Top 10 MMA stories of 2019

From Jorge Masvidal's five-second knockout of Ben Askren to Conor McGregor's troubles outside the Octagon, a lot has happened in the world of mixed martial arts this year.

Here's a look at the top 10 stories of 2019.

10. Heavier isn't always better

A number of notable fighters moved up in weight after seeing the likes of Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos earn title shots in a heavier division. It didn't pan out for most.

Then-featherweight king Max Holloway moved to lightweight with an opportunity to become a two-division champion when he faced Dustin Poirier for the interim title at UFC 236. Poirier defeated Holloway by a unanimous decision, ending the Hawaiian's 13-fight winning streak in the process. Holloway subsequently returned to 145 lbs and went 1-1 during the remainder of 2019.

Kevin Lee tried his hand in the welterweight division against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Rochester in May but suffered a submission loss. He then returned to lightweight and finished Gregor Gillespie in November.

Former middleweight champs Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman both moved up to 205 lbs and suffered knockout losses to Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes, respectively. Middleweight contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza also moved up to the 205-pound division only to lose a narrow decision to Blachowicz in November.

While former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis handed Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson a brutal knockout loss in his welterweight debut, "Showtime" then lost to Nate Diaz at UFC 241 and moved back to lightweight.

Darren Till was one of the few fighters who found real success by switching weight classes, snapping a two-fight skid by defeating Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in his middleweight debut. The 26-year-old now appears to be a mainstay in the division. - James Lynch

9. Teammates become two-division champs

Henry Cejudo and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire put Arizona's Fight Ready MMA on the map by capturing belts in multiple weight classes.

When USADA suspended then-bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw for EPO use, the 135-pound title was left vacant. Olympic gold medalist Cejudo moved up to face Marlon Moraes for the belt at UFC 238 in June. After being down on the scorecards heading into the third round, Cejudo stopped the Brazilian to earn his second UFC championship.

The promotion recently stripped Cejudo of his flyweight strap due to his interest in fighting primarily at bantamweight.

Freire moved up to lightweight to face Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 in May. Despite being a heavy underdog, "Pitbull" knocked out the former 155-pound titleholder in the first round and became just the second fighter in Bellator history to hold two belts at the same time. The 32-year-old successfully defended his 145-pound title later this year at Bellator 228, earning a unanimous-decision victory over Juan Archuleta. - Lynch

8. Velasquez leaves UFC, finds success in WWE

This year was going to be either a big success or a bust for former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez - in MMA, anyway.

He would have slotted himself firmly in the heavyweight title picture with a win over Francis Ngannou in February. Unfortunately, he lost, quickly.

Though he had no immediate plans, Velasquez was adamant after the defeat that he'd step back into the Octagon. But then he made his debut in pro wrestling at an event in Mexico City, and fans were quite impressed by it.

He had a second match and again looked like a natural. Velasquez said he loved it.

Before you knew it, Velasquez made an appearance at a WWE event and confronted Brock Lesnar, his former opponent in the UFC. Not long after, it was confirmed that the former heavyweight kingpin parted ways with the UFC and signed on with the WWE long term. - Nick Baldwin

7. City Kickboxing makes its mark

With two UFC champions and 10 total wins, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman has plenty of reasons to smile when looking back at 2019.

First, middleweight Israel Adesanya proved his doubters wrong when he defeated Gastelum at UFC 236 to capture the interim title in a Fight of the Year candidate. "The Last Stylebender" followed that up with a sensational knockout victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in a title-unification bout. The 30-year-old kickboxing standout went from contender to superstar in a matter of months.

Alexander Volkanovski shook up the featherweight division when he took out former champion Jose Aldo at UFC 237 in May. Like Adesanya, "The Great" also captured gold later in the year, defeating Holloway at UFC 245 in December. The 31-year-old remains undefeated in the Octagon with eight straight victories.

After a one-sided loss to Edson Barboza in 2018, Dan Hooker turned his year around with back-to-back victories over James Vick and Al Iaquinta. Hooker has earned his first headliner spot, as he's set to do battle against Paul Felder at UFC Auckland in February.

Kai Kara-France won two of his three fights this year, and Brad Riddell also had a successful Octagon debut in October. - Lynch

6. McGregor's legal troubles

The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion's year was defined by several run-ins with the law.

McGregor didn't compete in 2019, and while he's set to return in January and hopes to return to full form, his career has been spiraling during this time off.

The 31-year-old is under investigation for two separate sexual assault allegations in Ireland. One woman said McGregor sexually assaulted her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Another said in October that the fighter sexually assaulted her in a vehicle outside of a Dublin pub.

