January 30, 2017
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- Michael Bisping (UFC)- There were some good options but Bisping was above them all in my opinion. During 2016, Bisping went from so close and so far to having the greatest year of his career by far. He kicked off the year with a win over former Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping on February 27th. While the decision has been considered controversial, it's a still a massive win for the count. The next two fights were about avenging losses as Bisping was finally giving a chance at the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 199 on June 4th against Luke Rockhold. After years of trying to receive a title shot, Bisping took advantage of a great opportunity and upset Rockhold by knockout to avenge a previous loss while becoming the first British UFC Champion. He then ended the year avenging the most famous loss of his career when he retained against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in Henderson's retirement fight.
Knockout of the Year- Michael Page over Cyborg Santos (Bellator)- To me, there were some great knockouts this year but everything about this made it an obvious pick. One is the move which was a jumping knee which is hard to time just right. Second is that it was timed perfectly with Page throwing it just as Santos came in with a punch. Third was it looked brutal with both the impact and the fact Santos quickly went down. Perhaps most importantly, x-rays would come out showing Santos suffering a sinus fracture that looked like a dent in his skull. Finally, this knockout was likely the big reason why Santos recently announced his retirement.
Submission of the Year- Alexis Dufresne over Marloes Coenen (Bellator 155, 5/20)- I picked this one for a variety of reasons. One is that Dufresne took the fight on short notice as she replaced Julia Budd. Second is that it was a triangle choke which is tough to pull off especially against a vet like Coenen who was in her 30th fight. Third of all, Coenen is not easy to submit as this was her seventh loss but only the second time she lost by submission with the first being when she lost the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship to Miesha Tate back in 2011. It's even more impressive when you consider Dufresne won in 4:33 of round one while Tate won at 3:03 in round four. Also, Coenen is a submission specialist as 17 of her 23 wins are by submission.
Fight of the Year- Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195, 1/2)- Even though this fight was in January, it's still one to remember a year later. Usually, you're almost always expected an exciting fight with these two and they delivered together. This fight was a war with both giving everything they had, they threw everything from punches to kicks to knees, and both were dropped only to continue going. It went all five rounds and never got boring with both still giving it their all. While the decision will always be controversial with some believing Condit did enough to win, it does show how much they gave given how close it was and it could've went either way. It was close enough that even if Condit had won like some thought he should've, it would still be controversial with some fans thinking Lawler should've won.
Event of the Year- Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round (Rizin)- Maybe it's because I'm a mark for Japanese Mixed Martial Arts but nevertheless, this was a fun and great event. It had that feel of a big time New Year's Eve show like the good old days. Granted, it wasn't as huge as a PRIDE event but Rizin is still new. The event had something for everyone as it had the semifinal and finals of the 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix and Mirko Cro Cop turning the clock back ten years. We saw many familiar faces including Cro Cop, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hideo Tokoro, Hayato Sakurai, and Kazuyuki Miyata while also featuring new talent like Amir Aliakbari, Valentin Moldavsky, Baruto, Erson Yamamoto, and Kron Gracie. You had mens fights, womens fights, competitive fights, a freak show fight, tournament fights, new blood vs. new blood, old guard vs. old guard, and new blood vs. old guard all at the Saitama Super Arena on New Year's Year.
Story of the Year- WME purchasing The UFC (UFC)- Is anyone surprised? I thought not. For 15 years The UFC has been owned by the Frank and Lorenzo Ferrtitta with parent company Zuffa. During that time, they bought the company for a mere $2 million and struggled for four years while losing $44 million before turning things around with The Ultimate Fighter and making The UFC into the multi-million global giant it became. Zuffa then bought out major competitors like PRIDE Fighting Championships and Strikeforce which made The UFC the clear number one without a close second. However, all things come to an end and on July 9, 2016, it was announced that Zuffa sold The UFC to WME-ING for $4 Billion ending their run as owners after 15 years.
Upset of the Year- Eduard Folayang over Shinya Aoki (ONE)- Not sure how many will look at this as one of the biggest upsets of the year but it is. Going into this fight, Aoki was riding a nine fight win streak and hadn't lost a fight in four and a half years. Folayang was on a three fight win streak but had setbacks in his ONE run and had struggled with wrestlers years before. While Folayang had worked on his ground game for a long time, Aoki's grappling is some of the best in MMA history. Folayang is a good fighter but going into this fight, his only notable win was over former ONE Lightweight Champion Kotetsu Boku while having struggled with wrestlers in the past. Going into this fight, it felt like the usual Aoki fight as he gets it down with little to no problem and either submit Folayang or out grapple him for five rounds. Instead, Folayang was on his A-game as he blocked takedowns or quickly got up after being taken down and prevented Aoki from doing much until finally finishing him off in the third round after a flurry that led to a TKO. Aoki looked like someone who wasn't going to lose anytime soon and it didn't look like anyone on the current ONE roster would be the one to dethrone him but Folayang had other ideas.
