Midyear MMA awards: A surprising KO and a giant shock high 2019 thus far
It was an eventful first half of 2019 in blended martial arts. New stars like Jorge Masvidal and Israel Adesanya have emerged, new champions have been topped and a titleholder has been stripped of a belt. We have seen a few of the greatest knockouts within the historical past of the game and a few of the greatest fights. There was adulation and heartache.
Wanting again on the primary six months of 2019 in MMA, we have landed on awards in seven classes. Have a problem with the outcomes? Take it up with the voters: Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Greg Rosenstein, Andrew Davis, Alisa Harrison, Jeff Wagenheim and Eric Jackman.
Battle of the half-year
Winner: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum, UFC 236 (April 13)
“One of many best title fights you will note.” @Jon_Anik saying what all of us felt about @stylebender vs. @KelvinGastelum
▶️ Watch UFC 236 any time on ESPN+ ➡️ https://t.co/WJSNclC6AK pic.twitter.com/mKtmYbOCV6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) Could 2, 2019
Saturday’s UFC Battle Evening card in San Antonio will function two welterweights aiming to get into the title image and the following check for ex-NFL star Greg Hardy. Rafael Dos Anjos, who snapped a two-fight skid in Could, and Leon Edwards, a winner of seven straight bouts, will meet in the principle occasion. Hardy additionally will probably be on the principle card as he takes on Juan Adams.
UFC Battle Evening: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards
• Saturday, San Antonio
• Prelims: ESPN, 6 p.m. ET
• Foremost card: ESPN, 9 p.m. ET
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This battle will probably be laborious to high. Adesanya vs. Gastelum acquired as many votes from our panel as some other choice in some other class. The interim middleweight title battle in Atlanta had nearly every part you’d need in a battle — each males had their moments, each needed to battle again from adversity and the stakes have been excessive with a belt on the road. Adesanya wanted a giant fifth spherical to seal the victory within the co-main occasion matchup, and he did it.
Gastelum rocked Adesanya and put him in large hassle within the center rounds. Adesanya dropped Gastelum a number of instances within the fifth, ultimately gutting it out to remain undefeated. There have been large blows on the toes and a few good floor work besides. Adesanya vs. Gastelum was a masterpiece, top-of-the-line UFC title fights in years and a testomony to the talent and guts of each males. Adesanya gained, however Gastelum’s inventory went up in defeat.
Runner-up (tied): Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway, UFC 236 (April 13) and Vicente Luque vs. Bryan Barberena, UFC Phoenix (Feb. 17)
Poirier vs. Holloway was the principle occasion following Adesanya vs. Gastelum, making UFC 236 far and away the most effective card of the yr in MMA. The interim light-weight title battle was a narrative of Poirier’s boxing expertise and energy in opposition to the relentless will of Holloway, the UFC’s featherweight champion who moved up in weight for an opportunity at two belts. Poirier gained by unanimous resolution, doing main harm to Holloway all through, however Holloway by no means give up.
Luque vs. Barberena was a wild, all-action welterweight brawl from bell to bell. Luque ultimately gained through TKO — with six seconds left within the battle.
Feminine fighter of the half-year
Winner: Amanda Nunes
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Amanda Nunes retains her 135-pound title by knocking out Holly Holm at UFC 239. For extra UFC, enroll right here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Days earlier than the beginning of 2019, Nunes grew to become the UFC ladies’s featherweight champion by knocking out Cris Cyborg within the first spherical at UFC 232. Nunes already held the ladies’s bantamweight title and the victory put her on the brief listing of UFC athletes who concurrently held two belts. At UFC 239 on July 6, Nunes grew to become the primary of these fighters to return all the way down to the lighter division and defend the title. “The Lioness” knocked out Holly Holm with a head kick at four:10 of the primary spherical. Holm had by no means been knocked out prior.
Nunes has now overwhelmed each single girl to have ever held the UFC’s featherweight or bantamweight titles — an unbelievable accomplishment. The Brazilian slugger isn’t just the most effective ladies’s fighter of the half-year in 2019; she’s very doubtless the most effective ladies’s fighter to ever do it.
Runner-up: Jessica Andrade
Rose Namajunas was piecing Andrade up for the higher a part of two rounds at UFC 237 on Could 11 when Andrade hoisted Namajunas up over her head and slammed her down, neck first, into the mat. Namajunas was going for a Kimura submission and held on far too lengthy. On impression, she was knocked out and Andrade grew to become the UFC ladies’s strawweight champion. It was simply the fourth slam knockout in UFC title battle historical past.
Honorable point out: Valentina Shevchenko
Male fighter of the half-year
Winner: Henry Cejudo
VICIOUS knees by @HenryCejudo #UFC238 pic.twitter.com/KwqFMPOujO
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 9, 2019
Over the past six months, Cejudo has emerged as one of many high pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. The previous Olympic gold medalist kicked off the UFC’s ESPN period on Jan. 19 with a 32-second TKO of TJ Dillashaw to retain the flyweight title in Brooklyn, New York. With Dillashaw suspended by USADA for taking the banned drug recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), Cejudo moved up in weight and fought Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238 on June eight in Chicago. Cejudo battled again after shedding the primary spherical to complete the larger Moraes by TKO within the third.
Cejudo injured his shoulder and had surgical procedure after UFC 238 and he’s out for the remainder of 2019. He may need already locked up Fighter of the 12 months honors, although. “Triple C” — for Olympic champion, UFC bantamweight champion and UFC flyweight champion — misplaced two straight in 2016 and his future greatness was unclear on the time. However since snapping Demetrious Johnson’s UFC title-defense streak (11) final August, Cejudo has been on one other stage. This yr, the Arizona resident has put himself on a listing with the all-time greats.
Runner-up: Israel Adesanya
Adesanya defeated his idol, Anderson Silva, at UFC 234 on Feb. 10 in Melbourne, Australia. It was an emotional second for “The Final Stylebender” and arrange the remainder of his yr. The Nigerian-born New Zealand resident then defeated Gastelum within the aforementioned battle at UFC 236. That victory earned him the interim middleweight title. Everybody knew how expert Adesanya was — he is top-of-the-line strikers within the UFC — however in opposition to Gastelum, we came upon about his toughness and dedication.
Adesanya will battle Australian champion Robert Whittaker to unify the middleweight titles at UFC 243 on Oct. 5. A win there would possibly lock up Fighter of the 12 months honors for him, although the competitors is steep. Adesanya has actually made himself an enormous title in MMA this yr after practically a decade in kickboxing. It is laborious to imagine he solely debuted within the UFC in 2018. Only a few have achieved as a lot within the UFC in that brief period of time.
Honorable point out: Jorge Masvidal
Finest end of the half-year
Winner: Jorge Masvidal flying knee KO, UFC 239 (July 6)
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Dana White calls Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee on Ben Askren “one of the vicious knockouts” he is ever seen in his life. For extra UFC, enroll right here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
In any case that buildup, after all of the trash discuss between Masvidal and Askren main into UFC 239 in Las Vegas, it was over in simply 5 seconds. That is it. Masvidal, palms crossed behind his again, smile on his face, raced proper off the cage on the opening bell, met Askren within the middle and landed a picture-perfect flying knee. Askren was out on impression. Masvidal landed two extra punches on the bottom with Askren unconscious (“tremendous mandatory,” he stated afterward), then taunted his rival. The victory was the quickest knockout in UFC historical past and maybe the most effective — and most stunning — the promotion has ever seen.
Runner-up: Anthony Pettis Superman punch, UFC Nashville (March 23)
Pettis transferring as much as welterweight appeared like a curious transfer for many of his battle in opposition to Stephen Thompson. “Wonderboy,” the longer, rangier fighter, was touchdown seemingly at will for a majority of the primary two rounds on Pettis, who was lower and busted up. This is the factor with Pettis, although: Like a snake, he can recoil and strike at any second. “Showtime” did simply that, springing off the bottom of the cage with 5 seconds left within the second spherical and starching Thompson with a right-handed Superman punch. Thompson was out chilly and Pettis had one other in a profession of highlight-reel finishes.
