In 2023, Africa saw its great champions Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman lose their luster for the first time in their UFC careers. It’s been a complicated year for the continent’s superstars, but new names are starting to take up more and more space.
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At the heart of 2022, Africa was all-powerful in the UFC. Francis Ngannou ruled the heavyweight division, Israel Adesanya saw no threat to his throne as middleweight king and Kamaru Usman was undefeated and dominant at welterweight. But after a nightmarish end to 2022 for the bottom two and the departure of Ngannou to the PFL, 2023 was no better for the continent’s superstars in the American league.
Usman experienced the worst that can happen in the career of an undefeated professional fighter: an ugly, violent and significant defeat that stained an immaculate record and the impossibility of forgetting it. After losing his belt in a memorable knockout suffered against Leon Edwards, the “Nigerian Nightmare” was logically entitled to his chance of revenge to cleanse his honor. This time, his opponent’s domination was clear and the judges deprived him of victory once again in March in London.
Read alsoFrancis Ngannou, MMA star, left his mark on Cameroonian sport in 2023
The former champion’s wounded pride pushed him to accept seven months later, with only ten days of preparation, a duel in the top category against rising star Khamzat Chimaev. The opportunity to restore his image in a high-profile fight turned into a mistake. Physically dominated, the main impression left by Usman is that of a man at the end of his career.
Mentally affected after the fight, he admitted “ start to question yourself, to doubt yourself “, even if he assured that he ” Will be back “. When, against whom, and above all at what level? The only consolation is his younger brother, Mohammed, who has had two victories over the year. Sluggish, certainly, but “The Motor” remains undefeated in the UFC.
The weariness of the champion
Their compatriot has not necessarily raised the level. After the defeat against Alex Pereira at the end of 2022, Israel Adesanya returned to the octagon with the rage to win. For the first time, a man had raised a hand on him in his weight category. The affront had to be washed away, which is what was done in April, through a violent knockout, when he seemed stuck, back to the cage, under the blows of the Brazilian. His serenity regained in the spring, it was weariness which won over him in the fall.
Returning a few months later to face Sean Strickland, it was only the shadow of the “Last Stylebender” that we saw. While he had to face Dricus Du Plessis, to whom he had sworn to “ drag his carcass across South Africa », Adesanya found himself with the American Strickland in his paws last September. And it was in minimum service mode that he showed up in Sydney.
A version of himself who had begun to emerge before crossing swords with Pereira. And which ended up hatching when the challenge was not high enough for its taste. Unable to reach Strickland, he even came close to being knocked out at the start of the fight. Enough to convince him to take a break. With a return initially announced for… 2027, just to get the curious talking. He finally returned to these remarks, to inform of a much closer return. Perhaps a UFC on the African continent could push him to put on the mitts more quickly.
To round up the disappointed Nigerians, Sadiq Yusuff, who experienced his first “main event” in five rounds, also experienced the taste of defeat this year. The three judges of the fight gave him the loss against Edson Barboza last October, despite a largely dominated first round.
Future stars scheduled for January
On the other hand, if the welterweight belt has escaped Africa, 2024 will have at least one opportunity to see it return. At the end of January, Toronto will be the scene of the fight between Sean Strickland, who will defend his UFC championship title for the first time, against South African Dricus Du Plessis. The latter was the author of a faultless 2023 exercise with two victories by stoppage of the referee in the second round. Besides, he has only known victory since 2019, so his time has come. The two men have already started their first round in the stands from UFC 296 in Las Vegas.
Another rising name in the American organization, Angola native Manel Kape continued his rise this year. After two defeats when he entered the UFC and despite numerous canceled fights, he went for a decision victory against the undefeated Felipe Dos Santos in September. Now ranked sixth in the flyweight category, it is the number five in the category, Matheus Nicolau, who awaits him on January 13 for the biggest challenge of his career. A step on the path to restoring the image of his continent in the UFC.