1. Saul Alvarez: Canelo is now a three-division world champion after defeating Rocky Fielding with ease in the third-round in his DAZN debut.
2. Michael Chandler: Order has been restored. Chandler is the Bellator Lightweight champion and it feels like a warm blanket that grandma made. Comfortable, natural, familiar.
3. Tevin Farmer: Stepped into the co-main slot of the Canelo vs. Rocky card and didn’t let the bright lights affect him, as he made his second defense of his IBF junior lightweight title over Francisco Fonseca.
4. Gilberto Ramirez: For the second time, Jesse Hart couldn’t get by Ramirez for his WBO Super Middleweight title. Hart either needs to change weight classes or go after someone else. It was close again, but he just can’t get over this hump.
5. Nobuhiro Sawada/Joao Miyao/Kennedy Leonardo Maciel/Gianni Grippo/Hugo Marques/Joshua Hinger/Timothy-Michael Spriggs/Kaynan Duarte/Gordon Ryan/Mayssa Bastos/Eira Davies/Catherine Perret/Beatriz Mesquita/Luanna Moraes/Nathiely Karoline de Jesus/Jessica da Silva: Your 2018 IBJJF No-Gi Champions. Extra kudos to Beatriz and Gordon Ryan for winning their respective openweight divisions, also.
6. Al Iaquinta: As far as losses that weren’t avenged, Kevin Lee took hold of the fight early on, but it was a five-round tilt, and Lee seemed to fall asleep midway through the third, and Raging Al teed off on him for half of the fight, earning a UD win and staying in title contention.
7. Edson Barboza: Barboza was the underdog in this contest, but oh my god, did he absolutely deliver a master-class in body work. Hooker will be donating blood via urinal until the spring after that. His abdomen must be pure Prego by now.
8. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane: Closed out the final Bellator show of 2018 with a triangle choke and a main event defense of her women’s flyweight championship over seasoned veteran and UFC title challenger Valerie Letourneau.
9. Katie Taylor: Eva Wahlstrom is a legit undefeated world-class contender, and it didn’t matter one iota. Taylor pitched a shutout on Wahlstrom, handing her her first loss with ease, and defended her two world lightweight titles.
10. Jinh Yu Frey: Another title fight and another controversial split-decision for Jinh Yu Frey. Nevertheless, the champ retains her crown, and perhaps a third fight with Minna Grusander awaits.
11. Neiman Gracie: Handed collegiate wrestling legend his first loss in MMA in the quarterfinals of Bellator’s Welterweight Grand Prix. He’ll face the winner of Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch in the semifinals.
12. Javy Ayala: Made Frank Mir tap to strikes while standing. Sure, the loss of his mouthguard helped that, but good golly, that’s something.
13. Charles Oliveira: It took eight years, but Do Bronx avenged one of his few losses, in an absolute throttling of iron-hardened Jim Miller, who rarely gets throttled.
14. Sergei Kuliaba: Won the 66kg tournament at Kunlun Fight 79.
15. Rob Font: Put on a dominant performance against a clearly-overmatched Sergio Pettis on the last FOX card for the UFC.
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