Tag: MMA News Top 100 Fighters of 2021

Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.

This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.

1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)

Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?

2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)

Championships, wins, résumé, etc.

3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)

This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.

Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!

You can view Part 1 here.

You can view Part 2 here.

You can view Part 3 here.

Part 4 begins right now!

#70: Jack Hermansson

Reasoning Behind Ranking: With 17 of his 22 wins by finish, Jack Hermansson has been a constant reminder of how to make men panic. The last time Hermansson put the squeeze on his opponent was at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum in the very first round.

“The Joker” most recently defeated middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. Hermansson is capable of being ranked higher on our list, but he’s had mixed results as of late, going 2-2 in his last four fights.

Heading Into 2022: Entering 2022, Jack Hermansson is the #6-ranked middleweight in the world. In his next bout, he’ll be facing the surging Sean Strickland on February 5.

#69: Dominick Reyes

Reasoning Behind Ranking: It wasn’t too long ago that Dominick Reyes was 12-0 with seven wins by finish. Then, he gave the great Jon Jones arguably the closest fight of his career at UFC 247. Whenever you can say that, even when you’ve lost three straight, you’re going to get some respect from our panel, especially considering the fact that his latest defeat to Ji?í Procházka was ultra-competitive and won Fight of the Night.

Heading Into 2022: Dominick Reyes will be in need of a win if he wants to reaffirm his relevancy at 205. “The Devastator” will undoubtedly have the support of California behind him as he looks to remind the world how the West Coast does it. The 32-year-old is currently ranked #7 in the light heavyweight division.

#68: Sean Brady

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Standing at 15-0 at 29 years old, it may not be too long until Sean Brady is greeted by Brotherly love when he hits the top of the lightweight stairs. Brady is currently 5-0 in the promotion, but it was his one-sided victory over Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate that really put Brady on the map and in a firm spot on our list. He also won Performance of the Night in his victory over Christian Aguilera last year with his guillotine submission win.

Heading Into 2022: It will be fun to see where Brady winds up on our list next year. In terms of the UFC rankings, he enters 2022 at #9 in the welterweight division and hopes to be facing Stephen Thompson the next time he steps in the Octagon.

#67: Tom Aspinall

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Tom Aspinall is on a seven-fight winning streak and has yet to taste defeat in the UFC. But what really stands out about Aspinall isn’t just that he’s winning but the way in which he’s doing it. Three of Aspinall’s four UFC victories have won Performance of the Night, and every single one of the wins has been finishes. His last two wins over proven names Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak show that Aspinall will be ready to test himself against the big boys in the heavyweight rankings his next time out.

Heading Into 2022: As Tom Aspinall continues his move up the heavyweight ladder, what’s his ultimate destination? How far will this 28-year-old ascend this year? We’ll get a better idea of the answer to this question when he faces top-10 heavyweight Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19.

#66: Mateusz Gamrot

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Mateusz Gamrot fought three times in 2021, and he just kept on lighting up the win column. First up, he knocked out Scott Holtzman in April. Three months later, he won his second consecutive Performance of the Night when he submitted UFC veteran Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens.

Last up, he earned a TKO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira as the UFC said farewell to 2021.

Heading Into 2022: Will Gamrot extend his streak in 2022? If he is able to follow his pattern of activity, winning, and finishes, then we may very well be looking at a legitimate lightweight title contender by year’s end.

#65: André Muniz

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Ever since his UFC arrival, André Muniz has been fighting as if every scrap battle is his one shot. You need not look any further for evidence of this than his last three fights, where the grappling force submitted each of his opponents in the very first round, including fellow black belt and MMA legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Muniz has an impressive record of 22-4 and is on an eight-fight winning streak. His UFC record currently sits at 4-0.

Heading Into 2022: Muniz comes into 2022 ranked at #13 at middleweight, but if the first four fights are any indication, then that number could be much higher at some point in 2022. One name Muniz has identified as a potential next opponent is Darren Till, with his native Brazil being the preferred destination.

#64: Sean Strickland

Reasoning Behind Ranking: After having mixed results at welterweight, Sean Strickland’s career has experienced a strong surge in the middleweight division. When he’s not making headlines for some of his comments, the eccentric fighter is marching to the beat of his own drummer to victories, five straight to be precise, with the last four being in his new home of 185. Most recently, Strickland defeated Uriah Hall in his first main event with a unanimous decision victory.

