The Story of UFC’s 2015 So Far

With the UFC compressing seven shows into the first eight weeks of 2015, across three continents no less, there has been scant time to reflect on what has been an exceedingly eventful beginning to the calendar year, both inside and outside the Octagon.

So, with a little under two weeks between now and UFC 185, it feels like an apt time to take stock of all the happenings and assess the current state of affairs.

The drugs don’t work

Our ears just stopped ringing from the news that Jon Jones had tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine, a month prior to his successful title defence against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on January 3rd. Then more devastation, as it emerged, just days after UFC 183 that both main event fighters, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, had banned substances found in their systems.

The issue was further compounded when it was announced that Hector Lombard, following his victory over Josh Burkman at UFC 182, had tested positive for an anabolic steroid in his fight night drug test.

The unsavoury series of events finally compelled the UFC to admit that there is sinister drug problem within the sport for which they are the industry leader. On February 18th, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta hosted a press conference, during which they unveiled the UFC’s plans to randomly test all their fighters as of July 1st. The duo also said that they would agitate for sterner reprimands for fighters who tested positive for banned substances.

Regarding Jones and Diaz (marijuana metabolites), both of whom were found to have recreational drugs in their systems, as supposed to PEDs, the transgressions are infinitely more forgivable than the ones perpetrated by Silva and Lombard.

In the case of Silva, the entire debacle has been truly unsettling. For the man widely believed to the greatest fighter to ever live, to have resorted to cheating really does rankle. His comeback, after the gruesome leg-break he suffered in a re-match with Chris Weidman, was seen as a source of great inspiration and pride for the entire MMA community.

That he tested positive in pre and post-fight drug tests and is yet to admit his own culpability, only serves to further tarnish his once gleaming reputation. He is scheduled to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission later this month, where it has been rumoured that he will admit to the usage of PEDs, apparently to aid in the recovery of his leg.

Of course, it’s now all about perception. If the UFC are as serious as they say they are about eliminating drugs from the sport, then surely they must render Silva’s contract null and void if the commission find him guilty.

The year of the underdog

Before getting to the incredible UFC FN 61, where 10 of the 11 bouts were won by fighters slated as the underdog, there were a number of other shocking results that warrant contemplation.

On January 24th at UFC on Fox 14in Stockholm, Sweden, the trend was emphatically initiated by Anthony Johnson, as he bulldozed through Alexander Gustafsson in just over two minutes to earn himself a shot at light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Miesha Tate then got in on the act, albeit less dramatically, when she survived a torrid first round against Sara McMann to comeback and earn a majority decision win on the preliminary card of UFC 183.

A week later at UFC FN 60, Benson Henderson struck a blow for the little guy by submitting welterweight prospect Brandon Thatch. Having lost two lightweight bouts on the bounce, the former champion took the seemingly foolhardy decision to move up to 170lbs and face Thatch, who had finished 10 of his previous 11 opponents. The size disparity between the two as they squared-off in the weigh-ins was so glaring that there only seemed one likely outcome.

But nobody told Henderson and, on just two weeks’ notice, he came through a trying opening two rounds before utilising his superior grappling to submit his foe via rear-naked choke in the fourth. A poignant reminder that, even at the highest level, technique can trump power.

Which brings us to Ginásio Gigantinho, Brazil. In the main event, Frank Mir snapped a four-fight losing streak with a perfectly-placed left hook to the jaw of Bigfoot Silva and capped off a night of upsets which may have left many an odds maker considering their job security.

Mir wasn’t alone. Sam Alvey, Michael Johnson, Frankie Saenz and Marion Reneau all defied the pre-show consensus with impressive showings, and confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that speculation is a tricky business in MMA.

The Ultimate Fighter gets a makeover

Despite culminating in Carla Esparza being crowned the first-ever women’s strawweight champion, TUF 20 adhered to the well-exhausted formula of the long-standing reality series. The show is no longer the fertile conduit of talent it once was, and clearly needed a revamp.

And so it has been decreed. To be aired on Fox Sports 1 on April 22, The Ultimate Fighter 21 will see two gyms pitted against each other for the first time. Welterweights from American Top Team and the Blackzilians will battle it out for the coveted contract, but there’s a twist. Based on the wins and losses of their fighters, each gym stands to make up to $500,000 over the course of the series. Should be interesting.

The relentless march of the Irish continues

As seismic as 2014 was for Irish MMA, this year is shaping up to even more significant. On January 18th, Boston’s TD Garden was a heaving sea of green as Conor McGregor, Paddy Holohan and Cathal Pendred each had their hands raised in front of the biggest Fox audience garnered by the promotion.

At UFC FN 59, Conor McGregor was awarded his shot at Jose Aldo, after systematically dismantling Dennis Siver in less than two rounds. At UFC 189 in Las Vegas, McGregor will become the first Irishman to compete for UFC gold- July 11th can’t come quick enough.

Less than a week after team SBG’s antics, Neil Seery not only gave a career-best performance against Chris Beal, but handed the American his first professional loss. Team Ryano stablemate Paul Redmond came up short in his promotional debut in Stockholm, having attempted to cut 36lbs pounds in less than two weeks for his featherweight showdown with Mirsad Bektic. The Dubliner has since taken a sabbatical from his job as a plumber, and has vowed to be in prime condition for his sophomore outing.

After submitting Alex Chambers at the TUF 20 finale last December, Aisling Daly has been matched with Claudia Gadhela for the UFC’s inaugural trip to Poland on April 11th. With the strawweight division still being relatively shallow, a win for the Dubliner at UFC FN 64 could catapult her into title contention. Cathal Pendred, too, has been given his next assignment, and will travel to Mexico to face Augusto Montano at UFC 188 on June 13th.

Joseph Duffy, the latest Celtic addition to the Zuffa ranks, is due to meet Jake Lindsey at UFC 185, as he begins his climb up the lightweight ladder. Originally scheduled to meet Wagner Rocha, the Donegal native has taken his training to the famed Tristar Gym, in Montreal, Canada. A telling win over Lindsey should bring an end to the ‘last man to beat Conor McGregor’ tag and allow Duffy forge a definite identity of his own.

All hail Queen Ronda

Perhaps the most telling part of Ronda Rousey’s recording-breaking 14 second submission of Cat Zingano at UFC 184 last Saturday, was that it wasn’t all that surprising. It did, after all, take her just two seconds longer to dispose of Alexis Davis in her previous title defence at UFC 175. Her victory over Sara McMann, which took 1.06, now seems like a drawn out war of attrition, worthy of serious analysis to uncover just why it took so long to defeat her fellow Olympian.

Needless superlatives aside, what cannot be disputed is that the UFC bantamweight champion is the face, body, head and feet of women’s MMA. She ticks every box with aplomb and looks set surpass all her male counterparts, past or present.

That said, there is no shortage of women eager to usurp her. Bethe Correia has been campaigning for crack at Rousey, as has Jessica Eye. Then there’s Cris Cyborg, arguably the only current fighter with any real prospect of troubling ‘Rowdy’. However, as impressive as she was in defending her featherweight title at Invicta FC 11 last Friday, the Brazilian is adamant she cannot make 135 lbs.

Holly Holm may not have set world alight in defeating Racquel Pennington at UFC 184, but she does possess the type of skillset that could unsettle Rousey. A fighter that could engage at distance and pick their shots on the outside may exploit Rousey’s developing striking, while negating her obvious strength and grappling advantage. But, by Holm’s own admission, she is someway from challenging the greatest female fighter on the planet.