Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hopefully you’re enjoying today – or you will or you have depending on when you read this – with family and loved ones.
We know mixed martial arts can be crazy to watch and follow this at times – actually often. But that’s why we love it. Isn’t it? With that in mind, may we present to you what we’re thankful for in MMA this Thanksgiving.
Thank you …
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To the fighters, for their time
The athletes in MMA are the reason this whole thing exists. They fuel everything in the industry, are the reason this website exists, and it’s an honor to have a part in telling their stories.
While every minute of time over the phone, at a media day, an open workout, and all the other platforms is appreciated, there were two particularly special moments for me in 2019.
The first was at UFC 241 media day in August, when, after nearly an hour of interviews, Daniel Cormier was being pulled away from the media day stage by UFC public relations staff. But ‘DC’ saw me and cameraman Dave Mandel waiting in line and told the PR team to allow him one final interview with us. It’s hard to express how much that meant.
A special shout-out also goes to Dustin Poirier, who offered up hours of interview time with MMA Junkie in the weeks leading up to his UFC 242 title-unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Poirier helped bring the “Dustin’s Diaries” series to life, and in addition to that, allowed John Morgan and I to conduct an elaborate pre-fight interview in Abu Dhabi just days before the event.
These fighters could easily just stick to the bare minimum in terms of media, only doing what the UFC requires as mandatory leading up to and during a fight week. Some do that. The overwhelming majority consistently go above and beyond, though, and there’s no better time than now to express gratitude.
– Mike Bohn
To MMA fans, for their dedication
I get paid to watch people kick each other in the head for a living. Some of my MMA media peers might bristle at reducing our jobs to this, because there’s so much more that goes into what we do. But at the end of the day, that’s really what it is, and the reason I get to do something I love is because of the passionate dedication of the sport’s fans. Being an MMA fan can be a chore. You stick with this through all the madness: the canceled fights, the fights that don’t deliver, the seven-hour cards, you name it. Without you, I’d have to get a real job, and that goes for anyone else who makes a living in some way related to MMA. So thanks for your passion, folks, and Happy Thanksgiving.
– Dave Doyle
To technology, for making work a little more enjoyable
My thankful-for-MMA list is short, but important. I considered putting the free serve-yourself fountain drink stations at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., as the top spot on my list – because that means, during Bellator events when I’m there, I get free Mtn Dew all night. But I’ll just consider that a fringe benefit and say what I’m most thankful for is that with only a few rare exceptions, when it comes to watching fights for work, I can do it almost exclusively from my phone. That means, if I don’t feel like leaving my home office to sit in front of the TV, I don’t have to – I can stream just about everything on my more-than-adequate 6-inch screen. If I need to work in the car while on a road trip while the Missus drives, I can do it. If I want to sit out on the back deck with the dogs during the fights, it’s a thing that can happen and has happened often. A few short years ago, this wasn’t the case. So thank you, technology, for making my work life infinitely more flexible.
– Matt Erickson
To the UFC’s Abu Dhabi deal, a great thing for the Middle East MMA scene
Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) reacts after defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. (Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
I am thankful for the UFC finally bringing an event back to the Middle East. Being based here, the UFC’s five-year deal with Abu Dhabi that guarantees a title fight means big events for the region and an opportunity for the sport to grow.
Being on this side of the world, in a market that barely knows anything about MMA, the UFC making the annual visit will certainly garner more interest in the region and grow the overall MMA scene. As a journalist, this will obviously give me more to work with in my region, as well as being able to provide young fighters that continue to struggle to get their name out on a platform.
I am very grateful that I got to cover my first UFC event with MMA Junkie at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, which will forever stick as a memorable moment in my career.
– Farah Hannoun
To better UFC start times and pacing, what a relief
What am I thankful for this MMA Thanksgiving? There are a lot of things, many of which I’ve been thankful for year in and year out. Don’t believe me? How about the fighters, coaches, managers, and others who lend me time, being able to cover the combat sport I love – stuff I don’t take for granted.
So, I tried to think, what’s something new I’m thankful for? Something fresh in 2019?
