2019 was a very fruitful year for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Some of the top promotions around the world like the UFC, Bellator, ONE championship, Combate Americas, BRAVE CF etc put on some very exciting fights. With the year almost coming to an end, the MMA India Show will be releasing its first-ever annual MMA India show awards across 12 categories. We want you, our valued fans and readers to leave a comment below in the comments section as to who they think the winner should be.
We will be publishing a category with their nomination each day and will be releasing the winners later this year. The three judges are:
1. John Hyon Ko (South Korea based MMA Journalist and host of Kumite TV)
2. Jitendra Khare (MMA coach and Team Relentless owner)
3. Daniel Issac (AIMMAA founder)
Our first category is Male fighter of the year and the nominations are:
Israel Adesanya:
It was a breakout year for Israel Adesanya as he won three fights in 2019 starting with defeating former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 234 via unanimous decision. After that, he and Kelvin Gastelum went back and forth at UFC 236, where he defeated Gastelum via unanimous decision. It was one of the best fights of the year and also the contender for the fight of the year.
He then knocked out reigning UFC champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.
Jorge Masvidal:
No one has had as good a year as Jorge Masvidal. He started the year with a bang when he knocked out Darren Till at UFC London and then returned at UFC 239 to knock out Ben Askren in just six seconds.
However, his biggest moment came at UFC 244 where he fought Nate Diaz for the BMF belt at the Madison Square Garden. He knocked out Diaz to win the belt. It was one of the biggest and the most heavily promoted fight of the year and even the President of the United States, Donald Trump attended the event.
Alexander Volkanovski:
Alexander Volkanovksi also has had an extremely fruitful 2019. He started the year against Jose Aldo at UFC 237, where he defeated him via a unanimous decision in Rio De Janeiro. After that, he defeated Max Holloway earlier this month at UFC 245 to become the new UFC featherweight champion.
Kamaru Usman:
Kamaru Usman became the first-ever Nigerian UFC champion earlier this year at UFC 235 when he dominated Tyron Woodley and defeated him via unanimous decision. He then went ahead and defended his title at UFC 245 against Colby Covington and knocked him out in the fifth round. It was a highly entertaining scrap where Usman broke Covington’s jaw.
Who do you guys think is the Male Fighter of the year? Let us know in the comments section of the article below. We have also added a new category named ‘Indian fighter of the year’ and would like your thoughts on who wins the category.
Our second category is Female Fighter of the year and the nominations are:
Amanda Nunes:
UFC’s only female double champ Amanda Nunes first fought this year at UFC 239 in July earlier this year against Holly Holm, where she defended her UFC bantamweight title via first-round KO. She then fought earlier this month at UFC 245, where she defended her bantamweight title against Germaine De Randamie. While her fight against Randamie wasn’t an easy one, she did show that she has the stamina to continue fighting at the championship level for full five rounds. She has yet to defend her UFC featherweight title which she won last year at UFC 232 with a 51-second KO victory over Cris Cyborg.
Valentina Shevchenko:
The UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko fought twice this year and successfully managed to defend her title both the time. She won her title last year at UFC 231 when she defeated Joanna Jederzejczyk via unanimous decision. She defended her title for the first time earlier this year at UFC 238, where she knocked out Jessica Eye in the second round via head kick.
She then made a quick turn around and defended her title for the second time at UFC Fight Night 156, which took place at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay. She fought Liz Carmouche and defeated her via a unanimous decision.
Julia Budd:
Julia Budd fought just one-time this year against Olga Rubin at Bellator 224 and knocked her out in the first round via body kick and punches to successfully defend her Bellator featherweight crown. She is the only female champion in Bellator’s women’s featherweight division.
She is all set to defend her featherweight crown against former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg at Bellator 238 in Inglewood, California on January 25.
Weili Zhang:
Weili Zhang created history in August earlier this year when she became China’s first-ever UFC champion. She fought Jessica Andrade for the strawweight crown at UFC Fight Night 157 in Shenzhen, China. It took Zhang less than a minute to brutally knock Jessica out. Since signing with UFC in 2018, she has won her last four fights. She also boasts of having a professional record of 20-1.
She is all set to defend her UFC strawweight title against Joanna Jederzejczyk at UFC 248.
