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The Pulse of MMA: Fans Hijack The UFC’s Best Submissions Of 2021 List

The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the UFC’s nominations for Best Submission of 2021.

It’s the last week of 2021, whi…

Khamzat Chimaev, Li Jingliang

The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the UFC’s nominations for Best Submission of 2021.

It’s the last week of 2021, which means it’s time to start looking back at the biggest and best moments of the year. Right now, that means taking a peek at the UFC’s nominations for the best submission of the year.

You can expect everyone and their grandpappy to break out their year-end lists over the next few days. But naturally, the UFC’s lists stand apart from the rest given that, well, it’s their promotion.

So on behalf of the UFC, we at MMA News present to you their nominations for best submission of 2021! After a brief recap of each submission, you can find the video showcasing all the action followed by the Pulse of MMA letting their collective voice be heard on their thoughts on the nominations list. And as you will find out, public opinion was, in large part, not in accord with the UFC’s thinking.

Vicente Luque Submits Tyron Woodley via D’Arce choke (UFC 260)

During what was an action-packed first round, Tyron Woodley brought the fight to Vicente Luque. No longer gun-shy and tentative, Woodley took a more proactive approach. Though he had some success in the beginning, eventually, Luque got the better of the stand-up exchanges, culminating with a barrage of strikes that had “The Chosen One” on wobbly legs before ultimately being dropped by a looping left hook by the Brazilian, which led to the D’Arce.

UFC 260 results: Vicente Luque submits Tyron Woodley with D'arce choke in crazy opening round - MMA Fighting
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Brandon Moreno Submits Deiveson Figueiredo via Rear-Naked Choke (UFC 263)

Brandon Moreno came into UFC 263 as an underdog, but he exited as a champion. Heading into the third round, Moreno was up on two out of the three scorecards, with the third judge having it one round apiece. The judges would be taken out of the equation when he secured the rear-naked choke after peppering Figueiredo with a couple of left hands while applying a full body lock.

Brandon Moreno Chokes Deiveson Figueiredo UFC 263

Glover Teixeira def. Jan Blachowicz via Rear-Naked Choke (UFC 267)

Coming into the fight, it was well known what was Glover Teixeira’s path to victory when he challenged Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 267. The second-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would be well served to get the fight to the mat and do what he had done in three of his previous five fights: get the submission. And that’s exactly what happened.

After getting the takedown in the second frame, Teixeira effortlessly passed Blachowicz’s guard into mount, prompting the Pole to give up his back, which is the last thing you want to do against Teixeira. Within seconds, the 42-year-old had secured the light heavyweight prize as well as his place in UFC history.

UFC 267 results: Glover Teixeira completes fairytale run to gold against Jan Blachowicz as Khamzat Chimaev stars | The Independent
Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz

Khamzat Chimaev def. Li Jingliang via Rear-Naked Choke (UFC 267)

Khamzat Smesh.

Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)

UFC’s Best Submissions of 2021 Video

You can check out each of the above submissions for yourself in the video below!

MMA Fans Weigh In

Finally, here is what the Pulse of MMA had to say about the UFC’s nominations list:

What do YOU think was the best submission of 2021?

Continue Reading The Pulse of MMA: Fans Hijack The UFC’s Best Submissions Of 2021 List at MMA News.

Weidman Says Woodley’s Legacy Is Tarnished After KO Loss To Jake Paul

Chris Weidman believes Tyron Woodley’s legacy took a massive hit when he suffered a vicious KO loss to Jake Paul earlier this month.

In August, Woodley dropped a split decision to the former Disney actor and YouTuber. Although the former UFC champ …

Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley, Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman believes Tyron Woodley’s legacy took a massive hit when he suffered a vicious KO loss to Jake Paul earlier this month.

In August, Woodley dropped a split decision to the former Disney actor and YouTuber. Although the former UFC champ lost, it wasn’t an embarrassing defeat. But in the rematch, he was brutally knocked out. For Weidman, he believes that hurts Woodley’s legacy in a major way. (h/t Sportskeeda)

“Damn, Tyron Woodley is going to have to live with that. It seems like they’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now,” Weidman said on his YouTube channel. “He’s not going to get another chance, like that’s it. I don’t know who he’s going to fight that we give him the draw and excitement that he would need to like elevate him back… I think his legacy has definitely been tarnished, which sucks to say.”

Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley
Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley, Credit: AP Photo

Weidman is not the first UFC fighter to say this KO loss hurts Woodley’s legacy. Overall, Woodley has now lost his last six fights, four in MMA and two in boxing. Coming off back-to-back losses to Jake Paul could also hurt his marketing power in free agency. But the good news is that Paul seems like he wants Woodley to box a different opponent on his next undercard.

Although the KO loss is difficult to deal with, Tyron Woodley had made it clear he will fight again. As for Paul, Chris Weidman hopes the YouTuber-turned-boxer faces his former rival, Anderson Silva, next.

“I would love to see him fight Anderson Silva. He’s calling out all these fighters with UFC contracts. I don’t think he’s really–none of those are really going to happen at this point. The UFC would have to get behind it almost like a Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather type match.

“But unless you’re drawing in $500 million like the Mayweather and Conor McGregor fights were doing, the UFC’s not doing that because they want to split it. They would split it, but if it’s not that type of money, they’re not doing it. So (we’re) wasting our time even talking about (Nate) Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal and (Kamaru) Usman,” Weidman concluded.

Do you agree with Chris Weidman that Tyron Woodley tarnished his legacy?

Continue Reading Weidman Says Woodley’s Legacy Is Tarnished After KO Loss To Jake Paul at MMA News.

Yes, Car-Jitsu—Submission Grappling Inside Cars—Is A Real Thing

Car-Jitsu is beginning to find its wheels in the wide-open spaces of the loopy world of combat sports.

Invented in 2020 by Vik Mikheev, Car-Jitsu features jiu-jitsu contests held within mid-sized sedans. The participants compete in two three-minut…

Car Jitsu

Car-Jitsu is beginning to find its wheels in the wide-open spaces of the loopy world of combat sports.

Invented in 2020 by Vik Mikheev, Car-Jitsu features jiu-jitsu contests held within mid-sized sedans. The participants compete in two three-minute rounds of grappling and alternate between driver and passenger between rounds.

Points are earned by establishing an advantageous position or scoring a submission. If the submission tally is tied at the close of the second round, the grapplers take the heated action to the backseat until one participant earns the most points within four minutes in an overtime period.

Car-Jitsu: Womens No Gi BJJ Edition
Kristin Shea and Alexandra Rosa Florez Engage In Fierce Car-Jitsu Battle

Everything within the vehicle is fair game and available for use. That means mirrors, seat belt, steering wheel—you name it. This is all factored into the “creative use of the environment” criterion. Participants are awarded four points for mount and back control and two points for placing their knee on the belly of the opponent.

So what spawned this idea from Mikheev? He says it began as something of an experiment that could yield fruitful long-term results for the participating grapplers.

“In 2020, I came up with the idea of doing competitive grappling in vehicles.” Mikheev said, per Jiu-Jitsu Times. “Since October of 2020, I and my friends run small tournaments of Car-Jitsu to study the aspects of jiu-jitsu application in such a confined space.“

The Rusian-based sport is now looking to expand into the United States. Car-Jitsu joins other unique sports to recently emerge, such as combat pillow fighting and 5-on-5 team MMA battles.

For your viewing pleasure, we’ve included not one, not two, but three Car-Jitsu bouts for you down below!

And here’s a comprehensive recap of what you just witnessed:

Has Car-Jitsu just picked up a new fan in YOU?

Continue Reading Yes, Car-Jitsu—Submission Grappling Inside Cars—Is A Real Thing at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling Accuses Petr Yan Of PED Usage

Aljamain Sterling’s perception of Petr Yan as a cheater doesn’t stop at illegal knees.

Aljamain Sterling’s bantamweight championship win at UFC 259 will be tough to top on the “most controversial title wins in UFC history” list for a long time yet….

Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling’s perception of Petr Yan as a cheater doesn’t stop at illegal knees.

Aljamain Sterling’s bantamweight championship win at UFC 259 will be tough to top on the “most controversial title wins in UFC history” list for a long time yet. With Sterling being the benefactor of Yan’s miscue, he has been the subject of most of the attention and scrutiny for the way he won the title. However, the fact remains that it was Yan who broke the rules by landing an illegal knee to a downed opponent.

Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling
Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Because of Yan’s title-costing blunder, Sterling has repeatedly branded Yan as a “cheater” since their unresolved battle. After a holiday-season exchange initiated by a Christmas message from The Funkmaster, Yan responded to Sterling, calling him a “whiner” and his “bitch.”

Shortly after Yan’s retort, Sterling then added another charge to his indictment of Yan as a cheater: the crime of PED usage.

“Yea fuck that Alga guy. He sucks. Aljo, on the other hand- yea, he can’t wait to fuck you up. Dirty rat,” Sterling posted with a syringe emoji.

When one fan indicated that Sterling’s physique is more suspicious than Yan’s and that the champion is oversized for his weight class, Sterling issued this response:

“All natural work. I get fat. I have normal veins. And I get in peak shape and lose it after a few days of eating bad. Glass these some milk and cookies.”

Dr. Funkmaster would then turn his attention over to USADA and their uselessness on stamping out PED usage.

“You think the USADA team are flying Americans over there to test their athletes? Lol give me a break. Shits a complete joke. They got a Dr. hiding here in the states, from airing their dirty Olympic doping laundry. No one is outing their athletes without concern for their life,” Sterling said in response to a supporter of his crusade.

“One week vs months and years of cheating aint shit. You keep you gains man. It’s cool tho. I’m use to competing against these athletes. These fighters been cheating for years since the beginning days. They still are, and it’s something you understand but still get pissed about,” Sterling continued.

Sterling would then respond to additional criticism by invoking T.J. Dillashaw’s name as an example of USADA’s ineffectiveness both in general and as it directly relates to Petr Yan.

“Lol call me what you want Bubba. They said the same about TJ Dillashaw. NYSAC caught him that dirty rat. NOT USADA. Don’t worry. I’m still getting back in there against the rat. Calm your tits.”

It should be noted that Petr Yan has never failed a drug test in his athletic career. It is unclear what precisely Sterling is basing his accusations on. Then again, perhaps this is merely a tool for promoting their upcoming fight.

That fight is expected to take place in early 2022 now that Sterling has fully recovered from lingering issues following his neck surgery from earlier this year. UFC President Dana White has confirmed that this unification bout is the fight to make after Yan defeated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 to become the interim bantamweight champion.

What do you make of Aljamain Sterling’s PED accusations lobbed at Petr Yan?

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Accuses Petr Yan Of PED Usage at MMA News.

Matt Brown Open To UFC Homecoming In Ohio Vs. Kevin Holland

UFC veteran Matt Brown wants to fight in front of his hometown fans on the upcoming Columbus, OH card and is open to a matchup with Kevin Holland.

Brown was originally slated to face Bryan Barberena on one of the final UFC cards of 2021 but pulled …

Kevin Holland, Matt Brown

UFC veteran Matt Brown wants to fight in front of his hometown fans on the upcoming Columbus, OH card and is open to a matchup with Kevin Holland.

Brown was originally slated to face Bryan Barberena on one of the final UFC cards of 2021 but pulled out after testing positive for COVID-19. While he didn’t experience any severe symptoms, he was sick enough to the point where fighting wasn’t a realistic option.

Brown is now fully recovered from the virus and is planning on his return to the Octagon. The 40-year-old Brown is looking to earn a second-straight win after knocking out Dhiego Lima earlier this year.

Brown wants to check another item off his bucket list by fighting on the upcoming Fight Night card on March 26 in Columbus. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, he tabbed Holland as a potential opponent for his return.

“[Kevin] Holland is a tough guy with a good name,” Brown said. “That would be a great fight or anybody else. I’m not really too picky. I don’t really pick and choose. I say put a guy in the cage with me and tell me where to be and I’ll be there.

“If he wants to fight, we’ll fight. If they give me the call, I’m down. Let’s make it happen, Columbus, March 26. Let’s go.”

Kevin Holland Responds To Matt Brown’s Callout

After mixed results at middleweight, Holland has turned his attention to a cut down to welterweight for the foreseeable future. He most recently competed against Kyle Daukaus in October in a fight that was controversially ruled a no-contest after a head clash.

Holland heard about Brown’s comments and conveyed his interest in the possible matchup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX8jDtfLez2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“I was thinking February 5th,” Holland said in an Instagram post. “Two big mouths on one card. Definitely a respectful callout, OG.”

