UFC: Year In Review 2020 Trivia Quiz

Answer: He did not fight again in 2020

Despite fighting just once in the year 2020, it would prove to be another memorable year for the Irishman. The bout against veteran Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone lasted just 40 seconds as McGregor wobbled Cerrone with Cerrone's own signature left high kick and followed up with punches for a TKO victory.

Other highlights from the UFC 246 card included Drew Dober's knockout of prospect Nasrat Haqparast and Carlos Diego Ferreira's submission of former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis.

Answer: Forehead hematoma

There was a significant amount of animosity heading into the bout, largely as a result of a January 2020 Instagram post from Jedrzejczyk which was seen as a mockery of the coronavirus pandemic in China at the time. She would later apologise for the post, but there was no love lost in this fight of the year contender, a non-stop 25 minute firefight that delighted the audience in attendance. Zhang won a close split decision, with two judges scoring it 48-47 in her favour.

The bout was given 'Fight of the Night' honours.

Other highlights from the UFC 248 card included Sean O'Malley's first round TKO of Jose Alberto Quinonez and Beneil Dariush's knockout in an unbelievable fight against Drakkar Klose.

Answer: UFC Flyweight Champion, UFC Bantamweight Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist in Freestyle Wrestling

Despite taking on a self-proclaimed cringe persona to become a bigger draw in the UFC, there is no doubt that Cejudo's accomplishments speak for themselves. An Olympic Gold Medallist in Freestyle Wrestling, Cejudo made the transition to MMA in 2013 and never looked back, defeating one of the all time greats Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson at UFC 227 to become the UFC Flyweight Champion. Cejudo would then become "Triple C" after going up a weight class to beat Marlon Moraes for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. This would earn him the distinction of becoming just the fourth fighter in the UFC to hold two belts simultaneously. His defeat of Dominick Cruz would also earn him the distinction of becoming just the second fighter to defend two UFC belts in two separate weight classes.

The fight itself at UFC 249 started out as a cerebral display from Cejudo, with the focus on halting the unorthodox movement of Cruz with leg kicks in the first round, before an accidental headbutt in the second seemed to ignite a fire in Cejudo to get the finish with a well timed knee to the head and follow up punches. Referee Keith Peterson would call a stop to the contest at 4:58 of the second round. The finish was not without some controversy however as Cruz deemed it to be an early stoppage, complained that Peterson smelled of alcohol and cigarettes and called for UFC referees to be drug tested. Nevertheless Cejudo did his job and retired in his post-fight interview. Despite his retirement, Cejudo would go on to spend the rest of 2020 calling out UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for a fight at 145 pounds.

Other highlights from the UFC 249 included Calvin Kattar's TKO victory of veteran Featherweight Jeremy Stephens, heavyweight Francis Ngannou's 20-second knockout of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Justin Gaethje's dominant display against perennial lightweight contender Tony Ferguson.

Answer: Sean O'Malley & Cody Garbrandt

The main card began with a bout between Sean O'Malley and veteran Eddie Wineland. The undefeated O'Malley ended the fight in under two minutes after feinting to throw an uppercut before landing a straight punch that caught out and knocked out Wineland. Coming off the back of three straight knockout losses Garbrandt would bounce back against Assuncao in the co-main event of the evening after swinging his entire body weight into a buzzer beater right hand at the end of the second round, which connected to the chin of Assuncao. Both O'Malley and Garbrandt would receive 'Performance of the Night' bonuses for their handiwork.

The rest of 2020 would not be too kind to the two bantamweight competitors. O'Malley would lose his next fight via TKO to Marlon Vera. Garbrandt was scheduled to drop down a weight class and fight for the UFC Flyweight Championship in November at UFC 255 but was forced to pull out of the bout and would not fight again in 2020.

Other highlights from UFC 250 included flyweight Alex Perez's TKO of Jussier Formiga via leg kicks and Nunes' dominant display against Felicia Spencer in the main event of the evening.

Answer: Abu Dhabi

Yas Island in Abu Dhabi was home to the UFC's international fights during the year 2020. The island previously staged three UFC events but staged nine events in 2020. Yas Island is home to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, an amusement park which boasted the world's fastest rollercoaster at its time of opening in 2010 and the Yas Marina Circuit, which began hosting the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009. Footage of UFC personnel being driven around on the track was seen during the broadcast.

Answer: Jorge Masvidal

Few fighters had a better year in 2019 than Jorge Masvidal. After two decision losses in 2017, the veteran came back with renewed focus, knocking Darren Till out in March, setting the new record for fastest knockout in UFC history against the unbeaten Ben Askren in July and headlining Madison Square Garden in November, beating Nate Diaz for a symbolic belt. Masvidal was not quite as successful in 2020.

He would drop a unanimous decision to the Nigerian Kamaru Usman, who utilised his grappling for the vast majority of the bout.