Our third category is the Breakthrough fighter of the year and the nominations are:
Jorge Masvidal:
One of the top contenders for this nominations is Jorge Masvidal. He really has had a terrific year. At the beginning of the year, he knocked out Darren Till at UFC London, then followed up with a six-second KO of Ben Askren at UFC 238. This was also the fastest KO of UFC history and then got mainstream attention in his fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 244, which took place in Madison Square Garden. He won the fight via TKO [Doctor’s stoppage]. Now, he is reportedly on the verge of big money fights against the likes Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman etc.
Israel Adesanya:
Israel Adesanya has had a terrific 2019 that saw him fight three times this year. In the beginning of the year at UFC 234, he had the opportunity to fight one of the greatest fighters of all time, Anderson Silva. He defeated the Brazilian legend via unanimous decision. After that, he fought Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 for the interim UFC middleweight championship. He defeated Gastelum via unanimous decision. It was one of the best fights of the year with both fighters trading heavy leathers. He then ultimately became the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243, when he knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik:
Surinamese kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik made his UFC debut earlier this year at UFC Fight Night 144 against Junior Albini. He knocked out Albini in the second round. He had his second fight of the year against Allen Crowder at UFC Fight Night 154, where he knocked out Albini in just nine-seconds.
He had his third fight of the year against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 244 and it took him less than 30-seconds to brutally knock out the Russian heavyweight. He made a quick turnaround and fought Alistair Overeem on short notice at UFC DC on November 10 and knocked him out in the fifth round with four seconds remaining on the clock.
Now he is set to fight former UFC title challenger Francis Ngannou at UFC Fight Night 172, which will take place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Alexander Volkanovski:
Alexander Volkanovksi also has had an extremely fruitful 2019. He started the year against Jose Aldo at UFC 237, where he defeated him via a unanimous decision in Rio De Janeiro. After that, he defeated Max Holloway earlier this month at UFC 245 to become the new UFC featherweight champion. He is also the first Australian born UFC champion.
Our fourth category is Fight of the Year and the nominations are:
Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum:
The pair fought at UFC 236 for the UFC interim middleweight title. Adesanya won the fight via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The fight was an all-time classic and fans were on their feet after the ended of five rounds and applauded the efforts of both the fighters.
Paulo Costa vs Yoel Romero:
Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero fought at UFC 241. It was exactly the type of fight that fans were waiting for.
Paulo Costa started the fight by applying pressure on Romero and initially, he was unfazed by Romero’s power and kept moving forward. Both fighters were knocked down in the first round. Both fighters traded huge blows throughout the entirety of the fight. However, in the end, it was Costa who’s hands were raised by the referee.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier:
In an amazing five rounds of war, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway moved up in weight class to face top lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The fight was the main event at UFC 236.
Dustin Poirier beat Holloway via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to capture the interim lightweight title. Going into the fight Poirier was the heavy underdog, but he proved the bookies wrong in the 25-minute war.
Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington:
Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington had a terrific rivalry going into their fight at UFC 245. The fight took place in Las Vegas and it was one of the most anticipating fights of the year. The trash talk between both the fighters had fans eagerly wanting to see the fight. In a classic back and forth action, Usman knocked out Covington in the fifth round. Despite both fighters being very highly skilled wrestlers, neither fighters attempted a takedown in this fight.
Jeremy Stephens vs Yair Rodriguez 2:
The pair were initially scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 159 in Mexico, but the fight was was marred with controversy as the fight ended in the first round with an eye poke.
Nonetheless, the pair were scheduled for an immediate rematch at the UFC on ESPN 6 event which took place at the TD Garden Arena in Boston. The grudge match between the two resulted in an exciting three-rounds of back and forth action. It was a highly entertaining fight with fans asking for more at the end of the third round. Rodriguez defeated Stephens via unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier vs Stipe Miocic 2:
Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic battled for the heavyweight crown at UFC 241 in Anaheim, California. In the first fight, Cormier knocked out Miocic in the first round to win the UFC heavyweight title. The rematch was also a highly entertaining one with both fighters going back and forth throughout the fight. Cormier was ahead on the judges’ scorecards, but in the fourth round, He dug Cormier’s body and later followed it up with hard right hand to the top which dropped Cormier and then he rushed with combinations until the referee had to step in and stop the fight.
