Jake’s Takes – Top Moments of the Year

2021 has been a crazy year for MMA. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the world’s top promotions have put on the best fights possible. Today, I’m going to look at the very best moments of 2021. This includes naming my ‘Fight of The Year’ and ‘Fighter of The Year’.

Without any further ado, here are Jake’s Takes for Top Moments of The Year!

***

Male Fighter of the Year

Kamaru Usman

Establishing himself as the pound-for-pound best in the world, 2021 was the year of Kamaru Usman. With three successful title defenses, including two stoppages, the champion has proven that he is the cream of the crop at 170lbs. Though it won’t be an easy task, we could easily see ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ as the top candidate for this category once again in 2022.

Female Fighter of the Year

Rose Namajunas

Regaining the title that you once held and defending it successfully is no easy task. That’s what we saw Rose Namajunas do in 2021, which is why she is the winner of this category. The strawweight queen twice fought Zhang Weili, showing both her skill and grit in both outings. The 115lb division will be coming for her head in 2022, so ‘Thug‘ Rose will have to be on her A game.

Male Prospect of the Year

Mateusz Gamrot

Picking up three stoppage wins and breaking into the top-15 put Mateusz Gamrot on top of our prospect list. The former KSW double-champion narrowly dropped his UFC debut in 2020, but has gone on to prove he is an absolute nightmare for anyone at 155lbs. Keep your eyes glued to this Polish sensation and expect to see his name in title discussions in the coming years.

Female Prospect of the Year

Casey O’Neill

Since her promotional debut, Scotland’s Casey O’Neill has drawn the eyes of fans. This is because of her exciting style and dangerous skillset, which has brought her three stoppage wins in 2021. Now sat at #15 at flyweight, this 24 year old prospect could very easily be in title contention by next year.

Rising Star of the Year

Paddy Pimblett

In only one fight, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett has become one of MMA’s biggest stars. The former Cage Warriors champion made a splash at 155lbs, taking out Luigi Vendramini by knockout. The loud-mouthed Scouser has made friends and enemies during his short UFC career, but one thing is for sure: the eyes will be on this bright 26 year old coming into 2022.

Fight of the Year

Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler – UFC 268

Words really cannot encapsulate the absolute madness that Gaethje vs Chandler was. This fight is truly one of the rare times that a fight lives up to and surpasses the hype. Dramatic momentum swings and caution thrown to the wind. If you haven’t seen this fight, please do it now. Please.

Knockout of The Year

Jiri Prochazka vs Dominick Reyes – UFC Vegas 25

Blasting his way into title contention with a brutal KO, Jiri Prochazka produced an absolute stunner back in May. In a crazy fight, the Czech native landed a killer spinning-elbow that left Dominick Reyes unconscious. There were plenty of other worthy contenders in this category, but this one is just about as violent as it gets. Truly one of the scarier knockouts we have all seen in recent times.

Submission of the Year

Anthony Hernandez vs Rodolfo Vieira – UFC 258

At +3000 odds, Anthony ‘Fluffy‘ Hernandez didn’t seem to have a chance on the ground against the dangerous Rodolfo Vieira. Despite this, Hernandez submitted the former BJJ champion Vieira with a guillotine to shock the world. Though it may not have been the most high-profile bout, this one takes the cake for submission of the year.

Round of the Year

Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega (Round 3) – UFC 266

With the featherweight title on the line, Brian Ortega almost became the champion. The only thing stopping him was the grit and determination of Alexander Volkanovski. Despite two extremely tight submissions, the Aussie Volkanovski rallied back at the end of round, reigning heavy shots and leaving Ortega battered. If this doesn’t give you goosebumps, nothing will.

Upset of the Year

Julianna Pena vs Amanda Nunes – UFC 269

As a -1100 favourite, it looked like Amanda Nunes showed up to UFC 269 to slaughter a sacrificial lamb. Unfortunately for Nunes, the so-called lamb turned out to be ‘The Venezeulan Vixen‘, Julianna Pena. In one of the biggest upsets in all of sports, Pena was able to tire Nunes out, land heavy shots and tap her out in the second round. A rematch favours Nunes to avenge her loss, but no one can take this win away from Pena.

Comeback of the Year

Merab Dvalishvili vs Marlon Moraes – UFC 266

Marlon Moraes seemed to be on the fast track to a first-round TKO win at UFC 266. The Brazilian dropped his opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, multiple times and the end looked near. Making it into the second round, Dvalishvili took advantage of the fatigued Moraes to bring the fight with the mat. Referee Keith Peterson mercifully ended the fight after almost 100 unanswered punches from the Georgian, in one of the most shocking moments of 2021.

Feel-Good Moment of the Year

Brandon Moreno captures the title – UFC 263

Though many deserving title wins – like Charles Oliveira and Glover Teixeira – could’ve taken this spot, the one that truly warmed our hearts came at UFC 263. The soft-spoken, LEGO-collecting contender Brandon Moreno finally broke through to become a champion. He became the first ever Mexican-born champion in the process, which prompted murals of him to be drawn around the country. The emotion he shares after the win is enough to bring any fan to tears.

***

Those were Jake’s Takes for the Top Moments of 2021! We hope you all enjoyed. Let us know your picks for these categories in the comments section!