Holland and Brown are both appearing to be chomping at the bit for a return to the Octagon. With the two fan-favorites currently unbooked, there does not seem to be anything standing in the way from this fight becoming a reality.

What do you think about a possible Matt Brown vs. Kevin Holland fight?

Continue Reading Matt Brown Open To UFC Homecoming In Ohio Vs. Kevin Holland at MMA News.

Khabib Describes Why Dustin Poirier Won’t Be The Same Fighter Again

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes we witnessed Dustin Poirier’s competitive fire go out following his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269.

Poirier’s inspirational journey to the top first fell short of championship glory …

Dustin Poirier, Khabib Nurmagomedov

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes we witnessed Dustin Poirier’s competitive fire go out following his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269.

Poirier’s inspirational journey to the top first fell short of championship glory at the hands of Khabib in 2019. A third-round submission in Abu Dhabi sent ‘The Diamond’ back to the drawing board. Like he’s done so often in his career, Poirier bounced back. He did so courtesy of a five-round victory over Dan Hooker and back-to-back triumphs over Conor McGregor in 2021.

Having found himself back opposite the champion at UFC 269, this time in the form of Brazilian veteran Oliveira, many expected Poirier to close out the year with his first undisputed crowning. Instead, the favorite fell yet again to a third-round rear-naked choke.

Khabib Thinks We’ve Seen The Last Of A Hungry Poirier

While Poirier’s loss to Khabib undoubtedly stung, his second title loss certainly hurt a lot more. That was clear in the aftermath of the result, with the former interim titleholder admitting a lack of motivation and suggesting he may never compete at lightweight again.

Having seen his post-fight attitude and disappointment, Khabib, who retired as champion following UFC 254 in 2020, believes we’ve seen the last of a motivated and hungry Poirier.

At a recent press conference, the Dagestani, who’d predicted the challenger would dethrone Oliveira, was asked what went wrong for Poirier at the final pay-per-view of the year. In response, Khabib described the inevitable decline fighters experience.

“I think every person has resources. You know, I think when a man starts a new business, in the beginning he is on fire. He is moving forward, his business is developing. But after comes a time when he goes out. He wants to withdraw money and to start a new business. And this is life… You launch a business. In the beginning, you think you are going to do it all life. But then comes a time you go out a little bit, you want to invest to other business.

Amazon.com : Poirier's Louisiana Style Hot Sauce - Single Bottle : Grocery & Gourmet Food

“The same thing could happen with a fighter. There is a fire, a hunger, when you want it very much. Then comes a time when you still want it but not so hard. It happens when the fire went out, but there are still numbers in a contract. You think, ‘Wait, I can earn this money in a fight.’ The fighters have such moments.”

Having seen Poirier’s fire dim following UFC 269, Khabib believes he’ll never be able to find the motivation that brought him to the top again. But the former champion also described it as a natural process, something which will inevitably happen to new top lightweights like Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev.

“After the fight, he said he needs to think, does he need it at all? If such thoughts came to his mind, it means he will win, but he will win and lose. He will not go to the end when it will be necessary. Sometimes, you look at the athlete and see how fast he changes. I say it to my close friends. While there is a time you should stay active and keep fighting. If this switch clicks once, he will never go back. I think his switch clicked.

“The time comes. There was Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, Pettis, before me. Then Conor… No one stayed, everyone left. Now it is Charles Oliveira’s time. Charles came. Now it is the time of Islam, Beneil, Justin (Gaethje), Charles Oliveira. They will fight now, then they will leave too. Others will come. No one can control this and no one will be able to stop this. Time runs (out). I think everything is simple. Charles Oliveira was better; choked and left. Later, another one will come and (beat) him. He will go out, then we will talk about another one. It is such a carousel that will never be stopped.” (Transcribed by Fighting Flashback)

Khabib’s take is seemingly something Dustin Poirier himself agrees with on at least some level. Following his latest setback, he admitted he wasn’t sure what was next and suggested no potential matchup excited him.

While a clash with Nate Diaz seemed to change that, failed negotiations appear to have left ‘The Diamond’ back in limbo at the moment. We shall await to see his next step in 2022.

Do you agree with Khabib? Has Dustin Poirier’s competitive fire gone out?

Continue Reading Khabib Describes Why Dustin Poirier Won’t Be The Same Fighter Again at MMA News.