Miocic became two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
Our fifth category is Indian Fighter of the Year and the nominations are:
Ritu Phogat:
Last month, Indian wrestling star Ritu Phogat made her presence felt in the world of MMA when she defeated Nam Hee Kim via TKO in the first round at ONE: Age of Dragons in Beijing, China.
This was Ritu Phogat’s professional debut. Ritu dominated South Korea’s Nam Hee Kim right from the beginning. As soon as the opening round bell rang, she went for the takedown and then secured the mounted crucifix position after which Phogat followed up with numerous punches to Kim’s face until the referee intervened.
Rahul K Raju:
Rahul K Raju has had a terrific 2019. He started his campaign in May at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon, where he fought Richard Corminal of the Philippines. He defeated the Filipino via rear-naked choke in Round 1 with just seconds remaining on the clock.
He then had his second fight last month at ONE Championship: Edge of Greatness in Singapore against Pakistani MMA fighter Farqan Cheema. Raju defeated Cheema in the second round via rear-naked choke.
Srikant Sekhar:
Srikant Sekhar had a fruitful 2019 as he fought twice and managed to win both of his fights. He started his year pulling one of the biggest upsets in Indian MMA as he defeated ONE championship veteran Rajinder Singh Meena via first-round rear-naked choke at Matrix Fight Night 1.
Sekhar then fought Indian MMA star Jason Solomon at Matrix Fight Night 2, where he defeated him via kimura in the first round.
Mohammad Farhad:
Mohammad Farhad fought just once this year at BRAVE CF 30 against Kushal Vyas. However, Farhad managed to cut the list because of his impressive first-round TKO victory in the first round. With this win, he is now riding on a two-fight winning streak.
Roshan Mainam:
Roshan Mainam made his ONE Championship debut last month against Khon Sichan of Myanmar. The fight took place at ONE Championship: Masters of Fate in Manila, Philippines. The fight ended with Roshan taking Khon down and submitting him with an armlock in just 3:22 of the very first round.
Puja Tomar:
Puja Tomar started her campaign at ONE Championship: Eternal Glory in January earlier this year. Tomar fought Indonesian Priscilla Gaol and defeated her via split decision.
Her next fight took place against Bi Nguyen, however, it was not a mixed martial arts bouts, instead, it was a Muay Thai bout. She lost the fight to Bi via a razor-thin split decision.
She is now set to fight ONE Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex at ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow event in Bangkok, Thailand.
Manthan Rane:
Manthan Rane made his MMA debut in ONE championship: Warrior Series 6 which took place in June in Singapore. He defeated Allan Albindo of the Philippines via unanimous decision.
Dhruv Chaudhary:
Dhruv Chaudhary had a terrific 2019 as he fought three times this year and managed to remain 2-1. His first fight this year came against Pawan Goyat at Matrix Fight Night 1 in March earlier this year. In this fight, Dhruv managed to defeat Goyat via unanimous decision.
His next fight came against, Angad Bisht at Matrix Fight Night 2, where he was defeated via a close unanimous decision.
His final fight of the year came against Sumeet Khade at Matrix Fight Night 3, where he defeated him via a controversial unanimous decision. The fight was an extremely close one and many fans believed that the fight could have gone anyways.
Now, the pair have verbally agreed to a rematch.
Anshul Jubli:
Anshul Jubli ended this year with a 2-0 record. He fought for the first time at Matrix Fight Night 2 against Sanjeet Budhwar and defeated him via unanimous decision.
His second fight took place last week at Matrix Fight Night 3 against Indian MMA star Amit Raj and he defeated him via unanimous decision.
Our sixth category is Submission of the year and the nominations are:
Misha Cirkunov’s Peruvian necktie at UFC Vancouver
https://twitter.com/OnMMA/status/1173028579166306305?s=20
Light heavyweight veteran Misha Cirkunov delivered one of the rarest submission moves at UFC Fight Night 158 when he fought undefeated prospect Jimmy Crute at the Rogers Arena.
Aviv Gozali’s 11-second submission at Bellator 225
1️⃣1️⃣ seconds of wizardry by @aviv_gozali leads to the fastest submission in Bellator history (via @BellatorMMA) pic.twitter.com/PPyKg3aOeA
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 25, 2019
Aviv Gozali, an 18-year-old MMA fighter from Israel, delivered the fastest submission in Bellator history when he finished Eduard Muravitskiy in just 11-seconds via a heel hook at Bellator 225, which took place on August 24, 2019, at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Angela Lee’s RNC of Jingnan Xiong with 12 seconds left
Angela Lee (10-2) makes her fourth defense of the ONE atomweight strap, weathering the storm of rival Xiong Jing Nan, turning the tide with torrential grappling and strangling the strawweight champ to exact revenge with seconds left in round five! What a fight! #ONECentury pic.twitter.com/IviFDhMCaU
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) October 13, 2019
Angela Lee successfully defended the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title by submitting strawweight queen “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan with just 12-seconds left on the clock inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
After heavy back and forth for four rounds, Lee managed to get in some clinch work in the fifth round as Lee finally cinched up the submission. Xiong desperately tried to hang on, but the choke was too tight and ended up tapping.
Paul Craig subs Kennedy Nzechukwu with a triangle in the third
Paul Craig (11-3) pulls another ludicrous comeback out of his hat, tapping Kennedy Nzechukwu with less than a minute to go in round three! Scotland's "Bearjew" has finished each of his wins, 10 by submission. #UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/6TG4sJLdwY
— Bulgogi Jones (@Hamderlei) March 31, 2019
Scottish light heavyweight Paul Craig defeated Kennedy Nzechukwu via a triangle choke submission in the third round. The fight took place at UFC on ESPN 2 event at the Wells Fargo event in Philadelphia.
Bryce Mitchell twister at UFC D.C.
https://twitter.com/KhariWebber/status/1203479151778287617?s=20
UFC featherweight Bryce Mithcell pulled off an incredible victory against Matt Sayles at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. Mithcell defeated Sayles in an extremely rare twister submission.
Twister submissions are incredibly rare in the UFC and till now only one fighter has had the opportunity to perform the twister in the UFC. Eight years ago at the UFC Fight Night 24, ‘Korean Zombie‘ Chan Sung Jung defeated Leonard Garcia via the same submission.
Our seventh category is upset of the year and the nominations are:
Eddie Alvarez’s ONE Championship debut
Timofey Nastyukhin SHOCKS THE 🌏! The Russian warrior knocks out Eddie Alvarez at 4:05 of Round 1 to advance in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix! #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/YxUV0TSnFR
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019
Timofey Nastyukhin ruined former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez’s highly anticipated ONE championship debut at ONE Championship 92: A New Era.”
The Russian knocked out Eddie Alvarez at 4:05 of Round 1.
Jorge Masvidal KOs Darren Till in London
Here's a replay of Jorge Masvidal's brutal KO on Darren Till.#UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/6RE8D7oyfo
— JAKE BUCKLEY 🇦🇺 (@TheMasterBucks) March 17, 2019
Jorge Masvidal’s Knockout win over Darren Till at UFC London in March earlier this year was one of the biggest upsets of the year. Both Masvidal and Till were coming off of loses, but Till was a heavy -250 betting favourite going into this fight, which means that the likelihood of Till winning the fight was at a staggering 71%.
But the oddsmakers couldn’t have been further from the truth as Masvidal knocked him out in the second round.
Corey Anderson KO of Johnny Walker
https://twitter.com/ImShannonTho/status/1190807808259825664?s=20
Johnny Walker was supposed to be the guy to beat Jon Jones. However, that all changed earlier this month at UFC 244 where he got knocked out by top contender Corey Anderson in the first round. Walker was riding on an eight-fight winning streak in the UFC.
Anthony Pettis’ superman hook KO of Wonderboy
UFC Fight Night 148🇺🇸
March 23rd🗓️
Bridgestone Arena🏟️Anthony Pettis vs Stephen Thompsonpic.twitter.com/PXviGcBphH
— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) November 1, 2019
Anthony Pettis made a huge statement when he moved up in weight class and knocked out Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in the second round via a superman punch at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on UFC Fight Night 148.
Our eighth category is Coach of the year and the nominations are:
Mike Brown
Mike Brown has had a terrific 2019 as the fighters he trained had a great year in the sport of MMA. His biggest success this year was Jorge Masvidal, who eclipsed into a mainstream superstar with three stoppage wins in 2019.
