BYRON McCALL, LENA LYONS CALL IT A CAREER
CHICAGO — As we draw closer to the end of 2022, and the brief winter hiatus settles in, we can look back and say what a wild year it was for Mixed Martial Arts. Union Grand Prix, along with its umbrella promotions Ryūjin FC and Everest MMA, put on over two dozen events that spanned all across the globe. We witnessed auspicious prospects rise to the occasion, climbing the rankings and making a name for themselves in this unrelenting sport, while dominant reigns came crumbling down to ash.
Throughout the stretch of this past calendar year, we also witnessed the final chapter of four iconic fighters’ storied legends.
We all saw it coming with Michael Santos. He made it known that he was on the last leg of his professional MMA career, and the always game top tier contender wanted one final run at a championship opportunity. Once before he had been bested by then Cruiserweight Champion Roscoe Robinson, but that loss did not extinguish the burning desire to become a champion. After exiting the Triple C GP (Cruiserweight Championship Contender Grand Prix) by eventual winner and subsequent champion Gauge Lattimore, The Punisher rattled off back-to-back stunning first rounds finishes, and with the final fight of his contract, earned that title shot. The Main Event bout took place at the Rod Laver Arena in Santos’ hometown Melbourne, Australia, and he walked into that fight as a +300 underdog. The odds were stacked against him in his rematch with Gauge Lattimore, and many had wondered if the bright lights in a hometown setting in his farewell fight was just too much for the forty-one year old man to handle. However, what transpired over three rounds is the stuff Hollywood movies are made of. The grizzled vet weathered the fiery storm of the “Next Big Thing” and rallied his way back to score an inconceivable TKO win. Santos kept his word after the fight, and retired as a champion.
Similarly with Michael Santos, the farewell tour of Delaney Donovan was well documented and was the main talking point throughout most of the year. At the tail end of 2021, Double D laid out a road map for his last handful of fights in his contract, and stated that he would walk away from the sport after that. He cited a list of names that included the best at 155 pounds, and even hinted at the idea of a rematch with then Middleweight Champion Travis Decker, a Super Fight with then ScrapYard teammate Dallas Meechan, or even a Championship Showcase bout with Bantamweight Champion Gianna Howard. One by one, Delaney Donovan continued to rewrite the record book each time he stepped inside the cage, picking off the wave of next gen competition; but a name from yesteryear would spell the end of his long reign as King of the Lightweights. After a grueling twenty-five minute war in front of the biggest recorded crowd in Union GP history at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Delaney Donovan lost to the living legend herself, Paige Holloway. After the fight, it all seemed appropriate for Double D to finally hang it up and give Holloway her moment in the spotlight, effectively ending the most decorated career in Union GP history.
The next major superstar to set off into the sunset is one of the most tenured fighters Union GP was ever able to sign. Lena Lyons was the epitome of what a mixed martial artist should be in the modern age. Scrappy, gutsy, and full of venom, Lena Lyons never disappointed when she stepped inside the cage. She has competed in practically every major promotion all across the world, and has always left it all out there. When Thugga’s name was on the card, you could guarantee magic in the making. Although she never was able to capture the championship, she proved that you can be a top draw without all of the glitz and glamour. In a career that had a lot of turbulence when you rallied up the wins and losses, Lena Lyons finished her career on a 6-2 run and a library full of memorable moments.
The final fighter on this list is someone who came back from retirement for a taste of redemption. We all thought we had seen the last of “The Last Call” Byron McCall back in June of 2020. After back-to-back losses that included a Middleweight Title fight against Robert Guilliman and a highly touted bout against Aries Reed, McCall dropped to 155 pounds to hunt for another shot at a title fight. His Lightweight debut ended unceremoniously to perennial top ranked and former champion Natalie King, marking three tough losses in a row. It seemed that McCall’s better days were behind him, so after he snapped his three fight skid against Erick Costa, Byron McCall had announced his retirement. As stated, most believed that this was the end of the road for McCall, who had become a father and later on in 2021, inducted into the Hall of Fame. That recognition sparked something inside McCall, and he believed he had unfinished business to tend to. McCall made his triumphant return at UGP 34 in Melbourne, Australia, out-pointing former Title Challenger Nigel Musgrove. This was a man on a mission who looked rejuvenated and hungry. He then took a late notice fight against Robert Guilliman, after the originally scheduled Aston Page suffered an injury during a training session. McCall exorcized his demons by finishing The Primarch, and after the highlight reel victory, the people were clamoring for another title fight for the Hall of Famer. Byron McCall then went on to face Middleweight Champion Travis Decker, a former RK teammate and a man who was on his own bounce-back redemption arc by recently tying the all-time Middleweight Title defense record in the span of his seven fight win streak. The two put on a fight of the year candidate in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Alamodome, and Byron McCall finally slayed the dragon as he became the seventh Middleweight Champion in Union GP history. His first title defense came in his hometown Boston, Massachusetts against the white hot rising contender Lovelie Saint-Cyr in the Main Event of the 2022 finale card, UGP 39. In another fight of the year candidate, Byron McCall would fall just short in a five round split decision. Many believed he should have won, and even more wanted the two to run it back immediately, but in a strange way, Byron McCall was at peace. He accomplished what he set out to do and to end his career with a nail-biting classic in front of his hometown was, in his eyes, the perfect way to go out in style.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. With these legends hanging up the gloves, it leaves room for the next wave of competitors to try and fill those roles. To all of those wishful prospects, I wish you the best of luck.
