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UFC, being the largest promotion in the world, has to address multiple factors in making a potential fight come to fruition.
Dana White and his crew also have to deal with highly-anticipated contests falling off due to injuries, failed drug tests or disagreements between the combatants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the chances of a fight getting cancelled have increased.
While many fights have been scrapped, fans have also seen several fighters stepping in to entertain the masses on short notice. These fighters are not too bothered about who they are facing and just love to compete.
Let's take a look at the 5 most 'game' fighters in the UFC today.
#5 Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa snapped a three-fight skid last October with a first-round TKO of Stefan Struve at UFC 254. He followed it up with a brutal 49-second TKO of debutant Harry Hunsucker at UFC Vegas 22.
The Australian heavyweight has always maintained that he is a performer and putting on a good a fight is what matters to him. Tuivasa has also made a name as an entertainer and is known for taking 'Shooeys' with fight fans.
Tuivasa is known for being ready to take a fight at any moment as he sees every potential matchup as a way to provide for his family. In the lead up to his showdown at UFC Vegas 22, Tai Tuivasa told ESPN:
"To be honest, I'm a prizefighter. I don't care if they're ranked or not; if they're paying me my money, I'm going to rock up and fight. So my next goal is to win these next couple of fights and negotiate a good contract and then go from there. I'm in this to feed my family and set my son up. So I'm definitely looking to get back in the winning category and sign a new contract, and then I'll fight whoever the f--- they want."
#4 Bryce Mitchell
Currently ranked #13 in the UFC's featherweight division, Bryce Mitchell is a rising prospect in the promotion. Mitchell faced his toughest opponent yet in his last outing at UFC Vegas 12.
While Bryce Mitchell wasn't able to storm through Andre Fili like his previous opponents, he decisively won the first and third rounds. Mitchell went on to pick up a unanimous decision victory to better his UFC record to a perfect 5-0.
In the lead up to UFC Vegas 12, Sportskeeda was able to get in touch with Bryce Mitchell for an exclusive interview. Talking about potential opponents, Bryce Mitchell told Sportskeeda:
"No preference, I mean, I think that they're all extremely good fighters and hard match-ups, tough match-ups and I'd be willing to fight any of them."
#3 Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori seems to carry an incredible amount of bad luck when it comes to his opponent withdrawing from fights, with Darren Till being the latest addition to the list. Seven of Vettori's last eleven fights have now been cancelled due to his opponent pulling out.
Vettori is currently riding a four-fight win streak with a statement victory against Jack Hermansson in his last outing. His scheduled fight against Darren Till might have even resulted in a title shot for the Liverpool native.
However, the #6 ranked middleweight contender stated that he was ready to face anyone who could show up in two weeks' notice after Till pulled out of the fight.
#2 Jessica Andrade
It might seem unfair to place Jessica Andrade in this list keeping in mind her upcoming title fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261. However, the Umuarama native is one of the hungriest fighters on the promotion's roster.
After losing to Rose Namajunas at UFC 251 despite a 'Fight of the Night' performance, Andrade stayed on UFC Fight Island in the hope of taking a fight on short notice. Talking about her grit, UFC president Dana White said:
“Yeah, she hit me up and said, ‘I’m already training again and ready to go.’ She’s a little beast. Am I concerned about it? No – I’m not concerned somebody (might miss weight or get injured) and we need her for backup. That’s just her mentality and that’s just what a little badass she is.
#1 Kevin Holland
Kevin Holland has yet again offered to step in on short notice to fight Marvin Vettori for the UFC headliner on April 10th. Holland last fought on March 20th in a decision loss to Derek Brunson.
With 21 days between the two fights, Kevin Holland has tied the UFC record held by Michael Bisping and Deiveson Figueiredo for the shortest time in between two main event bouts.
Winning all five of his fights in 2020, Kevin Holland is no stranger to preparing for contests with short camps. In an interview ahead of his bout with Charlie Ontiveros, Kevin Holland told MMA Junkie:
"I take what they give me. I’m trying to be a real company man. So if they give me something, I try and take it. Actually, they tried to offer me full camps for some reason. I guess we were in the process of seeing how healthy we truly were, getting looked at and stuff like that, so I've missed out on fights. They booked those people against somebody else, so I missed out on those."
