Tag: MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021

Tonight, the UFC returns with UFC Vegas 46! As we embark on a new year full of great action, let’s first close out the MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021 list 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.

You can view Part 2 here.

You can view Part 3 here.

You can view Part 4 here.

You can view Part 5 here.

You can view Part 6 here.

You can view Part 7 here.

You can view Part 8 here.

You can view Part 9 here.

And finally, you can view the conclusion of The MMA News Top 100 UFC Fighters of 2021 below!

#10: Rose Namajunas

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Rose Namajunas made one statement loud and clear with her mouth prior to the fight and with her foot during the fight on April 24, 2021, inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida: She’s the best.

With Namajunas defeating arguably the two best strawweights the promotion has ever seen (herself excluded), Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, and defeating both twice, she has established herself as the one and only best strawweight in the UFC.

A case can be made that no champion on the entire roster has a higher career trajectory than Namajunas due to the fact that she has already beaten the very best the division has to offer, she continues to visibly get better and more advanced as a technical mixed martial artist, and the fact that she is still only 29 years old.

Namajunas barely gets the edge over Robert Whittaker due to her advantage in career trajectory, the fact that she is a current titleholder, and the fact that she had a memorable finish in 2021 while Whittaker has only earned decision wins since 2017.

Heading Into 2022: Rose Namajunas will look to keep her undefeated rematch record intact when she faces Carla Esparza if and when that expected bout becomes official.

#9: Max Holloway

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Next up in our top 10 fighters of 2021 we have the current record-holder for most wins in the featherweight division, Max “Blessed” Holloway.

On paper, Max Holloway is 2-2 in his last four fights. What’s more, he’s 3-3 in his last six fights. So how is he #9 on our list?

For one thing, one of those three losses took place in the lightweight division, where Holloway had never competed before in the UFC. The bulk of our appraisal for each fighter is what they’ve achieved in their primary weight class. While any loss carries an impact on a fighter’s placement on this list, that impact is much lighter if the fighter lost outside of the division in which they are active, established, and familiar.

And the most recent of those three losses happen to be one of the reasons Holloway is ranked so high. Due to how close and controversial his loss to Alexander Volkanovski was at UFC 251, this serves as evidence that Holloway is one round on one judges’ scorecard away from again reigning as champion. This acknowledgment helps Holloway in Category #3.

In category #2, Holloway’s aforementioned status as the featherweight win record-holder earns him high credit, especially considering some of the names included on that record, especially and including two finishes over who many consider to be the featherweight GOAT, José Aldo.

And in category #1, Holloway participated in back-to-back Fight of the Night-winning performances in 2021, with “Blessed” showing that setting more records via nonstop punches is standard for him.

Qué locura! Max buscando el KO!!! #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/zetivynuoU

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) January 16, 2021

Heading Into 2022: Originally scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski in a trilogy fight, Max Holloway will instead be recovering from injury. Only time will tell if a title shot will still await him when he makes his Octagon return and if he’ll compete this year.

#8: Amanda Nunes

Reasoning Behind Ranking: The next time you prepare to watch Amanda Nunes on TV, you can still feel safe putting your bets on her. Seeing as how she’s only lost one time since 2014, the odds are in your favor. And with her historic run during this stretch, despite her major setback against Julianna Peña at UFC 269, she will always be a champion.

With dominant victories over Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and other legacy wins over Valentina Shevchenko, Germaine de Randamie among others, Nunes earns maximum credit and then some in Category #2.

Additionally, the fact that she remains a comfortable betting favorite over Julianna Peña in their hypothetical rematch despite her second-round submission loss to her tells you that she is still considered most likely to win any fight in the bantamweight division.

Had Amanda Nunes done to Julianna Peña what the overwhelming majority of fans were certain she would, she’d have a firm case for #1 on our list. Instead, the massive ding she suffered in her underperforming loss to “The Venezuelan Vixen” has her at #8.

Heading Into 2022: Amanda Nunes has made her intentions for 2022 clear. Her next featherweight title defense, if it ever comes, will have to wait. First, “The Lioness” will look to regain her throne in a second confrontation with Julianna Peña.