Heading Into 2022: Strickland will now face his stiffest middleweight test to date when he faces former top-5 contender Jack Hermansson in February. At the moment, Strickland is ranked #7 in the division.

#63: Marina Rodriguez

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Another high-level striker to win a main event in 2021 is Marina Rodriguez. In fact, Rodriguez won two main events, first over Michelle Waterson in May followed by a victory over our #89-ranked fighter, Mackenzie Dern, in a Fight of the Night back in October. She also pulled off what at the time was considered to be a significant upset when she defeated Amanda Ribas at UFC 257.

Based strictly on the year’s results, a case can be made that Rodriguez could be placed within the top 25 or even higher. However, none of her victories came over a highly ranked opponent, and it wasn’t too long ago that she suffered a loss to Carla Esparza and had a draw with Cynthia Calvillo. She also has a draw with Randa Markos on her résumé.

Heading Into 2022: Despite some of her questionable results earlier in her career, there’s no question that Marina Rodriguez has been outpacing the strawweight competition after finding her legs in the division. So much so that she is currently ranked #3 in the division. Who’s next for Rodriguez? None other than the #4-ranked Yan Xiaonan on March 5.

#62: Rafael Fiziev

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Continuing with the trend of strikers who went unrestricted in 2021, Russian swinger Rafael Fiziev comes in at #62 on our list. Fiziev is currently enjoying a five-fight winning streak, capped off by one of the best knockouts of the year over fellow kickboxing threat Brad Riddell.

Fiziev does have one loss on his UFC record, but he’s only human, after all. That may be hard to grasp when you see a kick like the one above, but Fiziev has shown that he can be beat. What has become increasingly uncertain, however, is whether it will ever happen again.

Heading Into 2022: Rafael Fiziev will make his 2022 debut in his first main event against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. dos Anjos was not eligible for our list this year due to not competing in 2021. Still, dos Anjos remains ranked in the top 10 at #6, so a victory for Fiziev, who currently sits at #11, would be massive.

#61: Anthony Smith

Reasoning Behind Ranking: If you’re among those who have been told that Anthony Smith is done and out of the light heavyweight title picture: they lied to you.

Entering 2020, Anthony Smith showed his bounce-back ability when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson in a Performance of the Night winner right after his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 235. But that was a rocky year for “Lionheart,” dropping back-to-back fights to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Raki?. Given the success those men have had, those losses have aged well for Smith.

But what has aged even better is Smith himself, who bounced back yet again with three straight wins, including a 2-0 record in 2021, with victories over Jimmy Crute and a Performance of the Night submission victory over Ryan Spann in September.

Heading Into 2022: With 52 professional bouts under his belt, it may be hard to believe that Smith is still only 33 years of age. What is in store in the year ahead for this battle-tested veteran? We’ll have to await the answer to that. But being that Smith is still ranked within the top 5 at light heavyweight, you can expect his next fight to be a big one as he continues to step to his comeback song.

Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 4! You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here!

Continue Reading The MMA News Top 100 UFC Fighters of 2021 Part 4: #70-61 at MMA News.

Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.

This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.

1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)

Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?

2: Career Success/Body of Work (25%)

Championships, wins, résumé, etc.

3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)

This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.

Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list! You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Part 3 begins right now!

#80: Chris Daukaus

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #80, Chris Daukaus is ranked just above Tai Tuivasa (#82) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (#81) despite having much less UFC experience. That is because, unlike the aforementioned heavy hitters, the power in Daukaus’ punches knocked out two men this year who have been ranked in the promotion: Alexey Oleynik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

Furthermore, Daukaus’ only loss in the UFC was against the #3-ranked Derrick Lewis. We will find out if Tuivasa will fare any better against The Black Beast at UFC 272.

In the meantime, Daukaus’ two KO wins over proven opponents along with winning five of his last six fights, each by KO, is why the former Philadelphia police officer is our #80-ranked fighter of 2021.