He also trained UFC bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes. The Brazilian superstar won two-fight this year against Holly Holm via KO and against Germaine De Randamie at UFC 245 via unanimous decision.
Apart from that he also trains former UFC interim champion, Dustin Poirier.
Eric Albarracin
Eric Albarracin trained the likes of Henry Cejudo and Patricio Freire to become double champs in their respective organisation. Henry Cejudo knocked out TJ Dillashaw and successfully defended his featherweight title in January of 2019 and after that, he knocked out Marlon Moraes to win the vacant UFC bantamweight title.
He has also trained Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Freire. He became the lightweight champion earlier this year in May at Bellator 221 and knocked him out in the first round.
He also trains UFC middleweight, Paulo Costa.
Eugene Bareman
Eugene Bareman also had a terrific 2019. His two-fighters managed to become world champions in the UFC. He trained Israel Adesanya, who became the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243 by knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round. He also trained Alexander Volkanovski, who became the first Aussie born fighter to become a UFC champion at UFC 245 by defeating Max Holloway.
Bareman also routinely works with Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France and Shane Young.
Javier Mendez
Javier Mendez had a bittersweet 2019. Khabib Nurmagomedov, his most popular fighter defended his UFC lightweight title at UFC 242 against Dustin Poirier, whereas Daniel Cormier lost his UFC heavyweight title to Stipe Miocic at UFC 241. Miocic knocked him out in the fourth round to retain his title.
Our ninth category is knockout of the year and the nominations are:
Kevin Lee KO of Gregor Gilespie
Kevin Lee KO of Gregor Gillespie is even more SAVAGE 😂😂😂#UFC244 pic.twitter.com/5LmuOhkBxf
— MMA India (@MMAIndiaShow) November 3, 2019
In the main card of the lightweight match-up between Kevin Lee and Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244, the Rhode Island native Gillespie was brutally knocked out in the first round.
Gillespie, who is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the lightweight division was the betting favourite to defeat Lee, but a head kick from the ‘Mo-Town Phenom’ KOed him unconscious. This was his first loss of Gillespie’s professional career and it was also a very important win for Lee who was coming off of a two-fight losing streak.
Corey Anderson KO of Johnny Walker
https://twitter.com/ImShannonTho/status/1190807808259825664?s=20
Johnny Walker was supposed to be the guy to beat Jon Jones. However, that all changed earlier this month at UFC 244 where he got knocked out by top contender Corey Anderson in the first round. Walker was riding on an eight-fight winning streak in the UFC.
Jorge Masvidal KO of Ben Askren
Jorge Masvidal vs Ben Askren. One of the craziest, most electrifying Kos you'll ever see. Was really more like a 2 second ko. The ref couldn't react fast enough. pic.twitter.com/uLCAbsuClm
— Letsgochamp (@Unknown00505656) December 25, 2019
Jorge Masvidal delivered the fastest knockout of UFC history as he knocked out Ben Askren in just six seconds of the first round at UFC 239 in July last year. He ran across the cage and smashed Askren’s face with a flying knee.
Niko Price KO of James Vick
https://twitter.com/Brandon_Nocaute/status/1212231758172827648?s=20
In the main card of UFC Fight Night 161, James Vick got knocked out by an up kick in the first round by Niko Price. This fight was Vick’ debut in the welterweight division.
Vick was doing considerably well in the fight and landed some decent punches and he followed up with some ground and pound and as he was moving ahead inside Price’ guard, ‘The Hybrid’ landed a clean up-kick which knocked out Vick unconscious.
Valentina Shevchenko KO of Jessica Eye
I'm still not ever the way Valentina Shevchenko straight murdered Jessica Eye. It has to be the most brutal KO in WMMA history, right? pic.twitter.com/YIsT0kxnUj
— Callum Callum (@Callum_JN) July 9, 2019
At the co-main event of UFC 238, flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko scored a brutal head kick knockout victory over Jessica Eye to successfully defend her UFC title.
The tenth category is Promotion of the year and the nominations are:
UFC
UFC has had a terrific 2019. They started the year with their new broadcast right with ESPN. There were a record 41 fight cards.
UFC also produced some of the biggest fights of the year featuring stars like Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz etc.
Biggest fight cards of the year were UFC 235, UFC 239, UFC 244, UFC 245.