#7: Petr Yan

Reasoning Behind Ranking:

As if drinking a vial of poison
Something gets into his bones,
Now, he keeps on tearing you up

There may be no one in all of MMA who makes slow-starting look so dominant. Whether or not Yan drops a round in a fight, by the time it’s all she wrote, you can’t help but kick yourself for ever doubting this Russian terminator.

Regardless of how a Petr Yan fight starts, both before and during the bout, he has earned the benefit of the doubt of pundits and oddsmakers to be expected to win any fight he’s in. His style is too efficient, too fundamentally sound, too crisp with his hands, too aware of his body-weight distribution.

Had Petr Yan finished his UFC 259 title match against Aljamain Sterling the way it appeared he was on track to, he could be placed even higher on our list. Instead, the knee heard ’round the world dings the Russian a bit.

Unbeaten in his last 12 fights, Yan remains a safe bet going into practically any fight. And his body of work and résumé should not be slept on, with wins over Jimmie Rivera, Douglas Silva de Andrade, and two names placed high on our list: Cory Sandhagen and the legendary José Aldo.

Heading Into 2022: Petr Yan will have an opportunity to rectify his UFC 259 blunder when he rematches Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April.

#6: Charles Oliveira

Reasoning Behind Ranking: When a man fights for 11 years in the same promotion before finally becoming champion, you can be certain that mistakes were made along the way and dues were paid time after time. Next thing you know, Charles Oliveira is on a 10-fight winning streak. And once considered a gatekeeper at lightweight, we may very well have seen “Do Bronx” lose for the last time.

Charles Oliveira’s recent performances are nearly impossible to top. In 2021, he had two championship finishes. Prior to that, he dominated Tony Ferguson from bell to bell. And before that, he had strung together seven consecutive finishes. Therefore, beyond just recency, Oliveira isn’t just likely to perform well, but he’s become practically a lock to win.

During this stretch, he’s also racked up massive points in Category #2, with wins over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Tony Ferguson, three fighters who appear on our list this year, including someone ranked within the top 15 in Poirier.

Heading Into 2022: If “Do Bronx” is to pick up another finish, he’s going to have to go through hell to get it done. The warmonger that is Justin Gaethje now awaits him.

#5: Israel Adesanya

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Although it’s true that Israel Adesanya went 1-1 in 2021 while Charles Oliveira is unbeaten in 10 fights, it’s the fact that Israel Adesanya is 21-0 in his division that makes him extremely tough to top in the “likelihood to win a fight” category. And he earned this record through hard work, blood, sweat, and tears from the dirt.

Additionally, in terms of name value, Adesanya may have the strongest résumé in middleweight history, with wins over Anderson Silva, Yoel Romero, Kelvin Gastelum, and three names on our list: Marvin Vettori (2), Paulo Costa, Derek Brunson, and the biggest reason for his placement: his dominant second-round KO of our 11th-ranked fighter, Robert Whittaker in 2019.

Naija stand up! HE'S DONE IT!@Stylebender finishes Whittaker in the 2nd round! Wow! #UFC243 pic.twitter.com/IS1f8lL8Lt

— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2019

Adesanya’s loss to Jan Blachowicz affects his points earned in category #1, but he mitigated some of the damage there with his unanimous decision victory over Vettori after the fact.

Heading Into 2022: Israel Adesanya will now look to defeat Robert Whittaker for a second time when the two meet next month at UFC 271.

#4: Alexander Volkanovski

Reasoning Behind Ranking: There are two primary reasons behind Alexander Volkanovski’s placement as our #4th ranked fighter:

1) He has defeated two names ranked very high on our list: José Aldo (#20) and two wins over our #9-ranked fighter, Max Holloway.

2) The man has not lost a fight since 2013 and is on a nice, round, 20-fight winning streak. And if there was any doubt about this man’s will to win and his likelihood to survive anything put in front of him, there was this moment:

How'd he escape?!?! 😳#UFC266 pic.twitter.com/0dTELGsNZx

— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021

In round 3 of his successful title defense over another fighter on our list, Brian Ortega (#39), Alexander Volkanovski showed what lies down under: the unyielding will of a champion. After witnessing that and considering that he is undefeated in the UFC and also undefeated as a featherweight, it’s clear that Volkanovski is one of the very best fighters on planet Earth.

Heading Into 2022: Alexander Volkanovski will look to add yet another name to his résumé when he takes on The Korean Zombie at UFC 273 in April. If he gets through that, he could be looking at the trilogy fight against Max Holloway that was originally planned for “The Great.”

#3: Francis Ngannou

Reasoning Behind Ranking: People are so caught up in how “scary” Ngannou is as a knockout artist that they neglect to give full recognition to his body of work and résumé.

At this moment, Ngannou has victories over Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem, Andre Arlovski, and three names on our list this year: Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Curtis Blaydes, and of course, the primary reason for his placement: his redemptive and brutal KO of the consensus heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic.

THE NEW HEAVYWEIGHT KING HAS ARRIVED 👑 #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/0ElFSDvyu1

— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2021

And here’s the thing. Ngannou didn’t just use brute KO power to get it done. He outskilled Miocic on the feet throughout the fight and, what’s most frightening of all, he even outgrappled him.

Perhaps what’s most taken for granted about Ngannou’s career is the fact that most of the legends he’s defeated, he’s done so within minutes. Whenever you can say you’ve knocked out Junior dos Santos, Curtis Blaydes, experienced kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and the legendary Cain Velasquez all within a total combined time of approximately three minutes, you might just be a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Heading Into 2022: Another year, a fresh new batch of targets in his sights. Here comes The Predator.

Francis Ngannou may have the toughest fight of his career from a pure skill standpoint when he takes on the magnificent Ciryl Gane next Saturday at UFC 270. With a dominant victory there, we may have to begin two conversations: potential heavyweight GOAT and pound-for-pound #1 status.

#2: Valentina Shevchenko

Reasoning Behind Ranking: When you step into an arena with Valentina Shevchenko’s name on the marquee, there are three things you know for certain: you’re going to see a Lezginka, you’re going to be left mesmerized, and somebody’s gonna get their head kicked in tonight.

When it comes to “likelihood to win a fight” and even career trajectory, Valentina Shevchenko is untouchable in points earned because there have been no signs whatsoever that she will stop doing what she’s doing. Since 2018, Shevchenko has proven to be the most dominant champion in the UFC with room to spare, truly finding her home at 125.

One thing that’s holding her back is the fact that many of her opponents were overmatched. However, let’s not forget that she does hold victories over former UFC champions Jéssica Andrade and Joanna Jędrzejczyk. And even outside of flyweight, her body of work includes wins over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and reigning bantamweight champion Julianna Peña, who placed #21 on her list. And in her only UFC losses to Amanda Nunes, both fights were competitive, especially the split-decision loss in 2017.

Also, from a pure skill standpoint, she has shown no weaknesses and has continued to sharpen her toolset every year, arguably becoming the most fundamentally sound, technical, and well-rounded fighter on the UFC roster.

Heading Into 2022: There’s likely more dominance to come in 2022, but The Bullet’s next victim has yet to be selected.

#1: Kamaru Usman

Reasoning Behind Ranking: The undisputed UFC welterweight champion, the record-holder for most consecutive wins in the welterweight division, the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, Kamaru Usman has the juice, the sauce, and all them things.

Let’s break down why Kamaru Usman is our #1-ranked fighter category by category.

Category #1:

• Recent Performances: In 2021 alone, Usman began the year by surviving arguably the most adversity he’s ever faced in the UFC after getting quasi-dropped by Gilbert Burns, only to put on an absolute clinic from that point forward.

MY GOODNESS! The champ smells blood in the water 😳 #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/POk5EsdvND

— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021

PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME 🏆 #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/FurU7SY99x

— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021

He then followed that up with what fans on UFC’s Twitter page voted as the Knockout of the Year at UFC 261 over Jorge Masvidal.

He then defeated one of the best fighters on the UFC roster for the second time, our #17-ranked fighter, Colby Covington.

• Career Trajectory: Having nearly cleaned out the division at 34 years old, Usman’s career is now trending towards potential GOAT status. In fact, out of everyone on the UFC roster, he is arguably the closest towards reaching this recognition.

Category #2:

• Body of Work/Résumé: As noted, Usman has practically cleaned out his division. And throughout his legendary career, he holds wins over Colby Covington (2), Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal (2), Leon Edwards, Tyron Woodley, Rafael dos Anjos, Sean Strickland, and Demian Maia. Five of those names appear on our list this year, and a minimum of two of them are likely to be Hall of Famers. This murderer’s row is the primary reason Usman was placed over Shevchenko.
• The other reason Usman was placed over Shevchenko is because of his flawless UFC winning percentage.

Category #3:

Kamaru Usman has the highest winning percentage in the entire history of the UFC. So when it comes to “likelihood to win a fight,” there’s that.

Heading Into 2022: As of yesterday, Kamaru Usman’s next “lapee” in the welterweight division will potentially be Leon Edwards, as that is who UFC President Dana White confirmed is next in line for the champion.

So there you have it! That concludes the inaugural MMA News Top 100 UFC Fighters list! How did we do?! Let us know what you think in the comments section, and you can expect to hear back! Happy debating!

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.

You can view Part 2 here.

You can view Part 3 here.

You can view Part 4 here.

You can view Part 5 here.

You can view Part 6 here.

You can view Part 7 here.

And Part 8 begins right now!

#30: Leon Edwards

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

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.

Cory Sandhagen put Frankie Edgar out COLD 🥶 #UFCVegas18 pic.twitter.com/AvrIH7hie6

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 7, 2021

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.

Otro KO histórico!!!!! Cómo ver viral? @Cors_Life lo sabe! #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/SUy0aZMvEl

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) October 11, 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

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

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.

OH MY GOODNESS! @BeneilDariush w/ the spinning back fist! #UFCVegas6 on E+ pic.twitter.com/ahMwbRJkbM

— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2020

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

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

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

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.

JULIANNA PENA SHOCKS THE WORLD 🌎 #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/LNr4amWe94

— UFC (@ufc) December 12, 2021

WHAT DID WE JUST WITNESS!? #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/YapJCW9myg

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) December 12, 2021

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.

Heading Into 2022: What’s up next for the champ seems pretty clear cut: a rematch with Nunes in what Dana White feels certain will be the biggest women’s fight in UFC history.

#21: Brandon Moreno

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.

HE'S DONE IT! BRANDON MORENO IS THE NEW FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! 🏆🇲🇽 #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/ShixOpMLOE

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 13, 2021

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!

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 down below, beginning with #90!

#90: Daniel Rodriguez

Reasoning Behind Ranking: With three victories in 2021, if this list were strictly about the year each fighter had, a case could be made that Rodriguez could crack the top 25 of our list, maybe higher. But even based on our criteria in this list, #90 is a conservative placement for Rodriguez, who is 6-1 in the UFC overall to go along with his flawless 2021 record. So why isn’t he ranked higher?

The win that most stands out for Rodriguez is his unanimous decision victory over Kevin Lee last August. However, Lee was very unproven and arguably undersized at welterweight. And other victories over Preston Parsons and Mike Perry (name recognition aside) weren’t notable enough to give him a higher placement or even a place in the UFC rankings, which loosely relates to his career trajectory. Rodriguez also lost to unranked veteran Nicolas Dalby via unanimous decision just last year.

Heading Into 2022: There is no denying that D-Rod will be pulling up to the entrance of 2022 with heavy momentum strapped to his back. And if he can replicate his 2021 success against some more proven and consistent welterweight competition, then not only will he keep earning more cash, but he’ll prove that being denied a spot in the UFC rankings and a higher spot in the MMA News year-end rankings just don’t make sense.

#89: Mackenzie Dern

Reasoning Behind Ranking: The numbers prove that Mackenzie Dern is one of the most respected fighters in the strawweight division. Dern is yet to be a betting underdog in any fight and has been as high as a -530 favorite during her UFC run. This respect helps her in category #3, which factors in how she is viewed by the public. Though she lost her most recent fight to Marina Rodriguez, it was a Fight of the Night-winning performance, and she has won four of her last five fights.

In terms of résumé, Dern has been able to win 7 of her 11 victories by submission, including three Performance of the Night wins in the UFC.

Heading Into 2022: Dern will be looking to execute more righteous submissions and take home more limbs as she steps into the new year. Dern is currently ranked #5 in the strawweight division and #14 in the UFC’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings.

#88: Nassourdine Imavov

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Landing a spot in the Top 100 over names like Tony Ferguson, Cody Garbrandt, and Darren Till isn’t bad at all for a 25-year-old, but it’s been earned by Nassourdine Imavov with his last two performances, which saw this UFC gladiator turned Russian Sniper mercilessly execute Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan.