Other highlights from UFC 251 included a spectacular debut from Light Heavyweight Jiri Prochazka against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, the 'Fight of the Night' between Women's Strawweights Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade and Petr Yan's TKO of the legendary Jose Aldo to secure the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Answer: 2-1 Miocic

The eventual trilogy would begin in July 2018 at UFC 226, the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier would return to his original weight class to challenge UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic and become just the second UFC fighter to hold two titles in two weight classes simultaneously, knocking out Miocic in the first round. Professional wrestler and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar entered the octagon to challenge Daniel Cormier, but the bout never came to fruition. In August 2019, the two men would square off again at UFC 241, with Stipe Miocic emerging victorious via fourth round TKO. Miocic was widely praised for his mid-fight adjustments, targeting the body of Cormier to devastating effect.

The trilogy would end in August 2020 at UFC 252, a back and forth fight slightly marred by eye poke fouls would end with Miocic getting his hand raised for the second time after a unanimous decision victory. Cormier would retire in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, but remains an integral figure in the UFC, adding his analysis and commentary to UFC broadcasts throughout 2020 (and the years prior).

Other big moments from UFC 252 included a war on the early preliminary card between Kai Kamaka III and Tony Kelley, Jairzinho Rozenstruik's TKO victory over teammate and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos and Marlon Vera's TKO of the previously undefeated Sean O'Malley in the co-main event.

Answer: Israel Adesanya & Jan Blachowicz

The main event of the evening between UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Paulo Costa was just the second time two undefeated male fighters faced each other in a title fight. There was significant animosity between the two heading into the bout, with Adesanya labelling Costa a 'Ricky Martin wannabe' and 'overinflated balloon animal' and Costa labelling Adesanya a 'skinny clown'. Who ever said martial arts taught respect? The trash talk was more competitive than the fight however, Adesanya made quick work of the challenger, winning by TKO in round 2. The co-main event was a little less acrimonious. Dominick Reyes challenged for the belt for the second time in 2020, after a decision loss to Jon Jones in February. Jones would vacate the belt ahead of a move to the heavyweight division, leading to this battle for the vacant belt at UFC 253. It was Reyes' opponent Jan Blachowicz who would pick up the win, using his "Legendary Polish Power" to devastating effect, winning by TKO in round 2.

Other highlights from the UFC 253 event included Slovakian debutant L'udovit Klein's knockout victory over Shane Young and a 'Fight of the Night' battle between UFC Flyweights Brandon Royval and Kai Kara-France.

Answer: True

What are the chances of Edson Barboza competing on a card with two spinning kick finishes on it and not getting in on the action? Joaquin Buckley picked up the mantle early in the night, becoming an overnight sensation with his knockout of the year against Impa Kasanganay. The video would break all kinds of social media records for the UFC, including the most-watched video on their Instagram and Twitter accounts and most-liked and most-retweeted post on Twitter. Buckley bounced back from his debut loss to Kevin Holland in the best possible way and would follow this victory up with another knockout win over undefeated Middleweight "The Beverly Hills Ninja" Jordan Wright.

Another man who bounced back from a loss was Cory Sandhagen in the main event. After dropping a first round submission loss to Aljamain Sterling, Sandhagen would defeat the #1 ranked contender Marlon Moraes in spectacular fashion. Moments before landing the spinning wheel kick blow that would knock Moraes down, Sandhagen blurted out that Moraes' orbital was broke. With no fans in attendance, this was picked up by viewers at home and the commentary team in the arena, highlighting one of the benefits of holding these events behind closed doors.

Other highlights from this action-packed event included heavyweight Chris Daukaus' knockout of Rodrigo Nascimento in just 45 seconds and South African debutant Dricus du Plessis' knockout win over Markus Perez.

Answer: The death of his father and trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov lost his father Abdulmanap to COVID-19 in July 2020. Questions were raised over whether Khabib would fight again and the man himself revealed in his post-fight interview that after three days of talks with his mother he promised he would have one last fight, that would take place at UFC 254. Like the twenty eight men before him, Gaethje would not be able to cope with the Dagestani's smothering pressure, succumbing to a triangle choke in the second round. The champion became the first man to win three consecutive title fights via submission. Khabib broke down in tears after the fight and, upon regaining consciousness, Gaethje consoled him. This respect was clearly mutual. Justin Gaethje received special dispensation from Dana White to fly his parents over to see him fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship. UFC commentator and Khabib's teammate Daniel Cormier revealed that Khabib switched from an armbar to a triangle choke as he believed Gaethje would not tap and did not want to injure him in front of his parents.

Other big moments from UFC 254 included a 'Fight of the Night' scrap between Nathaniel Wood and Casey Kenney, Magomed Ankalaev's vicious knockout of Ion Cutelaba in their long-awaited rematch and Phil Hawes' 18 second debut knockout win over Jacob Malkoun. Ahead of the main event BT Sport produced and shared a beautiful animated short about Khabib's relationship with his father that is well worth a watch if you have not seen it already.

