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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Stephen Thompson may have suffered more than one kind of setback at UFC 296.

“Wonderboy” not only took his first submission loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov at the UFC’s December pay-per-view, he also believes that he might have injured his foot. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Thompson speculated that he broke his foot during the course of his fight with Rakhmonov, which ended with seconds remaining in Round 2.

“I actually came out of the fight pretty much unscathed, other than the fact that I think I broke my foot with a good body kick right to the elbow,” Thompson said. “Another thing, don’t kick your opponent in the elbow, because that sucks.

“So I apparently have a broken foot, but I’m itching to get back into the gym and start working out again.”

Thompson, who turns 41 in February, has now lost three of his past four fights, sandwiching a TKO of Kevin Holland between losses to Rakhmonov, Belal Muhammad, and Gilbert Burns. He’s not the only welterweight contender that claims to have suffered a foot injury at UFC 296, as Colby Covington also said that he hurt his foot in the opening round of his eventual loss to champion Leon Edwards in the main event.

A two-time UFC title challenger, Thompson pointed to an error in strategy as to why he lost to Rakhmonov and he vowed to show improvement in his next appearance.

“I also appreciate all your support for the fight this past Saturday,” Thompson said. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. That’s why you should always follow the plan. I didn’t follow the plan so it’s my fault.

“Love you guys and I’ll be back stronger, better than ever. I’ve got some things I’ve got to work on. Get this foot healed up and we’ll get after it again.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

For Miesha Tate, the stakes of her UFC Austin bout against Julia Avila were the same as her fights with Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm.

Tate faced Avila on a two-fight skid, giving her a losing record of 1-2 since emerging from a five-year retirement in 2021. She knew there would be more pressure to retire if she didn’t turn things around.

“I think because I’ve been doing this for so long, and a lot of people were pushing,” she said on The MMA Hour. “I just heard a lot of noise, and people thinking, ‘She’s done. She’s washed up. She should retire.’ And I really felt that, and in a way, that made me feel like I have so much to prove, much like a title fight.

“I have so much more that I know that I’m capable of. Some day when I retire, I know I’ll retire with a happy heart, and I’ll be happy and content with whatever it is that I accomplish from this point on. But in truth, I knew that I had more to give, and I was better than what I had shown, and so I needed to do that for myself.

“I could not quit on myself when I knew there was still more to give, and I was capable of so much more. And so I think I finally figured out the right array for the puzzle pieces to come together, and it’s not just having the puzzle pieces – you’ve got to put them together to where it makes a full picture.”

Tate dominated Avila over two rounds before securing a third-round submission to break her losing skid. She also earned a $ 50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, her fifth in the UFC.

Looking back on how she made that happen, Tate credits her fiancee, Johnny Nunez, and the wrestling coach he brought into the fold, Kirk White. Instead of teaching her new moves, she said he improved on the ones she already knew.

“Before, I think I’ve had bits and pieces, and I’ve put some things together, but this one felt like I finally got what I needed out of the coaching,” she said. “I lost Robert Follis, may he rest in peace, because I miss him a lot. But since then, I haven’t found somebody that worked in the way that Kirk does, and I’ve worked with a lot of great coaches, but Kirk, he’s just different, and he doesn’t train fighters.”

For the majority of her UFC career, Tate was coached by her then-partner, UFC bantamweight vet Bryan Caraway. The pressure of maintaining her relationship and performing at her best led to a breakdown by the time she fought Raquel Pennington at UFC 205, and she quit inside the octagon as she lost a unanimous decision.

“I’ve always been going a million miles an hour all the time, burning the candle at both ends, and this is probably the reason I retired back in the day, just because I was burned out,” she said.

After separating with Caraway and retiring from MMA, Tate redefined her relationship to the sport. When she returned, she’d built a new team anchored by Nunez. She hired a mental coach to help her deal with the pressures of high-level competition, and it paid huge dividends with a comeback win over Marion Reneau in 2021.

Earlier in her career, Tate fought with a stubbornness that won over fans but often ended in losses. Heading into the fight with Avila, she worked on going with the flow, whatever happened, and leaning on what got her to the big show in the first place: her grappling.

Before they all walked to the octagon at UFC Austin, Tate told her team not to overwhelm her with orders. She wanted them to trust what she was doing and what they’d drilled countless times leading up to the fight.

White hadn’t coached many UFC fighters before, and he forgot the stool after one of the rounds, Tate said with a laugh. But he also did something Tate can’t remember any other coach doing, and that was leading her with questions that brought her to the right advice.

