- Joined
- Jun 12, 2016
- Messages
- 21,938
- Reaction score
- 29,441
What’s long stayed with me is something Gunnar Nelson said in an older interview; that, martial arts isn’t about fighting at all, really – but adapting.
To say, when you fight to fight, you’ve already lost. In fighting to adapt rather, there is always victory. When I see the below five finalists who broke through this year in MMA, the single thread for each is their ability to persevere and – yeah, you guessed it, to adapt.
So in the spirit of Gunnar's wise words, let’s meet these five adaption specialists, and then vote for which makes for your 2023 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year!
–––
Name: Tom Aspinall (England)
Showing: 2-0
Highlights: Overcomes knee injury to earn a R1 TKO over Marcin Tybura, then nabs interim UFC HW title with another R1 reckoning in KO of Sergei Pavlovich.
Fun fact: Tom had a painful growth spurt after his sixteenth birthday, where in just over 12 months he grew from 5’8 (173 cm) to 6’5 (196 cm), leaving him many days bed-ridden from back pain and having scans done thinking he suffered a debilitating condition needing medical diagnosis.
–––
Name: Ian Garry (Ireland)
Showing: 3-0
Highlights: Enters WW rankings by way of two KOs and Hibernian domination over Neil Magny.
Fun fact: Fellow Irishman Conor McGregor was a force in young Ian’s expansion into MMA; originally passionate about boxing, he then cross-trained in judo after seeing Conor’s meteoric rise on the international stage and the rest is history.
–––
Name: Dricus du Plessis (South Africa)
Showing: 2-0
Highlights: Manages two R2 TKO finishes of both Derek Brunson and the ever-crafty Bobby Knuckles, earning him a coveted MW title shot as well as war of words with champ Israel Adesanya.
Fun fact: Dricus, whose surname comes from Old French for a fence made of branches, is a passionate rugby fan who played throughout his schooling and has remained a vocal supporter of South Africa’s revered national team, the Springboks.
–––
Name: Impa Kasanganay (USA)
Showing: 5-0
Highlights: Former DWCS and UFC WW who finds his calling at LHW, rattling off 5 wins this year by way of 2 decisions and 3 finishes – and earning 1M USD in the process.
Fun fact: Born to Congolese parents in Florida, USA and a practicing Christian, his nick ’Tshilobo’ means brave in the Bantu languages of Central Africa.
–––
Name: Brendan Allen (USA)
Showing: 3-0
Highlights: Breaches top 10 MW with 3 submission victories – all RNCs.
Fun fact: Originally an American football player, Brendan’s elder brother got him into watching UFC when he was soon after introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu through a local class, never looking back and eventually finding himself under the wing of U.S. Navy Seabees and MMA veteran Rich Clementi.