in our third category of likelihood to win a fight.
In category #2, which considers body of work, he holds dominant victories over heavyweight legends Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, and 10 of his 12 UFC wins have been over heavyweights who have been ranked in the UFC. And in terms of recent performances and career trajectory, Blaydes has won five of his last six fights and 9 of his last 11.
Heading Into 2022: Curtis Blaydes still finds himself ranked #4 in the company’s most dangerous division. He is in a bit of a tricky spot, seeing as how he’s already faced so many fighters in the division, including reigning champion Francis Ngannou, who holds two victories over Blaydes. With this in mind, it’s anyone’s guess who will make the one-man cut to be Razor’s next opponent.
#43: Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev, Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In what is easily the trickiest placement on our list, Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev comes in at #43. Let’s examine how Chimaev ended up here based on the criteria.
First, for category #1, which considers career tajectory and recent performances, those who say Chimaev’s placement is too high will no doubt argue that his recent performances should not be overvalued due to the level of competition they came against. We would counter this by pointing out that Li Jingliang was and still is ranked at welterweight And yet, Khamzat Chimaev effortlessly did this to the man…
We would also like to point out that despite the other three victories coming over unranked opponents, going a total of four fights while only suffering one significant strike has to be worth special consideration. In fact, this incredible statistic also impacts category #2 (achievements/body of work/résumé) because that stat is an achievement no fighter in UFC can say after four fights.
In category #3 (likelihood to win a fight) the eye test and common sense make it clear that the guy is special. The only real question is: How special? The validity and uncertainty of that question along with the lack of notable wins is why Borz could not be ranked higher, although we believe him to be a top-10 talent as we speak.
To further support the strong points awarded to Chimaev in the third category is the following example: Even after only four UFC fights, he was listed as a -210 favorite against Leon Edwards in a hypothetical fight, despite Edwards being the UFC’s #3-ranked welterweight on a 10-fight unbeaten streak.
Heading Into 2022: With four easy smeshings now behind him, Borz is very hungry for more. He has regularly expressed his intentions to eat up his opponents, and next up to the plate may very well be Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 according to the latest reports.
#42: Jéssica Andrade
Jéssica Andrade
Reasoning Behind Ranking: “Borz” isn’t the only fighter on our list who knows about smashing. Our #42-ranked fighter, Jéssica Andrade, has been known to smash, pile drive, and womanhandle her opponents for years. The notable difference between Andrade and Chimaev is that Andrade is a former world champion and holds a victory over someone ranked higher on our list, Rose Namajunas. In fact, Andrade nearly holds two victories over Namajunas, seeing as how their rematch in the summer of 2020 was a split decision.
16 of Andrade’s 22 career wins have been finishes, and she holds big victories over names like Claudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres, and Kaitlyn Chookagian among many others. She is also the only woman in UFC history to have wins in three different weight classes in the UFC. And in terms of recent performances, Andrade has won two of her last three fights, with the loss coming against Valentina Shevchenko, which is difficult to fault anyone for.
Heading Into 2022: Jéssica Andrade is currently ranked #1 in the women’s flyweight division. It is unknown what her next move will be, but a potential trilogy fight against Rose Namajunas this year could make sense if Andrade opts to move back down to strawweight.
#41: Magomed Ankalaev
Magomed Ankalaev
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Magomed Ankalaev is one of the toughest assignments for any light heavyweight in the world right now. Since entering the UFC in 2018, he has shown no holes in his game but has rather been constantly sharpening his well-rounded skill set. And whenever his opponents believe they’ve found a door that leads to victory, Ankalaev puts an end to their elaborate plans.
Even in his sole loss in the promotion, which came in his UFC debut, Ankalaev was dominant for the entirety of his bout against Paul Craig until Craig pulled off a literal last-second submission.
Since then, he has gone on to win his next seven fights without issue, including four finishes, to improve his overall record to 16-1. Most recently, Ankalaev coasted to a victory over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 267. Due to his lengthy streak and impressive performances, Ankalev was awarded heavy points in category #1, especially considering that his career trajectory has him potentially one win away from a title shot.
Heading Into 2022: As mentioned earlier in this installment of the MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021, Ankalaev will next have an opportunity to extend his winning steak to eight along with a guaranteed spot within the top 5 in the division if he can get past #5-ranked Thiago Santos. The fact that Ankalaev is favored to do so against a former title challenger is an example of the respect he is given for his likelihood to win fights, which is weighted into our third category.
Entering 2022, this ranking for Ankalaev may be considered on the high end, but at the rate he’s going and with the way he has performed thus far, this number could be much, much higher next year.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 7!
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Attention, UFC Featherweight Division: London’s Calling, and it’s ready to drown out the other voices at 145.
Arnold “Almighty” Allen is our #60-ranked fighter of 2021 because he has not lost a fight since 2014 and is undefeated in his seven-year UFC career. It’s just that simple. His victory over our #95-ranked fighter, Sodiq Yusff, is what really cemented his place on our list. At 17-1 and only 27 years old, the career trajectory of Allen is unmistakenly on the rise.
What’s preventing Allen from a higher place on the ranking are two factors. Though his record is impressive, his performances haven’t left too much of a footprint on the imaginations of the audience, with only two of his eight UFC wins being finishes, the most recent being four years ago. Furthermore, he is not overly feared by the oddsmakers and pundits, which is considered in our third category. For instance, Arnold was an underdog going into his most recent fight against Yusuff.
Heading Into 2022: Ranked at #7, Arnold Allen is theoretically only two fights away from potentially landing a world title shot. As it is, he is already on an eight-fight winning streak, so a case could be made that with the right win, that number could drop down to just one fight away. Where do YOU see Allen sitting in the UFC standings by the end of the year? It’s one of the quietest, yet most relevant questions in the featherweight division that could carry the loudest impact.
#59: Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal, Image Credit: USATSI
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Jorge Masvidal was arguably the UFC’s Fighter of the Year in 2019. Had this list been in existence then, it would have been interesting to see where he’d have been placed. However, since becoming the inaugural BMF champion at UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden, Masvidal is yet to win a fight. There is absolutely no shame in that when you consider that the losses have come to the UFC”s pound-for-pound #1-ranked fighter, Kamaru Usman, but that doesn’t change the fact that his lack of activity and viral KO loss didn’t do him any favors in terms of this year’s list.