Answer: Uriah Hall

Anderson Silva is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, revered for his precision striking and defence. Despite winning just one of his final nine fights in the UFC, the Brazilian is best known for his record-breaking UFC Middleweight Championship run, which lasted from 2006 to 2013. After 25 trips to the Octagon, Anderson Silva would make his final walk in 2020. The respect Hall had for Silva was clearly enormous; after landing the final blow Hall would break down in tears and embrace his idol, with the two men sharing a long conversation and kneeling to pay their respects to one another. In an Instagram post after the fight Hall explained that it was not his best performance because facing Silva was the hardest thing he ever had to do.

Other big moments from the "UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Silva" card included five finishes in six fights on the preliminary card, Greg Hardy's TKO win over Maurice Greene and the debut of Bryce "Thug Nasty" Mitchell's custom Reebok camo shorts in a hard-fought victory over Andre "Touchy" Fili.

Answer: Alistair Overeem

Glover Teixeira extended his winning streak to five against Thiago Santos, staking his claim for a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship after a hard fought back and forth battle. Santos' heavy hands would cause problems for Teixeira, but every time Santos looked like ending the fight Teixeira would land a takedown, which eventually led to a submission victory in the third round.

Alistair Overeem secured his second win of 2020 in similar fashion to Teixeira. Despite being backed up to the fence multiple times by Augusto Sakai, Overeem would use his strength to throw Sakai to the ground on multiple occasions. There was no submission this time however, Overeem would end the fight via ground and pound in round 5. "One final run" (at the title) was the message from Overeem on his social media channels for the rest of 2020.

Answer: No

"The Irish Dragon" Paul Felder fought valiantly but would lose a split decision to Rafael Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos, moving back to the Lightweight division he once reigned over for the first time since 2016, employed a wrestling heavy attack against a Felder who had not stepped foot in an MMA gym for four months to great effect.

Despite wrestling with the idea of retirement earlier in 2020, Felder claimed in his post-fight interview that he still intends to keep fighting. The matchup received 'Fight of the Night' honours.

Other highlights from the event included a hard fought battle between two UFC Strawweight prospects Cory McKenna and Kay Hansen and Khaos Williams' 30 second knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan.

Answer: Kevin Holland

Clogged... Clogs? Two lips... Tulips? Sorry. Kevin Holland bounced back from an October 2019 submission loss in the best way in 2020, dispatching of Anthony Hernandez in just 39 seconds in May. Three more fights would follow, a split decision victory over Darren Stewart was sandwiched between knockouts of Joaquin Buckley and Charlie Ontiveros, before "The Trail Blazer" received his biggest test of the year against the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. He would pass the test with flying colours, after stunning the Brazilian with a punch from a seated position before landing vicious ground and pound for the knockout victory. Holland quickly became a fan favourite in 2020 due to his use of trash talk in the octagon and willingness to take on anyone at a moments notice. He was named BT Sport's 'Fighter of the Year' in 2020, and was the 'Breakthrough Fighter of the Year' for a plethora of MMA websites such as Sherdog and MMAjunkie.

Roger Huerta and Neil Magny were the two men to win five UFC fights in one calendar year before Holland, accomplishing the feat in 2007 and 2014 respectively.

Answer: Deiveson Figueiredo & Brandon Moreno

At UFC 255, Brandon Moreno would defeat Brandon Royval in the featured preliminary bout via first-round TKO. Deiveson Figueiredo would defeat Alex Perez via first-round submission in the main event to retain his UFC Flyweight Championship. After scheduled bouts for the UFC Bantamweight and Women's Featherweight Championships fell through due to visa issues and injury respectively, the UFC needed a new fight to headline the UFC 256 event on short notice. Both Flyweight winners agreed to face each other on three weeks notice to save the event.

At UFC 256, the champion Deiveson Figueiredo and the challenger Brandon Moreno put on one of the fights of the year. Both men had their moments and the champion would have won the bout on the judges scorecards, if not for a low blow which was deemed serious enough for referee Jason Herzog to take a point away from Figueiredo. The bout receiving 'Fight of the Night' honours. Figueiredo made the fastest title-fight turnaround in UFC history at just 21 days when he competed at UFC 256, beating the previous record of 56 days held by Ronda Rousey and Matt Hughes. Fewer fighters had a better 2020 than Figueiredo. A defeat of Joseph Benavidez in February for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship was marred slightly by Figueiredo missing weight and thus being ineligible for the Championship. Had Benavidez won, Benavidez would have won the title. The two men rematched for the belt in July. This time Figueiredo made weight and made no mistake, knocking down Benavidez three times before choking him out in the first round. Figueiredo would then defend his belt two more times at UFC 255 and 256.

Other highlights from the UFC 256 event included Chase Hooper's come from behind submission against Peter Barrett, Rafael Fiziev's kickboxing masterclass against Renato Moicano and Charles Oliveira's dominant decision victory over Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson.