5 Reasons Why MMA in 2015 Guarantees to Make Up for a Lackluster 2014 Year

In the waning months of a relatively disappointing fight year, it’s tough not to gaze prematurely at the horizon and dwell on the greener pastures promised for 2015.

Before getting to the meat and potatoes of what makes 2015 so great, we won’t be so naive as to completely dismiss 2014 as a failed year.

Fans were rewarded with one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when T.J. Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao for the bantamweight title. Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler exchanged haymakers in one of the most exciting welterweight title bouts in recent memory.

“The Notorious” Conor McGregor rose to superstardom after headlining arguably the craziest UFC event ever, which took place in Dublin, Ireland. Former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker saved Bellator Fighting Championships from the shaky hands of Bjorn Rebney.

For MMA in 2014, there was certainly plenty to be proud of considering the sport was without its two biggest stars, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva. But overall, a good word to sum up the entire year would be “meh.”

The absence of St-Pierre and Silva, along with a multitude of key injuries, really hurt the UFC’s ability to put on marquee fights. Heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and lightweight champ Anthony Pettis have yet to compete this year due to injuries.

UFC 176, a pay-per-view card scheduled for August 2, was completely canceled after an injury forced Jose Aldo to withdraw from his main event title bout with Chad Mendes. UFC 177 nearly suffered the same fate when top contender Barao was pulled from the main event on the day of the weigh-ins after he fainted in an attempt to cut weight.

Perhaps the most disappointing injuries occurred in the light heavyweight division. If the UFC depended on one blockbuster fight all year long, it was the highly anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, which was scheduled for September 27 at UFC 178.

Fate once again dealt the UFC a bad hand as Gustafsson tore his meniscus in training and was forced to pull out of the fight. Thankfully, undefeated Olympian Daniel Cormier agreed to step in against Jones as a late replacement. The historic beef between the two fighters and a shocking brawl at a UFC 178 media event quickly turned a good fight into the must-see bout of 2014.

But lightning struck once again, as Jones was forced to pull out of the fight due to a torn meniscus.

It is often said that there can be no good luck without bad luck. If this is the case, there is no reason to think that the arrow isn’t pointing up for MMA in the new year. Here are five reasons why MMA in 2015 guarantees to make up for a lackluster 2014.

Return of MMA Royalty

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Georges St-Pierre

What could possibly be more exciting than the return of MMA legends Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre?

Silva, who stood alone atop the pound-for-pound rankings before losing to Chris Weidman in 2013, is still widely considered the greatest fighter in MMA history. Who cares if he’s coming off back-to-back losses to Weidman and not competing for a UFC title?

Weidman has already established himself as the man to beat at 185 pounds, but it would be ludicrous to deem a golden strap as the be-all, end-all in MMA. Silva’s greatness has in no way been diminished because he was finally defeated by one guy after nearly a decade of dominance.

Besides, Silva just signed on to fight Nick Diaz at UFC 182 on January 31, 2015 in a bout many still consider a superfight.

Along with Silva’s return, there is reason for the UFC to be optimistic about the possible return of former welterweight king St-Pierre. The French Canadian star has spent most of 2014 enjoying time away from fighting and recuperating from a torn ACL.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Firas Zahabi, St-Pierre’s trainer and close friend, continued to tease a possible comeback by St-Pierre. He announced that St-Pierre would be returning to training in October, and chiming in on a possible return, he stated that he believed the former champ “still has plenty of competitive juice” and a “few fights” left in him.

UFC President Dana White told UFC.com that St-Pierre would be rewarded an immediate title shot upon his return if that’s what St-Pierre wants.

Could we possibly see a rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks in 2015?

Continued Competition Growth

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Scott Coker

The idiom of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure has always been the backdrop for healthy competition.

While the UFC remains MMA’s mecca, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to see other promotions succeed in keeping the longtime juggernaut on its toes. The Viacom-backed Bellator made an incredibly wise decision in dumping former CEO Bjorn Rebney at the bus stop and hiring Scott Coker to run its promotion.

Despite eventually being bought out by the UFC, Coker had significant success running the San Jose-based Strikeforce promotion. Even White thought signing Coker was the right move by Bellator.

“Not only do I know Scott very well, I know the guys at Spike [TV] very well,” White said, during an appearance on AXS TV’s Inside MMA. “I was in business with them for a long time, and I think this is a much better fit for them than ‘Bjork’ was.”

In any case, the existence of promotions like Bellator, World Series of Fighting and One Fighting Championship will continue to give fighters leverage in negotiations with the UFC. It also gives UFC roster casualties an opportunity to continue their careers in the limelight elsewhere.

A ‘Notorious’ Star in the Making

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Conor McGregor

After selling out the O2 Arena in Dublin, Conor McGregor has been on the fast track to superstardom.

His overwhelming talent and supreme confidence give him the rare trait of being a UFC commodity both inside and outside the Octagon. Few fighters have the ability to really turn a fight into a spectacle.

McGregor is the type of fighter who not only entertains in the cage but is able to shoulder all of the excitement and butterflies typically expected from a UFC event in the days and months leading up to a fight. The weigh-ins for his bout against Diego Brandao felt like the headliner of a major pay-per-view card.

There is still a ways to go before McGregor finds himself headlining pay-per-views. A featherweight scrap against Dustin Poirier is next on the agenda on September 27 at UFC 178.

If he continues to win fights, don’t be surprised to see McGregor contending for the UFC title in 2015.

Women’s Superfight

In 2015, the world may finally get to see the biggest fight in the history of women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

The two baddest women on the planet have constantly bickered back and forth for years, hinting at a potential superfight that has yet to come to fruition.

When speaking with Yahoo Sports, Rousey claimed Justino wasn’t even a woman anymore due to extensive use of “steroids.” She even went as far as to call the Invicta women’s featherweight champ an “it.”

During an appearance on AXS TV’s Inside MMA, Justino said that Rousey was a “fake fighter” who was “running” from her.

Justino is currently slated to make her bantamweight debut at Invicta 10 in December. The UFC appears to be playing the waiting game to see if Justino is actually able to cut down and perform at 135 pounds.

If she makes the weight and wins at Invicta 10, the UFC would be hard-pressed to deny her a 2015 shot at Rousey.

Jones vs. Cormier

The media-day brawl that spilled out onto the lobby floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier looks like a blessing in disguise.

Don’t get it twisted. As professional athletes, both Jones and Cormier’s behavior was reckless and insensitive. Echoing UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s words from the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the pre-fight scuffle was basically a “street fight.”

On the other hand, it was also pure gold for those looking at things from strictly a promotional perspective.

People love seeing real emotions and drama in the fight business, and the media couldn’t seem to get enough of the venomous animosity shared between Jones and Cormier.

Hearing the light heavyweight stars hurl verbal threats at one another on the set of ESPN SportsCenter helped ignite a rare excitement tapped in combat sports. This feud was genuine and personal.

So a decently anticipated fight quickly became one of the most anticipated grudge matches in UFC history. The bout was moved to January 3, 2015 after Jones suffered a torn meniscus in training.

There is no better fight to kick off a year already full of so much promise.

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.