Heading Into 2022: At the start of 2021, Daukas was 2-0 in the UFC and ready for a big step up in competition. By the finish of his second KO and Performance of the Night win of 2021, everybody knew his name. Daukaus is currently ranked #7 in the UFC’s heavyweight division and will be looking to bounce back from his KO loss to Lewis the next time he enters the Octagon.

#79: Kai Kara-France

Reasoning Behind Ranking: In 2021, Kai Kara-France was sure to get one message across loud and clear: Don’t Blink. Two first-round knockouts and two Performance of the Night bonuses make Kai Kara-France our #79 fighter of 2021. The 28-year-old is currently only ranked #6 at flyweight, but unlike all the flyweights ranked above him, Kara-France holds a KO victory over a former UFC champion: Cody Garbrandt.

In addition to his blinkless picture-perfect 2021, Kara-France has won three of his last four fights overall and has a 6-2 UFC record.

Heading Into 2022: Kai Kara-France will now set his sights on a title eliminator against Askar Askarov at the March 26 UFC Fight Night event.

#78: Marlon Vera

Reasoning Behind Ranking: You can add Marlon Vera to the 2021 Undefeated Club, with “Chito” spittin’ out buck shots to two victims with a pair of performance bonuses for his bounty. First, Vera outgunned Davey Grant in the Fight of the Night of UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige. Next, he turned in a viral KO of former champion and UFC legend Frankie Edgar, which is the primary reason behind his placement at #78.

Vera also holds a victory over our #87-ranked fighter, “Sugar” Sean O’Malley from 2020.

Heading Into 2022: Marlon Vera enters 2022 ranked #8 in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC at bantamweight. His next fight is up in the air, but one man he’s expressed interest in is former foe “Sugar” Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their 2020 bout that saw an ending that left many wanting more answers.

#77: Geoff Neal

Reasoning Behind Ranking: While it’s true that Geoff Neal picked up a victory over a ranked opponent in 2022, the main reason behind his ranking on our list is his résumé of a 50% finish rate in the UFC and once holding a seven-fight win streak, including a major win over someone who will be appearing later on our list, Belal Muhammad. At 31 years old, Neal still has time to make an even bigger splash in the deep welterweight talent pool.

Heading Into 2022: After defeating Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269, Neal finds himself ranked #12 in the welterweight division. His next opponent is unknown, but after three straight fights that went to a decision, Neal’s Handz of Steel are itching to revert to laying out his opponents like hypnosis.

#76: Calvin Kattar

Reasoning Behind Ranking: With only one fight in 2021 in what was a one-sided beatdown in favor of his opponent, Max Holloway, it certainly wasn’t the “recent performances” category that netted Kattar his #76 placement. However, let’s not pretend that this loss was not against arguably the greatest featherweight in UFC history.

In terms of body of work and likelihood to win a fight, Kattar’s overall record of 22-5 is one of the more impressive in the division and is no doubt a strong reason why he is ranked in the top 5 at featherweight.

In the UFC, Kattar is 6-3, with four of those six wins coming by way of finishes, including victories over the following respected names: Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, Andre File, Shane Burgos, and Dan Ige. Additionally, two of his three losses in the UFC (Holloway and Zabit Magomedsharipov) have won Fight of the Night.

Heading Into 2022: After getting bruised up by Blessed to kick off the 2021 UFC season, Kattar will arrive in Las Vegas prepared to rise like the New Orleans sun above the brand-new horizon that is 2022. He will again kick off the UFC’s season this year when he faces Giga Chikadze next Saturday at UFC Vegas 46. This time, he’ll be the one hoping to lead the battering dance.

#75: Neil Magny

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Magny went 1-1 in 2021, but one of those wins was an impressive, unanimous decision win over our #77 ranked fighter, Geoff Neal. Additionally, Magny has won four of his last five fights, with each being unanimous decisions. In terms of résumé, you’re looking at a man who holds victories over names like Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Kelvin Gastelum, and former world champion Robbie Lawler.

Heading Into 2022: Coming off his aforementioned victory over Geoff Neal, Neil Magny’s next assignment is undetermined. One thing we have learned from Magny over the years is that he will sign any contract in a heartbeat and he’ll do it with absolutely no regrets. Magny is currently ranked #8 in the UFC’s welterweight division.

