Mixed martial arts is spreading like wildfire, and it’s evident in the UFC’s expansion throughout the world. Not long ago, MMA had a couple of main hot spots in the United States, Brazil and Japan, among other places.
MMA outreach has become rapid, spr…
Mixed martial arts is spreading like wildfire, and it’s evident in the UFC’s expansion throughout the world. Not long ago, MMA had a couple of main hot spots in the United States, Brazil and Japan, among other places.
MMA outreach has become rapid, spreading to places that are now MMA-crazy. The sport has blown up, with fighters looking to make their way in the MMA world.
For four days this week, we are going to examine four of the newest hot spots in MMA. These are places where prospects and stars are starting to pop up, and they have a chance to provide great talent to the sport. We have chosen Ireland, Poland, Mexico and Russia for this series, as they seem to be the biggest hot spots right now.
In the heels of a huge UFC title victory for Joanna Jedrzejczyk, we will now examine Poland. There has been a boom in talent surge in this country, as it has one of the best talent pools rising in the world.
Here are 10 prospects this MMA hot spot could send to the UFC soon.
With two title bouts, UFC 185 brought big changes in multiple divisions.
In the co-main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk stopped Carla Esparza with strikes to capture the women’s strawweight championship. Having dethroned the inaugural 115-pound titleholder, …
With two title bouts, UFC 185 brought big changes in multiple divisions.
In the co-main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk stopped Carla Esparza with strikes to capture the women’s strawweight championship. Having dethroned the inaugural 115-pound titleholder, Jedrzejczyk now has a chance to become the first fighter to ever defend the division’s belt.
Later on, in the main attraction, Rafael dos Anjos cruised to a decision win over Anthony Pettis. The upset really shook up the lightweight division and likely set dos Anjos up for a rematch with either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Donald Cerrone.
So, how did Saturday’s results impact dos Anjos’ and Jedrzejczyk’s positions in the UFC rankings? Here are the latest official UFC rankings, via UFC.com, which are voted on by the MMA media.
Mixed martial arts is spreading like wildfire, and it’s evident in the UFC’s expansion throughout the world. Not long ago, MMA had a couple of main hot spots in the United States, Brazil and Japan, among other places.
MMA outreach has become rapi…
Mixed martial arts is spreading like wildfire, and it’s evident in the UFC’s expansion throughout the world. Not long ago, MMA had a couple of main hot spots in the United States, Brazil and Japan, among other places.
MMA outreach has become rapid, spreading to places that are now MMA-crazy. The sport has blown up, with fighters looking to make their way in the MMA world.
For the next four days, we are going to examine four of the newest hot spots in MMA. These are places where prospects and stars are starting to pop up, and they have a chance to provide great talent to the sport. We have chosen Ireland, Poland, Mexico and Russia for this series, as they seem to be the biggest hot spots right now.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we will start in Ireland. Not long ago, it was a country that was barely associated with the sport. Now, thanks to guys such as ConorMcGregor, the sport has exploded, and its popularity will bring a new wave of fighters.
Here are four prospects this MMA hot spot could send to the UFC soon.
Karl Moore (5-0, Light Heavyweight, Fight Academy Ireland)
OK, Karl Moore is from Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. So what? We will count him here.
The UFC should make sure the light heavyweight division is constantly filled and backed up with light heavyweights. That’s why an undefeated prospect such as Moore should get a chance.
Moore is just five fights into his pro career and has already competed twice for Cage Warriors. He was also 3-0 as an amateur, and all of those wins came by knockout.
Moore has shown good striking as well as decent submissions. He is a work in progress, but given a little bit of time, this 6’2″ 205-pounder could be a solid addition.
Tommy McCafferty (6-0, Featherweight, PT’s Kickboxing)
Speaking of undefeated fighters from Northern Ireland, Tommy McCafferty is a 6-0 featherweight who looks to be a solid prospect. The only thing he needs now is a step up in competition.
McCafferty is a striker, as seen in most of his bouts. He has left the first round just twice, including his first and only appearance with Cage Warriors.
He trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu with Sebastiano Torres, which will go great with his kickboxing when he rounds things off.
Like some of the men on this list, McCafferty won’t be a title contender in the near future, but he’s a guy who could carry the Irish torch.
Catherine Costigan is an atomweight, but there is no reason she can’t fight as a strawweight in the UFC. She’s undefeated and has looked good in the process, and she can follow others who came up from 105 to compete at 115, such as Jessica Penne.
Costigan has looked good in her five pro fights, three of which have come with Cage Warriors (a common theme with top European talents). She is a talented submission artist, which has led to her tapping out four foes.
