The rankings take into account a fighter’s wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.

Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they’ve been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.

Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they’re not inactive for more than 24 months.

To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter’s primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, non-titleholders can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won’t be ranked in a new weight class until they’ve had their first fight at that weight.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/usa-today-sports-mma-junkie-rankings-dec-29-khabib-nurmagomedov-closes-year-on-top-of-pound-for-pound-list

If not for the pandemic, Edwards could be UFC welterweight champion right now instead of having to fight Khamzat Chimaev.

Follow along: Edwards had been scheduled to headline a UFC Fight Night event against Tyron Woodley in London, but in sticking with the theme of this list, 2020 happened, the pandemic shut down the event, and ensuing travel bans prevented Edwards from leaving the U.K. So what happens? Woodley gets paired up with Gilbert Burns instead, who dominates and earns a title shot based on that performance after Jorge Masvidal sits out because of a contract dispute. If you’re of the opinion that Edwards also would’ve beat Woodley (likely), and with Masvidal sitting out, it’s fair to say that Edwards would’ve received the title shot given to Burns. Instead, Edwards remained on the shelf even longer, couldn’t get Masvidal or Colby Covington to fight him, then had his ranking yanked temporarily for inactivity, only to settle for a fight with Chimaev to close out the year … but it got postponed to January on “Fight Island.”

An overall tough break for Edwards, who hasn’t even fought since July 2019. Here’s hoping he is much more active in 2021 and, if he beats Chimaev, gets the title shot he deserves after what would then be a nine-fight winning streak.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-news-20-fights-cursed-2020-mcgregor-masvidal-jones

Crumlin Boxing Club coach Phil Sutcliffe thinks Conor McGregor is levels above Dustin Poirier in terms of boxing skill.

Sutcliffe, a two-time boxing Olympian, has been coaching McGregor since he was 10 years old and the pair have reunited once again ahead of McGregor’s rematch against Poirier in the UFC 257 main event on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was able to make quick work of Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) when he knocked him out in Round 1 in their first meeting in 2014 and Sutcliffe thinks McGregor will be too much for Poirier once again.

Despite Poirier’s knockout wins over the likes of former champions Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje, Sutcliffe was rather dismissive of Poirier’s boxing technique.

When asked if he was impressed with Poirier’s boxing, Sutcliffe told TheMacLife, “Skill-wise, no. Toughness, yes. I know Conor knocked him early, but Conor’s (got) too much boxing ability. Poirier comes straight at you, his arms are wide open. His arms are like this (opens arms wide). Conor will be able to get his shots or his kicks or anything in there like he did the last time. Now hopefully he’s more powerful now than he was – Conor’s more powerful now and so will the other guy be a little more powerful because he’s had to put on a bit of weight.

“But Conor’s skill’s percentage towards Poirier’s skill percentage is much bigger. Not saying it’s going to be an easy fight, but Conor has the skill and the strength now. He’s stronger now than he was the last time he fought him…Conor hits very, very hard, but precise with technique. He hits with precision.”

McGregor put his boxing skills to test when he entered the ring with one of the greatest boxers of all time in world champion Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Although McGregor was stopped in Round 10, his performance earned respect from both boxing and MMA circles, and he has recently been focusing on his boxing roots to sharpen up his skills.

UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc257-conor-mcgregor-boxing-coach-assesses-dustin-poirier-skills

The matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards has been scrapped once again.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been forced out of the UFC Fight Night headliner on Jan. 20 due to undisclosed reasons. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the situation following an initial report from FrontKickOnline.

The pair were initially scheduled to face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19, but Edwards withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. His battle with coronavirus was severe, with the Birmingham, England native losing 12 pounds during his illness.

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who hasn’t fought since July 2019 when he defeated former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos, has had a rough 2020 to say the least. The Brit was scheduled to face former champion Tyron Woodley in London in March, but the U.K. government’s coronavirus restrictions forced the event to be canceled.

Edwards’ campaign to compete in 2020 remained unsuccessful, with travel restrictions making his pursuit of a matchup even more difficult. Edwards called out the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, but finally ended up drawing rising prospect Chimaev instead.

Chimaev’s rise in 2020 has been unparalleled. The Chechen-born fighter took the UFC by storm when he picked up three dominant finishes in the span of three months, as he became one of the hottest prospects in the sport.

The updated line up for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20 includes:

• Leon Edwards vs. TBD
• Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
• Viviane Araujo vs. Roxanne Modafferi
• Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
• Francisco Figueredo vs. Jerome Rivera
• Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
• Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
• Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Jeffrey Molina
• Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
• Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
• Manon Fiorot vs. Victoria Leonardo

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-news-khamzat-chimaev-ruled-out-leon-edwards

UFC fighter Cub Swanson has stepped into the cage for 38 professional fights. His longtime manager, Kami Safdari, was there every time. Unfortunately, he won’t be there the next time Swanson steps into the Octagon.

Safdari, according to Swanson, passed away suddenly from a heart attack three days before Christmas.

Even through Swanson’s four-fight losing skid, Safdari was there. Fortunately, he was also there to see Swanson emerge from that skid to see him win his last two fights, including a knockout of Daniel Pineda at UFC 256 earlier this month.

According to Swanson, Safdari was a full-time doctor who managed his career simply because “he loved it.”

Swanson issued a heartfelt statement about his manager – his friend – thanking him and committing to being there for Safdari’s 11-month-old son, Tyson.

TRENDING Tito Ortiz in anti-mask confrontation with citizen and at city council meeting

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/cub-swanson-mourns-sudden-death-of-his-manager