2015 MMA Year End Awards

2015 MMA Year End Awards
January 12, 2016 
By Ryan Porzl

With the year coming to an end, it's time I give my year end awards for what I considered both the best and worst in Mixed Martial Arts.



Fighter of the Year: Muhammed Lawal (Bellator)- Yeah, I know that this supposed to be the year of Conor McGregor but I feel Lawal did better. For one thing, Lawal was more active as he fought five times and went 5-0 this year. Meanwhile, three of the fights were in 48 hours with the last two being on the same day. Secondly, he moved up at times to heavyweight where he accepted a fight with Cheick Kongo on short notice. During his year, he first started in Bellator by defeating former tournament winner Cheick Kongo and then entered the promotion's Dynamite Light Heavyweight Tournament where he defeated former title contender Linton Vassel before pulling out due to a rib injury. After recovering, he represented Bellator by entering Rizin's Heavyweight Tournament which featured many prospects and champions from other organizations. Ultimately, he made history winning Rizin's first tournament by defeating former BAMMA Light Heavyweight Title contender Brent McDermontt (who replaced BAMMA Heavyweight Champion Mark Godbeer), current Bushido Lithuania Light Heavyweight Champion Teodoras Aukstuolis, and then current Gladiator Championship Fighting Light Heavyweight Champion Jiri Prochazka. Another reason I give him this award is the adjustments he had to make. Think about it. He started the year in Bellator with unified rules and a cage. He finished the year in Rizin where he had to get used to fighting in a ring which he hadn't done in six years. He had to get used to PRIDE rules with knees to the ground, soccer kicks, stomps, and no elbows. The judging criteria was different. Finally, he had to adjust to ten minute first rounds which is something he never did before, not even in Sengoku. To have to adjust so much and then successfully enter a tournament where your representing a company against champions or contenders of others is pretty impressive.

Knockout of the Year: Hisaki Kato over Joe Schilling (Bellator)- This gets my choice for knockout of the year for two reasons. One is the fact that it looked impressive as it was Kato hitting a superman punch that knocks Schilling out cold and he crashes to the canvas. You see many superman punches in MMA but very few are as devastating. Second reason is that it's impressive that Kato was able to score such a knockout over a world class kickboxer. At the time of the fight, Schilling was a top five kickboxer for the GLORY promotion, had never been knocked out in an MMA fight before, and hadn't been knocked in overall in three years. So for Kato to knockout a world class kickboxer who is tough to knock out and in spectacular fashion is amazing.

Submission of the Year: Rena Kubota over Jleana Valentino (Rizin)- Appropriate this fight took place on New Year's Eve cause it's similar to the legendary Ryo Chonan/Anderson Silva finish from PRIDE Shockwave 2004. The submission here was Rena grabbing Valentino's arm, jumping in the air, and catches her with an armbar. Successfully pulling off an armbar is not easy so to grab the arm, jump, successfully get it is very rare.

Fight of the Year: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC)- This was a tough one as 2015 featured many great fights including LC Davis/Hideo Tokoro and Patirico Freire/Daniel Straus from Bellator; The Justin Gaethje/Luis Palomino title fights in WSOF; The Jadamba Narantungalag/Marat Gafurov and Igor Svirid/Vitaly Bigdash fights from ONE. However, I pick this one. While I haven't seen it in months, I remember being very fun to watch, it never dragged, and had a great story behind it with Lawler having previous defeated MacDonald by split decision which derailed MacDonald's hype train. The fight also had a great ending as it was later revealed that MacDonald was ahead on the cards heading into round 5 which meant that Lawler had to finish to win and he ultimately persevered and retained his title in the last round.

Event of the Year- UFC 189 (UFC)- I picked UFC 189 because it was both a great main show and a lot of history being made. As far as I can remember, there wasn't a boring fight on the main card, every fight had a finish, and two title fights that delivered. The Welterweight Title fight was my choice for fight of the year so I already explained my opinions on that fight. Then there's the Interim Featherweight Title fight which saw some drama as Conor McGregor was challenged in the wrestling department against Chad Mendes. However, he pulled through and got the knockout to win the interim title which allowed him to continue his climb up the mountain.