All that said, his placement at #59 is warranted because, aside from losing to Usman, he had won his there prior fights by viral finishes and has competed against the best in the world for multiple years now. Down from his toes all the way up to his face, the battle scars of this Miami nativecan be vicariously felt by viewers and directly felt and shared by his opponents. Not counting the Usman losses, Masvidal has won six of his last eight fights and has looked to be just as athletic and game as he’s ever been.
Heading Into 2022: Jorge Masvidal remains in the mix at welterweight ranked #6 in the division. He was originally expected to fight Leon Edwards next, but he has recently hinted that a long-awaited grudge match against former best buddy Colby Covington could be next instead.
#58: Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson, Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Entering 2021, many people wondered, “Just what is the secret to Wonderboy keeping all his majestic powers at 37 years old?” After turning 38, however, Thompson lost his 2021 fights decisively, first to Gilbert Burns and then to Belal Muhammad, both by unanimous decisions.
Nevertheless, Thompson still holds a win over our #59-ranked fighter, Jorge Masvidal, and also holds recent wins over two other names on our list: Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque. In addition to that, at this point, Thompson has proven to be a legend in our sport and has been competing against the very best of the best since circa 2013, including a TKO victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Heading Into 2022: After back-to-back losses and now pushing 40, Thompson may very well be in a must-win situation in 2022. One name who has thrown out his name as a potential opponent is Sean Brady.
#57: Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili, Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: From the second a Merab Dvalishvili fight begins, his message to his opponent is unmistakable: “Welcome, my son, welcome to The Machine.” And from one part to the other, the machine operates nonstop. It doesn’t tire, malfunction, and it damn sure doesn’t break.
After beginning his UFC career at 0-2, Dvalishvii hasn’t looked back, turning in seven consecutive wins, including arguably the comeback of the year over Marlon Moraes at UFC 266.
One of the 𝑪𝑹𝑨𝒁𝑰𝑬𝑺𝑻 fights of the year 🤯@MerabDvalishvil is your final nominee for Comeback of the Year 🏆
Heading Into 2022: Merab Dvalishvili enters 2022 ranked #6 at bantamweight. During his win streak, he has picked up victories over Casey Kenney, former UFC title challenger John Dodson, Cody Stamann, and the aforementioned Marlon Moraes. Up next? Does it matter? Whomever the machine feeds him will be prepared to be spat out.
#56: Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa
Reasoning Behind Ranking: The last two years haven’t been kind to Paulo Costa, which makes this position very debatable if not controversial. First, Israel Adesanya made short work of the Brazilian at UFC 253 with an easy second-round KO. Then, Costa lost his next bout to Marvin Vettori after questionable fight-week conduct regarding his weight cutting.
Still, it’s important to remember that one of those two losses came against one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion, and the other fight against Vettori might have won Fight of the Night if Costa’s fight-week antics didn’t all but disqualify him from that honor.
Regarding our criteria, one would be hard-pressed to find many fighters on the UFC roster, let alone the middleweight division, who would be considered more likely to win a fight by oddsmakers and pundits. The reason for that is fairly obvious: Costa has consistently marched forward like a terminator set to “Eraser Mode.” 11 of his 13 wins have been by knockout. And in terms of résumé and body of work, Costa has notable wins over Uriah Hall, Johny Hendricks, and of course, the great Yoel Romero, among others.
Heading Into 2022: Paulo Costa remains a top-5 middleweight directly at #5. There is currently no word on who will be his next opponent. At the moment, the larger story is about which division he will be competing in moving forward. Costa’s management insists that he will remain at middleweight while Dana White has mandated the Brazilian move up to light heavyweight after his latest scale issues.
#55: Yair Rodríguez
Yair Rodríguez, Image Credit: PHOTO BY ESTHER LIN / MMAFIGHTING.COM
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Much like Paulo Costa, Yair Rodríguez hasn’t given our panel much to work with in terms of recent wins. But also like Costa, based on the eye test and likelihood to win a fight, Rodriguez has proven to be among the best in his division, especially considering that he is still only 29 years old.
Rodríguez also holds a quietly impressive résumé, with wins over names like Dan Hooker, Alex Caceres, B.J. Penn, Jeremy Stephens, and one of the most memorable knockouts in MMA history that came over someone higher on our list, The Korean Zombie, Chan Jung Sung.
Has Rodríguez been inactive over the past couple of years? Sure. But when he returned, Rodriguez made a Panther’s dash back to the Octagon in giving Max Holloway the toughest fight he’s had in years with the exception of current champion Alexander Volkanovski. In fact, a very strong case can be made that Rodríguez/Holloway was the 2021 Fight of the Year.
Heading Into 2022: Yair Rodríguez is currently ranked #3 at featherweight. Will the mysterious featherweight contender fight in 2022? If so, against whom? You’ll want to stay glued to MMA News for the latest update because, love him or hate him, Rodríguez has proven to be must-see TV and has earned respect with his blood spilled inside the Octagon.
#54: Rob Font
Rob Font, Image Credit: AP Photo/Gregory Payan
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Despite losing his most recent fight against the great José Aldo last month, Font has won four of his last five fights, including over former champion Cody Garbrandt and former title challenger Marlon Moraes. Additionally, he defeated another ranked bantamweight in Ricky Simon as well as the current Bellator bantamweight champ, Sergio Pettis.
In terms of overall performance, although Font does have five losses on his record, by street rules, one could argue that he has never truly tasted defeat because he’s never been turned into a metaphorical chalk outline via KO or TKO.
Heading Into 2022: Entering 2022, Rob Font is ranked #5 in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. After his war with Aldo, he may decide to sit out for a while and bide his time before making his Octagon return.
#53: Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad, Image Credit: Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: One of the quietest ascensions over the past two years has been Belal Muhammad. Muhammad began his UFC run at 1-2 and has had his share of close fights since then. It is perhaps for these reasons that many are overlooking the fact that he has won 10 of his last 11 bouts, sans the No-Contest result against Leon Edwards last March.