Bellator
Bellator has had a terrific 2019. They started the year with Bellator 214, which featured a heavyweight fight between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko. It also featured the promotional debut of former WWE superstar Jake Hager.
2019 also featured a Bellator featherweight Grand Prix tournament.
ONE Championship
ONE Championship has had a terrific 2019 which saw the promotion signing a broadcast deal in India. ONE championship signed a TV deal with Disney backed Star Sports, with fights streaming on Hotstar app.
ONE championship also managed to sign some of the biggest UFC stars. Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt and Demetrious Johnson made their debut in 2019.
ONE Championship also managed to gain a significant foothold in India with the MMA debut of Ritu Phogat.
The eleventh category is Promotion of the year and the nominations are:
Paul Feder
UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is not only good with his fists, but he also impresses fans with his commentary during UFC broadcasts.
Dominick Cruz
Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz hasn’t fought in over three years, but he has been entertaining fans behind the screens with his oratory skills. Unlike other commentators in the UFC, Cruz explains the fans about the concepts of what is happening inside the octagon at a given time rather than giving a play-by-play.
Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping retired from the sport in 2018, but the former middleweight champion has had a regular appearance on numerous UFC cards as a commentator. Bisping announced that he would be joining the UFC commentary team back in December of 2018 on his ‘Believe you me’ podcast.
Daniel Cormier
Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is without a doubt one of the most entertaining commentators in the UFC.
His personality and his ability to explain the fans about what’s going on inside the Octagon resonates well with the fight fans.
Dan Hardy
Former UFC lightweight Dan Hardy is the most underrated commentators in the UFC. He has a great blend of enthusiasm and excitement in his voice and is not afraid to call it as he sees the action inside the Octagon.
Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan is one of the most popular faces in the UFC. He has been with the promotion since 1997. Last year, his workload was reduced to commentating on just the UFC pay-per-view cards.
“I do enjoy it,” Rogan said on his podcast. “I cut way back. Cause, first of all, I was doing too many of them. At one point I was doing 24 a year, it was way too many. It was like half of the weekends of the year, I was flying somewhere to go to the UFC. It was too much.
“That was before the UFC really started adding a bunch of people and it took a lot of the weight off of me.”
The twelfth category is Indian Fight of the year and the nominations are:
Angad Bisht vs. Jacky Gehlot: MFN 3
Angad Bisht and Jacky Gehlot fought at Matrix Fight Night 3 event which took place in NSCI Dome in Mumbai last Friday. The fight was a highly exciting one with both fighters going back and forth over three-rounds. Gehlot managed to get the better of Bisht as he defeated the Uttrakhand based fighter via a close split decision.
Mankomal Kaur vs Tejaswini Nandedkar (X1 International Women’s fight Night)
On March 9th, X1 International conducted their 7th event at Lord of the Drinks, Lower Parel. It was the first MMA event to solely feature only women fighters. There were over 20 female fighters on the card, but the fight that stood out the most amongst MMA fans was the flyweight final bout between Mankomal Kaur and Tejaswini Nandedkar. The Chandigarh based fighter defeated Tejaswini Nandedkar in a hard-fought bout. Both fighters went toe-to-toe throughout the fight, but it was Mankomal who got her hands raised at the end, as she outpointed Tejaswini via a split decision verdict.
Dhruv Chaudhary vs. Sumeet Khade: MFN 3
Dhruv Chaudhary and Sumeet Khade battled for three rounds in a rematch at Matrix Fight Night 3. It was a highly entertaining fight where both fighters went back and forth to start the main card of MFN 3. The judges scored the fight in favour of Dhruv Chaudhary via a unanimous verdict.
The pair have verbally agreed to a rematch.
George Lalmuanawma vs Imkongsunep Jamir (X1 International)
George Lalmuanawma and Imkongsunep Jamir made their MMA debut at X1 international event last October at the Indoor Badminton Stadium, DC Court, Dimapur.
Imkongsunep Jamir who hails from Kangtsung village was representing The Combat Academy, Nagaland and he defeated Jamir via unanimous decision. It was an exciting back and forth action with both fighters landing heavy blows throughout the fight, but in the end it was George who prevailed on the judge’s scorecards.
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Israel Adesanya best mma fighter of the year 2019
Compared to others he faced some of the toughest Opponents in his division