Story of the Year: The Reebok Deal- An obvious one as the deal between Reebok and The UFC dominated the news through out 2015 and is easily one of the most controversial things The UFC has done in their 22 year history. Early in the year, it was announced that beginning in the summer that all UFC fighters and cornermen would war Reebok gear for the fights as well as every event (press conferences and weigh-ins) during fight week. The issue has divided both fighters and fans. On one hand, some have come out for it claiming it's a great deal for the fighters and will allow them to be paid better. On the other, some have argued that it hurts the fighters as it takes away sponsors that fighters rely on to make money while only the top stars make the real money. Others have also complained that fighters look identical which means they'll have a harder time standing out. The deal has also been criticized over whether Reebok is fully committed to it as numerous fight gears have had fighters names misspelled and designing errors that have been both criticized but also ridiculed.

Upset of the Year: Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey (UFC)- Is there any other option? Ok, there are some but not quite as big especially given how dominate Rousey has been and how disappointing Holm was in her first two outings in the UFC despite being once considered one of the big threats to Rousey' throne. In fact, Holm was so disappointing that when the fight was announced some groaned and preferred a third encounter between Rousey & Tate over Holm getting the shot despite it being something highly wanted only one year earlier. In the end, Holm proved to be worthy the hype as she not only exposed Rousey for being, well, human but she put on a clinic by outstriking and surviving the grappling periods. I know some consider this insulting giving Holms achievements but her first two fights in the UFC were just underwhelming that it's hard to believe she would be disappointing against lesser competition only to put on a clinic against Rousey.

Beatdown of the Year: Stipe Miocic over Mark Hunt (UFC)- I agree with most and pick this fight for beatdown of the year. This fight was very one sided and saw Miocic light Hunt up for four and a half rounds. He even set a UFC record for most strikes landed during a fight as he outlanded Hunt 361-48 in total strikes. Hunt was game but got trashed and was left battered, bruised, and received a swollen left eye.

Robbery of the Year: David Rickels vs. John Alessio (Bellator)- I picked this one because not only was it a huge robbery but a unique one as it gives me another reason to despise the unified rules of MMA. Basically the robbery is that Rickels was on the verge of defeating Alessio with strikes but just before he got the TKO win, he accidentally threw a knee to Alessio while he was down. The fight was immediately stopped and Alessio was given time to recover but when he said he couldn't continue, the fight was ruled a no contest. To say this is infuriating is an understatement. Rickels deserved to win and he was cheated out of it because of a stupid rule that he accidentally broke. I personally hate the unified rules, think they are a cancer to the sport, and the whole thing of being able to knee a standing opponent but not a downed one is a big reason.

Breakthrough Fighter of the Year: Rafael Carvalho (Bellator)- This is one of the easiest picks in my awards. At this time last year, Carvalho had just entered Bellator and was 1-0 in the organization with a win over longtime regular Brian Rogers. While Carvalho had a lot of potential, he was an unknown with one win in Bellator and the rest of his career was in his native Brazil. Fast forward a year later, Carvalho not racked up two more wins but defeated Joe Schilling by split decision just as Schilling was coming off a knockout win over Melvin Manhoef and then scored a massive upset over the undefeated Brandon Halsey to win the vacant Bellator Middleweight Championship (the title was vacant due to Halsey failing to make weight). I don't know what's a bigger breakthrough then going from a winning your debut on a prelim to then scoring two good wins while winning a championship a year later.

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Rizin)- Kohsaka didn't do much this year as he only fought once which was a win over James Thompson in Rizin's first fight but I can't think of anyone that clearly deserves it. Not to mention that Kohsaka did have a comeback as the fight with Thompson was his first in nearly 10 years and he was nearly 46 years old. It's gotta be worth a lot to be that old and come back after that long a lay off and look good.

Announcer of the Year: Jimmy Smith (Bellator)- The longtime Bellator announcer gets this award this year as I mostly enjoy his commentary. He's very knowledgable about the sport, holds, and their effectiveness. He does a great job explaining why he believes a certain fighter won a certain round. He doesn't sound annoying or known to say many foolish things. He's not boring either. While I don't care for his over dramatic behavior regarding late stoppages, the pros still outweigh the con.

