Titles for Esparza (left) and Lawler (right) were highlights at the end of the year, along with the UFC-Reebok contract. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS Production
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Na PART 1 e PART 2 In the 2014 SUPER LUTAS Retrospective you recalled the main events in the world of MMA in the first eight months of the year, marked by fights, injuries and anti-doping problems.
Now, with only a third of the year left in our retrospective, we reach the months between September and December, with the final stretch of the 2014 season, which crowned new champions, marked the signing of an agreement that promises to transform the trajectory of the sport and with a quite a surprise in the audience of the UFC's main competitor.
Check out the main highlights of the year month by month:
September: Pitbull champion, Ronda in Brazil and the Cowboy saga
Pitbull (right) displays the Bellator belt. Photo: Reproduction
The month of September started well for Brazil in world MMA, with the victory of the native of Rio Grande do Norte Patrick Pitbull over Pat Curran by unanimous decision of the judges. in the fight for the Bellator featherweight belt on the 5th. Patrício had already been defeated by Curran in a controversial decision in the past and gave his rival no chance in the rematch. The Brazilian now defends his title for the first time on January 16, 2015, against Daniel Straus.
Still in Bellator, Tito Ortiz e Stephan bonnar starred in one of the most bizarre scenes of the year. After officially announcing the signing of TUF 1 finalist Bonnar, the organization allowed the athlete to enter the cage to challenge Ortiz. From then on, what was seen was a series of insults, exchanges of insults and some revelations that should have been bombastic, but ended up only arousing disbelief among the public. A festival of shenanigans that you might not even be able to fully understand by watching.
Ronda in a chat with the press in Brasília. Photo: Lucas Carrano/SUPER FIGHTS
On the week of the 13th, the UFC arrived in Brasília (DF) for its fourth event in Brazil in 2014 and in its luggage it brought none other than the muse Ronda Rousey. On her first visit to the country since becoming Ultimate champion and an MMA star, Ronda was friendly, participated in events with fans and had a long chat with the press, in which she told stories about her career, talked about his plans for the future and commented on the rivalry with the Brazilian Beth Pitbull.
At the event in the federal capital, Brazilian athletes came out on top in most fights, winning seven out of eleven fights. However, in the fight that closed the card, the heavyweight Antonio Pezão suffered a surprising knockout to the Belarusian Andrei Arlovski still in the first round.
Cerrone (right) reached four victories in 2014. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
In the only pay-per-view of the month, UFC 178, the previously discredited Donald Cerrone wrote the last chapter of his magical 2014. After victories over Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza e Jim Miller, the “Cowboy” welcomed former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez with an undisputed victory in the co-main fight of the night. In the main event, the flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson successfully defended his belt against challenger Chris Cariaso. The card was also marked by the controversial victory of Yoel romero about Tim Kennedy. The Cuban had been getting the worst of the duel, but he would have rested longer than allowed between the second and third rounds, when he recovered and managed to knock out his rival.
M. Hunt watches R. Nelson fall after knocking him out in Japan. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The month also held a remarkable moment for the heavyweight category. In the main fight of the annual UFC Japan edition, the veteran Mark Hunt became the first athlete to knock out the chubby guy Roy Nelson in the octagon. With this, Hunt rose a few positions in the division's official rankings and remained on the radar of great athletes.
October: the “Fight of the Year” in Rio and the loss of another Brazilian title
Dudu (right) was defeated by J. Warren (left). Photo: Bellator/Disclosure
The month of October started with bad news for the Rio academy Nova União, with the loss of its second belt of the year thanks to the defeat of Dudu Dantas for Joe Warren in Bellator. The team had already suffered the setback of Renan Barao for TJ Dillashaw in the UFC and the new low happened just a few weeks before one of the most important fights in Brazilian MMA: the defense of Brazil's last Ultimate title, with the featherweight champion José Aldo facing the challenger Chad Mendes at UFC Rio 5.
Aldo (left) and Mendes (right) fought an epic battle at UFC Rio. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
However, despite the negative scenario, UFC Rio 5 was a historic event. José Aldo not only won Chad Mendes in the rematch for the featherweight belt and retained the only Brazilian title from the biggest MMA organization on the planet, as he did in a historic fight, considered by many to be the best fight of 2014.
Despite the great fight in the octagon, the negative score was left for the question and answer session involving the Irishman Conor McGregor, clear favorite for the next title fight, and the Brazilian fans. After a hot start, with provocations from both sides, the dynamic ended in a true atmosphere of war, with an exchange of insults and insults.
Velasquez (photo) was injured again in October and missed the UFC in Mexico. Photo: Reproduction
At the end of the month, on the 21st, there was still time for another chapter of the injury narrative that marked the year to be written. Cain Velazquez suffered another injury, was cut from UFC 180 just three weeks before the event and ended up being replaced by the veteran Mark Hunt, scheduled to compete against Fabricio Werdum the interim heavyweight belt.
