1. Israel Adesanya: Robert Whittaker, one of the most tactical, smart MMA fighters we’ve seen in our time decides to charge an unbelievable counter fighter like a drunk bull over and over, and kept getting his ass kicked until it was mercifully stopped in the second. Israel Adesanya is the new undisputed middleweight champion of this world after Bobby Knuckles played right into his biggest strength. Whether it was being in front of the home crowd, or the inability to solve the riddle that is Adesanya, but he looked awful.
2. Gennady Golovkin: The matchup that got him stripped of his world championship when he wouldn’t take it on happened on Saturday, and I can see why he avoided it. Sergiy Derevyanchenko gave Golovkin all he could handle, and on scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 114-113, GGG is the new and once again, IBF Middleweight Champion of this world. What’s next? Well, I know that the version of Gennady that came out on Saturday would get starched by Canelo, so he can probably count that dream out.
3. Dan Hooker: To paraphrase Daniel Cormier, Hooker fought the best possible fight he could have possibly fought. He took apart Al Iaquinta in the co-main of UFC 243 piece-by-piece.
4. Lorenz Larkin: Two Bellator welterweight stalwarts collided when Larkin took on former champ Andrey Koreshkov, and prevailed by split-decision in the main event of Bellator 229.
5. Jaron Ennis: Thanks to Claressa Shields and company being total manslaughtery idiots, Ennis landed a main event spot on Showtime, and delivered with a third-round TKO over Demian Daniel Fernandez.
6. Augusto Tanquinho Mendes: Is the new Fight To Win Lightweight No-Gi champion after a split-decision over Matheus Gabriel in the main event of Fight To Win 127.
7. Ryan Walsh: Handed Hairon Socarras his first professional loss in the main event of Top Rank and ESPN+’s weekend UK offering.
8. Goiti Yamauchi: The last time Saad Awad lost by submission, it was eight and a half years, and 22 fights ago. It took exactly 100 seconds for another armbar to fall Awad in the co-main event of Bellator 229.
9. Ali Akhmedov: In just under a round, the super middleweight put away Andrew Hernandez in the co-main of GGG-Derevyanchenko on DAZN from Madison Square Garden.
10. Israil Madrimov: Make that 4-0 for the Silver Medalist after a fifth-round TKO of Aljandro Barrera on the GGG-Derevyanchenko card.
11. Levi Ritgers: Ritgers and fellow heavyweight Dexter Suisse tangled in the main event of Enfusion 88 from Dordrecht, and it was Rigters dropping Suisse and then keeping the pressure on him for a TKO stoppage.
12. Pearl Gonzalez: Jinh Yu Frey pulling out with an injury gave Gonzalez her second consecutive main event and she didn’t disappoint, pitching a three-round shutout over Brogan Sanchez at Invicta 37.
13. Vitor Oliveira: The New Fight To Win Masters Welterweight champ after a UD over Rafael Formiga Barbosa.
14. Cain Velasquez: With Cain’s surprise debut on WWE’s first FOX show, and his withdrawal from the USADA testing pool, it appears one of the best of all-time, and a top-5 heavyweight of all-time looks like he’s hanging the gloves up. From watching his matches in Mexico’s AAA, the dude is a prodigy and is destined for great things in the wrestling world.
15. John Molina Jr.: Wrapped up an entertaining career with his official retirement. Molina was never the most skilled or technically adept fighter, but he succeeded on heart and grit, and he never left us bored and like he stole our money.
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