In fact, Muhammad is unbeaten in his last seven fights, including a one-sided victory over our #58-ranked fighter, Stephen Thompson. With this level of consistency, Muhammad has proven that his success is 0% luck and rather 100% reason to Remember the Name.
Heading Into 2022: If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Muhammad over the years, it’s that he is willing, eager, and ready to fight anyone, anywhere, and on any amount of notice. That said, even though he is now ranked #5 at welterweight, I wouldn’t expect him to guard his spot with caution but instead continue to throw himself toward the wolves without reservation.
#52: Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #52 is #3-ranked flyweight Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja’s 2021 campaign was a successful one, with the Brazilian going 2-0 on the year, including a Performance of the Night-winning victory over Brandon Royval at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Gastelum in August. In terms of his career, many, many men have been left grounded by “The Cannibal,” with Pantoja gnawing at their records with a total of 17 of his 24 victories of his own coming by way of finish, including his rear-naked choke victory over Royval.
Pantoja has won six of his last eight bouts, and we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that he holds two victories over current champion Brandon Moreno (one official, one TUF/amateur). Suffice it to say, that was highly factored into our body of work/résumé category.
Heading Into 2022: There’s not too many places for Pantoja to go but either a title shot or title eliminator. In fact, Pantoja was originally scheduled to face the aforementioned Moreno in a championship bout, but Pantoja was forced to withdraw due to injury. Will he be returning to a title shot in 2022? Or will he have to take another fight?
It is unclear how long Pantoja will be sidelined, but in the meantime, the upcoming bout between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France could serve as the title eliminator to settle who is next for the winner of Moreno/Figueiredo III.
#51: Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov, Image Credit: Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: When it comes to dues paid, Alexander Volkov is one of the most established fighters on our list. With a total of 43 fights to his name and experience across multiple top-tier promotions, “Drago” has seen pretty much everything this game has to offer.
In terms of his body of work and résumé, he holds wins over names like Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, Blagoy Ivanov, and most recently over Marcin Tybura at UFC 267. And in terms of recency, he has won three of his last four fights and is firmly in the heavyweight title picture ranked #5 in the division.
From a skillset and likelihood-to-win standpoint, Volkov has an extremely impressive finish rate of nearly 75%. And with 22 of those 34 finishes coming by knockout, Drago has shown that despite his usual technical and patience approach, he packs a very legitimate bang.
Heading Into 2022: Alexander Volkov’s only losses in the UFC have come against names that remain very much relevant in the division: interim champion Ciryl Gane, #4-ranked Curtis Blaydes, and KO king and #3-ranked Derrick Lewis. Also, despite his many years of experience, Volkov is still only 33 years old, which is considered a relatively vibrant age in the heavyweight division.
So 2022 will reveal if this veteran will move up or downward from his #5 position. Because with the many new faces and active veterans in the division, it’s difficult to see him remaining firm without movement in one direction or the other.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 6!
Five years ago, a 24-year-old Marlon Vera let Jimmie Rivera hear it after Rivera pulled out of their fight. Little did young “Chito” that Rivera would pull out of a fight between them again three years later at UFC 247.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 9:46 PM]
Headline: Marlon Vera Says Jimmie Rivera Is ‘Not A Real Man’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
The biggest opportunity fell in the lap of Marlon Vera recently. He was called upon to replace Bryan Caraway at this Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix, Arizona. His opponent was to be No. 6 ranked bantamweight Jimmie Rivera.
And just like that, the opportunity was gone.
Rivera claimed the reason he pulled out of the fight was in fear of coming off like a bully. Vera told BloodyElbow.com that “El Terror’s” only fear was fighting something that isn’t as bad as he thought:
“I think 100 percent he is (scared). Not because I’m the best in the division, but probably he accepted the fight without knowing who I am, and then when he watched my clip, he was expecting a tomato can. When he watched the fights, he probably found out I’m not a tomato can. I have two losses in the UFC, but both of those fights were very close.”
Vera was left confused by Rivera’s explanation for removing himself from the Phoenix card.
“All of the things he said is completely bizarre. It’s stupid, and it’s immature. All of the things he said show to the world how unprofessional this dude is. What this guy did, that’s why he’s not going to be remembered.”
“El Terror” teaches kids in New York City at Team Tiger Schulmann’s. Vera argues that Rivera’s unprofessional actions should prevent him from doing so.
“This guy said he teaches kids. I also teach kids in the gym. When I teach kids, I tell them that a real man keeps his word. To me, words mean more than a contract. This guy shouldn’t be teaching kids, because he’s not a professional. He’s not a real man. Every single fighter in the world wants to fight. You get a fight and the next day say, ‘I don’t want to fight.’ That’s proof you are not a real man.”
Heading into 2019, Cris Cyborg had just suffered her first MMA loss since her debut in 2005 when Amanda Nunes shocked the world by knocking her out at UFC 232 in December. As her contract was coming to its end, many wondered if there would be a rematch or if Cyborg would even remain with the promotion.
In the following article, her coach sounded confident that she’d remain with the UFC. Nine months later, however, she signed with Bellator MMA and has been dragging Dana White and the UFC frequently ever since.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2019, 3:21 PM]
Headline: Coach: Cyborg Isn’t Leaving The UFC
Author: Jon Fuentes
Former UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is nearing the end of her UFC deal. Cyborg’s deal will expire in March, and there’s a real possibility she could leave the promotion.
The former Invicta FC champ has teased a career in boxing. She could even test herself in other promotions such as Bellator MMA, or even ONE Championship. Cyborg’s last Octagon appearance was a shocking one, to say the least.
She co-headlined UFC 232 from California opposite Amanda Nunes. Nunes made quick work of Cyborg, knocking her out in under a minute. With the win, Nunes became the first-ever female “Champ Champ” in UFC history. Heading into the fight, Nunes was already the 135-pound champion. With the defeat, and Dana White shooting down an immediate rematch opportunity, many are skeptical about Cyborg’s future.
Her coach, Jason Parillo, was recently interviewed by MMA Junkie. Parillo seems confident that Cyborg isn’t going anywhere, and will remain with the UFC:
“We’re not going to leave the UFC,” Parillo said. “We’re going to stay there, plug away and get back the title that Cris had. She has the time and ability to do it.”
