MMA SQUARED, Stories of 2019: End of the Cyborg era, maybe Cormier too

It’s rare for a fighter to only fight once in a year and still command the headlines.

These fighters each started the year in contrasting situations. Daniel Cormier was my 2018 fighter of the year after become the most active double champ in UFC history by defending both belts.

Whereas Cyborg found herself in the exact opposite position having helped create a double champ after being dismantled by Amanda Nunes.

Each fighter would go on to fight only once in 2019 and this time the wins & losses would be reversed. Cormier lost both belts; one relinquished back to the light heavyweight division, the other lost the body punches of Stipe Miocic. All the while he insisted that this would be the final year of his MMA career.

Cyborg came back from her loss to face Felicia Spencer and while the young upstart was a game opponent, Cyborg prevailed with a dominant decision win.

With both fighters on seemingly opposite trajectories, DC predicting his retirement before losing to Miocic and Cyborg returning to dominance, things unfolded in a very UFC way:

Cyborg’s relationship with Dana White burst into flames.

And the company man decided to come back for one more fight…

It’s fascinating how two fighters with such similar legacies (among the greatest but never acknowledged as THE greatest) can find themselves capable of calling it a day…

… but after this is MMA, and they’ll be back.