Several athletes stood out in 2020 in MMA. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage
The year 2020, without a shadow of a doubt, was challenging for everyone. In the midst of one of the biggest health crises in history, sports, in general, suffered the consequences and MMA was no different. Faced with a chaotic scenario, athletes had to adapt to a new training routine and, even so, there were those who stood out in the sport.
At the end of the season, our team selected some fighters who performed well and achieved great results. Check out:
Gilbert Durinho
G. Durinho (left) defeats T. Woodley (right) in the main fight of UFC Woodley x Durinho. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc_brasil
Known for his frequency of fights and always willing to evolve as an athlete, Gilbert Durinho saw his name reach the top of the welterweight division (up to 77kg.) in 2020. With confident and dominant performances, the Brazilian achieved a meteoric rise in the category and achieved the status of challenger for the belt.
In 2020, Durinho held two presentations. In the first, in March, the fighter beat his compatriot by knockout Demian Maia. Then, in May, Gilbert ran over the former category champion, Tyron woodley and, at the time, occupied the number one position in the ranking.
After the consecutive victories, the Brazilian was confirmed by Dana White as his next opponent. Kamaru Usman. The confrontation should have taken place in UFC 251, however, the Niteroi native tested positive for Covid-19 and ended up being replaced by Jorge masvidal. Now, Durinho continues to wait for a new date to face the champion. The dispute is expected to take place in the first half of 2021.
Glover Teixeira
G. Teixeira surpassed T. Marreta in the UFC Las Vegas 13. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @ufc
At 41, Glover Teixeira proved that there is still a lot of firewood to burn. In a great phase, the former challenger for the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg) is very close to a new chance to fight for the title. With a convincing victory, at the end Thiago Marreta, in November, the Minas Gerais native secured first place in the group ranking and got his passport stamped to face Jan Blachowicz, if the UFC chooses to postpone the superfight between the Pole and Israel adesanya.
After going through a turbulent phase, alternating between victories and defeats, Glover found himself in the category again and has defeated younger opponents in his latest fights. In 2020, Teixeira had two fights. In the first, Glover mercilessly ran over Anthony Smith, by knockout. Ultimately, Marreta ended up being the miner's victim.
Amanda ribas
A. Ribas in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
New favorite of the Brazilian fans, Amanda ribas continues to grow in MMA. A specialist in jiu-jitsu, the Minas Gerais native, just like in 2019, did well this season.
Representative of the strawweight division (up to 56,7kg), the Brazilian won both of her commitments this year and remains a great promise for a future title fight. In March, Amanda surpassed Randa markos and, in July, easily beat the charismatic paige vanzant.
100% in the UFC, Ribas, today, is the current number nine in the ranking of the category led by Weili Zhang. The Minas Gerais fighter is scheduled to fight for the third event of 2021. On 'Ilha da Luta', the fighter will exchange forces with her compatriot Marina Rodriguez, eighth in the ranking.
Mackenzie dern
M. Dern (left) beat V. Jandiroba (right) in the UFC 256. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
North American, but with strong Brazilian roots, Mackenzie dern With each performance, he has won the affection of the Tupiniquim fans. Multi-time jiu-jitsu champion, the fighter has fulfilled her plan to remain active in the organization and, this season, held three duels.
In his first appearance in May, Dern bounced back in style from his defeat to Amanda ribas in 2019, which resulted in him losing his unbeaten career record. Against Hannah Cifers, Mackenzie gave her rival no chance and overcame her opponent with a submission in less than three minutes.
In the second challenge, new ride. Randa markos He lost again and, this time, to Dern, with a submission in the first round.
His last performance took place recently, at UFC 256, and marked his biggest career challenge to date. Against Virna jandiroba, Mackenzie proved that she is becoming a complete athlete, as she accepted the fight on her feet and put on a true battle against the Brazilian, winning on points.
Today, Dern is 11th in the bantamweight rankings. The athlete has already stated that she wants to continue fighting frequently next season.
Michael Pereira
M. Pereira (right) defeated Z. Imadaev (left) in the UFC Las Vegas 9. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufc
Known as 'entertainer‘, Michael Pereira managed to prove that he's not just a 'frill' when it comes to fighting. Despite the controversial defeat to Diego Sanchez In its first commitment of the year, 'Paraense Voador' managed to recover and put on real shows in the last two challenges of 2020.
In September, the Brazilian gave one of the most dominant performances of the year. Against Zelim Imadaev, in September, Pereira fought as he wanted. He provoked, induced his opponent to make a mistake and masterfully returned the slap in the face received at the weigh-in the previous day. In the end, he overcame his rival with a submission in the third round, earning him one of the US$50 'Performance of the Night' bonuses.
