There are several MMA stars with claim to 2019’s Fighter of the Year honors. Two of those fighters are Jorge Masvidal and Henry Cejudo.
Masvidal had an epic year, first rebounding from a two-fight losing-streak with a knockout of Darren Till, then producing a record-shattering, five-second knockout of Ben Askren, and lastly battering Nate Diaz to a doctor’s stoppage to earn the BMF title.
Cejudo, meanwhile, defended the UFC flyweight title in January, then won the bantamweight title in June by defeating Marlon Moraes, becoming a two-division champ in the process.
Speaking on Twitter on Sunday, Cejudo made his case for 2019’s Fighter of the Year honors.
Take I good look at this man, because in a few days I’ll be the 2019 Fighter of the year! Saved an entire division in 32sec ✅ Won a second world title ✅ I am the Baddest Mother F@cker EVER! #bendtheknee #2019fighteroftheyear #BMFE pic.twitter.com/acl4mL44PW
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 29, 2019
“Take I good look at this man, because in a few days I’ll be the 2019 Fighter of the year! Saved an entire division in 32sec ✅ Won a second world title ✅ I am the Baddest Mother F@cker EVER! #bendtheknee #2019fighteroftheyear #BMFE” – Henry Cejudo on Twitter.
This comment from Cejudo quickly got a reply from Jorge Masvidal, who claimed he’s the only one with a claim to Fighter of the Year honors for 2019. The pair then engaged in a playful back-and-forth on the topic.
Hold my pizza #1of1
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) December 29, 2019
“Hold my pizza #1of1″– Jorge Masvidal on Twitter.
That’s more like Juan on Juan. I’m 1 of 1. Olympic Champ, flyweight champ and bantamweight champ. – Triple C.
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 29, 2019
“That’s more like Juan on Juan. I’m 1 of 1. Olympic Champ, flyweight champ and bantamweight champ. – Triple C.” – Henry Cejudo on Twitter.
Does anyone other than the dude that got his jaw broken speak cringe? #AskingForAFriend
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) December 29, 2019
“Does anyone other than the dude that got his jaw broken speak cringe? #AskingForAFriend” – Jorge Masvidal on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/HenryCejudo/status/1211448851665752064
“No, but I speak gold! that trophy going to look really nice in my trophy room. #bendtheknee 🏆”– Henry Cejudo on Twitter.
Given what they accomplished this year, both Cejudo and Masvidal have legitimate claim to the Fighter of the Year title. One fighter who is missing from their debate, however, is Israel Adesanya. Adesanya, who is the FOTY frontrunner in the eyes of many fans and pundits, has had a massive year, first beating Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum, then Robert Whittaker to capture the middleweight title.
Who do you consider Fighter of the Year for 2019?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/30/2019.