With 2019 almost over, all eyes in the MMA world are turning towards 2020 and what they year will bring. But before the year closes out, there’s still some 2019 business to attend to, namely, the year-end superlatives.

Every year, a number of media outlets (including MMA Fighting) award honorary titles for Submission of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Fight of the Year, and Fighter of the Year (among other awards) and this year’s race is getting contentious among two of the top contenders for Fighter of the Year.

In the coming days, Henry Cejudo and Jorge Masvidal will likely be among the top finishers in the Fighter of the Year race, and Sunday, the two got into a brief dispute over who rightfully deserves the honors.

The man self-dubbed as “The King of Cringe” has essentially been campaigning for the Fighter of the Year title since winning the bantamweight title at UFC 238, becoming only the fourth “champ-champ” in UFC history. Upon winning the belt, Cejudo dubbed himself “Triple C” given his Olympic gold medal and declared himself the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. Prior to that, Cejudo knocked out then-bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw to defend his own flyweight title at UFC on ESPN+ 1. However, Cejudo also hasn’t competed since his bantamweight title win in June and was recently stripped of his flyweight title due to inactivity.

Meanwhile, Jorge Masvidal likewise had an enormous 2019, knocking out Darren Till in March and then launching himself to mainstream stardom with his five-second flying knee knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July. That knockout, which will almost certainly be the unanimous KO of the Year, also set the record for fastest knockout in UFC history. Then, as the cherry on top of his year, Masvidal won the inaugural BMF belt, stopping Nate Diaz via cut at UFC 244 and setting himself up for a possible welterweight title shot.

Check back to MMA Fighting later this week to find out exactly who will be crowned the 2019 Fighter of the Year.

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MUST-READ STORIES

Results. Check out everything that happened at Bellator 237.

Retirement. Fedor Emelianenko clarifies retirement remarks, plans to finish retirement tour.

Weight loss. Quinton Jackson humble after Bellator 237 loss to Fedor Emelianenko, plans to lose weight.

Exit Interview. Looking back at the heavyweight division’s 2019.

Missed Fists. Celebrating 2019’s best one-hitter quitters, head kicks, spinning s*it, knee knockouts, more.

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VIDEO STEW

UFC decade in review continues.

Looking at the journey of Volkanovski to champion.

Fights that should happen in 2020.

This will now never not be a thing.

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LISTEN UP

Severe MMA. Making 20 bold predictions for what will happen in MMA next year.

Believe You Me. Issuing year-end superlatives for the MMA world.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Rampage.

Interesting take here from the man who used to be Skeletor.

Edwards throwing shade and Woodley in the comments threatening to not fight him.

Such trash talk.

Savage.

Petr Yan is no joke.

UFC Raleigh poster.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tecia Torres (10-5) vs. Mizuki Inoue (14-5); UFC on ESPN 8, March 28.

Greg Hardy (5-2, 1 NC) vs. Yorgan De Castro (6-0); UFC on ESPN 8, March 28.

Khalil Rountree (8-4, 1 NC) vs. Sam Alvey (33-13, 1 NC); UFC on ESPN 8, March 28.

Louis Smolka (16-6) vs. Davey Grant (9-4); UFC on ESPN 8, March 28.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow!

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EXIT POLL

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