Honorable point out: Jessica Andrade slam, UFC 237 (Could 11)
Greatest shock of the half-year
Winner: Jorge Masvidal’s finishes of Darren Until, Ben Askren
Jorge Masvidal had one of the vicious knockouts of 2019 when he despatched rising prospect Darren Until to the mat in March. James Likelihood/Getty Photos
We’re midway by way of the yr and one of the talked about, most headline-grabbing fighters on the planet is Jorge Masvidal. That was actually not anticipated. The Miami native has been a professional MMA fighter for 16 years. He has fought for BoDog Battle, Sengoku, Bellator and Strikeforce. He has 13 losses in his profession. However first-round, vicious knockouts of Until and Askren has made informal followers lastly take discover. They’ve came upon what hardcore followers already knew — Masvidal is among the most fascinating, entertaining fighters on the planet, on high of being extraordinarily gifted. Masvidal’s star flip after so a few years just isn’t in contrast to what Nate Diaz did in 2016.
Runner-up: TJ Dillashaw fails drug check
When the yr began, Dillashaw was the UFC bantamweight champion transferring all the way down to battle flyweight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC Brooklyn to attempt to turn into a two-division titleholder. Cejudo dispatched Dillashaw in beneath a minute by TKO. In March, Dillashaw introduced that he had failed a USADA drug check and was relinquishing the bantamweight belt. Three weeks later, USADA introduced Dillashaw could be suspended two years for testing optimistic for EPO. It was solely the second time a UFC champion had failed a drug check. Josh Barnett was the primary in 2002.
Honorable point out: Andrade’s slam KO of Rose Namajunas
Greatest disappointment of the half-year
Winner: Dillashaw fails drug check
TJ Dillashaw was suspended two-years by USADA for testing optimistic for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). Sarah Stier/Getty Photos
What a shocking fall from grace. Dillashaw started the yr seeking to turn into a double champion in opposition to flyweight titleholder Cejudo in the principle occasion of UFC Brooklyn, the promotion’s first card on ESPN. Cejudo completed him in 32 seconds. Six weeks later, Dillashaw had no belts in any respect — he introduced he was relinquishing the bantamweight title as a consequence of a failed drug check — and, as beforehand talked about, was suspended for 2 years.
As soon as considered top-of-the-line pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, Dillashaw has a protracted strategy to go to be able to get his popularity again. He brazenly admitted to knowingly dishonest and injecting EPO; his picture and the belief followers confirmed in him will doubtless be endlessly altered.
Runner-up: Tony Ferguson not getting title shot
Ferguson has gained 12 in a row within the UFC’s hardest division. He has not misplaced a battle since 2012. And but, except one thing drastic adjustments, one other yr will go by with out Ferguson getting a title shot. There’s something very fallacious with that. In his solely battle up to now in 2019, Ferguson beat Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 on June eight by second-round TKO. One other spectacular victory, but no title shot in sight. It is a disgrace.
Honorable point out (tie): Greg Hardy’s promotional push , Robert Whittaker late withdrawal
Finest out-of-cage second of the half-year
Winner: Jorge Masvidal’s “three-piece with the soda”
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Jorge Masvidal supplies his perspective on what prompted the backstage battle between himself and Leon Edwards at UFC Battle Evening in London.
Masvidal’s first-round knockout of Until at UFC London on March 16 was unbelievable. However the punches that actually mattered have been those he threw afterward, backstage throughout a scuffle with fellow welterweight Leon Edwards. It occurred throughout an interview on ESPN with Laura Sanko. Masvidal sauntered over to Edwards, who had been taunting him, together with his palms behind his again. Tempers flared and Masvidal threw a four-punch mixture earlier than folks stepped in to separate them.
Afterward, Masvidal spoke with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a video interview and stated he needed to hit Edwards with “the three-piece with the soda.” And similar to that, one of the legendary catchphrases in MMA historical past was born. Masvidal’s rise has been one of many largest tales of 2019 and that second is what initially propelled him.
Runner-up: Tyron Woodley’s mom congratulates Kamaru Usman
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Kamaru Usman is embraced by Tyron Woodley’s mom backstage after beating her son for the UFC welterweight title.
Usman had simply gained the UFC welterweight title, defeating Woodley in a grueling, five-round unanimous resolution at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas. As Usman walked backstage, he was met by Woodley’s mom, Deborah. It was all love. Deborah hugged Usman and stated, “It is your flip, it ain’t his flip. It is your time. Be inspired. Your hear me? And carry on working, ‘trigger they gonna come for you. And you are taking it to ’em.”
It is moments like this one which separate MMA from the sports activities pack. After being in a tough fistfight along with her son, Usman was emotionally embraced and congratulated by Woodley’s mom. Unimaginable.
Honorable point out: Israel Adesanya returns to Nigeria, spends time with children