#74: Gregor Gillespie

Reasoning Behind Ranking: In his lone fight in 2021, Gregor Gillespie arrived like a man unashamed of his first defeat, proving that he still has The Gift. Prior to his loss to Kevin Lee in 2019, Gillespie had established himself as one of the biggest and brightest prospects at 155 lbs. The Division I All-American wrestler was 6-0 in the UFC with five of the six wins being finishes. Frankly, many thought that we’d be seeing Gillespie challenging for a world title by now, with many wondering how he would have fared against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After being knocked out by Lee in 2019, Gillespie took over a year off from competition before bouncing back with yet another stoppage, this time against formerly ranked lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira.

Heading Into 2022: Gregor Gillespie is currently ranked at #10 in the lightweight division. If Gillespie had it his way, his next opponent will be Tony Ferguson, whom he has called out in a somewhat uncharacteristic fashion.

#73: Edson Barboza

Reasoning Behind Ranking: With over a decade in the UFC under his belt, Edson Barboza has managed to remain relevant. During this lengthy stretch, the Brazilian has picked up victories over names like Paul Felder, Anthony Pettis, Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker, and many others.

Although Barboza has never fought for, let alone won a title like some of the other veterans he is ranked above on this list, he has always managed to bounce back when faced with hardships like a true-life Rocky Balboa and has thus remained a fixture in MMA’s most competitive promotion. In 2021, Barboza went 1-1, with a KO victory over Shane Burgos and a loss to Giga Chikadze in his most recent bout.

Heading Into 2022: The 35-year-old Barboza will begin this year ranked at #10 in the featherweight division. He is scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell on March 5. Mitchell did not make this year’s list due to him not being active in 2021.

#72: Movsar Evloev

Reasoning Behind Ranking: If you want someone who is flying under the radar and right under your nose, it’s this dude. Movsar Evloev has one of the most efficient fighting styles in the UFC as evident by his flawless 15-0 record. His hard-nosed style carries the melody of the mountains that has proven to be a safe play for gambling sharps to push. Evloev’s 5-0 run hasn’t been against easy opponents. He’s beaten game opponents like Enrique Barzola and Nik Lentz as well as fellow prospects Mike Grundy and, most recently, Hakeem Dawodu.

Heading Into 2022: Movsar Evloev will begin his 2022 campaign against our #86-ranked fighter, Ilia Topuria. Topuria arguably has a better win than any of Evloev’s by defeating Ryan Hall, but Evloev has four more victories on his undefeated record. If Topuria gets the win over Evloev, he’ll almost assuredly be ranked higher next year. If Evloev wins….and keeps winning…then there’s no telling where this Russian will land on next year’s list.

#71: Arman Tsarukyan

Reasoning Behind Ranking: Arman Tsarukyan has two losses on his 17-2 record. One of them took place in 2015. The other was against Islam Makhachev. So let’s just say we’re not faulting him too much for those losses, especially when you consider that he managed to be relatively competitive against Makhachev in an exquisite contest that won Fight of the Night in 2019.

When you have a Fight of the Night against Makhachev as opposed to being on the wrong side of a Performance of the Night…and you do so at 22 years old…you might just be a bonafide prospect of the highest degree.

Since that loss in his UFC debut to Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 4-0 in the UFC, including wins over much more experienced names like Olivier Aubin-Mercier, 3rd-degree Brazilian black belt Davis Ramos, and a Performance of the Night TKO over Christos Giagos in September.

Heading Into 2022: Arman Tsarukyan’s young MMA career has shown that the sky is the limit for the Armenian-Russian. This Master of Sport in MMA and wrestling is currently ranked #13 at lightweight and is scheduled to face Joel Álvarez on February 26, 2022. He had hoped to be fighting Dan Hooker, but Hooker has committed to dropping down to featherweight. He also agreed to fight Gregor Gillespie, but that fight never came to fruition, either.

Like many elite rising contenders before him, it may be a long climb up the ranks for Tsarukyan due to the ol’ “high-risk, low-reward” dilemma that he poses to his peers. But if he remains active in 2022, you can just close your eyes and imagine where he might be placed on our list next year.

Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 4! You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here!

Continue Reading The MMA News Top 100 UFC Fighters of 2021 Part 3: #80-71 at MMA News.