“If we could get a fight between now and March, that would be wonderful, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. The negotiations are obviously the manager’s job, and I just want the best for Cris.”
What do you think about Cyborg’s coach saying she won’t leave the UFC?
Amanda Nunes and Chuck Liddell have one thing in common. They are both all-time great UFC champions. One thing they do not have in common? A penis.
The following story is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 10:13 AM]
Headline: Bruce Buffer: ‘Amanda Nunes is Chuck Liddell Minus The Penis’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announcer Bruce Buffer has a way with words.
The world of mixed martial arts (MMA) and sports, in general, was buzzing when Ronda Rousey’s bid for a second run with the women’s bantamweight title was derailed in 48 seconds by champion Amanda Nunes. “The Lioness” was dominant while “Rowdy” didn’t showcase any improvements from her brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm in Nov. 2015.
Buffer recently appeared on The Pony Hour podcast (via Bloody Elbow) and talked about Nunes’ first successful title defense. Despite Rousey’s performance, Buffer believes she took the bout very seriously:
“I thought (Rousey) was focused, she just got her ass handed to her. She came into Vegas, on Monday or Friday previous, weighing 135 lbs, instead of coming in on 150 or whatever, and having to lose 15 lbs in 5 days. That’s focused! She came in for the kill.”
With Nunes’ punching power, Buffer compared the 135-pound queen to UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. There is one significant difference, however.
“In the case of Amanda Nunes, who is like Chuck Liddell with a clitoris. It’s like — and minus the penis — this is a woman who can move back and forward, who doesn’t punch and hit you in the face, she punches through your head. She’s probably going to hold that belt for a long time.”
Many have provided their theories as to why Rousey hasn’t improved in the sport. Some shoulder the blame on her coaches while others feel she was overrated to begin with. Buffer offered his take on what has gone wrong.
“She came in being told, in Holly’s case, that she was invincible. Wrong!” Buffer exclaimed. “Nobody is invincible. Okay? She came into this next fight, without any improvement to be seen in the 48 seconds that we saw. Flat-footed, no head movement, walking into a devastating striker to fight her fight. Bad judgment!”
The conversation surrounding fighter pay has continued into the new year as expected. Earlier this week, Sean O’Malley stated that he understands why Dana White doesn’t provide better pay for the fighters who do not draw well. On this day five years ago, we ran a story where UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn gave all fighters a bit of advice.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 7:40 PM]
Headline: BJ Penn to Fighters: ‘Make Yourself The Money Fight’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer B.J. Penn knows a thing or two about marquee fights.
“The Prodigy” competed against Georges St. Pierre in a super fight at UFC 94. Penn was the reigning lightweight champion, while “Rush” held the welterweight title. The pay-per-view (PPV) buy rate was estimated at 920,000. Penn’s base salary was $125,000.
A lot has changed since that time and the money has increased. For example, Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis got paid $150,000 to show for their interim title fight at UFC 206. The PPV was only estimated to have done 150,000 buys. Those certainly aren’t buys you’d expect for a super fight, yet both men got paid more than Penn did back in 2009.
Reigning lightweight champion Conor McGregor has played a significant role in some fighters’ change in thinking. With the amount of money “Notorious” makes ($3,500,000 base salary for UFC 205), many competitors, including Tyron Woodley, have tried holding off potential contenders in favor of big money fights.
Penn isn’t thrilled with the new craze. He told FOX Sports that fighters should become the attraction rather than beg to face one:
“I’ll tell you this, I’m not the guy to go out there and say ‘oh give me this money fight, give me that money fight. I look at all these guys doing that and I’m like why don’t you go knock out 100 guys and become the money fight yourself? “(Expletive) (expletive).”
“The Prodigy” will come out of retirement on Sunday (Jan. 15) to face soaring prospect Yair Rodriguez. The bout will be headlining the next UFC Fight Night card. It’ll be Penn’s second fight in the featherweight division. A win over “El Pantera” would be his first in over six years. The action takes place inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1).
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has brought with him a zero-tolerance policy for hate entering 2022.
Known for his cool-and-collected disposition, Usman took some time out to address one or two of his all-star haters in a Snapchat Story. On this occasion, rather than playing it cool, “The Nigerian Nightmare” delivered a message that was downright chilling (h/t The Mirror).
“Whomever you are watching my story, please just choke yourself. 2022 started and your life is centered around others,” he wrote in the story. “Better yet, kill yourself. Having fun watching my life and not yours,” Usman posted to his Snapchat Story along with a middle finger emoji.
While it is unknown what was said to draw out this response from Usman, the current pound-for-pound king seemed to recognize the looming controversy that could await when suggesting a fan take their own life. Consequently, Usman would then tone down his rhetoric a couple of notches while still getting a similarly stern message across.
“Let me clear this up, I know that was tough. It was 4am in the morning, it was a little slizzered and obviously, I typed that the wrong way,” he said in the video.
“Let me rephrase this for that hater, you know who you are, that particular hater there’s one of you or maybe two of you that keeps watching my story so you can have something to hate on.
“Choke yourself, it’s me saying it now, choke yourself. For the rest of my fans, my real fans I love and appreciate you guys, I always have and always will.”
It wasn’t all talk of hate and violence. The Nigerian-American also had a more appreciative message for his fans and supporters.
“I love my fans even those that (hate) because you truly only wish you could be me.”
Usman showed more patience during the build-up to his most recent fight against rival Colby Covington. Covington tried everything under the sun to get under Usman’s skin, including repeatedly referencing his father’s stint in prison. And yet, Usman let it all slide off his shoulders prior to defeating Covington for the second time at UFC 268, where the two enemies temporarily squashed their beef with a partial embrace.
What do you make of these remarks from Kamaru Usman?
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With 17 of his 22 wins by finish, Jack Hermansson has been a constant reminder of how to make men panic. The last time Hermansson put the squeeze on his opponent was at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum in the very first round.
“The Joker” most recently defeated middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. Hermansson is capable of being ranked higher on our list, but he’s had mixed results as of late, going 2-2 in his last four fights.
Heading Into 2022: Entering 2022, Jack Hermansson is the #6-ranked middleweight in the world. In his next bout, he’ll be facing the surging Sean Strickland on February 5.