Beatdown of the Year- David Branch over Vinny Magalhaes (WSOF 33 10/7)- I couldn't think of many beatdowns but this one seemed like a good pick. The fight went five rounds with Branch picking Magalhaes apart, won every round, and dropped Magalhaes twice in round two. Magalhaes also didn't have much to offer as his world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was mostly snubbed and he couldn't outstrike Branch. Also, like Santos, Magalhaes retired following the fight.
Robbery of the Year- Rafael Carvalho over Melvin Manhoef (Bellator)- I know the Fedor/Maldonado is the popular pick and it's not a bad pick either. However, at least in that fight I can say that Fedor fought and tried to win. I can't say the same for Carvalho. He barely did anything during the 25 minute fight and would go minutes on end without throwing a single thing. He didn't show much killer instinct and other then stalk Manhoef, didn't do anything. The judging was so bad that most MMA sites believed Manhoef won and even the announcers Sean Grande & Jimmy Smith agreed to the point where Smith said he was disgusted for the sport.
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year- Cody Garbrandt (UFC)- I'll admit, I don't think I even heard of Cody Garbrandt's name at this time a year ago but I certainly know it now. Garbrandt went 4-0 in 2016 scoring three quick knockouts over Augusto Mendes, Thomas Almeida, and Takeya Mizugaki. However, he saved the best for last when he put on the performance of a lifetime and defeated the man considered the Bantamweight king for years: Dominick Cruz to become the UFC Bantamweight Champion and snapping his thirteen fight win streak. The guy went from being an unknown to the #1 Bantamweight in the world.
Comeback Fighter of the Year- Dominick Cruz (UFC) and Mirko Cro Cop (Rizin)- Pretty obvious but I had to pick both. For Cruz, he headed into 2016 having only fought once since October 2011 with that fight being in September 2014. During this time, he suffered not one but two torn ACLs. Now, one would be bad for any fighter especially one who relies on foot work like Cruz does but two should've ended Cruz's career. Yet, 2016 saw Cruz back as though he was never gone or injured as he regained the UFC Bantamweight Championship, a belt he never lost, in January from TJ Dillashaw and then dominated his rubber fight against Urijah Faber to keep the belt and end their trilogy. While things didn't end great for Cruz as he lost the championship to another Team Alpha Male fighter in Cody Garbrandt, it still doesn't take away from his success this year and the fact he returned to his throne despite the gruesome injuries and time away.
As for Cro Cop, the Croatian MMA Legend was able to turn the clock back this year. It didn't feel like we were seeing 2016 Cro Cop in Rizin but 2006 Cro Cop in PRIDE. After retiring in 2015, Cro Cop returned in September to Rizin to participate in the promotion's Openweight Grand Prix. While he had an uneventful first round against Hyun Man Myung, he then had looked impressive scoring the biggest win he's had in years against Muhammed Lawal (replacing Wanderlei Silva) then defeated the undefeated former sumo wrestler Baruto Kaito and then defeated undefeated decorated wrestler Amir Aliakbari in the finals to win the 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix ten years after winning the 2006 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix and ten years what many consider the best year of his career. 2016 was a great year for Cro Cop as the Rizin Openweight Grand Prix was his first achievement in two years since winning the IGF Heavyweight Championship while the win over Lawal was his biggest since 2006 while Baruto and Aliakbari are solid prospects.
Announcer of the Year- Jimmy Smith (Bellator)- The longtime Bellator announcer gets this award again for the same reasons as last year. I enjoy his commentary and he's an expert about the sport, holds, and their effectiveness. He does a great job explaining why he believes a certain fighter won a certain round among other things. He doesn't sound annoying or known to say many foolish things. He's not boring and he's pretty objective. In regards to the Carvalho/Manhoef fight, he's not afraid to call BS when he sees it.
Gym of the Year- American Top Team- ATT had another great year and have now showed themselves to be the top gym in Mixed Martial Arts by far. The year saw them have more UFC Championship in their stable then ever before with Tyron Woodley defeating fellow ATT fighter Robbie Lawler to win the UFC Welterweight Championship, UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk began training there, and Amanda Nunes defeated Miesha Tate to win the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship. The gym also has two Bellator titles in their possession as well with Daniel Straus as Bellator Featherweight Champion (though he never fought in 2016 due to injury) and Douglas Lima (who fights out of their Atlanta gym) regained the Bellator Welterweight Championship. In the meantime, American Top Team also has Yoel Romero who has all but confirmed his status as the number one contender for the UFC Middleweight Championship and Shawn Jordan made himself the number one contender for the WSOF Heavyweight Championship. They've also been home to elite fighters like Mark Hunt, King Mo, Jorge Masvidal, Bobby Lashley, and Glover Teixiera.