She could be a great addition to a female strawweight division that is still developing. It needs bodies—skilled bodies, at that—and there is no doubt Costigan can provide that.
Although she’d be a bit undersized, she could use her quickness to her advantage.
Ryan Roddy (7-1, Lightweight, Knuckledraggers)
A three-time Cage Warriors veteran, Ryan Roddy has the tools to be a top-level fighter in the near future. The 25-year-old Irishman has been around for a while and has gone to a decision only once.
A ground fighter, Roddy constantly pressures forward until he can get the fight down. From there, he has secured three submissions and three ground-and-pound stoppages, showing he has a killer instinct.
He has been a pro fighter since the age of 17, and his first fight was eight years ago. He has experience and seasoning, which means he could be the most ready to go at this point.
Also consider that he’s stepped into the cage with The Ultimate Fighterveteran Ali Maclean and UFC employee Paul Redmond, and you can see he’s taken on some tough opposition. He’s a guy who could grace a UFC card.
Roy Nelson is that rare fighter whose value to the sport exceeds his fighting potential, much like Matt Brown. No one is blind to his limitations, both physical and technical, yet his appeal eclipses that of many more gifted mixed martial artists. Nels…
Roy Nelson is that rare fighter whose value to the sport exceeds his fighting potential, much like Matt Brown. No one is blind to his limitations, both physical and technical, yet his appeal eclipses that of many more gifted mixed martial artists. Nelson’s gutsy—no pun intended—loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 185 only enhances his rugged reputation.
He’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with a mullet and a snail-like metabolism. Even Nelson’s patriotic misappropriation of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” is oddly endearing. His image is that of the everyman, and one suspects he does more to play up that persona than he’d have us believe.
We see an apparently out-of-shape 38-year-old man competing with genetically blessed, technically superior athletes and holding his own. There’s inspiration to be found in that narrative, even if it is one that’s somewhat skewed.
Nelson, of course, has always been more physically gifted than he looks. He’s not Cain Velasquez, but nor is he Cody McKenzie. He is a good athlete with a deceptively deep skill set and a right hand that could stiffen an elephant.
We’re unlikely to see Nelson even so much as fight for the title, but his value has never been in starring as the face of the UFC’s heavyweight division—this scenario is probably a fixture of Dana White’s nightmares. He’s a carnival curiosity and a desirable scalp for anyone in the heavyweight division’s top 20.
Without further delay, let’s engage in a little speculation over what’s next on Big Country’s agenda.
Matt Brown may never quite reach the peak of the mountain, but he has already gotten an awful lot closer than anyone could have predicted.
Brown’s UFC 185 loss to Johny Hendricks highlighted the limitations that will likely prevent him from ever …
Matt Brown may never quite reach the peak of the mountain, but he has already gotten an awful lot closer than anyone could have predicted.
Brown’s UFC 185 loss to Johny Hendricks highlighted the limitations that will likely prevent him from ever getting his hands on a UFC title. However, The Ultimate Fighter veteran can take solace in the fact that his value to the organisation goes beyond his performance ceiling.
The former UFC welterweight champion shut down The Immortal’s game almost entirely, so it’s perhaps not the best example to highlight Brown’s upside. Still, the self-described “technical brawler” has accumulated plenty of goodwill in the minds of the fans and UFC brass from past performances.
With his title aspirations fading, it’s possible that the 34-year-old will soon serve as a gatekeeper for the welterweight division’s Top 10. With that said, let’s speculate on Brown’s more immediate future.
Ladies and gentlemen, Bleacher Report MMA is back in the rankings business! Welcome to the first installment of our new MMA rankings series.
Near the start of each month, our panel comprised of Hunter Homistek, Riley Kontek, Nathan McCarter and St…
Ladies and gentlemen, Bleacher Report MMA is back in the rankings business! Welcome to the first installment of our new MMA rankings series.
Near the start of each month, our panel comprised of Hunter Homistek, Riley Kontek, Nathan McCarter and Steven Rondina will submit ballots for each major men’s division. Fighters receive points from each ballot they appear on, and those points are then tallied to determine the top dogs in each weight class.
February was an MMA-filled month, with Bellator putting on two shows, the UFC putting on three and World Series of Fighting putting on one. While there are fewer events slated for March, there is still plenty to look forward to and plenty of big fights to keep an eye on.
So where will things fall in Bleacher Report’s first monthly rankings installment? Read on to find out!
Mixed martial arts is spreading like wildfire, and it’s evident in the UFC’s expansion throughout the world. Not long ago,