#69: Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes
Reasoning Behind Ranking: It wasn’t too long ago that Dominick Reyes was 12-0 with seven wins by finish. Then, he gave the great Jon Jones arguably the closest fight of his career at UFC 247. Whenever you can say that, even when you’ve lost three straight, you’re going to get some respect from our panel, especially considering the fact that his latest defeat to Jiří Procházka was ultra-competitive and won Fight of the Night.
Heading Into 2022: Dominick Reyes will be in need of a win if he wants to reaffirm his relevancy at 205. “The Devastator” will undoubtedly have the support of California behind him as he looks to remind the world how the West Coast does it. The 32-year-old is currently ranked #7 in the light heavyweight division.
#68: Sean Brady
Sean Brady
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Standing at 15-0 at 29 years old, it may not be too long until Sean Brady is greeted by Brotherly love when he hits the top of the lightweight stairs. Brady is currently 5-0 in the promotion, but it was his one-sided victory over Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate that really put Brady on the map and in a firm spot on our list. He also won Performance of the Night in his victory over Christian Aguilera last year with his guillotine submission win.
STILL UNDEFEATED.
If @SeanBradyMMA gets a hold of your neck, it's over.
Heading Into 2022: It will be fun to see where Brady winds up on our list next year. In terms of the UFC rankings, he enters 2022 at #9 in the welterweight division and hopes to be facing Stephen Thompson the next time he steps in the Octagon.
#67: Tom Aspinall
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Tom Aspinall is on a seven-fight winning streak and has yet to taste defeat in the UFC. But what really stands out about Aspinall isn’t just that he’s winning but the way in which he’s doing it. Three of Aspinall’s four UFC victories have won Performance of the Night, and every single one of the wins has been finishes. His last two wins over proven names Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak show that Aspinall will be ready to test himself against the big boys in the heavyweight rankings his next time out.
Heading Into 2022: As Tom Aspinall continues his move up the heavyweight ladder, what’s his ultimate destination? How far will this 28-year-old ascend this year? We’ll get a better idea of the answer to this question when he faces top-10 heavyweight Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19.
#66: Mateusz Gamrot
Mateusz Gamrot
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Mateusz Gamrot fought three times in 2021, and he just kept on lighting up the win column. First up, he knocked out Scott Holtzman in April. Three months later, he won his second consecutive Performance of the Night when he submitted UFC veteran Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens.
Last up, he earned a TKO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira as the UFC said farewell to 2021.
Heading Into 2022: Will Gamrot extend his streak in 2022? If he is able to follow his pattern of activity, winning, and finishes, then we may very well be looking at a legitimate lightweight title contender by year’s end.
#65: André Muniz
André Muniz, Image Credit: Copyright: Troy Taormina
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Ever since his UFC arrival, André Muniz has been fighting as if every scrap battle is his one shot. You need not look any further for evidence of this than his last three fights, where the grappling force submitted each of his opponents in the very first round, including fellow black belt and MMA legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Muniz has an impressive record of 22-4 and is on an eight-fight winning streak. His UFC record currently sits at 4-0.
Heading Into 2022: Muniz comes into 2022 ranked at #13 at middleweight, but if the first four fights are any indication, then that number could be much higher at some point in 2022. One name Muniz has identified as a potential next opponent is Darren Till, with his native Brazil being the preferred destination.
#64: Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland Saying Lord Knows What
Reasoning Behind Ranking: After having mixed results at welterweight, Sean Strickland’s career has experienced a strong surge in the middleweight division. When he’s not making headlines for some of his comments, the eccentric fighter is marching to the beat of his own drummer to victories, five straight to be precise, with the last four being in his new home of 185. Most recently, Strickland defeated Uriah Hall in his first main event with a unanimous decision victory.
Heading Into 2022: Strickland will now face his stiffest middleweight test to date when he faces former top-5 contender Jack Hermansson in February. At the moment, Strickland is ranked #7 in the division.
#63: Marina Rodriguez
Marina Rodriguez
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Another high-level striker to win a main event in 2021 is Marina Rodriguez. In fact, Rodriguez won two main events, first over Michelle Waterson in May followed by a victory over our #89-ranked fighter, Mackenzie Dern, in a Fight of the Night back in October. She also pulled off what at the time was considered to be a significant upset when she defeated Amanda Ribas at UFC 257.
Based strictly on the year’s results, a case can be made that Rodriguez could be placed within the top 25 or even higher. However, none of her victories came over a highly ranked opponent, and it wasn’t too long ago that she suffered a loss to Carla Esparza and had a draw with Cynthia Calvillo. She also has a draw with Randa Markos on her résumé.
Heading Into 2022: Despite some of her questionable results earlier in her career, there’s no question that Marina Rodriguez has been outpacing the strawweight competition after finding her legs in the division. So much so that she is currently ranked #3 in the division. Who’s next for Rodriguez? None other than the #4-ranked Yan Xiaonan on March 5.
#62: Rafael Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Continuing with the trend of strikers who went unrestricted in 2021, Russian swinger Rafael Fiziev comes in at #62 on our list. Fiziev is currently enjoying a five-fight winning streak, capped off by one of the best knockouts of the year over fellow kickboxing threat Brad Riddell.
Fiziev does have one loss on his UFC record, but he’s only human, after all. That may be hard to grasp when you see a kick like the one above, but Fiziev has shown that he can be beat. What has become increasingly uncertain, however, is whether it will ever happen again.
Heading Into 2022: Rafael Fiziev will make his 2022 debut in his first main event against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. dos Anjos was not eligible for our list this year due to not competing in 2021. Still, dos Anjos remains ranked in the top 10 at #6, so a victory for Fiziev, who currently sits at #11, would be massive.
#61: Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith, Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: If you’re among those who have been told that Anthony Smith is done and out of the light heavyweight title picture: they lied to you.
Entering 2020, Anthony Smith showed his bounce-back ability when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson in a Performance of the Night winner right after his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 235. But that was a rocky year for “Lionheart,” dropping back-to-back fights to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakić. Given the success those men have had, those losses have aged well for Smith.
But what has aged even better is Smith himself, who bounced back yet again with three straight wins, including a 2-0 record in 2021, with victories over Jimmy Crute and a Performance of the Night submission victory over Ryan Spann in September.
Heading Into 2022: With 52 professional bouts under his belt, it may be hard to believe that Smith is still only 33 years of age. What is in store in the year ahead for this battle-tested veteran? We’ll have to await the answer to that. But being that Smith is still ranked within the top 5 at light heavyweight, you can expect his next fight to be a big one as he continues to step to his comeback song.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 5!
As of this writing, Anthony Smith never was able to get a hold of Luke Rockhold at Walmart. But here’s a story where he expressed a willingness to do just that, even naming his preferred isle for the desired altercation.
The following article is published in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2019, 6:57 PM]
Headline: Anthony Smith Would Fight ‘A**hole’ Luke Rockhold At Walmart
Author: Jon Fuentes
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is currently expected to be Jon Jones’ next challenger for the 205-pound title. However, it appears he could already have another opponent at light heavyweight lined up as well.
Recently, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took aim at Smith. Hyping his eventual jump to 205 pounds, Rockhold is also eying a fight with Jones. However, with talk of Jones likely facing Smith next, Rockhold said “Bones” should quit wasting his time with fighters like “Lionheart.”
Speaking to Luke Thomas on Sirius XM Fight Nation Smith got the opportunity to respond. Smith is unsure what he did to provoke Rockhold to speak his name, but one thing is for sure, he certainly isn’t a fan (via MMA Mania):
“For Luke to come and start talking about me, first of all, you’ve been knocked out two of your last three times. Yoel Romero almost f*cking decapitated him. He’s coming off a loss and he can’t even make it to his next fight,” Smith said.
“So who is he to talk about anybody else in the UFC? He’s the most arrogant prick I’ve ever seen or heard speak in my life. And I’ve never done anything to that dude. I’ve never even literally shook his hand. I just don’t know where his sense of arrogance comes from.
“I fought four times in 13 months or something, got three bonuses. What are you doing? You’re not doing sh*t. You’re sitting on the sidelines, limping around.”
Fight Rockhold At Walmart
For the time being, Smith will focus on preparing for a likely title shot against Jon Jones. But if he were ever to run into Rockhold in public, say somewhere like Walmart perhaps, there could be trouble:
“I don’t understand how you can just disparage someone so bad that, number one, has done nothing to you, and number two, is highly-regarded as one of the hardest-working and most devoted guys in the sport,” Smith said.
“I’ve never attacked him, I just don’t get it. I will fight that guy anywhere. I will fight that guy in aisle five of Walmart.”
The fact that Ben Askren had just signed with the UFC two months prior to this story did not prevent him from continuing to take shots at company president Dana White. In this story published three years ago, Askren addressed Colby Covington about why he was foolish for trusting White.
The following article is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2019, 12:45 PM]
Headline: Ben Askren Rips Colby Covington For Trusting Dana White
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ben Askren is getting a laugh out of Colby Covington’s current situation.
Covington is in a tough spot at the moment as he’s gone from interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight titleholder, to not even being next in line to challenge for Tyron Woodley’s gold. That honor went to Kamaru Usman, who will meet Woodley in the planned co-main event of UFC 235 on March 2.
Ben Askren Takes Another Dig At Colby Covington
Covington recently blasted UFC president Dana White, saying he went back on his word. “Chaos” also said White “ain’t got the balls” to fire him. Askren took to Twitter to rag on Covington:
“[Colby Covington] I realized you were dumb but please, please don’t tell me you were dumb enough to really trust Dana.”
Askren and Covington have been trading barbs ever since “Funky” signed with the UFC. Askren is set to make his promotional debut on the same card as Woodley vs. Usman. He’ll go one-on-one with former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. The former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder will go into the fight with some serious hype. Time will tell if he can live up to it on the brightest stage.
Do you think Colby Covington put too much trust into Dana White’s “promise?”
One of Cody Garbrandt’s biggest nemeses in his MMA career is TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw is now 2-0 over his former training partner, but almost a year prior to their first contest, Garbrandt was already throwing shots at his future opponent and showing him “No Love.”
The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2017, 3:25 PM]
Headline: Cody Garbrandt: ‘T.J. Dillashaw Can’t Even Draw PPV Buys’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Cody Garbrandt may have just won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title, but he’s already looking to call the shots. Big money fights seem to be a recurring theme these days and “No Love” is no exception. Garbrandt hasn’t been shy about his interest in fighting featherweight champion Jose Aldo and lightweight title holder Conor McGregor.
One fighter that doesn’t seem to pique Garbrandt’s interest is his former Team Alpha Male training partner, T.J. Dillashaw. For Garbrandt, it boils down to Dillashaw’s pay-per-view (PPV) drawing abilities (via MMAFighting.com):
“Like I said, I went for the title shot…it was a two man race. Really it was just about getting paid, getting a contract, is why T.J. squeezed back in. You know, he was selling peanut butter, and anteing up $100,000 to bribe Cruz into a title shot. Dude, I don’t want to even speak on Dillashaw. He doesn’t even draw pay-per-view buys. It’s not even a fight that makes sense from that standpoint.”
“No Love” knows what it was like to be a teenager hoping to one day capture UFC gold. It’s something he had visualized for over 10 years and it came to fruition at UFC 207 against Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt says he’s now the hunted and wants to keep evolving.
“But like I said, I got my eyes on Jose Aldo. I saw something that he wanted to fight me, so I’m ready to take down another legend. That’s why I got into this sport. I’m ready to build my legacy, and then to defend it. There’s going to be kids like me, that are teenagers, watching right now that want to whoop my ass. So I got to make sure that I keep improving and improving and doing my legacy. That’s why I jumped into the UFC and the fight game to do this, it’s to be the greatest. Lord willing, I’ll have longevity and have a lot of success.”
Despite Garbrandt’s comments, few would argue that Dillashaw is deserving of a title shot. The former bantamweight champion swept John Lineker on the same card “No Love” won the 135-pound strap. The Elevation Fight Team standout is 6-1 in his last seven bouts.
Before the pub attacksand alleged DJ abuse, Conor McGregor was in hot water for….a photograph?
In January 2016, then-UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was under investigation in Ireland for a photo he posted on Instagram that appeared to depict him holding an automatic rifle. The Notorious then returned to Dublin and had the Gardai looking into whether the weapon was real or a replica.
