With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Jared Gooden def. Wellington Turman at UFC on ESPN 52
After a first round that leaned in favor of Wellington Turman (18-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC), the second frame was all Jared Gooden (20-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC). He initially caught Turman with a punch. Noticeably buckled, Turman tried to stay upright, but Gooden poured on the pressure. Turman was rocked multiple times and once dropped down to his knees.
Eventually, Turman couldn’t withstand the punishment on the feet. Gooden tossed him down, mounted him, and eventually got the tap with a rear-naked choke to end the welterweight bout.
WHAT A COMEBACK BY JARED GOODEN 😳 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/9hSQYY8yC9
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
Nominee: Rodolfo Bellato def. Ihor Potieria at UFC on ESPN 52
After a high-paced first round in the light heavyweight division, Ihor Potieria (19-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) landed major damage in the early stages of the second round, dropping Rodolfo Bellato (12-2 MAM, 1-0 UFC) and hitting him with huge shots to put the fight on the cusp of being stopped.
Bellato refused to quit, however, and managed to survive enough to get back to his feet. Potieria was nothing short of exhausted, and Bellato started to pour on the strikes. He then landed a takedown, moved to mount and unloaded until the referee stopped it to conclude a wild Comeback of the Year contender.
BELLATO WAS THROWING HANDS TILL THE FINISH 👊 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/KRTOa0fJqx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
Nominee: Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby at UFC 296
The light heavyweight matchup between Alonzo Menifield (15-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) and Dustin Jacoby (19-8-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) had all the ingredients for hard-hitting affair, and both men lived up to their end of the bargain inside the the octagon.
Jacoby won the striking battle overall thanks to a strong first round, but Menifield had the fight’s only knockdown. That was likely the decider to sway the judges in his favor as Menifield was awarded the unanimous decision to keep his run of momentum going with only one loss in his past seven fights.
Alonzo Menifield defeats Dustin Jacoby via UD at UFC 296
Back and forth fight but Menifield landed the much bigger shots. Insane power
(@UFCEspanol) pic.twitter.com/dMWGxcZEp9
— The Octagon Obsessed (@octagonobsessed) December 17, 2023
Nominee: Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval at UFC 296
Alexandre Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) started his flyweight title reign in a positive manner when he once again defeated Brandon Royval (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) – this time with the assistance of the judges.
After submitting Royval in the first meeting back in August 2021, Pantoja managed to repeat the feat, this time by unanimous decision in the 125-pound title bout. He was a step ahead in the striking and grappling exchanges, and that allowed Pantoja to get the convincing defense of his belt.
25 minutes in the books!
Pantoja and Royval go the distance as we head to the judges' scorecards #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/EohKPQ7jX8
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023
The winner
The winner: Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa at UFC 296
Irene Aldana (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Karol Rosa (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) put on an all-time bloody classic on the UFC 296 prelims.
Aldana picked up a unanimous decision with strong second and third rounds, but she couldn’t attend her post-fight news conference due to a trip to the hospital, where she met up with an equally battered Rosa to likely celebrate their extra $50,000 each.
It was a tenacious battle between the Mexican and the Brazilian. Rosa had her range down from the outset and started landing solid shots, but Aldana toughed he way through them and started dishing out the damage. Rosa’s face was a complete mess, but she showed tremendous durability and extended the contest to the final bell.
“Karol is a tough, tough fighter,” Aldana said in the aftermath of the win. “It was an honor to face her – she’s one of the toughest challenges I’ve had in my career. … I heard every word (my corners) said. You have no idea how much I trust my team, and I’m so happy to have such great people and coaches with me.”
