Was it Khaos Williams? Was it Jordan Leavitt? Was it Khamzat Chimaev?

There were numerous fighters that made their UFC debuts during the pandemic plagued 2020 schedule. Many of them seized the moment, leaving us with incredible highlights to look back on what many consider a dark year.

But who had the best UFC debut in 2020? Take a look back at some of the standouts and decide for yourself. Who do you think had the best UFC debut in 2020?

TRENDING Best of 2020: Top Knockouts

(Video courtesy of UFC)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/who-were-the-most-exciting-new-ufc-fighters-of-the-year

Many have claimed the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will play out the same as the first bout. But Mike Brown has a number of reasons why he thinks differently.

The American Top Team coach and long-time training partner of Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) feels the scene is much different entering the second bout with McGregor on Jan. 23 at UFC 257 than the first time the two met back at UFC 178 in 2014, where McGregor scored a first-round knockout.

For starters, Brown challenges the notion Poirier is the same fighter he was six year ago. For starters, “The Diamond” is now a lightweight, where he has thrived, not a featherweight.

“I think he’s dramatically different,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “A lot has changed. I think he’s a lot more durable at 155, killing yourself to make the weight is never the answer and I think that’s shown.

“And he’s improved in many places, but there’s only one way to find out and one way to show, and that’s putting him in there and seeing what happens.”

But the new wrinkles in the rematch go beyond just those involving his fighter. The former WEC champion, who is now considered among the game’s finest coaches, feels there’s a lot more information on former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion McGregor – something that there wasn’t much of when the Irishman was just three fights into his UFC career, as he was at UFC 178.

“When they fought the first time there were a lot of questions about Conor,” Brown said. “At that point in his career, that was his biggest win, his biggest test was Dustin. And he did well – he fought a good fight and landed a good shot.

“But so much has happened since, we got to learn so much about Conor. Both guys have been tested in many ways and have shown a lot of different things – strength and weaknesses since then. Now it’s time to train, prepare, and see what we can come up with.”

The McGregor-Poirier rematch is a huge fight for the UFC’s lightweight division, as it pits two of the biggest names and top contenders in the weight class. There’s no questioning McGregor’s star power, but you can’t sleep on former interim lightweight champ Poirier, either, given what he has done in the cage time after time.

“It was this or a title fight best-case scenario,” Brown said.  “He improves every fight, his resume is unbelievably impressive. I don’t know how many headliners he’s fought in a row, but it’s quite a bit.

“It’s always champions, former champions every fight and every fight is always ‘Fight of the Night,’ ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate. This guy doesn’t have a boring minute in any fight. If he’s fighting, you’re watching.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/mike-brown-conor-mcgregor-dustin-poirier-rematch-dramatically-different

A mixed martial artist walking out to Eminem is nothing new.

We haven’t compiled all-time stats, but we’re willing to bet more fighters have entered the octagon to the sounds of Slim Shady than any other major artist. It’s likely the songs that have been heard at UFC events more often are The Who’s “Baba O’Reily,” which accompanies a highlight reel on the big screens inside arenas before pay-per-view main cards begin, and STEMM’s “Face the Pain,” which will apparently survive a nuclear holocaust along with spiders and cockroaches.

Eminem’s music is so ubiquitous at UFC events it’s even spawned the urban legend of “The Eminem Curse,” the theory that fighters who walk out to his music are doomed to lose their fights.

Whether or not that’s true, Eminem in the UFC is here to stay, and UFC 257 will provide a first: His music is being used to promote the event itself.

Eminem himself recently tweeted a promo of his music being used to push the highly anticipated main event between former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier set to his track “Higher.”

You can check it out in the video clip below (via Twitter):

Survival mode! #Higher #UFC257 @ufc @DustinPoirier @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/RKdQVlGITB

— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) December 29, 2020

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/video-conor-mcgregor-dustin-poirier-ufc-257-eminem-higher

Holland’s ridiculous fighting pace this year paid off in the form of UFC history and his biggest win to date against Souza.

Holland became just the third fighter in UFC history to go 5-0 in a calendar year when he beat perennial contender “Jacare” by first-round knockout, courtesy of some wild strikes from bottom to set up the finish.

Only two others in modern UFC history have hit the 5-0 mark in a calendar year. Neil Magny did it in 2014, taking 266 days to accomplish the feat. Roger Huerta’s run in 2007 took 308 days. Holland blew both out of the water, getting all his wins in a 210-day stretch.

Holland came out swinging with a big overhand, but his aggression led to a quick takedown from Souza. Holland was aggressive from his back, throwing hard elbows and attacking with submissions. Souza was happy to engage in the grappling and from top.

The pair engaged in some loud talk, then Holland did something remarkable, landing some big shots from the bottom that stunned Souza. Then Holland stood up and landed savage punches to fold Souza backward on his knees to finish it at the 1:45 mark of Round 1.

Now on the biggest upward trajectory of his career, Holland’s five-fight UFC winning streak at 185 pounds is good for second best in the division, trailing only champion Israel Adesanya, who is current on a nine-fight winning streak in the weight class.

The victory put him in the running for “Fighter of the Year,” and while it remains to be seen if he gets that, he has one award with the “Knockout of the Month.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/knockout-of-the-month-december-2020-kevin-holland-jacare-ufc-256

UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes is now considered not only one of the greatest female fighters of all time, but simply one of the greatest fighters of all time. Her win over Ronda Rousey was one huge step toward that greatness.

That wasn’t always the case. There was a point in her career that Nunes went 3-3 over a six-bout span. But that’s when things started to click.

After losing to Cat Zingano, Nunes ran roughshod over the likes of Shayna Baszler, Sara McMann, Valentina Shevchenko, and Miesha Tate to capture the UFC bantamweight title.

Amanda Nunes crushes Ronda Rousey comeback attempt

Though she later went on to become the featherweight champion by knocking out Cris Cyborg, it was really Nunes’s bone-crushing defeat of Rousey that put her on the the path to superstardom.

Rousey was the UFC’s first female bantamweight champion. She ruled over the division, winning her first six bouts, and ushering women’s MMA into the Octagon.

She lost the belt to Holly Holm in 2015. Rousey then took a year off before attempting to return opposite Nunes at UFC 207.

Things couldn’t have gone worse for Rousey, whose comeback was immediately shut down, as Nunes captured the spotlight. Rousey hasn’t set foot in the Octagon since.

Take a look back at UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes’s stunning 48-second knockout of Ronda Rousey.

TRENDING Cris Cyborg closed 2020 with another exciting finish at Bellator 249

(Video courtesy of UFC)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-amanda-nunes-ko-ronda-rousey-in-48-seconds-at-ufc-207