“We are investigating the circumstances under which the photo was taken,” a Gardai spokesperson told The Irish Independent. “Gardai from Crumlin are investigating.”
Here’s the photo in question:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAOA3AHrztJ/
Some believed the firearm to be a replica Heckler and Koch MP5 machine pistol with a silencer attached.
One day later, McGregor revealed released the following Instagram post to explain the image.
“Media instigators/An Garda Siochana. I apologise for having the air-soft in public. I was simply rehearsing for a potential upcoming film role. I understand that the more traffic a story can get the more revenue it generates. So I understand and respect that the media must create these stories and these situations even if at times it is at other people’s expense. We’ve all got to eat. And I eat well. So I will not complain.”
Despite the alleged investigation, McGregor went on to become obscenely rich, famous, and very much free to involve himself in multiple legitimate criminal investigations over the years.
Most recently, McGregor was hit with assault charges after an alleged attack on famous Italian DJ Francesco Facchinetti while in Rome last October and breaking his nose.
As it stands, McGregor continues to live life lavishly and comfortably. Indeed, the only cage he can be found in is the UFC Octagon, where he continues to smash pay-per-view records quicker than a fan’s cell phone.
The Notorious One is expected to make his UFC return this year after recovering from leg surgery. There is no word yet on who he will face next.
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)
Championships, wins, résumé, etc.
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list! You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Part 3 begins right now!
#80: Chris Daukaus
Chris Daukaus. Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #80, Chris Daukaus is ranked just above Tai Tuivasa (#82) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (#81) despite having much less UFC experience. That is because, unlike the aforementioned heavy hitters, the power in Daukaus’ punches knocked out two men this year who have been ranked in the promotion: Alexey Oleynik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Furthermore, Daukaus’ only loss in the UFC was against the #3-ranked Derrick Lewis. We will find out if Tuivasa will fare any better against The Black Beast at UFC 272.
In the meantime, Daukaus’ two KO wins over proven opponents along with winning five of his last six fights, each by KO, is why the former Philadelphia police officer is our #80-ranked fighter of 2021.
Heading Into 2022: At the start of 2021, Daukas was 2-0 in the UFC and ready for a big step up in competition. By the finish of his second KO and Performance of the Night win of 2021, everybody knew his name. Daukaus is currently ranked #7 in the UFC’s heavyweight division and will be looking to bounce back from his KO loss to Lewis the next time he enters the Octagon.
#79: Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France. Image Credit: 2021 Jeff Bottari
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In 2021, Kai Kara-France was sure to get one message across loud and clear: Don’t Blink. Two first-round knockouts and two Performance of the Night bonuses make Kai Kara-France our #79 fighter of 2021. The 28-year-old is currently only ranked #6 at flyweight, but unlike all the flyweights ranked above him, Kara-France holds a KO victory over a former UFC champion: Cody Garbrandt.
In addition to his blinkless picture-perfect 2021, Kara-France has won three of his last four fights overall and has a 6-2 UFC record.
Heading Into 2022: Kai Kara-France will now set his sights on a title eliminator against Askar Askarov at the March 26 UFC Fight Night event.
#78: Marlon Vera
Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: You can add Marlon Vera to the 2021 Undefeated Club, with “Chito” spittin’ out buck shots to two victims with a pair of performance bonuses for his bounty. First, Vera outgunned Davey Grant in the Fight of the Night of UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige. Next, he turned in a viral KO of former champion and UFC legend Frankie Edgar, which is the primary reason behind his placement at #78.
Vera also holds a victory over our #87-ranked fighter, “Sugar” Sean O’Malley from 2020.
Heading Into 2022: Marlon Vera enters 2022 ranked #8 in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC at bantamweight. His next fight is up in the air, but one man he’s expressed interest in is former foe “Sugar” Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their 2020 bout that saw an ending that left many wanting more answers.
#77: Geoff Neal
Photo via Instagram @handzofsteelmma
Reasoning Behind Ranking: While it’s true that Geoff Neal picked up a victory over a ranked opponent in 2022, the main reason behind his ranking on our list is his résumé of a 50% finish rate in the UFC and once holding a seven-fight win streak, including a major win over someone who will be appearing later on our list, Belal Muhammad. At 31 years old, Neal still has time to make an even bigger splash in the deep welterweight talent pool.
Heading Into 2022: After defeating Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269, Neal finds himself ranked #12 in the welterweight division. His next opponent is unknown, but after three straight fights that went to a decision, Neal’s Handz of Steel are itching to revert to laying out his opponents like hypnosis.
#76: Calvin Kattar
Calvin Kattar (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa via Getty Images)
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With only one fight in 2021 in what was a one-sided beatdown in favor of his opponent, Max Holloway, it certainly wasn’t the “recent performances” category that netted Kattar his #76 placement. However, let’s not pretend that this loss was not against arguably the greatest featherweight in UFC history.
In terms of body of work and likelihood to win a fight, Kattar’s overall record of 22-5 is one of the more impressive in the division and is no doubt a strong reason why he is ranked in the top 5 at featherweight.
In the UFC, Kattar is 6-3, with four of those six wins coming by way of finishes, including victories over the following respected names: Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, Andre File, Shane Burgos, and Dan Ige. Additionally, two of his three losses in the UFC (Holloway and Zabit Magomedsharipov) have won Fight of the Night.
Heading Into 2022: After getting bruised up by Blessed to kick off the 2021 UFC season, Kattar will arrive in Las Vegas prepared to rise like the New Orleans sun above the brand-new horizon that is 2022. He will again kick off the UFC’s season this year when he faces Giga Chikadze next Saturday at UFC Vegas 46. This time, he’ll be the one hoping to lead the battering dance.
#75: Neil Magny
Credit: Getty Images
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Magny went 1-1 in 2021, but one of those wins was an impressive, unanimous decision win over our #77 ranked fighter, Geoff Neal. Additionally, Magny has won four of his last five fights, with each being unanimous decisions. In terms of résumé, you’re looking at a man who holds victories over names like Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Kelvin Gastelum, and former world champion Robbie Lawler.