I’m thankful for the UFC’s implementation of viewer-friendly pacing and East Coast-friendly start times. I know there will be many international readers who roll their eyes at this – and maybe even a colleague or two or three (sorry, Simon, Abbey, and Farah!). But let us East Coasters have our fun. Plus, we all get to enjoy the departure of that horrendous FOX Sports pacing. I wouldn’t have wished that on my worst enemy. Let’s hope this keeps up!
Happy Thanksgiving,Junkie Nation!
– Nolan King
To a special kind of PED, for a super necessary boost
I have to offer a confession. I am a user of PEDs – Performance Enhancing Drinks. Espresso, to be precise. It’s the hot beverage equivalent of attaching your brain to a set of jump leads and, as one of MMA Junkie’s two resident Brits, having the Nespresso machine in my kitchen primed and ready for every fight night is, as Jorge Masvidal would say, “super necessary.”
A standard UFC pay-per-view show starts at around 11:30 p.m. here in the U.K., with the main card kicking off at 3 a.m.. By the time the fights are over, and I’ve watched the post-fight press conference, it’s past 7 in the morning. It means my body clock is in absolute shambles and tends to remain so throughout the week. It’s also probably why I never seem to suffer from jet lag after I visit the U.S. I live on GMT, but work on EST, and that’s why I need the aforementioned PEDs.
And, thanks to the life-giving properties of the maximum-strength espresso pods I have in my kitchen cupboard, I’ve never crashed out and missed a main event. And I’m very grateful for that.
When it comes to sports, I love more than just MMA. I also love football and baseball, not to mention pro wrestling (stop rolling your eyes). Among all of those, nothing gets a reaction from me quite like a spectacular knockout. They just hit you (no pun intended) from out of nowhere. And this year’s crop has been amazing: From Jorge Masvidal’s five-second flying knee, to Raymond Daniels’ spinning one-punch finish, to Kevin Lee’s devastating head kick, to Davy Gallon hitting a rolling thunder for crying out loud, 2019 has provided us with no shortage of “Oh sh*t!” moments.
And for that, I am thankful.
– Simon Samano
To weight-cutting on the decline, because fighter safety is priority No. 1
This year, I’m grateful for many things in MMA, but the one I’m most grateful for is the continuous change in fighter perspective towards weight-cutting. For some time now, fighters have started to compete closer to their natural weights, and this year was no exception.
The idea of killing yourself to cut down seems more archaic as time goes by. It’s a trend I hope continues in 2020, as fighter safety is the most important priority in our sport. This also serves as a good example for future generations that look to compete in MMA. And, yes, Darren Till is finally at middleweight!
– Danny Segura
To … work?
I’m grateful for MMA Junkie.
Now, it sounds like an easy out to praise your workplace, but I can honestly say this site has been part of my life, in some shape or form, for the last decade. Whether I was an MMA fan, competitor or contributor, MMA Junkie (and eventually the people behind the brand) has always been a reliable resource to me – in many ways – throughout all the highs and lows of the last 10 years.
I’m lucky enough to now find myself working alongside these special individuals, and this job in itself has allowed me opportunities to make friends with other fantastic colleagues and followers of the sport – something that quietly becomes important when you spend a big chunk of your week-to-week life covering MMA. And for that, I am grateful.
– Dan Tom
To the UFC for their new year-end schedule
Listen, when it comes to being a hardcore, I’m right there with any of you. Over-saturation? I can’t stand when people talk about it. Give me MMA every day of the year. That said, I’m loving the UFC’s decision to nix the traditional year-end event (a decision made more from the fine folks at ESPN, per my understanding).
As a Las Vegas resident, I cover all of the UFC’s events here in town, which has usually meant working intensely on the week of Christmas. Honestly, I’m not much of a sentimental kind of guy, so I didn’t really care. But as my son is getting older, I’m beginning to realize the importance of setting aside those moments to create memories as a family, so I’m thankful for the UFC’s adjusted schedule. UFC 245 is going to be phenomenal, but it’s on Dec. 14 – not Dec. 28, when I would have expected it to take place had you asked me at the beginning of 2019.
There’s still some great MMA to be had at the end of the year, with Bellator and Rizin partnering to create a few great crossover cards, not to mention the PFL handing out a few more million-dollar checks, as well. But I’ll be watching those at home, hopefully with the little man alongside me, at least until it’s his bedtime. That will be a nice change this year.
– John Morgan
