2021 is coming to an end, and in this year full of joy, sadness, surprise and loneliness, the world's top martial arts masters are still in the octagonal cage, offering one after another blood-boiling and sighing legendary stories for global audiences. In the past year, in this arena where the strong are respected and the winners are kings, some people have fallen into the trough, some have gone to the top, some have left in disgrace, and some people have made a comeback, and today, let's review the major events that occurred in the octagonal cage in 2021.
Lightweight
The mouth cannon falls, and the diamond is full
Grassroots kings, steal the day for another day
As the "ace level" with the most UFC stars, the greatest influence and the highest box office value today, the lightweight level continues to play the role of "fixing the sea god needle" in the octagonal cage in 2021, but the protagonist of this battlefield this year has undergone obvious changes.
UFC's "top superstar of all time" Connor McGregor originally wanted to restore glory after the departure of "Kitty Hawk" Habib, but his former defeated "Diamond" Poirell became the first "darling of fate" to win two "mouth cannons" in the octagon cage with two dramatic victories.
And when the handsome-looking, record-winning, and greatly increased fame and value of the "Diamond", only one step away from the "superstar status", another "grassroots champion" Charles Oliveira, who has been outside the first line in the "Eagle Gun Era" and relied on defeating Michael Chandler to ascend to the vacant throne, completely smashed the "dream of the superstar" of the "Diamond" with extraordinary tenacity and comprehensive technology, and became the "ultimate winner" in this game of power.
And the slight irony is that his rich prize is that he finally got the opportunity to compete with comrade Connor of "Box Office Myth" and "International Superstar"...
Women's arena
Wei Li lost the title and Rose was reinstated
Bullets dominate, lionessesses roll over
Although the loss of the championship belt is indeed extremely regrettable, although the two encounters between Wei Li and Rose this year have ended in defeat, the fact that we need to face up to the most is that anyone can only lose what he has.
Many domestic audiences, after seeing Wei Li lose her belt, were depressed and sad, but forgot that it was precisely because of Wei Li's "historic victory" that our audience experienced the complex feelings of witnessing their own champions and national heroes fall off the throne for the first time. As the banner and pioneer of the Chinese martial arts movement, Wei Li carries everyone's blessings and expectations, and has gone through the complete process of a great champion from the beginning to the ascent, from the top to the defeat.
But as a player, her future journey is still full of endless possibilities - after all, in the second world war, facing Rose whose strength, experience and state are at the peak, Wei Li can still play a difficult difference in the case of away combat and technical and tactical upgrades are still not completed, so after the completion of the future upgrade, her competitiveness in the top ranks is definitely more worth looking forward to.
As for the lioness's "amazing overturning" on the recent UFC 269, it is like a "warning" to the current rulers such as Bullet, Black Dragon and Usman, and a "comfort" to all the frustrated people this year.
Large level
The iron-blooded banner, the mighty world
Old Xie Qiwei, a dream come true
Since the "iron-blooded" Nagano opened a winning streak and emerged in the octagonal cage, audiences around the world are looking forward to the day when he reaches the top of the heavyweight. People hope that this "ultimate demon king" who came from a poor background but refreshed the limits of human body can cherish the extraordinary talent given by god and break out of a broader sky for himself and for the fighting sport, and this year, he finally did it.
Today's "iron blood", boxing is still not top-notch, the technology is still not delicate enough, but when the "demon king" who has learned to control the rhythm, allocate physical strength, rationally advance and retreat, and look for opportunities, at the UFC260 in March this year, once again faced the "firefighter" Mioqi, who represented the peak of the "Terran" combat strength, the balance of victory and defeat was already tilted in advance.
Nagano's ascent not only made him famous, but also raised the ceiling of martial arts by a large margin, from now on, every time he defends his title, it is a brave impact of human beings to this height, and the development of martial arts will also enter an unprecedented new level with the climbing of the braves.
If the strong summit of "Iron Blood" in the heavyweight is the victory of talent, then the Brazilian veteran Teixeira's "twilight victory" in the light heavyweight is an unexpected and touching "inspirational legend". At UFC 267 in October this year, the 42-year-old Lao Xie, in the case of being generally looked down on before the game, demoted and ended the defending champion, "Polish Hammer" Blačović, leaving a colorful and exciting final chapter for himself to enter the end of his career.
Perhaps, in the face of the new generation of "beasts" who are getting stronger and stronger, and even the "bones" Jones has to avoid his sharp edge, Lao Xie's rule in the light and heavyweights may be very short, but for this great fighter who has been ruined by fate, but still does not forget his original intention and fights to the end, this belt is enough.
Intermediate level
The black dragon is entrenched, and the five stars are returning
Nightmares shrouded, iron barrels
Unlike the large-scale earth-shaking, the two battlefields of the middle and secondary levels are still under the control of powerful rulers, but under the seemingly calm appearance, there are already new threats surging undercurrents.
