August has finally come to an end and what a month it was in the octagon. We saw stunning upsets, vicious knockouts and a legend of the sport make an impressive debut in a new weight division while another rode off into the sunset.
As the month has now drawn to a close, it's time for us to take a look at each of the events the UFC held within the month of August and crown our monthly UFC awards.
Here we go.
Best Submission of the Month
Although it wasn't really a standout submission, the implications following the fight are what secure this one for Jennifer Maia against Joanne Calderwood.
Coming in as the underdog, Maia was overlooked by everyone, with the talk heading into the fight surrounding Calderwood and her future shot at Valentina Shevchenko's title, but the Brazillian had other ideas and submitted JoJo in the very first round with an armbar.
Maia dominated from the outset and looked incredible, which is why we've awarded her the best submission of August.
Winner: Jennifer Maia - Armbar (UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs Shahbazyan
KO of the Month
No doubt the most remarkable knockout of August was Beneil Dariush's spinning backfist that KO'd Scott Holtzman in the very first round of their fight.
Dariush, unfortunately, missed weight for the fight and was ineligible for the performance of the night bonus, a bonus he was certain to win if he was able, but that doesn't take away how special the KO was. The 31-year-old is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster and with knockouts like this, it's easy to see why.
Winner: Beneil Dariush vs Scott Holtzman (UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Oleinik)
Best Post Fight Interview of the Month
There's no question as to who deserves this one this month. Following a second-round TKO victory over Aleksei Oleinik, Derrick Lewis gave us yet another incredibly memorable interview following the bout.
Before the interview even got started Lewis was heard letting his team know he 'needed a s**t' before admitting he was glad the first round ended when it did as he couldn't breathe in the submission Oleinik had him in. Lewis is one of the most unabashedly honest fighters in the organization and it's why we all love him. The Black Beast rounded the interview out by correcting Paul Felder's claim he was on a two-fight winning streak by pointing out it was actually three straight wins now, before revealing he didn't want to fight again until he was walking around at 245lbs. A funny, honest and revealing interview from one of the best personalities in the sport, never change Derrick.
Winner: Derrick Lewis (UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Oleinik)
WTF! Moment of the Month
There's no doubt what is the WTF! moment of August. In what was one of the biggest UFC upsets in the betting odds history, Shana Dobson TKO'd Mariya Agapova in the second round. Agapova had a lot of hype heading into the fight and with a record of 3-4 heading into the fight, no one in their wildest dreams expected Dobson to even be competitive in the fight, but the 31-year-old shocked the world and finished her opponent.
At 23 years old and with a 9-2 record, Agapova will no doubt bounce back from this tough loss and continue to climb the ranks, but there's no taking this remarkable win away from Dobson and she deserves this award.
Winner: Shana Dobson lands one of the biggest betting upsets in UFC history (UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs Edgar)
Fight of the Month
In a month filled with some really good fights, this was a hard one to pick. It could have really gone to a number of different bouts, but we'll go with one that took place right at the beginning of the month and was a rematch on another truly great fight.
Back in October 2017, Lando Vannata and Bobby Green fought to a draw in an absolute war and heading into their rematch at the beginning of August, many expected the fight to fail in living up to its predecessor, but that wasn't to be. The two men engaged in what was another absolute war and once again won the fight of the night bonus. We found a winner this time around, with Green having his arm raised at the end, but I know I'm not alone in saying I'd love to see these two run it back a third time.
Winner: Bobby Green vs Lando Vannata (UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs Shahbazyan)
Performance of the Month
Heading into his fight with Edmen Shahbazyan, many expected Derek Brunson to be violently brushed aside as Shahbazyan continued his climb up the middleweight rankings. The 22-year-old was undefeated at the time, with 10 of his 11 wins coming via first-round stoppage, but Brunson refused to be a stepping stone for the youngster.
The 36-year-old did an excellent job weathering Shahbazyan's storm early one, before dominating the youngster. At the end of the second round, it was unclear whether Shahbazyan would even be able to continue into the third, but he did and it was over quickly. Brunson made a huge statement with his performance and he looked like a brand new man. If he can keep it up, the middleweight division may have a dangerous contender primed to climb the ranks.
Winner: Derek Brunson vs Edmen Shahbazyan (UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs Shahbazyan)
The 'Ultimate Fighter' of the Month
Although the win felt a little anti-climatic, it can't be ignored that Stipe Miocic officially cemented his place as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history in August. The Cleveland native finally brought his trilogy with fellow all time great Daniel Cormier to an end and while I wanted to give this award to DC to honour his retirement, there's no denying Miocic deserves it.
Miocic beat Cormier by judges' decision after five rounds and left the trilogy having bested DC 2-1. From here we'll likely see Stipe take on former challenger Francis Ngannou in what is sure to be one of the toughest tests of his career, before eventually meeting Jon Jones if all goes to plan. Stipe Miocic really is the 'ultimate fighter'.
Winner: Stipe Miocic
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