Look ahead to the much-anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, which is set to headline UFC 257 on Saturday, January 23, in Abu Dhabi.
(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com)
Kyoji Horiguchi recaptured the Rizin bantamweight title with a first-round stoppage win over Kai Asakura at Rizin 26 on Friday. The UFC veteran was returning after a lengthy layoff and coming off a loss to the same opponent.
Horiguchi was back to his brilliant best and Asakura simply had no answer for his striking. The champion was on the receiving end of a series of right low kicks at the start of the fight.
Asakura tried to counter with a high kick, but Horiguchi made him miss and continued to punish the lead left leg. The champion was in visible discomfort and tried to turn the fight around with a flying knee.
MMAWeekly’s Best of 2020
January 1, 2021
With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we look back on a year that was like no other year in MMA history.
COVID-19 canceled events, forced fighters out of bouts, and created last-minute fight card changes. Despite the difficulties of operating during a global pandemic, the athletes rose above the noise.
As we look back on 2020, it was difficult to narrow down the best of each category, not because of a lack of bouts, but because so many fighters delivered such strong performances despite the chips stacked against them.
2020 Fighter of the Year:
Deiveson Figueiredo
Many wrote Deiveson Figueiredo off when he missed weight for his flyweight title fight with Joseph Benavidez. But he seemingly came from out of nowhere to defeat Benavidez to capture the belt after Henry Cejudo was stripped.