McGregor has not been charged in relation to those allegations.

However, he was charged with felony strong-armed robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief in March for allegedly slapping a phone out of a person's hand and stomping on it outside of a Miami Beach hotel. Prosecutors dropped the charges two months later.

Most recently, McGregor pleaded guilty in November to assault after punching an elderly man at a Dublin bar in April. He was fined €1,000.

If McGregor wants to rejuvenate his career, he needs to not only get back in the win column but also no longer get in trouble outside the Octagon. - Baldwin

5. 'King of Cringe' comes to life

Cejudo was just a regular guy who was very good at fighting.

And then, he realized he had to be more than that if he really wanted to make a name for himself in the UFC, and all hell broke loose.

At some point between his flyweight title win in 2018 and his first title defense against Dillashaw in January, Cejudo gave himself the "King of Cringe" moniker and has since amplified it to an entire persona.

Cejudo, who also calls himself "Triple C" for his two UFC titles and Olympic gold medal, posts cringe-inducing videos on social media in an attempt to get the attention of fighters he wants to face. He dresses up in embarrassing costumes and mentions his gold medal during every interview he does.

In short, Cejudo makes a fool of himself. But it's working. His adopted persona has elevated his career to new heights. - Baldwin

4. Usman silences Covington

Kamaru Usman closed out the year by silencing - perhaps literally via a broken jaw - one of the sport's most controversial figures.

Following a dominant win over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 to capture the welterweight belt, Usman had a highly anticipated title defense against the UFC's premier villain in Colby Covington.

Covington accused Usman of PED usage and faking injuries, and even took cheap shots at the champion's former manager, Glenn Robinson, who died in 2018.

Heading into the showdown, many fans felt this would be a boring matchup between two wrestlers. Instead, Usman and Covington put on an all-time classic, opting to stand and trade without attempting any takedowns. "Chaos" lost steam in the final round and Usman took advantage, handing the American Top Team fighter the first TKO loss of his career. - Lynch

3. BMF title rocks UFC 244

When Dana White created the "Baddest Motherf-----" belt for the winner of Masvidal versus Diaz at UFC 244, nobody expected it would garner as much attention as it did.

Shortly after the fight was confirmed, White revealed that WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would present the belt to the winner. The fight gained so much traction that President Donald Trump attended the card.

The fight ended in a doctor's stoppage to the disappointment of many, but it was one of the rare times that the UFC found itself as a mainstream talking point. - Lynch

2. The rise and (quick) fall of Ben Askren

When ONE Championship traded Askren to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson, fans expected a new contender in the welterweight division.

Askren was dominant in Bellator and ONE, picking up titles in both promotions. In the UFC, he finally had the chance to test himself against the best in the world.

Upon his boisterous arrival, Askren called out nearly every top competitor at 170 lbs, from Usman to Covington to Till.

A controversial win over Robbie Lawler put Askren on the fast track to a title shot, but he had to get past Masvidal first. And then that flying knee abruptly killed his momentum.

Masvidal delivered Askren his first career loss in the form of a five-second knockout in July, and thus, the fall of "Funky" began.

Askren faced Demian Maia in October and lost by third-round submission. Less than a month later, he retired from the sport. - Baldwin

1. Masvidal's career resurgence

"Gamebred" started the year as an afterthought and ended it as one of the UFC's biggest stars.

And this respect is, in a way, overdue.

Long before his successful UFC career, Masvidal was an active member of the street-fighting community in Miami, competing in bouts promoted by the late Kimbo Slice.

Over the past five years, though, Masvidal found mixed results in the Octagon. There's always been something special about him, but it seemed his performances could be better than they were. He appeared almost content to cruise to the end of his fights, only to lose close - and sometimes controversial - decisions.

When Masvidal knocked out Donald Cerrone in January 2017, we thought he finally found his groove. But then he lost two straight and sat out all of 2018.

Masvidal returned in March against Till for the main event of the UFC London card. Till was coming off a title loss to Woodley and the UFC wanted him to bounce back in a big way. But, just as he would do to Askren months later, Masvidal swiftly took the Englishman's momentum and made it his own.

After 16 years of fighting as a pro, Masvidal has finally arrived.

He had the aforementioned BMF megafight with Diaz at Madison Square Garden and is now likely next in line for a welterweight title fight against Usman.

We all knew Masvidal had potential; he's always been a badass. But to be one of the biggest stars in the sport after nearly two years of watching from the bench? That's surely the biggest story of the year. - Baldwin