The Best Staying on Top
It’s never easy to be the other fight in situations like the one that was on display at UFC 239 during UFC fight week.
The entire week was leading up to watching the best male and female fighters in the world defend their belts for another time.
Amanda Nunes and Jon Jones have been through it all before and the pressure of being favourites doesn’t affect them much.
They were the two fighters everyone was talking about before the fight and throughout the week as both were looking to solidify their spot at the top of the all-time lists.
It was all about Jones showing that he is unbeatable and that he remains the pound for pound greatest in the men’s side of things.
For Nunes, it was about taking out one more female fighting legend to put every major name in her win column and show she is the best ever.
As the fight approached the concentration on these two fighters only increased as they became the only stories.
That can be a challenge for their opponents as they go through an entire week answering almost no questions and hearing about the impossible odds they are facing.
It is not the best way to prepare for a fight but those who can push through it are the ones who can shock the world.
It is hard enough to fight people with the talent that Nunes and Jones possess but when everyone is telling you that you are going to lose the mental side takes a major hit.
You have to be mentally and physically fit as the challengers need to be at their absolute best to take wins against the best in the world.
For Holly Holm, the position was familiar as she had been the underdog before facing what looked like sure defeat.
Nobody gave her much of a chance when she entered the Octagon against Ronda Rousey during the height of Rousey’s popularity.
Rousey was going through everyone and Holms was set to try to shock the world and be the first to beat the champion.
Holm did just that as she was the first to bet Rousey with a shocking head kick that will go down as one of the greatest upsets ever.
She was back in that same position facing Nunes who had already beat the biggest names in women’s MMA including Miesha Tate, Rousey and Cris Cyborg.
Holm was looking to end the trend of the only woman to win two belts in the UFC and if she wasn’t going to be talked about she would just have to make people talk.
Unfortunately for Holm, that wasn’t in the cards as Nunes showed why she was able to take two belts.
Despite the pressure that Holm looked to put on the champion, it wasn’t enough to take the win as Nunes was able to counter and eventually land a massive head kick.
That kick brought an end to the fight and made sure that everyone knew who the greatest not just of right now but ever was in women’s MMA.
Thiago Santos had a slightly different experience as he had never been able to fight someone like Jones before in his career.
It was going to be a challenge but after impressive performances in the light heavyweight division had made him a top contender.
He was given no chance to beat someone like Jones but his power gave him a shot as he could likely knock the champion out.
The challenge would be getting that shot to land, which nobody has ever done against Jones.
Santos put up a great performance against Jones in a fight that not many knew was coming.
Jones did not look like his dominant self as he saw a back and forth that not many fighters are abl to manage against him.
Santos likely took a few rounds himself rather than what most people expected, a clear knockout win by Jones.
Still, though, Jones was the better fighter and although the methodical approach wasn’t as impressive as many expected.
Santos put up a good fight but in the end, Jones was the one to take the win and continue to be the best in the world.
All of the talk turned out to be the truth though as both of the fighter thought to be the best proved just that.
As the dust settles on a wild night two fighters have come out on top as the best in the promotion and they will continue to cement their legacies with bright futures ahead of them.
The Sport Addiction 