November: Brazil has a new champion, a weekend full of cards and surprises for the audience
Former PRIDE and UFC champion, Shogun suffered two defeats in 2014, both in Brazil. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
November started as a difficult month for Brazil, on the 8th, Mauritius Shogun increased the drama experienced in his career even further by suffering his second consecutive defeat in the year, this time to Ovince St Preux, in a lightning knockout in just over 30 seconds, in the main fight of UFC Uberlândia – sixth and penultimate Brazilian event of the season.
Bellator 131 had a record audience in the organization's history. Photo: Disclosure
However, just seven days later, MMA experienced one of its most memorable weekends. For the first time in history, the three biggest organizations on the planet – UFC, Bellator and World Series of Fighting – promoted events on the same day. Ultimate arrived in Mexico with the interim heavyweight belt dispute between Fabricio Werdum e Mark Hunt. Bellator presented its last event of the year with a fight between Hall of Fame members Tito Ortiz e Stephan bonnar. Finally, the WSOF promoted the fight for its middleweight title, with Yushin Okami being defeated by champion David Branch.
The big surprise of the Proclamation of the Republic weekend in Brazil, however, was the dissemination of the results of the three events to the public. Bellator 131, especially during the duel between Tito Ortiz e Stephan bonnar, won by Ortiz in the judges' decision, led the ratings and had the highest MMA audience of the year on closed TV, with peaks reaching 2 million viewers.
Werdum shows off the interim heavyweight belt. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The big news for Brazil, however, came from the Arena Ciudad De Mexico, where Fabricio Werdum won his fifth consecutive victory in Ultimate and became interim heavyweight champion by knocking out Mark Hunt in the second round of the UFC 180 main fight.
The duel once again presented a Fabricio Werdum much more complete and versatile. Graduated in jiu-jitsu and multi-champion of the gentle art, “Vai Cavalo” had already dominated Travis Browne in striking in April, but showed all the skill of his sharp Muay Thai at King's MMA, knocking out the very tough Hunt, former K-1 champion , with a well-aimed knee.
Now, Werdum awaits the return of the linear champion Cain Velazquez to face him in the unification of the heavyweight belt. President Dana White has not yet confirmed the official date of the duel, but has already confirmed that the fight will take place in Mexico in 2015.
December: deal with Reebok, strawweight wins queen and Lawler's comeback
Exclusive agreement between UFC and Reebok was signed in December. Photo: Disclosure
On the 2nd, the UFC called a press conference to release one of the most important news in its 21-year history. On that date, the organization announced an exclusivity agreement that, starting in July 2015, will see all athletes in the octagon wear Reebok branded sports materials, both during fights and in all activities on the event's official agenda.
The organization's promise with the contract is to democratize the distribution of income from image and publicity among athletes, on a scale based on their position in the official ranking, in addition to the joint development of exclusive products and materials. Until the end of 2014, however, few details of the agreement reached the fighters or were revealed by the event management.
C. Esparza (photo) shows off his new belt. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The first weekend of December was historic for Ultimate with the crowning of two new champions. The first of them, or the first of them, won the title on the 5th, Friday, during the final of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter 20. In the main fight of the night, the North American Carla esparza concluded the young woman Rose namajunas and became the inaugural champion of the new strawweight division.
Pettis submits Melendez with a guillotine choke to defend the belt. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The following day, the 5th, it was the turn of the last pay-per-view of the year, UFC 181, will take place at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas (USA). In the co-main fight of the night, back after a long period of inactivity, the lightweight champion Anthony Pettis He went through difficult moments in the first round, but managed to recover and, showing all his unpredictability, submitted Gilbert Melendez with a guillotine choke.
R. Lawler won the welterweight belt in his rematch against J. Hendricks. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
In the main fight of the night, Robbie Lawler wrote the most unlikely story of the year. After a career of ups and downs, Lawler recovered from his loss to John hendricks in March, he avenged the setback and beat his rival by a split decision from the judges to win the welterweight belt. As a bonus, “Ruthless” also secured the first UFC belt for his gym, the traditional “American Top Team”.
Cigano (left) fought a five-round battle against Miocic (right). Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
On the 13th, in Phoenix, Arizona, Junior Gypsy returned to the Octagon after the longest hiatus of his career and justified his long absence with a high-level fight against Stipe Miocic. Despite getting the worst of it at the beginning of the fight, Cigano managed to recover in the second half of the UFC on FOX 13 main duel and prevail in the judges' decision. The co-main fight of the event marked another triumph for Rafael dos Anjos, which unquestionably defeated the controversial Nate diaz and secured himself as the next challenger for the lightweight title.
Shot by Lyoto (right) opened the way to victory over CB. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
And there was still a lot of excitement left for the last event of the year, on Brazilian soil. Chosen to close the 2014 Ultimate calendar, the city of Barueri (SP) witnessed a busy event, with several knockouts and submissions. The night also marked the redemption of Renan Barao, who after a difficult year beat Mitch Gangnon in the co-main fight, and ended with a devastating knockout of Lyoto Machida over CB Dollaway, after a powerful kick to the body applied by the Brazilian.
Also check out other parts of the 2014 SUPER LUTAS retrospective, with the main stories from the MMA world of the year.
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