“Most improved” is a tricky award, since it requires two evaluations instead of one; how good were they before, and how good are they now? That means that the award could go to a little-known undercard fighter. After all, the…
Jon Jones finishes Alexander Gustafsson, surprising nobody
For all the controversy surrounding UFC 232, the main event played out exactly as expected. Jon Jones still looked dominant, beating Alexander Gustafsson inside of three rounds. Juicing or not, his performance tonight was surgical. Learning on the job The…
No matter how badly Jon Jones beats Alexander Gustafsson, his legacy is shot
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 should have been a rematch for the ages. Sure, the Daniel Cormier rivalry offered some spark but their first fight wasn’t particularly close. On the other hand, Gustafsson can legitimately claim that he won…
After UFC 231, Max Holloway needs to move up to lightweight
With finishes over Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega was supposed to be Max Holloway’s toughest test yet. I boldly claimed that while “T-City” shouldn’t be the favorite, he’d give Holloway a run for his money. But like so…
Everybody wants Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
Snapping Mike Perry’s arm to set a UFC record SHOULD have been the most memorable part of Donald Cerrone’s week. But instead, the buzz surrounding him concerns a possible matchup with a certain Irishman. Considering his social media statement and…
Jacare Souza evolved to knock out Chris Weidman at UFC 230
No one expected a wipe, but most fans had Chris Weidman beating Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The NY native stood taller, moved quicker and fought longer. He finished the man who had just beaten Jacare in his most recent fight, Kelvin…
Anthony Smith and the great light heavyweight dilemma
With his submission of Volkan Oezdemir, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith called for a title shot. Oezdemir was in his athletic prime and coming off a scrappy loss to dominant champion Daniel Cormier. On the other hand, Smith was an ex-middleweight whose…
Conor McGregor proved that Tony Ferguson can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov
Before their fight at UFC 229, I predicted that Conor McGregor had the best chance of beating Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib’s striking ranges from unimpressive to sloppy, a style tailor-made for counters. I would like to walk back that statement and…
Remembering Kid Yamamoto
With the suddenness of a meteor strike, a death has sent the MMA world reeling; Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto has passed. Mere weeks ago, Yamamoto announced his cancer diagnosis and his intention to fight it. But cancer never fights fair, and it…
Conor McGregor has the best chance to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov
For many, the day of reckoning has come for Conor McGregor. Conor is a great fighter, but there’s no question that the UFC brass steered the most difficult match-ups away from him. It’s odd that, in a division so full…