Gym of the Year: King's MMA- This one is pretty obvious as King's MMA not only got two UFC titles in their camp this year but both were considered unlikely. The first was Fabricio Werdum who became the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion by being the first fighter to submit Cain Velasquez. Then there was Rafael Dos Anjos who scored a massive upset by dominating Anthony Pettis to not only win the UFC Lightweight Championship but was the first to score a win over Pettis that wasn't controversial. Dos Anjos then went on to dominate Donald Cerrone to retain the title at the end of the year in the fastest Lightweight Title defense in UFC history.

Promotion of the Year: Bellator MMA- As you can tell from all the awards Bellator received that it's safe to assume that I thought it was the best company of the year. 2015 was truly a great year for the organization as they achieved successful ratings as the Shamrock/Kimbo fight was the highest event they ever had. The company had plenty of awesome fights including Davis/Tokoro and Pitbull/Straus. Many new prospects took big steps towards stardom and title contention including Darrion Caldwell, Goiti Yamauchi, Bubba Jenkins, John Teixeira, Emmanuel Sanchez, Brent Primus, Brennan Ward, Rafael Carvalho, Michael Page, Hisaki Kato, Alex Huddleston, and Augusto Sakai with them all having a lot potential in 2016 and beyond. The company saw the returns of Georgi Karakhanyan and Tony Johnson after years away from the company while Vinicius Spartain returned after a two year lay off due to injury. Raphael Butler bounced back with a nice win after a lackluster 2014. They also made some big signings as well in Phil Davis and Josh Thomson. I also loved the use of tentpole events as a way to separate the regular show with the big shows since Bellator doesn't do PPV or stuff like that. They also brought back the pomp and pagentry to MMA with the big shows, formed an alliance with other companies like Rizin, and brought the Dynamite concept to America. While the year wasn't perfect as Heavyweight Champ Vitaly Minakov was MIA, Brandon Halsey was embarrassingly stripped of the Middleweight Title for failure to make weight, and the usual injuries, it was still nice year for them and I look forward to 2016.

Worst Fighter of the Year: Alexander Volkov (Bellator)- This one pains me cause I'm a big Volkov fan but fair is fair and things didn't go his way in 2015. Volkov left 2014 with five wins, a second Bellator tournament, a title shot, and the sky appeared to be the limit. However, following a win early in the year in his native Russia, it was all downhill for Volkov. He returned to Bellator in April against the returning Tony Johnson and was almost helpless against Johnson's grappling. While the loss was a split decision and Johnson is a decorated amateur wrestler, it was still an upset loss and he didn't look good. Attempting to bounce back in June, he took on Cheick Kongo and performed even worse as Kongo (who is primarily a striker) outgrappled Volkov, took him down at will, and Volkov was grinded to a decision loss all the while having no answer for Kongo. Sadly, the two poor performances were enough for Bellator to cut him during the summer. So, Volkov went from #1 contender for the Bellator Heavyweight Title entering the year to two straight losses and a pink slip by the summer. Since then, Volkov has returned to Russia and signed with M-1 Global as he'll challenge for the vacant heavyweight title. Volkov is a talented fighter but the holes in his game were glaring and he can only hope to pick up the pieces and bounce back in 2016.

Worst Fight of the Year: Shinya Aoki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Rizin)- As is usually the case for me, my choice for worst fight is not only a lousy fight but a depressing one. This year's choice was the Shinya Aoki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba which main evented the first Rizin Fighting Federation show. On paper, this was something that could've been a dream fight years ago but was largely a nightmare given Sakuraba is 46 and has had no business fighting for years. The fight itself was ugly and depressing as Sakuraba threw one kick before getting taking down and beating for five minutes. The last 30 seconds were especially not comfortable as Sakuraba was clearly done but the referee still gave him a chance to try to defend before putting him and the audience out of their misery. It was one of those fights that was just depressing as a beloved legend got torched and fought when he never should've. It'll also be the final fight for Sakuraba and it's depressing to see such an icon go out as ugly as it did. The fight also did no favors for Aoki. While getting a win over Sakuraba is supposed to mean something, it doesn't here since he pummeled a 46 year old man who hadn't fought in four years and shouldn't have been fighting since at least 2008.