“I’ve always fought with a big heart and toughness, and I think people have valued that in my career,” Tate said. “But this fight, I kept telling myself,’ I want to fight with my skillset.’ I don’t ever feel like any fight I’ve ever lived up to what I did in training when all the pressure is off. It’s like, man, I know that I’m really good, but I always feel like I’ve consistently under-performed in my fights, even the fights that I won. I know I can do better than that.”

Tate isn’t sure how long she’ll fight in this second season of her career. Instead of trying to do it all, she’s staying in the moment, focusing on one thing at a time. At 2-2 since her comeback, she’ll need several more wins to get close to the title she famously won by choking out Holm in the fifth round of their UFC 196 meeting. But whatever happens, she knows she’s doing things the way that works for her, and that’s just as valuable as UFC gold.

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Political Future
| BJPenn.com

Though rear-naked chokes and guillotines maintain a virtual monopoly on submission finishes in high-level mixed martial arts (MMA), the gentle arts can still produce their share of stunners. Indeed, 2023 featured no shortage of constricted airways and maliciously misaligned limbs, making the task of winnowing them down to five standouts a daunting one.

Daunting, but not impossible. Let’s take a look at our candidates for 2023’s “Submission of the Year.”

5. Da’Mon Blackshear Wins ‘Tall Guy Tussle’

It’s a twister, man.

How was I ever going to leave a twister off this list?

Though he was average (2-2) this year on paper, Da’Mon Blackshear has been a very pleasant surprise inside the Octagon, pushing top fighters like Farid Basharat and Mario Bautista to their limits, while scoring a pair of impressive finishes. The more impressive of the two came in Aug. 2023, when he manhandled Jose Johnson en route to one of the sport’s coolest submissions.

Hopefully, he’s just as busy next year.

4. Carlston Harris Hits ‘One Weird Trick’

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

I was torn between this fight and Shavkat Rakhmonov’s finish of Geoff Neal (watch it), but ultimately went with the former because of the comedy factor. Carlston Harris — whose arsenal comprises front chokes and profoundly ugly power punches — had exactly one way to beat Jeremiah Wells. Wells spent two rounds running roughshod over Harris, then ran headlong into the only move that could have snatched victory from his hands.

It was awesome.

Harris also deserves credit for somehow putting Wells to sleep when the choke was seemingly half as deep as it needed to be.

3. Alexa Grasso Lands ‘Ultimate Whiff Punish’

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

It may have been a rear-naked choke, but it was the rear naked choke of 2023 (watch it). After years of failing to live up to her considerable potential, Alexa Grasso perfectly timed one of Valentina Shevchenko’s signature spinning back kicks at UFC 285 to take her back and hand the champ her first-ever submission defeat.

2. Louis Glismann via ‘Whatchamacallit’

Sometimes a submission is just so darn cool that it doesn’t matter whether you’ve heard of either fighter involved. At OKTAGON 43, Louis Glismann tapped Melvin van Suijdam with an inverted omoplata, a technique I wasn’t even aware existed before he used to rearrange van Suijdam’s shoulder. Wild stuff.

1. Davey Grant’s ‘Buzzer Beater’

There were placements on this and other lists that I agonized over. This was not one of them: Davey Grant, baby.

• hit a very rare, low-percentage submission
• on one of the higher-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in his division
• with less than 30 seconds left in a fight he was losing

From the moment this happened, everyone else was fighting for second place.

Honorable Mention:

• Shavkat Rakhmonov (rear-naked choke) Geoff Neal – Watch Highlights
• Abdoul Abdouraguimov (kneebar) Rafal Haratyk
• Alexander Volkov (Ezekiel choke) Tai Tuivasa – Watch Highlights
• Jon Jones (guillotine choke) Ciryl Gane – Watch Highlights
• Joanderson Brito (ninja choke) Jonathan Pearce – Watch Highlights

Best Submissions 2023 | Best KOs 2023 | Best Fights 2023 | Best Fighters 2023 | Best Events 2023

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and as the 2023 calendar nears its end, that means it’s time for the MMA community to take some much deserved time off.

This year, the MMA community celebrated another holiday season in the usual fashion: spending time with their loved ones and spreading holiday cheer.

Check out how some of the biggest names in MMA spent their yuletide seasons.

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This year has seen the emergence of a slew of contenders across the board and multiple divisions in the UFC — from almost top-to-bottom.

From the likes of unbeaten starlet, Bo Nickal, to Japanese up and comer, Tatsuro Taira, an even PFL prospect, Dakota Ditcheva, the above trio have stood out leaps and bounds ahead of the rest in terms for bang for your buck for their respective organizations — with each possessing massive career ceilings by the looks of things. However, as far as standouts are concerned, amateur wrestling phenom, Bo Nickal has received the majority of votes by staff at LowKick MMA — crowning him as our Prospect of the Year for 2023.

