With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2019: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for May.

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

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The Nominees

Shane Burgos def. Cub Swanson at UFC on ESPN+ 9

Shane Burgos (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has low-key put together a nice run in the featherweight division since joining the UFC in 2016. After beating Cub Swanson (25-11 MMA, 10-7 UFC), he finally has a noteworthy name on his resume to get a little attention.

Burgos squared off with Swanson in the biggest fight of his career. The duo engaged in the sort of chess-match standup bout that can lead to a wide range of potential scores, and that’s exactly what happened with opposing 30-27 cards plus a 29-28 for Burgos that gave him the split decision nod.

Donald Cerrone def. Al Iaquinta at UFC on ESPN+ 9

Heading into their lightweight main event, Al Iaquinta (14-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) intimated that Donald Cerrone (36-11 MMA, 23-8 UFC) was starting to look old in recent fights. If that’s the case, this old dog still has some bite.

“Cowboy” put on exactly the sort of clinic that let everyone know he’s a veteran who still has gas left in the tank – and he’s a factor. Cerrone deftly utilized his range to administer a wide variety of strikes. And while Iaquinta is undoubtedly one of the toughest customers in the sport, he never quite got untracked before Cerrone got the unanimous decision win.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxGVBoDH1_6

Jessica Andrade def. Rose Namajunas at UFC 237

After losing the first round to Rose Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in their strawweight title showdown, Jessica Andrade (20-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) knew she had to mix things up if she wanted to claim the belt.

Defending UFC champ Namajunas dominated the first five minutes of the bout, using her speed and range to fluster her Brazilian foe. But then Andrade decided to make it a firefight in the second round, and it paid off because she capitalized on a mistake from Namajunas to deliver an electric, violent slam to end the contest.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxguwEmH4eE

Aspen Ladd def. Sijara Eubanks at UFC on ESPN+ 10

Undefeated women’s bantamweight prospect Aspen Ladd (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has eight career pro fights. Her 30 minutes of cage time with Sijara Eubanks (4-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is nearly as much as her other seven bouts combined.

Ladd rematched Eubanks two years after their initial showdown that was action-packed from start to finish. In the end, though, the result was the same. Ladd had more to show for her efforts, as she earned a unanimous decision from the judges.

Rafael dos Anjos def. Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN+ 10

Kevin Lee (17-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) pushed a furious pace at the outset of his welterweight debut against Rafael dos Anjos (29-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC). Unfortunately, the former UFC champ showed a potent amount of patience that allowed him to net the win.

Lee attempted to put pressure on dos Anjos at ever opportunity through striking and grappling. He had his moments, but dos Anjos displayed composure, and when the fight hit the fourth round was able to secure an advantageous position on Lee and lock in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7TCOSH2HH

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The Winner: Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas

Gallery Jessica Andrade def. Rose Namajunas at UFC 237: Best photos view 22 images

After losing the first round in a definitive manner, Andrade had to dig deep to cause a significant moment of change if she wanted to win UFC gold.

Defending UFC strawweight champ Namajunas dominated the first five minutes of the bout, using her speed and range to fluster her Brazilian foe. But then Andrade decided to make it a firefight in the second round, and she capped her performance with one of the most stunning finishes in recent memory.

Andrade slammed Namajunas for the knockout, winning the championship at the 2:34 mark of the second frame.

“I was very certain what I had to do in the second round,” Andrade said. “I’ve never done that move before in the UFC.”

Namajunas, who had not fought since defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk 13 months ago at UFC 223, showed no ring rust as she pieced up Andrade in the opening round. Her jab was sharp, her footwork magnificent, her use of range nonpareil.

Andrade’s best moments in the first round came when she closed the distance and fired shots, and that was a foreshadowing of the second. Andrade’s flurries didn’t always connect, but they became noticeably more successful as the round progressed.

A slam attempt earlier nearly ended in Andrade getting submitted on the ground, but there was no doubt about the second attempt, as Namajunas landed in a matter that made it appear she was lucky she didn’t suffer a broken neck.

For Andrade, it was the culmination of a tenacious journey in the UFC. She started as an undersized bantamweight when that was the only weight class available to women in the promotion and went 5-3 fighting two weight classes up. She’s now 7-1 since going down to strawweight and has the UFC record for wins by a female.

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