MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for December 2014

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best fights from December 1-31. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for December 2014.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Fight of the Month.”

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The Nominees

Sergio Pettis vs. Matt Hobar at UFC 181

Sergio Pettis (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had some anxious moments against a game Matt Hobar (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC), but continued to show glimpses of his potential en route to a unanimous decision victory. Pettis was hurt by one of Hobar’s strikes early in the first round, but the youngest brother of UFC champ Anthony Pettis managed to rebound and dice his opponent up with crisp striking combinations for the remainder of the bout.

Sergio Pettis and Matt Hobar

Jessica Penne vs. Randa Markos at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale

In a battle of “The Ultimate Fighter 20” semi-finalists, Jessica Penne (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) outworked Randa Markos (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) for a split decision victory in a highly competitive affair. Markos, the Season 20 “TUF” Cinderella story, got the better of Penne on the feet. She was unable to inflict enough damage, though, and ultimately the superior grappling of Penne that led her to victory.

Charles Oliveira vs. Jeremy Stephens at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale

Charles Oliveira (19-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) did just about everything to Jeremy Stephens’ (23-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC) arm but tie it into a bow, and still he couldn’t get a submission finish. Oliveira did, however, get the win via unanimous decision. The struggle to get the submission was entertaining to watch, but Stephens ultimately spent too much time on defense to impress the judges with his offense.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha at UFC on FOX 13

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) likely earned the first crack at new UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza when she scored an upset split decision over Claudia Gadelha(12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). A knockdown her opponent and strong takedown defense was enough for Jedrzejczyk to gain an edge on the scorecards for the victory.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC on FOX 13

Former UFC champ Junior dos Santos (17-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) returned from a career-long layoff to earn a unanimous decision over top contender Stipe Miocic (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a brutal, bloody affair. The 25-minute contest saw the two heavyweights throw heavy leather in hopes the other would go down. Surprisingly, though, neither of them did, which brought it to a decision that all three judges saw in Dos Santos’ favor.

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The Winner: Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic

Heavyweight fights are often over in the blink of an eye. But every now and then, you get something special, something epic.

Dos Santos and Miocic combined for one those most memorable encounters at UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix, as the two heavyweights sluggers went back and forth for five, five-minute rounds.

Both Dos Santos and Miocic, however, were swollen and bloody by the end of five rounds.

Although two judges’ scorecards reflected a dominant performance for Junior Dos Santos, the ex-champion struggled in early as Miocic took the center of the cage and threw combinations while keeping him off balance with pressure against the cage. Several times, he caught Dos Santos moving backward with right hooks.

However, Dos Santos found his spark in the third frame after he landed a left hook that dropped Miocic. He picked up his volume in subsequent rounds and resisted takedown attempts. In the fourth, he surprised Miocic with a sweep to the mat.

Dos Santos was lighter on his feet in the fifth round as Miocic struggled to keep up. The fighters embraced at the fight’s conclusion, though Miocic appeared shocked at the unanimous call for Dos Santos.