mcgregor-pitbull-rumble.jpg
Getty Images and Bellator MMA

The first half of 2021 has seen plenty of action in the mixed martial arts world. New champions have been crowned, existing champions have put on incredible performances and some wonderful fights have gone down inside the cages of various promotions.

With the first six months of the year out of the way, the sport moves on to what should be a big finish to 2021. There are already many big fights scheduled and some big stories playing out on the outside of active competition.

We took a look at what we know, along with what we expect, to determine some of the biggest storylines in the sport as we head into the final six months of the year.

Who ends 2021 as UFC lightweight champion?

Lightweight is in an interesting and unusual spot. Dustin Poirier is generally recognized as the best lightweight in the world following the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead of following up his January knockout of Conor McGregor by chasing the vacant championship, Poirier opted for a trilogy fight with McGregor on July 10. The UFC responded by booking Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler in a fight for the vacant title, with Oliveira scoring a dramatic comeback knockout to become champion more than a decade after joining the UFC.

It would seem the year could close out with the winner of Poirier vs. McGregor 3 going on to fight Oliveira for the title. Oliveira has said he believes he could knock out either man -- in addition to being the UFC's all-time leader in submission wins -- but would almost certainly enter the fight as an underdog. Whichever man ends 2021 as lightweight champion will have an incredible story to tell, whether Oliveira continuing his unlikely run as champ, Poirier grinding his way to the top of the sport or McGregor finally returning to the top of the mountain as the sport's biggest star.

Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a complete look at what to expect from UFC 264 with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier in the main event.

McKee and Pitbull battle to become world's best featherweight

Bellator's slow build for elite prospect A.J. McKee comes to a head on July 31 when he clashes with featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull in the finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix. The fight will not only have the tournament, title and a $1 million prize on the line, but could legitimately determine the best 145-pound fighter on the planet.

UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski won the belt from Max Holloway with a deserved decision, but there was plenty of question if he truly deserved the split decision win in their rematch. Holloway looked great in his most recent fight, putting on a show against Calvin Kattar, but the losses to Volkanovski have him out of the title picture for the time being.

Meanwhile, McKee is 17-0 and has looked better in each outing. A win over Pitbull would be the marquee win McKee needs to put a stamp on his place in the division. Pitbull has long been a dominant force at 145 pounds and knocking off McKee would add another big win to his resume. There's a chance Bellator could have the best featherweight in the world on their roster by the end of the summer.

Can the UFC sort out the heavyweight division?

Heavyweight has been something of a mess in the UFC. There was a lot of excitement when Jon Jones announced he would make his long-awaited move to the division, but things immediately broke down as Jones and UFC management engaged in a bitter public financial dispute. That situation tanked the idea of seeing Jones fight Francis Ngannou prior to Ngannou winning the heavyweight title with his knockout of Stipe Miocic.

Ngannou is now at the heart of the UFC's latest public battle with a fighter and their representation. Just three months after Ngannou won the heavyweight title, the UFC booked Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis for an interim title fight in August. That odd move was met with criticism from Ngannou's team, who pointed out that Ngannou was willing to defend his title in September, a fairly standard turnaround for a UFC champion, and that Ngannou didn't receive an interim title shot while Miocic and Daniel Cormier waited a year to fight for a third time.

These situations have left the division in something of a mess and with the biggest potential fights left to the imaginations of the fans rather than the inside of the Octagon.

Bellator's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix marches on

For the most part, the opening round of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix delivered. Now the tournament moves to the semifinal rounds, which features a pair of intriguing fights.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson will face Vadim Nemkov with the light heavyweight title on the line. Johnson was nearly knocked out in his return to the cage, but survived to score a comeback knockout of late replacement Jose Augusto. Nemkov managed to grind out a decision over Phil Davis in his opening round fight, retaining the title he won with his knockout of Ryan Bader. Bader sits on the other side of the bracket, having picked up a win over Lyoto Machida in the opening round of the tournament. He will face Corey Anderson after Anderson scored his own dominant TKO of Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in his first round fight. Neither fight has a firm date as of publishing.

With plenty of intriguing fights available for whoever emerges from the tournament as champion, the conclusion of the tournament will set up a big 2022 for the 205-pound division.

Race for 2021 Fighter of the Year heats up

The first six months of the year have seen some incredible performances and some good options for this year's Fighter of the Year. Here's a quick look at the top candidates as it stands right now and their next (or likely next) opponent.

  • Kamaru Usman -- Welterweight champion Usman has already picked up two impressive knockout wins this year, stopping Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal in Performance of the Night winning outings. According to UFC president Dana White, Usman will rematch Colby Covington, though Leon Edwards is also at the top of the list of potential title challengers.
  • Dustin Poirier -- Poirier scored a knockout of Conor McGregor in January and is set for a rubber match with McGregor on July 10. Another win over McGregor and a fight with lightweight champion Charles Oliveira would make for a strong case for Poirier having the best year in the sport.
  • Francis Ngannou -- His title win over Stipe Miocic in March was a big statement moment for Ngannou, with Ngannou showing improved grappling before the crushing knockout finish. He'll need another big win over the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis to fully enter the conversation, but Ngannou isn't out of the Fighter of the Year picture yet.
  • Rose Namajunas -- Namajunas is the owner of maybe the most emotional Octagon moment of the year, knocking out Weili Zhang to win the women's strawweight title for a second time. Her first defense could come in a rematch with Zhang or a bout with Carla Esparza, both of which have been floated by White.
  • Charles Oliveira -- Oliveira is an obvious entrant on the list, having knocked out Michael Chandler to become UFC lightweight champion. Assuming he defends his title against the winner of the upcoming fight between Poirier and McGregor, Oliveira would be a leading name on end of the year award lists.
  • Brandon Moreno -- Moreno's submission win over dominant champion Deiveson Figueredo to capture the UFC flyweight champion sits along side Namajunas' title win as one of the most emotional moments of the year. Moreno is the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history, but likely needs two wins to close out the year to beat out the bigger names on the list. The winner of Askar Askarov and Alex Perez on July 31 could be the next man up for Moreno. Askarov and Moreno battled to a draw in a September 2019 fight.
  • Bellator's Grand Prix winners -- Whoever wins the fight between A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull to win the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix would at least be in the mix for Fighter of the Year discussions. The same goes for the winner of the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, assuming it manages to finish up before the end of the year.