In the farewell fight of the year, another safe performance. Without many jokes and against a high-level opponent, Michel confirmed that he is a fighter for all times. At the UFC Las Vegas 17, the man from Pará exchanged forces against Khaos Williams, who was undefeated in Ultimate. For 15 minutes, the Brazilian controlled the actions and connected the best blows, winning with a unanimous decision from the judges.
Charles of the Bronx
Charles beat Ferguson in UFC 256. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The year 2020 will certainly be marked for Charles of the Bronx as the year in which the fighter proved to the world that he is one of the best lightweight representatives (up to 70,3kg) in the world. With a victory in March and a real show in December, the Brazilian put himself one step closer to winning the title in the category led by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In March, at UFC Brasilia, Charles, who had been asking for an opponent from the group's elite for some time, faced Kevin Lee. In the duel, the São Paulo native won in his best style: finishing.
In a great phase, with seven consecutive victories, Do Bronx insisted on facing an opponent from the top 5, but the chance never came. In November, the fighter was finally selected to face the feared Tony Ferguson, UFC 256. Even with little time to prepare, the Brazilian took on the challenge.
Against 'Bicho Papão', a real ride. Charles shocked the world and dominated one of the best athletes in the history of the category for three rounds. After the duel, the athlete now waits for the confrontation between Conor McGregor e Dustin poirier, who exchange forces on January 23. The São Paulo native has already stated that he wants to face the winner of the fight.
Petr yan
P. Yan (photo) beats J. Aldo by knockout and wins the bantamweight belt in the UFC 251. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
First Russian in history to hold a bantamweight belt (up to 61,2kg) in Ultimate, Petr yan made history this season. With just seven fights with the company's gloves, the athlete today occupies the most desired place in one of the company's most dangerous categories.
Yan was scheduled to fight for the title after Henry Cejudo he gave up the belt and announced his retirement from the sport. The athlete was then placed face to face with José Aldo and the two faced each other for the belt in UFC 251.
In the duel, despite being younger and less experienced, Petr did not have an easy time. For four rounds, Aldo faced his rival on equal terms. However, in the last round, the Brazilian ended up falling victim to his opponent's physical strength and succumbed with a knockout near the end of the confrontation.
Yan would defend his title for the first time on December 12 against aljamain sterling. The Russian, however, had personal problems and ended up being removed from the show. The new date for the clash has not yet been made official.
Jan Blachowicz
Blachowicz won the light heavyweight belt in UFC 253. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufc
One of the biggest surprises of the year, Jan Blachowicz You will never forget the season that passed. Representative of the light heavyweight, the Pole received a 'gift' with the Jon Jones abandoning his belt and officially moving to the top category. Without 'Bones', we were left with Dominick reyes and Blachowicz the role of fighting for the vacant division title.
Favorite, Reyes took to the octagon in the UFC 253 as the man who, for many, was the first to defeat Jones in an official MMA fight. Jan, however, entered the confrontation willing to sell dearly every minute played in the dispute.
As soon as the referee authorized the start of the battle, what was seen was something different from what many imagined. Precise, aggressive and hard-hitting, the Pole gave the North American no chance and beat his rival, then undefeated, with a devastating knockout in the second round. With the result, Jan took over the category crown and is now negotiating a super fight against Israel adesanya for 2021.
Khamzat Shimaev
K. Chimaev (right) delivers a devastating knockout to G. Meerschaert (left). .Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Considered by nothing more, nothing less, than Dana White as the most unique athlete he has ever seen, Khamzat Shimaev He gained fame as a phenomenon in less than six months with the company. With three victories in a short period of time, the athlete is treated as a reality within the organization.
Undefeated in his career, Khamzat, in his fourth commitment, will fight against Leon edwards and, in case of victory, he will put himself in a prominent position for a future title fight. Today, the Englishman is in third place in the group led by Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev entered the Octagon for the first time on July 15, when he defeated John Phillips with a submission in the second round. 10 days later, the Swede was in action again and won Rhys Mckee by knockout in round one. Finally, the new sensation defeated the veteran Gerald meerschaert in 17 seconds only
The new phenomenon would face Edwards on December 19th. The Englishman, however, ended up testing positive for Covid-19 and the match ended up being postponed until January 20th.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
K. Nurmagomedov gets emotional after victory in UFC 254. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
One of the biggest names in recent MMA history, Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn't be left out of the list. Even with just one performance this year, the Russian overcame great adversity and achieved an important result in the UFC 254.
After losing his father in July, victim of complications from Covid-19, many doubted that the lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg) would compete again. The Russian, however, was surprised and agreed to face Justin gaethje on October 24, in a valid fight to unify the group title.