Worst Event of the Year: Titan FC 33: Night of Champions (Titan)- For those who haven't seen Titan FC 33, it's basically Titan's version of UFC 33 and Strikeforce: Nashville (without any brawls). In other words, it was supposed to be this epic and huge event where Titan would have all these big title fights and really show the world who they are and what they're capable of. Instead, the event was a complete borefest as every fight went to a decision and none were any fun to watch. While decisions aren't bad, it does get boring when it happens every fight. Nothing stood out, nothing was memorable, and there were no good fights. Ultimately, Titan FC had the same outcome of UFC 33 and Strikeforce: Nashville as a stacked event went flat.

Worst Announcer of the Year: Joe Rogan (UFC)- I've always been mixed on Rogan. Sometimes, he makes good points and other times, sounds ridiculous and embarrassing. This year, Rogan was really awful and off badly. While I get he's an announcer and needs to hype fights, he would take stuff way too far. For example, it's one thing to consider Anderson Silva the best fighter in the world or the best fighter of all time but Rogan can't stop there and has calling him the best martial artist the world has ever known. Speaking of Silva, Rogan downright lied in the UFC 183 extended preview by saying that Silva was "winning" against Chris Weidman in their first fight before the knockout loss even though no one would consider Silva "winning" that fight. Then there's his stuff with Ronda Rousey. From joining the UFC choir on her beating half the bantamweight men to slobbering over her in a post fight interview about it being an honor to call her fights to saying she's one of a kind. Then there's the usual criticisms about Rogan which is he's clearly biased on a lot of the fights and clearly shows favoritism. In fact, it gets to the point where people constantly say to other people on forums after a fight that had a decision they didn't agree with to watch it again without sound.

Worst Gym of the Year: Glendale Fight Club- This was another obvious one. For awhile now, The Glendale Fight Club has been one of the most disappointing gyms in all of MMA. The only thing that kept the gym relevant was Ronda Rousey. Outside of that, the gym has been a disaster as it became home to many talented fighters and prospects including Jake Ellenberger, Travis Browne, Jessamyn Duke, Shayna Baszler, and Marina Shafir yet none have experienced any real growth during their time there. Ellenberger and Browne were top ten fighters before going there and both have been completely dreadful after training there. Meanwhile, Duke and Shafir were considered two prospect's in women's MMA who have shown no improvements. In 2015 alone, the gym lost Ellenberger and Duke who bailed, Browne got destroyed by Andrei Arlovski, Shafir suffered another 37 second knockout loss, and Ronda Rousey was torched by Holly Holm. The latter was a stake to the heart as Rousey and her success were the only thing the gym had going for it and now, they don't even have that anymore.

Worst Promotion of the Year: Titan FC- I don't think there's a close second in terms of worst companies this year. Titan's 2015 was awful and very bleak with no promise. They basically left TV and signed with UFC Fight Pass for shows which is a step down especially since there's no chance of growing while under the microscope of the UFC. Now, I'm not saying declare war on Zuffa but at least do your own thing. The promotion couldn't even keep their champions as Heavyweight Champion Chase Gormley bailed to go to Bellator, Light Heavyweight Champion Vinny Magalhaes left to go to WSOF, and Rick Hawn won the Lightweight Title only to retire. Two champions missed weight Pat Healy failed to make weight leading up to his title loss to Hawn and Brett Johns failed to make weight which forced Titan to strip him of the Bantamweight Title. As of writing, Titan only has two champions with Tim Elliot as the Flyweight Champion and Andre Harrison as Lightweight Champion. The company's Night of Champions show was a bust and they cancelled two shows while only running three. All in all, they didn't stand out much, they don't have any stars, and no great prospects. I can be wrong Titan ended the year with a bleak future, if any.