Tag: Rankings/List

Fighters differ in various ways.

From natural size to evolved talent, aggressiveness to calculated precision, no two fighters are the same.

That’s what makes mixed martial arts such an enticing sport—one that envelops such a wide range of knockout artists, submission experts and bona fide assassins.

But when it comes down to strictly entertaining the masses, some fighters are just more pleasing to watch than others.

Chalk it up to their personalities, in-cage persona or late-round explosions, they offer endless and intriguing viewership.

Here are those aforementioned aggressors who have become the most fun fighters to see in the game today.

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If variety is the spice of life, then these fighters are very, very spicy.

And we should be thankful for these guys (spoiler: and gal). If we just had a bunch of wrestle-boxers and jiu-jitsu and muay thai, then, well, things would become a little blander. It would be a mashed-potato sandwich on white, hold the mayo.

Nobody wants that. So here’s our salute to the awkward and unorthodox among the UFC ranks. As you’ll see, many of these fighters have reached very high levels of success with their inimitable approaches. They made it to the top, did it their way and put the “mix” in mixed martial arts. 

Fighters are ranked based on awkwardness and overall prominence within the sport.

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Wacky things can happen in the lower levels of any sport. From flea flickers in high school football to bouncing-puck goals in junior league hockey, extra heaps of fun (be it through novelty or schadenfreude) can often be had when looking to the amateurs. 

MMA is no different, and absurd things, whether funny, silly or scary, can be found when one looks past the bright lights of the UFC and into the dim barns, rec centers and converted basketball courts of the regional circuit.

From unusual submissions to sloppy striking, from creativity gone awry to one-of-a-kind finishes and from bad fighters to bad promoters, every reaction from “holy crap” to “What was he thinking?” can be heard at any given event. Well, with 2014 coming to a close, it is worth taking a look back over the last 12 months and finding some of the best (and the worst) moments of the regional, amateur and international circuits.

Some of them will make you shake your head at the silliness. Some of them will warm your heart. Some of them will make you crane your neck or recoil in your seat in an attempt to fathom what happened.

So what were these moments? Click on and find out!

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Over the weekend, the UFC crowned a new champion at 115 pounds following a tournament on Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. That woman was Carla Esparza, who is the first-ever female strawweight champion.

She now has a target on her back and a new division full of eager, talented fighters. They will be competing in important bout after important bout, attempting to earn a shot at Esparza in the near future.

Following a big weekend for the 115-pound division, what’s next for the new UFC champion? Here are three women who could challenge Esparza for her UFC title next.

 

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

This is the most obvious choice. Between beating logical top contender Claudia Gadelha on Saturday and owning an impressive 2-0 record with the UFC, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is probably Esparza‘s first title defense.

In her bout with Gadelha, Jedrzejczyk took on a grappler with good takedowns and solid striking. That is the same skill set that Esparza has, but Esparza is likely more proficient in wrestling and smaller in size.

Jedrzejczyk showed stout takedown defense and superior striking in beating Gadelha. Coming into their bout, many saw Gadelha as the uncrowned queen of the division, but the Polish striker upended those thoughts with her surprising performance.

Jedrzejczyk is a woman that the UFC can market for a couple reasons. One, she is a foreign fighter with good English and an intense demeanor. The other reason is because she is an exciting commodity in the division with a fun style and uncanny one-punch knockout power.

She could surely give Esparza a run for her money.

 

Jessica Aguilar

Jessica Aguilar is considered the top strawweight in the world right now, but she is signed with World Series of Fighting. However, she has one fight left on her contract, meaning she may have to wait to make her way to the UFC.

However, it wouldn’t be out of the question for WSOF to release Aguilar before that fight takes place. Recently, they granted Ashlee Evans-Smith a release from her contract to sign with the UFC since she wasn’t staying busy enough with the company.

The problem is that WSOF doesn’t have enough talent for Aguilar to fight. A vast majority of the world’s best 115-pounders are with the UFC, and if they aren’t, they are holding out to sign with them.

Whatever happens, Aguilar could easily challenge Esparza for her belt. It would be a battle of champions that is decently marketable, especially due to Aguilar’s top-ranked status and the mainstream exposure she’s already had with WSOF and Bellator.

 

Katja Kankaanpaa

While the UFC continues to sort out contenders, an underdog fight that could be made would involve Katja Kankaanpaa. It could be a sort of “title unification” bout with Esparza, as Esparza is the former Invicta strawweight champion and Kankaanpaa is the current champ.

Kankaanpaa certainly would have some detractors, as she’s not even in the UFC yet. However, given her championship status and the UFC’s need to give legitimate threats to Esparza, she could fit the bill.

Outside of Jedrzejczyk, there really isn’t a top contender for Esparza. The UFC needs to find fighters with strong credentials, and Kankaanpaa has those in the form of a championship belt.

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