2020 was a wild year for MMA, it seems to have lasted a lifetime. With all the action that happened throughout the year, it is difficult to remember what happened. This series seeks to help with this by providing an overview of what happened in each weight class and an overview of what we can expect in 2021.
The good
2020 was a year of transition for the bantamweight division, as UFC, Bellator and Rizin saw the crowning of new 135-pound champions. The UFC in particular felt in flux as the champion at the beginning of the year, Henry Cejudo vacated the title and retired from the sport. In the sequence, Petr Yan won the vacant title with a victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 251 to restore the hierarchy, although many feel that Aljamain Sterling is the true crownless champion of the category.
Meanwhile, at Bellator, the second world MMA organization finally managed to crown the champion after taking Kyoji Horiguchi out of that title last year due to inactivity. Juan Archuleta won the title after an excellent five-round battle with Patchy Mix at Bellator 246. And in Rizin, Kai Asakura claimed the title that Manel Kape left when he signed with the UFC, however, Asakura’s reign was short-lived, as he lost his belt on New Year’s Eve to none other than Horiguchi.
However, they were not just new bantamweight champions. Throughout the standings, the contestants rose and announced themselves, while the older veterans seem to have finally aged. Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font, Merab Dvalishvili, Marlon Vera and Sean O’Malley started making a splash in the heavyweight 135 pound division of the UFC, and are the key players in the future.
The evil
Like Joseph Benavidez in flyweight, 2020 was a year to forget for Marlon Moraes. The former bantamweight belt challenger won 0-2 in the UFC, being knocked out by Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font. Moraes’ chin seems to have abandoned him and, despite being only 32 years old, at this point it is difficult to imagine that he can get the ship. The bantamweight is getting younger and more hostile, and it looks like the “magic” may be over.
The ugly
Colby Covington may call himself “Chaos”, but that name best describes Henry Cejudo. First, despite being champion of one of the sport’s deepest divisions, Cejudo was actively uninterested in defending his title against the top contenders. Instead, Cejudo tried to defend himself against Jose Aldo, and when that fight had to be canceled, he fought against Dominick Cruz. Both Aldo and Cruz are legends of the sport, but neither was the main candidate in the category. Then, after passing through Cruz, Cejudo retired, leaving a total fustercluck behind.
In Cejudo’s absence, the UFC booked Petr Yan vs. Aldo for reasons that still amaze the mind and instead made Aljamain Sterling face Cory Sandhagen, apparently for the next title shot. However, after Sterling destroyed Sandhagen, the UFC still spent months dragging his foot over Sterling x Yan, despite both parties and all the fans wanting it. Finally, they prepared, but as it took too long, visa issues prevented Yan from participating in the fight. In short, the UFC regally managed one of its best categories badly in 2020, but the bantamweight is so big that nobody remembers it.
A division’s MVP is not just a question of “Who is the best fighter in the division?” Instead, it looks at who provided the most entertainment in the division over the year, win or lose.
The competition was fierce in the bantamweight division this year. Kyler Philips fought only twice in 2020, but both received the Performance of the Night honors. Sean O’Malley fought three times last year, earning two Performance of the Night bonuses and being knocked out in his third fight, all while stirring things up with the top bantamweight. Then there is Naoki Inoue in Rizin who managed three clean wins, two by submission in the first round. But really, this is a two horse race between Kai Asakura and Brian Kelleher.
Kelleher fought four times in 2020 (although one was at featherweight) and earned performance bonuses on three of them. Meanwhile, Asakura fought four times in 2020 (including an exhibition fight) and delivered two knockouts in the first round of football and a 24-second submission in his three wins, and then a quick KO loss to Horiguchi. The difference between the two comes down to defeat, with Kelleher’s fight against Merab Dvalishvili providing less entertainment value than Asakura’s rematch with Horguchi. In the end, no fighter provided more return on his investment this year than Kai Asakura.
Honorable mentions: Merab Dvalishvili, Juan Archuleta, Nate Maness, Casey Kenney
Kyoji Horiguchi KOs Kai Asakura with punches, Rizin 26
Juan Archuleta wins unanimous decision on Patchy Mix, Bellator 246
Brian Kelleher submits Ode Osbourne with a guillotine, UFC 246
Kai Asakura KOs Hiromasa Ougikubo with a knee and soccer kicks, Rizin 23
Kai Asakura KOs Shoji Maruyama with soccer punches and kicks, Rizin 24
Aljamain Sterling submits Cory Sandhagen with a rear naked choke at UFC 250
Victor Henry KOs Masanori Kanehara with punches, Rizin 21
Kenji Kato KOs Erson Yamamoto with punches, Rizin 22
Naoki Inoue submits Yuki Motoya with a rear naked choke, Rizin 26
Sean O’Malley KOs Jose Alberto Quinonez, UFC 248
Sean O’Malley KOs Eddie Wineland with a punch, UFC 250
Davey Grant KOs Martin Day with a punch, UFC 251
Randy Costa KOs Journey Newson with a kick to the head, UFC Vegas 11
Miles Johns KOs Kevin Natividad with a punch, UFC Vegas 12
Adrian Yanez KOs Victor Rodriguez with a kick to the head, UFC Vegas 12
As 2020 was a transition year for the rooster division, 2021 will be a showcase year for 135-pound people worldwide. In front of the UFC, Petr Yan has a potential Fight of the Year with Aljamain Sterling soon, and after that, the winner can probably wait to face the winner of Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar, with many other rising candidates waiting for the wings. Outside the UFC, Bellator has a challenger ready for newly crowned champion Juan Archuleta in Sergio Pettis, or perhaps another co-promotion with Rizin and Kyoji Horiguchi. If not for Horiguchi, there is always a trilogy fight with Asakura or, more likely, a fight with Naoki Inoue.
In short, the beloved division of hardcore MMA fans is entering 2021 with a series of striking clashes already underway and, with just more opportunities emerging, it will likely remain one of the sport’s most beloved divisions.