In fact, Imavov is the only person to ever finish Henisch, who has proven to be one of the most durable fighters at middleweight. Both Heinisch and Shahbazyan have been ranked in the past, and these victories in addition to the fact that 9 of Imavov’s 11 wins being finishes speaks to his current career trajectory. Imavov did suffer one loss on the year, however, to Phil Hawes in a majority decision loss in February.

Heading Into 2022: Nassourdine Imavov enters the year ranked #12 in the middleweight division. Maybe after his last two performances, the betting odds will give him more separation from his opponents than he’s had in the lines thus far. And maybe this Russian will continue to earn respect with more finishes to come and a potential higher MMA News ranking in our 2022 list.

#87: Sean O’Malley

Reasoning Behind Ranking: “The Sugar Show” arrives at #87 on our list in what was a very tricky placement. On one hand, O’Malley’s recent performances are top-50 worthy, and he has never appeared overmatched throughout the course of an entire fight. His 15-1 record’s only glitch came from an ending that was arguably a matter of circumstance more than Marlon Vera’s intentional precision.

The biggest factor that puts O’Malley here is that he’s earned 12 of his 15 wins by finish, including five of his seven UFC victories.

O’Malley went 3-0 in 2021 with all three wins by KO/TKO.

Heading Into 2022: The question on everyone’s mind is: How will O’Malley stand up to tougher competition? It’s one of the most exciting questions entering the year for MMA fans as a whole. We shall certainly find out. In the meantime, O’Malley is ranked #12 at bantamweight, and his highly anticipated next opponent has not yet been uncloaked.

#86: Ilia Topuria

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Although Ilia Topuria is currently on the outskirts of the UFC’s featherweight rankings, he was previously ranked in 2021 and is 3-0 in the promotion with a flawless 11-0 career record overall.

Additionally, Topuria holds a victory over one of the most feared men in his division, grappling standout Ryan Hall. In that contest, Topuria was able to act as both the bull and the Matador when roping in a knockout of Hall in what was the American’s first loss in the UFC.

HOW ABOUT THAT 🤯 @TopuriaIlia #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/ZQvUa1nJpo

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021

The primary reason Topuria is not ranked higher is because of his low sum total of fights. However, his well-rounded skillset has earned him respect from the oddsmakers, and there is major room for ascension for Topuria in next year’s list.

Heading Into 2022: Topuria has his first fight of the year booked when he takes on fellow prospect Movsar Evloev at UFC 270, where someone’s 0 will have to go. A victory here will most likely bring Topuria back into the UFC rankings and possibly even score him a top-10 opponent after that.

#85: Dan Hooker

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Dan Hooker could have very easily missed this year’s list altogether. Instead, he finds himself ranked over accomplished names like Tyron Woodley and Tony Ferguson and over prospects like Sean O’Malley and Ilia Topuria. The difference between being unlisted and his #86 spot comes down to the fact that Hooker did pick up a win in 2021 unlike the proven names. As for the prospects and the others, how many names beneath him would be expected to fare any better against Islam Makhachev or Dustin Poirier?

Hooker’s résumé is somewhat underrated, as the New Zealander holds wins over Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Jim Miller, and perhaps the biggest reason why he’s ranked where he is: a TKO win over someone placed much higher on this list: Gilbert Burns.

🇳🇿 New Zealand stand up!@DanTheHangman earns his FOURTH finish in a row at #UFC226! Sensational! pic.twitter.com/HL9JkAwXWZ

— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

That said, it’s no mystery why he isn’t ranked higher. Hooker has lost three of his last four fights, two of which coming by first-round stoppage, first to Michael Chandler, then to Makhachev.

Heading Into 2022: Hooker’s current ranking at #8 in arguably the deepst division in the UFC (lightweight) adds further validity to his placement at #85 on our list. The New Zealander will now be returning to featherweight, however, where he’ll look to drop down and resume his Hangman ways.

#84: Michael Chiesa

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Michael Chiesa is the first person on our list who won a main event in 2021. That victory came over someone who will appear later, Neil Magny, and it was arguably the most impressive performance of Chiesa’s career. That along with the three prior welterweight victories earned by Chiesa, including over former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos, is what earned “Maverick” this placement.