Without his father, mentor and coach in his corner, Khabib managed to reproduce everything he was taught by Abdulmanap in the octagon. Against Gaethje, who had beaten Tony Ferguson In his last match, Nurmagomedov had no problems and submitted his opponent in the second round, remaining the group's absolute champion.
After the duel, Khabib shocked the world and announced his retirement from MMA. Very emotional, the Russian remembered his father and stated that, without him, it no longer made sense to continue competing. The 'Eagle' left the sport with 29 wins and no defeats in mixed martial arts.
Vadim nemkov
V. Nemkov (right) won the light heavyweight belt in UFC 244. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Pupil of none other than Fedor Emelianenko, Vadim nemkov emerged this season as one of the big names for the future of Bellator. At 28 years old, the Russian became the organization's first champion of the country by defeating Ryan bader, in August, in the fight for the light heavyweight belt.
Against Bader, the Russian managed to 'avenge' Fedor, who had been defeated by the American, by knockout, in January 2019, in the Grand Prix final, and dispute for the heavyweight belt. During the fight, Nemkov was not aware of his opponent, who had two belts in his company.
With a perfect performance, the Russian emerged victorious after a real upset in the second round. Vadim settled the bill with a brutal knockout, started with a clean kick to his opponent's head.
Brazilian Champions
Amanda nunes
Amanda's victory yields a millionaire jackpot for a bettor. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook @ufc
Undisputed in women's MMA, Amanda nunes he only had one fight in 2020, but he didn't disappoint. Against Felicia spencer, fur UFC 250, the Bahian woman made history and became the first fighter to defend two titles in different categories.
In the confrontation with the Canadian, the 'Lione' once again showed that she is different from her other opponents and beat the former Invicta FC champion by points in a dominant performance in the fight for the featherweight belt (up to 65,7kg.).
Amanda was scheduled to fight again at featherweight on December 12th. The athlete, for personal reasons, ended up leaving the fight against Megan anderson. The confrontation, however, was rescheduled for March, in UFC 259.
Ju Velasquez
J. Velasquez became Bellator flyweight champion on December 10th. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
One of the most pleasant surprises of 2020 was the victory of Ju Velasquez in Bellator. Representative of the flyweight category (up to 56,7kg) and undefeated in her career in MMA, the Rio native has become yet another Tupiniquim athlete to hold a title in the UFC's biggest competitor.
Velasquez achieved title challenger status after five consecutive victories with Bellator gloves. Her achievement came on December 10, when the fighter defeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in a unanimous decision by the judges in a five-round confrontation.
Patrick Pitbull
P. Pitbull (photo) defeated P. Carvalho at Bellator 252. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The biggest name in Bellator history, Patrício, due to the coronavirus pandemic, ended up spending more than a year without appearing in the circular cage. Owner of the lightweight and featherweight belts, the Brazilian returned to action in November, when he exchanged forces against the provocateur Pedro Carvalho.
Undefeated in six fights and without losing since 2016, Patrício would try to make his fourth defense of the featherweight belt. After months of provocations, the Portuguese ended up not standing up to the undisputed quality of the Potiguar.
Pitbull needed just one round to secure the knockout victory. The athlete remains the main name of the organization, defeating everyone who is placed in his path.
Deiveson Figueiredo
D. Figueiredo imposes conditions to face B. Moreno. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Strong candidate for the 'Fighter of the Year' award, Deiveson Figueiredo proved to be a great employee of the UFC. In 2020, the man from Pará climbed to the Octagon on four occasions, winning the flyweight belt (up to 56,7kg) in one of them.
In February, in a fight valid for the title, against Joseph Benavidez, the 'God of War' ended up having problems with the weight cut and lost the chance to win the belt, if he overcame the North American. The Brazilian won the match brutally, but, as predicted, he was not declared champion.
Five months later, the man from Pará was again chosen to exchange forces against Benavidez, in a rematch given to the North American. In the new fight, a new ride. The man from Pará was unaware of one of the biggest names in the history of the category and won the duel with a submission, which erased his rival. This time, Deiveson was able to celebrate the title.
In November, the 'God of War' was ready for action again. at the UFC 255, the Brazilian faced Alex Perez and had no problems. The athlete needed less than two minutes to settle the score against his opponent, who gave up after a guillotine applied by the man from Pará.
The most impressive thing came next. To 'save' the UFC 256, Figueiredo took on the challenge of defending his title for the second time in 21 days. The fighter was scheduled to face Brandon Moreno and, in the main fight, the athletes fought a true five-round war, which ended in a draw. With the result, Deiveson maintained his position as champion and will soon begin preparation for the rematch against the Mexican.
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