5 Best MMA Fighters of 2018
It's that time of the year again when year-end listicles saturate our news feeds. Why should we miss out on the fun then, eh? So let's kick things off with the most generic one of the lot -- Best Fighters of 2018.
2018 was a groundbreaking year for the UFC. The most popular MMA promotion in the world completed 25 years since its very first event -- UFC 1 went live on PPV on November 12th, 1993. There was no shortage of exciting cards and upsets all throughout the monumental year that only helped increase a bludgeoning fan base of the sport in general.
From a financial standpoint, the Dana White-led organization broke the record for the highest PPV buys for a single event when they raked in 2,400,00 for UFC 229. While the company owes their success to the entire roster, a handful of names stood out and made 2018 their own.
These exceptionally world-class mixed martial artists rose to the occasion and did more than enough to warrant their inclusion on this list. So let's not waste any more time and see the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
Max Holloway (Ended the 14-fight undefeated streak of Brian Ortega to retain the Featherweight title)
Kumaru Usma (Undefeated in the UFC in the UFC, 13-fight win streak, 3 wins in 2018)
#5 Israel Adesanya (15-0)
The Last Stylebender may hate the comparison to Jon Jones, but you can't help but think of a young version of Bones whenever Adesanya steps inside the Octagon.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander's explosive and highly inventive style of fighting had already attracted tons of fans even before he was signed up by the UFC.
He was brought on board by Dana White and co. in December 2017 and he made his debut in February against Rob Wilkinson. Adesanya took home a performance of the night bonus in his debut fight by finishing off the Australian with a combination of knees and punches.
He went on to have three more fights in April, July, and November respectively and added two more performance of the night tags to his name. While his undefeated record was momentarily in jeopardy against a resilient Marvin Vettori, Israel remained focused and got a split decision victory against the Italian.
In his first year, Israel already boasts of 4 consecutive wins in a span of 10 months with three performance of the night bonuses while also rising to be the #6 ranked Middleweight in the official UFC rankings. The uberly confident 29-year-old is scheduled to face the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 234 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on February 10th, 2019 and a win could grant him an immediate title shot. Will 2019 be the year of the Stylebender?