The current middleweight champion Adi Saya, although in the cross-level challenge at the beginning of the year UFC 259, judged to lose to the then light and heavy champion Blačovic, not only failed to achieve the "dream of double champions", but also swallowed the bitter fruit of the first defeat of his career, but his rule in the middleweight was not shaken by this.
Back in the middleweight Adisaya, in June this year, UFC 263, successfully withstood the challenge of the old opponent "Yimeng" Vittori, further consolidating his dominance, at the same time, several other top challengers in the middleweight have been cleared by another old era of "ghosts", from last July, the former champion "five-star" Whitaker, with a wave of super high gold content three consecutive wins, returned to the top ranks, and his reunion with Adisaya will once again determine the future of the middleweight.
Compared with Adi Saya, who is about to usher in the revenge of the old king, the current secondary overlord "Nightmare" Usman is gradually entering the situation of "lonely defeat", although Burns's opening critical blow makes him break out in a cold sweat, although the mad provocation of the motor makes him disgusted and upset, although the tenacity of his old opponent Covington makes him quite laborious, but in fact, none of the three top masters who challenged him in this year's three defending battles can pose a substantial threat to him.
Today's Usman, although it has not yet broken the defending record of the "second in the middle" GSP, but considering that the top challengers in the second place have basically been brushed by him, the "nightmare" surpasses the GSP, perhaps it is really only a matter of time, and the sudden emergence of the "popular new star" and "Chechen wolf" Chimayev in the past two years may be the final "variable" on his road to godhood.
Small level
The Emperor guards the mountain, and God blesses the clearance
The deer was lost, and the world was in chaos
Xiao Mo is on the throne, and the prosperous world is coming
With the emergence of new people in recent years, the small-level pattern of UFC is also quietly changing. Featherweight, which once became the focus of the world due to the presence of popular kings such as Aldo, Connor, and Tianyou, has recently lost its belt due to the loss of the belt by "Tianyou", and the "Emperor" has declined due to illness, although the current champion Alexander, at UFC 266 in September this year, won a lot of popularity with a bumpy and thrilling defending battle.
But relatively speaking, the former champion "Tianyou", who has won two consecutive victories over two top masters this year and has shown "king style" many times in the competition, looks more like a "champion" than him. Although the "Heavenly Blessing Dynasty" has ended, in order to officially announce the arrival of the "Emperor Era", Alexander still needs to show more achievements in the future.
Peter Yan, the youngweight champion who had just ascended to the throne last year, had the opportunity to establish his own rule, but the illegal knee strike at UFC 259 in March this year forced him to give up his hard-won belt, and the order of the young weight was also plunged into unprecedented chaos with this unexpected result.
Sterling, who relied on the rules to legally ascend to the throne, originally won nothing wrong, but the surprise of the "Heavenly Belt" made this powerful wrestling master begin to have a heart demon like Gollum who picked up the ring in "The Lord of the Rings".
The loss and long truce of the statutory champions have also rekindled the hopes of the top-ranked challengers for the highest power, even if Peter Yan defeated Sandhagen in UFC 267 in October this year to win the temporary belt, it will not be able to calm the ambitions of the powers. In a word, until the birth of a real and indisputable champion, the youngweight will always be in the chaos of the crowd.
As for the former "box office poison" fly weight, but because of the wayward retirement of Sai Hudo last year, it has entered an unprecedented period of prosperity, and last year's "hairdresser" Figueretto's domineering summit, as well as the Mexican boy Moreno's bloody challenge, let the fly weight shine in the octagonal cage.
And this year's strong ascension of Xiao Mo is even more so that the flyweight surpasses the featherweight of the championship truce and the magnitude of the world's chaos, becoming the most concerned and suspenseful one in the small level, and the upcoming three battles of the two champions will bring the almost "transparent" flyweight of the year into a new glory.
Chinese Legion
The wolf hunt failed, and Jing Liang drank and hated
Thick accumulation, the future can be expected
For the Chinese Legion, 2021 is undoubtedly a year full of setbacks. In addition to Zhang Weili's loss of the belt, the key defeats of Li Jingliang and Yan Xiaonan, as well as the first battle of Liang Na, Rong Lord and other newcomers, have made the majority of domestic audiences feel sad for them.
However, in the long run, many setbacks and defeats this year are not a bad thing for the future development of the Chinese Legion. Wei Li and Xiao Nan's loss of the game let everyone see the top domestic players and their teams, in the technical level and physical training and international standards, there are also strategy, tactics, and execution effects and other aspects of the gap, and to find the gap, it is precisely the beginning of catching up and overtaking.
As for Jing Liang's initiative to fight the Chechen wolves, although he was surrendered to the end, this is the first time that China's male players have participated in a power game that is related to the future pattern of the level, even if the first level is wrong, but as a beginner player, only by entering the game first can there be hope of continuing to play.
In the near future, Song Yadong and Sumudalji, who already have the same as Jing Liang, who have the top fifteen rankings, will continue to enter the game and explore, and break out a broader road for themselves and for the entire Chinese legion.
We'll see you again in 2022!