Prospect of the Year – Bo Nickal – UFC – 2-0-0 (5 votes)

Reveared ahead of his eventual move to the UFC following a pair of bouts on Dana White’s Contender Series, Colorado-born grappling ace, Bo Nickal has already received billing as a surefire top-contender at the middleweight limit in the future — if not a future gold holder.

Nickal, 27, improved his unbeaten professional record to first 4-0 then 5-0 by the end of the summer, landing consecutive victories by submission over Jamie Pickett, and then Val Woodburn with a hasty first round knockout, respectively.

Booked to make his third appearance in the Octagon next year, Nickal returns at a monumental UFC 300 card next April, taking on Cody Brundage.

Honorable Mentions –

Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC – 2-0-0 (1 vote)

Likely just making the cut-off point to be considering an out-and-out prospect — unbeaten Uzbekistan finishing machine, Shavkat Rakhmonov demonstrated why many have tipped him to win welterweight gold before the end of next year — laying waste to perennial contender, Stephen Thompson in one-sided fashion last weekend.

The 18-0 fighter landed his whopping eighteenth consecutive stoppage win at UFC 296 earlier this month with his second round rear-naked choke win over Thompson, having stopped Geoff Neal with a brutal third round standing rear-naked choke back in March.

Earning the number three rank with his win over Thompson, Rakhmonov has been touted to challenge Leon Edwards for welterweight gold potentially as soon as his next outing.

Tatsuro Taira – UFC – 3-0-0 (1 vote)

Turning in an unbeaten three-fight tenure in the UFC this year, surging Japanese prospect, Tatusro Taira ended the year with a top-15 cracking display against Carlos Hernandez at the beginning of the month, landing in the ranks at the flyweight limit — as well as improving to 15-0 as a professional. This year alone, Taira, 23, has beaten the aforenoted, Hernandez to go with a win over Edgar Chairez, and Jesus Santos Aguilar.

Dakota Ditcheva – PFL – 3-0-0 (1 vote)

British flyweight striker, Dakota Ditcheva not only brought an end to her 2023 schedule boasting an impressive 10-0 undefeated record, but also landed the PFL (Professional Fighters League) Europe flyweight tournament success at the flyweight limit, amid a run of three consecutive finishes.

Ditcheva, 25, has been revered for her impressive striking ability, landing eight career stoppages via knockout so far — the most recent of which in her TKO success against Valentina Scattizi in Dublin earlier this month — minting herself as the PFL flyweight champion of Europe.

Full list of the LowKick MMA 2023 Prospect of the Year votes:

Ross Markey: Bo Nickal

Ian Shutts: Bo Nickal

Craig Pekios: Bo Nickal

Makoa Goble: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Tony King: Bo Nickal

Red Pill MMA: Bo Nickal

Michael Owens: Dakota Ditcheva

Danny Podolsky: Tatsuro Taira

LowKickMMA.com

Just one year after leaving the company, Nate Diaz is seemingly looking for a way back in, with a fight at UFC 300 high on his bucket list.

The Stockton native established himself as a household name throughout his early career and subsequent feud with Conor McGregor. The controversial competitor left the promotion with a submission victory over Tony Ferguson but he could have now found his path back to the octagon.

After stating his interest in getting a fight on the historic UFC 300 card, Nate Diaz was called out by numerous big-name MMA stars, but arguably none bigger than Dustin Poirier. ‘The Diamond’ proposed a five-round collision in what would certainly be a fan-favorite matchup should it occur on April 13.

5 rnds

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 24, 2023

Poirier finds himself in an unusual spot in his career and has confirmed that he will most likely only take fights that excite him. Since missing out on claiming the undisputed lightweight title for the second time, the Louisiana brawler is 1-1 inside the cage.

An impressive fight-of-the-year contender victory over Michael Chandler in the last quarter of 2022 was then followed by a devastating knockout loss to Justin Gaethje earlier this year.

Related: Dustin Poirier: ‘To make it on UFC 300 would be cool’

Looking to force his way back into the win column and toward a potential title shot, Poirier remains adamant about getting himself a high-profile bout for UFC 300. Continuing his push for a fight, the 34-year-old referenced his potential next opponent’s brother, Nick Diaz, to call out Nate on social media.

Don't be scared homie.

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 24, 2023

The two were scheduled to lock horns back in 2018, but the bout fell through due to Dustin Poirier sustaining a hip injury—which would sideline him for several months. They would never reschedule their meeting and Poirier would instead go on to fight Max Holloway and win the aforementioned interim gold.

The clash was just one of many that were forced off of the UFC 230 card. Daniel Cormier’s title defense against Derrick Lewis would headline the event, with huge names like Israel Adesanya, Chris Weidman, and Jared Cannonier also competing on the same night.

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