Promotion of the Year- Ultimate Fighting Championship- The UFC had a big 2016 with huge fights mostly featuring Conor McGregor, big title fights, and finally made their way to New York City and holding a show at Madison Square Garden. Though the company lacked Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey for most of the year, they still enjoyed a lot of success regardless. In fact, the loss of Rousey saw new women take that next step including Amanda Nunes or the Women's Strawweights. The company also got new men fighters taking that next step as well mostly notably Cody Garbrandt. I also picked the UFC because every other company had bigger setbacks this year. Bellator started the year with some freakshow fights or fights like Carvalho/Manhoef which proved to be colossal disappointing. Worst of all, they had to strip Vitaly Minakov of the Heavyweight Championship due to a lack of title defenses and didn't crown a new champion. Meanwhile, Light Heavyweight champion Liam McGeary missed most of the year while Featherweight champion Daniel Straus didn't fight at all due to injuries. WSOF was very forgettable this year. ONE banned soccer kicks which is a personal gripe of mine and they're champions aren't active enough. Rizin had a good year but is still a new promotion that's building itself.
Worst Fighter of the Year- Travis Browne (UFC)- Man, what happened to Travis Browne. This guy seemed all but confirmed to be a future UFC Heavyweight Champion at one point. Ever since he committed career suicide by hooking up with the Glendale Fight Club, he seems to have lost every bit of talent and potential he ever had. Browne posted an awful 1-2 record with his one win over Matt Mitrione in a controversial fight due to an eyepoke to Mitrione while his two losses were decisively to Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum. It's both unbelievable and sad how horrible he looked this year and will enter 2017 in a position where he's more likely fighting for his job than a championship.
Worst Fight of the Year- Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef (Bellator, Bellator 155 5/20)- I know just about everyone in MMA whether it be fans or website have picked Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 as the worst fight of the year and it's not a bad pick. However, I can give it a little defense in that it was so bad it was good and nobody was expecting much out of it. People are right that the worst fight of the year was a Bellator fight, just not that one. The Carvalho/Manhoef fight is much worse for many reasons. First is like I mentioned, people had no expectations regarding Kimbo/Dada but this fight was expected to be fireworks and fun. Second is like with robbery of the year, at least I can say Kimbo and Dada tried to give it their all but Carvalho didn't even try and Manhoef was slightly better. While Carvalho likely didn't want to duke it out with Manhoef and nobody would blame him, he could've done something besides circling. Third is that this is the Bellator equivalent of the UFC's infamous "Detroit Dance" between Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn at UFC 9. Like that fight, you had hopes for it but both guys did almost nothing but circle around with little to no action for 25 minutes. I already mentioned the shit cherry on the shit sundae which was one of the worst decisions in MMA history.
Worst Event of the Year- None
Worst Announcer of the Year- Jon Anik (UFC)- I don't hate Anik or find him annoying but he's very bland. I appreciate he's not loud, obnoxious, or bombastic but his commentary is forgettable and can probably put you to sleep. Meanwhile, he's a good play-by-play but nothing spectacular. There's not much else to say as I don't hate his commentary but he's so blah.
Worst Gym of the Year- Glendale Fight Club- This one was another obvious one. Heading into the year, Ronda Rousey was coming off her first loss and many fighters left the gym leaving it a sinking ship. During the year, the gym's only notable fighters were Rousey and Browne with both having disastrous years. Once considered a possible future UFC Heavyweight Champion Browne continue to see his career plunge by going 1-2 with a controversial win over Matt Mitrione before losing his recent two fights to Cain Velasquez and a rematch with Fabricio Werdum. By the end of 2016, Browne was in a position where he was fighting for his job instead of for titles. Rousey was absent all year long until December 30th when she returned to try and regain the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Amanda Nunes but ironically would see herself on the wrong side of a fight lasting a minute as she was TKOed in a mere 48 seconds. Glendale Fight Club ended 2016 with Browne finally getting the hint and being the latest to bail as he's since joined Black House while Rousey MMA future is uncertain. After entering 2016 in tatters, it exits it with no future.
Worst Promotion of the Year- World Series of Fighting- 2016 was an absolute blur for WSOF as the company didn't do much that you would remember in 2016. It also made no growth outside of a New Year's Eve show in the theatre in Madison Square Garden. There were good fights but the company just seemed forgettable especially compared to The UFC which had a big year, Bellator made good growth, ONE continued to enjoy success, and Rizin had a good first full year. There wasn't many title matches as Marlon Moraes was the only one to fight three times this year while David Branch, Justin Gaethje, and Jon Fitch fought twice. However, Blagoy Ivanov and Lance Palmer only fought once each with Branch was a double champion which meant only one Light Heavyweight and one Middleweight Championship fight this year.
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