Of course, this credentialed grappler would be forced to release his initial strangehold of the welterweight division after back-to-back losses against Vicente Luque and Sean Brady. This is what prevented the #10-ranked welterweight from a higher position.

Heading Into 2022: Overall, Michael Chiesa has still been successful at welterweight with a UFC record of 4-2 in the division. At one point last year, his name was floated around as a potential opponent for Kamaru Usman. He’ll have some work to do in 2022 if that convo is to be brought back up again anytime soon.

#83: Amanda Ribas

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Despite her setback to #3-ranked strawweight Marina Rodriguez, Amanda Ribas’ career trajectory remains one of the most promising at 115. Her record in the promotion is 5-1, including a victory over our #89-ranked fighter, Mackenzie Dern, and she has some effective striking to match her elite ground game. In her most recent contest, Ribas defeated the current 11-ranked strawweight Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision.

More than anything, it’s the impressive skill set that Ribas contains along with some evidence-backed results that land her at #83, and she remains one of the brightest prospects in the promotion, similar to Sean O’Malley who also has one recent defeat. In Ribas’ case, however, she holds two wins over ranked opponents.

Heading Into 2022: Amanda Ribas enters the year ranked #9 in the division. If you eat, sleep, and drink positive energy the way Amanda Ribas does, it should be easy to remind yourself that you were up one dominant round prior to your lone loss inside the Octagon against Marina Rodriguez. If she can clean up some defensive deficiencies while remaining at her aggressive, high-energy best, it’s easy to imagine Ribas being a top-5 strawweight by year’s end or firmly in the title picture.

#82: Tai Tuivasa

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Tai Tuivasa went from the prospect list to the chopping block and now to the edge of the heavyweight top 10. Purely based on 2021 performance, Tai Tuivasa could be placed within the top 20 of our list. He went 3-0 on the year with all three wins by KO, including one over a ranked opponent in Augusto Sakai.

His previous setbacks against arguably his toughest opponents prevent Tuivasa from being higher than #82. However, the new-and-improved “Bam Bam” has now changed his recipe by fighting with some more control mixed in with the usual chaos. And as a result, he’s added some scary spice to the UFC’s heavyweight division.

12 of Tuivasa’s 13 career wins are by knockout, and this heavyweight sleeper may be a mind-numbing barbiturate for his opponents, but he continues to lift fans out of their seats with one knockout banger after another.

Heading Into 2022: If Tai Tuivasa can match his 2021 success in 2022, there’s going to be a lot more shooeys, a lot more partying, and a lot more respect in next year’s MMA News rankings. Make sure you follow this big, bad man from the walkout to the beer-laden exit, as every second that he’s on screen is unpredictable and must-see.

#81: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s placement over Tai Tuivasa is a strong example of why our list is not dependent solely on the year’s performances. Tuivasa went 3-0 in 2021 while Rozenstruik went 1-2. However, those two losses came against Curtis Blaydes (#4) and Ciryl Gane (#1), two men who would assuredly be strongly flavored over Tuivasa. And the one victory on the year for Rozenstruik came over Augusto Sakai in a TKO victory that predated Tuivasa’s win over him. Furthermore, Tuivasa’s other 2021 wins over Greg Hardy and Harry Hunsucker were against opponents Rozenstruik would also be expected to beat.

Because of his increasingly tentative style as of late, it’s easy to forget that Rozenstruik’s UFC résumé includes KO victories over three former UFC heavyweight champions. In fact, each of Rozenstruik’s six promotional wins have been by KO/TKO. That’s because whenever Bigi Boy unleashes and allows his hands to go psycho, his opponents are the ones who typically end up sedated.

Heading Into 2022: Rozenstruik remains ranked comfortably within the division’s top 10 at #7 and snuggly in the MMA News year-end rankings at #81. He is in an interesting spot in the heavyweight division at the moment. Coming off a lopsided loss to Curtis Blaydes and alternating wins and losses in his last five fights, Rozenstruik will more than likely be facing someone ranked beneath him in his next fight…perhaps against the aforementioned Tai Tuivasa to settle who is the better fighter and deserving of the higher MMA News ranking!

Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 3! You can view Part 1 here