2014 was an eventful year in the world of mixed martial arts. There were quite a few memorable moments and fights in the last 12 months. Looking back at this year in the sport, we at MMA Ratings are picking out particular moments from every month that stand out amongst them all.
Fight of the Month
Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida, UFC 175
Honorable Mention: Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Brown, UFC on Fox 12
Although the scorecards didn’t quite reflect it, Chris Weidman‘s first title defense was his toughest challenge to date. Lyoto Machida was a game opponent, and although he dropped the early rounds, he finished strong. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion had Weidman hurt on a few occasions late in the fight, as he turned on the heat, while the champion merely survived. This was 25 minutes of warfare, as two top-tier mixed martial artists gave each other all they could handle, and when the final horn sounded, the fans were hungry for more.
After fans questioned the nature of his wins over Anderson Silva (particularly the second), Weidman needed a strong showing to quiet the doubters, and he not only showed a dominating skillset in putting a beating on “The Dragon,” but he displayed the heart of a champion in enduring Machida’s offense late in the fight. It was a gutsy performance, and validated his place as one of the top fighters in the sport. As for Machida, despite falling short, he showed that that he too has what it takes to wear gold, so he didn’t fall far in the rankings. And after his dominating win at UFC Fight Night 58 against CB Dollaway to close out the year, he may find himself on the cusp of a second shot at Weidman. And if their first fight is any indication, it’ll be another classic.
• Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida (UFC Middleweight Championship): Chris Weidman def. Lyoto Machida via unanimous decision (49-45, 48-47, 49-46).
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Knockout of the Month
Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao, UFC Fight Night 46
Honorable Mention: Anthony Johnson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, UFC on Fox 12; Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis, UFC 175
It wasn’t just the violence that Conor McGregor delivered to Diego Brandao that scored him the Knockout of the Month; it was the timing, location, and degree of flair with which he delivered it. Given the opportunity to headline UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin in front of a rabid crowd of his countrymen, The Notorious One put a beating on Brandao, dropping and finishing him, brutally and efficiently, at 4:05 of the first round, then he stopped to soak in the acclaim and accolades. In the post-fight interview, he seized the moment with a statement of purpose, one that the crowd couldn’t help but eat up; concluding an event that saw three of his Straight Blast Gym teammates also come out on top by telling anyone who’d listen that, “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over.” It was THE knockout of the month; a star-making moment to be sure.
The other big knockouts in July were the brutal onslaught that Anthony Johnson put on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on network TV on Fox, which announced his entrance into the light heavyweight title picture with authority, and Ronda Rousey‘s ground stoppage on Alexis Davis at UFC 175. For Rousey, she showed that her lethal armbar isn’t the only way she can stop an opponent inside of 30 seconds; she knocked Davis unconscious with rapid-fire strikes in only 16 seconds. And “Rumble” Johnson laid a video game style beatdown on on “Lil Nog,” snapping his head back with straights and uppercuts before slumping him to the ground in a heap in 44 seconds. In sheer brutality, it was hard to top, but the totality of the circumstances favors McGregor.
• Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao: Conor McGregor def. Diego Brandao via TKO (punches) at 4:05 of Round 1.
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Submission of the Month
Dennis Bermudez vs. Clay Guida, UFC on Fox 12
Honorable Mention: Gunnar Nelson vs. Zak Cummings, UFC Fight Night 46; Leandro Issa vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun, TUF 19 Finale
July was light on submissions, but Dennis Bermudez announced himself as a featherweight contender with his performance against Clay Guida. He battered Guida on the feet, bloodying him and swelling his eye shut, and the second-round rear naked choke submission was a mercy kill of sorts over “The Carpenter.” Bermudez nearly choked him out in the first round, but Guida survived, only to have the brutality continue in round two, where the choke was secured and ended the fight for good.
The two prettiest submissions of the month were Leandro Issa‘s armbar win over Jumabieke Tuerxun at the TUF 19 Finale, and Gunnar Nelson‘s rear naked choke submission over Zak Cummings. The transitions to each submission were so smooth, and those wins definitely belong on their respective highlight reels. But Bermudez’ submission was brutal and violent, and considering the network spotlight, it put the exclamation point on his seven-fight winning streak, and firmly established him as one of the best featherweights in the world.
• Dennis Bermudez vs. Clay Guida: Dennis Bermudez def. Clay Guida via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of Round 2.
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Story of the Month
UFC 176‘s Cancellation
When the UFC canceled UFC 151, it was viewed as a devastating development; indeed, Greg Jackson was deemed a “sport-killer” for supposedly causing the show to be scrapped. However, in the years to follow, the UFC’s schedule of events became the sport-killer, as the UFC experienced significant dips in ratings and PPV buyrates, and cards diluted to the point that they could not survive injuries in headlining bouts. When Jose Aldo suffered an injury in training in advance of his August 2 matchup against Chad Mendes, the promotion scrambled to find a replacement main event. Ronda Rousey in particular was rumored to be the fighter that the UFC was looking to to step up with the quick turnaround. But when she suffered a hand injury in her UFC 175 win, the organization was left with no options. On July 8, the UFC announced that the event would be “postponed.” Yet regardless of the terminology, it was a cancellation, as the next PPV event was UFC 177.
At the time, many believed that the card’s cancellation would strengthen the next few PPVs, as all the fights from the event were distributed to other cards. However, the three PPVs that followed — UFC 177, UFC 178, and UFC 179 — ended up being three of the least-purchased cards of the year. Aldo vs. Mendes 2, which was postponed until UFC 179, may have ended up being one of the best fights of the year, but only about 200,000 people purchased it. UFC 175 got one of the largest buyrates of the year, but the UFC 176 cancellation was a harbinger of the PPV buyrate woes to come.
Do you agree with these choices for July 2014? Rate these fights and others, and be sure to make your voice heard!