Heading Into 2022: Coming off his aforementioned victory over Geoff Neal, Neil Magny’s next assignment is undetermined. One thing we have learned from Magny over the years is that he will sign any contract in a heartbeat and he’ll do it with absolutely no regrets. Magny is currently ranked #8 in the UFC’s welterweight division.
#74: Gregor Gillespie
Gregor Gillespie, Credit: Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In his lone fight in 2021, Gregor Gillespie arrived like a man unashamed of his first defeat, proving that he still has The Gift. Prior to his loss to Kevin Lee in 2019, Gillespie had established himself as one of the biggest and brightest prospects at 155 lbs. The Division I All-American wrestler was 6-0 in the UFC with five of the six wins being finishes. Frankly, many thought that we’d be seeing Gillespie challenging for a world title by now, with many wondering how he would have fared against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After being knocked out by Lee in 2019, Gillespie took over a year off from competition before bouncing back with yet another stoppage, this time against formerly ranked lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Heading Into 2022: Gregor Gillespie is currently ranked at #10 in the lightweight division. If Gillespie had it his way, his next opponent will be Tony Ferguson, whom he has called out in a somewhat uncharacteristic fashion.
#73: Edson Barboza
Edson Barboza, Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With over a decade in the UFC under his belt, Edson Barboza has managed to remain relevant. During this lengthy stretch, the Brazilian has picked up victories over names like Paul Felder, Anthony Pettis, Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker, and many others.
Although Barboza has never fought for, let alone won a title like some of the other veterans he is ranked above on this list, he has always managed to bounce back when faced with hardships like a true-life Rocky Balboa and has thus remained a fixture in MMA’s most competitive promotion. In 2021, Barboza went 1-1, with a KO victory over Shane Burgos and a loss to Giga Chikadze in his most recent bout.
Heading Into 2022: The 35-year-old Barboza will begin this year ranked at #10 in the featherweight division. He is scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell on March 5. Mitchell did not make this year’s list due to him not being active in 2021.
#72: Movsar Evloev
Movsar Evloev
Reasoning Behind Ranking: If you want someone who is flying under the radar and right under your nose, it’s this dude. Movsar Evloev has one of the most efficient fighting styles in the UFC as evident by his flawless 15-0 record. His hard-nosed style carries the melody of the mountains that has proven to be a safe play for gambling sharps to push. Evloev’s 5-0 run hasn’t been against easy opponents. He’s beaten game opponents like Enrique Barzola and Nik Lentz as well as fellow prospects Mike Grundy and, most recently, Hakeem Dawodu.
Heading Into 2022: Movsar Evloev will begin his 2022 campaign against our #86-ranked fighter, Ilia Topuria. Topuria arguably has a better win than any of Evloev’s by defeating Ryan Hall, but Evloev has four more victories on his undefeated record. If Topuria gets the win over Evloev, he’ll almost assuredly be ranked higher next year. If Evloev wins….and keeps winning…then there’s no telling where this Russian will land on next year’s list.
#71: Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Arman Tsarukyan has two losses on his 17-2 record. One of them took place in 2015. The other was against Islam Makhachev. So let’s just say we’re not faulting him too much for those losses, especially when you consider that he managed to be relatively competitive against Makhachev in an exquisite contest that won Fight of the Night in 2019.
When you have a Fight of the Night against Makhachev as opposed to being on the wrong side of a Performance of the Night…and you do so at 22 years old…you might just be a bonafide prospect of the highest degree.
Since that loss in his UFC debut to Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 4-0 in the UFC, including wins over much more experienced names like Olivier Aubin-Mercier, 3rd-degree Brazilian black belt Davis Ramos, and a Performance of the Night TKO over Christos Giagos in September.
Heading Into 2022: Arman Tsarukyan’s young MMA career has shown that the sky is the limit for the Armenian-Russian. This Master of Sport in MMA and wrestling is currently ranked #13 at lightweight and is scheduled to face Joel Álvarez on February 26, 2022. He had hoped to be fighting Dan Hooker, but Hooker has committed to dropping down to featherweight. He also agreed to fight Gregor Gillespie, but that fight never came to fruition, either.
Like many elite rising contenders before him, it may be a long climb up the ranks for Tsarukyan due to the ol’ “high-risk, low-reward” dilemma that he poses to his peers. But if he remains active in 2022, you can just close your eyes and imagine where he might be placed on our list next year.
Jake Paul has dropped a pair of hints that suggest he is preparing to make a jump over to MMA.
Jake Paul has been linked to MMA arguably more than any boxer in history. Between the handpicked MMA opponents, the feud with the biggest promoter in the sport, and the neverending banter with MMA fighters on social media, Paul has remained a steady presence in MMA headlines.
Today’s Jake Paul/MMA story isn’t about callouts, trash-talking, or even another round of commentary about UFC fighter pay. It’s about Paul appearing to take the first steps to now become the cross-over athlete himself with a potential move to MMA.
Friday, Paul released the following tweet that showed himself training kicks for the first time.
“1st day training kicks. Doubted every step of the way.. but kick down the doors of the doubters. @bellatormma@pflmma.”
What’s every bit as noteworthy as Paul revealing that he’s training leg kicks is the fact that he went out of his way to tag Bellator’s and PFL’s Twitter handles, hinting that these could be where he ultimately takes his finished MMA product if and when it’s ready for presentation.
Scott Coker has already confirmed that he would be more than happy to welcome Paul into the Bellator fold with open arms. And Friday night, an unconfirmed report began to circulate that Paul is in talks to sign with the PFL. Conspicuously absent from Paul’s tag roster is the UFC. This no doubt is mostly because of the YouTuber’s contentious relationship with company president Dana White.
However, over the past week, Paul did state that he would be open to an MMA fight against Jorge Masvidal if White provided better pay and benefits to UFC fighters. As expected, White did not comply, which leaves a Jake Paul/UFC partnership just as unlikely today as it’s been over the entire past year.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22320675/1264742852.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70031004/1315780843.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22691772/1309510461.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70014751/1323289748.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68750277/1230757758.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22828134/1235057679.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67764880/1185146473.jpg.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66909221/1206526635.jpg.5.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69663123/1331713567.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70244209/1357228702.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69711250/1298044126.0.jpg)