It has been a crazy year for the UFC, to say the least. However, the MMA organization has bounced back strong after a tough 2020. They were one of the first sports organizations to welcome full crowds back to their events. Not to mention there have been some crazy moments in 2021 so far for the company. Although there are still plenty of major fights left to play out, here are some of the fighters who are currently in contention to pick up the title.

What to Do Between Fights

When it comes towards the end of the year, people begin to debate who the fighter of the year was. This is usually awarded to someone who had an impressive calendar year. Multiple wins and good performances will contribute to a fighter’s standings in this award.  However, it is often tough to make, as every fighter has a unique year under the UFC banner. In addition, the year has been unpredictable, meaning you might be reluctant to put your money on some fighters. However, you can still get your gambling in anytime you like, thanks to Lucky Nugget pokies. This is a great way to gamble when you aren’t able to pick a winner.

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Introduction

The surest way to win an MMA fight is to knock the opponent out cold. Not only does it put an immediate stop to the fight, but it also puts on a good show for the crowd that’s watching. Across the history of the UFC, there have been many knockout artists that have put on a show in the cage, and many of them tie for KO wins.

So, let’s take a look at all of them. Note that we’re looking at the most knockouts in all bouts, not just title bouts. If you’re interested in big-league MMA fighting and how the fighters are besting one another, you may be interested in placing bets on the outcomes of fights. If that’s you, you’ll want to check out UFC fight night prelims.

12 KO Wins

The most knockout wins accrued by an individual fighter is 12. Only two fighters in the entire history of the UFC have knocked a whole dozen of their opponents out. Those fighters are Vitor Belfort and Derrick Lewis.

Vitor Belfort

To those who know his fighting prowess, it’s no surprise that Vitor Belfort is at the top of this list. He’s known for his explosive punching, especially when he gets the opponent down, where he hammers punches down hard and fast onto them until the referee calls an end to things. That’s how most of his KOs were decided, though some were also head kicks. Needless to say, opponents who face Belfort are in trouble if they find themselves on the mat.

Derrick Lewis

The other fighter who has knocked out 12 people is Derrick Lewis. While Vitor’s career is winding down, Lewis is nearly a whole decade younger and may be able to rack up another knockout or two in the future. He’s currently #3 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings and is known for his “swangin’ and bangin’,” a term he uses to describe aggressive stand-up fighting. Grapplers have often had trouble getting him down and, in trying, they’ve ended up on the wrong side of his fists.

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Ten years ago, in September 2011, Conor McGregor won his fifth fight in a row and his fifth fight of the year. His record attracted the attention of MMA experts and within a year he had won the Featherweight and Lightweight Cage Warrior Championships and was on his way to the UFC.

His talents were obvious to those in the know, and once he was spotted, his ascent was rapid and meteoric.

At any given time, there could be dozens of young fighters out there with equal talents, and in this short guide, we’ll highlight the best of them. Knowing which fighters to look out for could help sports bettors and odds-seekers using sites like thelines.com. It’ll also give you bragging rights when you predict an unknown fighter’s future and watch them climb the rankings.

Bryce Mitchell

Bryce Mitchell is an undefeated pro who turns 27 in October 2021. The Arkansas native is not exactly an unknown as he’s ranked 11^th in the UFC Featherweight division, but he’s a fighter that many fans are unaware of.

Mitchell’s record is 14-0 and he last fought in October 2020, when he defeated Andre Fili by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Silva. Mitchell is eyeing Dan Ige for his next fight and the two seem destined to fight.

Ige (15-4) is currently ranked 9^th in the Lightweight division and a victory will give Mitchell the attention he deserves.

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Mixed Martial Arts has quickly grown from something quite niche, into a mainstream sport which is taken extremely seriously. It’s estimated that anywhere between 5 and 6 million people watch top UFC fights, for instance. But what exactly is the appeal to its fans? Let’s take a look at the main reasons why people are drawn to the world of MMA.

Anyone Can Do It

Mixed Martial Arts is something that literally anyone can do. With hard work and practice, results are attainable. It’s not that likely that you will become a successful tennis star or golf professional. In fact, without the expensive coaching and equipment, it’s very hard to enjoy any success in many sports.

But MMA is the polar opposite of sports like tennis or golf. You don’t really need much equipment to get going. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall or short, male or female, old or young. Literally anyone can get involved, and this feeling that it is a realistic hobby is definitely one of MMA’s biggest draws.

But it also appeals to something more primal. Humans are naturally competitive. Our ancestors fought over resources such as land and food. In more modern, civilised society, we’ve shifted to fighting for bragging rights, but that animal instinct remains. And MMA is a fantastic way to harness it and channel it in a positive way.

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When it comes to MMA pioneers, Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman is a name that may not be readily recognizable by younger fans.  Nonetheless, his impact on the sport is undeniable. The winner of UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments, and the first UFC Heavyweight champion, Coleman is also known as ‘The Godfather of Ground-and-Pound’ – a nickname which gives credit to his propensity of taking down his opponents and beating them up on the ground, a technique that you can see exhibited in virtually every MMA event today.

As an accomplished collegiate and amateur wrestler, Mark Coleman was also very influential in showing that wrestling is an excellent base for MMA, a statement which holds true to this day.  Coleman’s wrestling accomplishments include multiple NCCA and Pan-American championships, and placing seventh in the 1992 Summer Olympics. “I choked” – is how Mark Coleman describes his Olympic experience to Betway. Of course Coleman had inspirations of bringing home a gold medal, and he also tried out for the 1996 Olympics – but was defeated by Kurt Angle and did not qualify for Team USA. Keep Reading

Tyron Woodley will follow in the footsteps of former UFC victor Ben Askren by taking on Jake Paul in a boxing match at the end of August. The pressure will be on Woodley to avoid the same fate as his Octagon colleague after Askren was knocked out by Paul in the first round of their April fight.

The ringside view of Jake Paul’s TKO. @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/YgasSH1Br4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 18, 2021

There are many who argue that there are numerous mitigating factors that have led to this Paul’s series of victories, after all, he’s renowned for being extremely shrewd when choosing who to fight. Indeed, if the 24-year-old knocks on the door and invites a professional into the ring for a substantial payday, they should be aware that this strategic internet mogul has done the math and firmly believes he can beat them.

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