2016: ReadMMA’s End of Year Awards
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With the year coming to a close, it’s natural for a retrospection on a sport which has gone from strength to strength in 2016.
From the jaw-dropping $4bn sale of the UFC to the sport’s long-awaited legalisation in New York finally coming to fruition – and consequently breaking records at Madison Square Garden – the sport of MMA may well have had its greatest year yet.
As a result of this monumental year, it’s time to dish out some awards and celebrate the year’s standout fighters who have either achieved greatness or left fans stunned by something special.
We’re running eight awards this year and all of the nominees stem from the major MMA promotions (barring any truly exceptional piece of brilliance) so without further ado, here are the 1st ever ReadMMA End of Year Awards:
Fight of the Year
The Nominees:
Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit (UFC 195)
In the first UFC main event of the year, Robbie Lawler successfully defended his welterweight title in a split-decision victory that matched the fluid combinations of Condit vs the aggression and counter punching style of ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler.
Dominick Cruz vs T.J Dillashaw (UFC Fight Night 81)
Pitting two of the most technically gifted fighters in all of MMA against one another, Dominick Cruz managed to reclaim the bantamweight title he had relinquished through injury in a split-decision that left many pining for T.J Dillashaw to get a justified rematch and another chance for fans to drool over the pairs ‘neo-footwork’.
Michael Bisping vs Anderson Silva (UFC Fight Night 84)
After years of actively campaigning for a shot at one of the greatest fighters of all time, Michael Bisping was finally afforded the chance to take on Anderson Silva in his native England. With controversy abound at the end of the third round, Bisping’s boxing edged out the dynamic Brazilian on the scorecards and set ‘The Count’ on his way to UFC gold.
Marco Polo Reyes vs Dong Hyun Kim (UFC 199)
Opening up UFC 199 on the UFC’s FightPass streaming system, Reyes and Kim engaged in a true slobber-knocker that saw both men stunned, staggered and beaten for the first two rounds. Early in the third round, however, Reyes managed to land one too many shots to the South Korean’s chin and put an end to the best possible advertisement for watching a fight card the whole way through.
Steve Bosse vs Sean O’Connell (UFC Fight Night 89)
A fight that promised two heavy hitters, swinging for the fences duly delivered in the UFC’s Ottawa debut. Bosse and O’Connell continually sat in the pocket exchanging punches for 15 minutes landing concussive blow after blow before the former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse’s hand was raised in his homeland.
Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz (UFC 202)
In one of the most hotly anticipated rematches in combat sports history, Conor McGregor stepped back into the cage against the man who handed him his first UFC loss with an adapted game plan that would eventually pay dividends. After being dropped three times in the opening two rounds, Diaz rallied back against ‘The Notorious One’ and forced the Irishman to dig deeper than ever before in order to tie the series 1-1 via majority decision.
Michael Chandler vs Benson Henderson (Bellator 165)
After two lacklustre performances since making the jump to Bellator, Benson Henderson had nevertheless worked his way into lightweight title contention and pushed Michael Chandler into one of his toughest tests to date. With slick striking and smooth grappling exchanges stretched out over 25 minutes, Chandler managed to come out on top on the scorecards in an instant classic.
Cub Swanson vs Doo Ho Choi (UFC 206)
In a veteran vs prospect match-up, Cub Swanson looked to prove he still had what it takes at the top of the featherweight division while the explosive puncher Doo Ho Choi looked to claim his biggest win to date. What transpired was three rounds of pure excitement as each man threw everything including the kitchen sink at one another before Swanson’s hand was raised in front of a raucous crowd.
Winner: Cub Swanson vs Doo Ho Choi
The world of MMA truly saved the best for last in 2016 as Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi did their best to put on a fight that wouldn’t look out of place on the silver screen.
Swanson and Choi blasted punches, kicks and knees at one another at an electric pace all the while the fight’s momentum ebbed and flowed between the pair.
Swanson vs Choi wasn’t only 2016’s best fight, it was one of the greatest fights in MMA history.
Knockout of the Year
The Nominees:
Yair Rodriguez (vs Andre Fili) (UFC 197)
Alistair Overeem (vs Andrei Arlovski) (UFC Fight Night 86)
Dan Henderson (vs Hector Lombard) (UFC 199)
Michael Page (vs Evangelista Santos) (Bellator 158)
Donald Cerrone (vs Rick Story) (UFC 202)
Yoel Romero (vs Chris Weidman) (UFC 205)
Conor McGregor (vs Eddie Alvarez) (UFC 205)
Lando Vannata (vs John Makdessi) (UFC 206)
Winner: Michael Page (vs Evangelista Santos)
Must See MVP TV tonight on @spike 9/8c#Bellator158 #PokemonGo @MichaelPage247https://t.co/VI5PYAgrhT
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 16, 2016
Truthfully, any of the nominees could have claimed this award but MVP’s timing and sickening power in his flying knee is simply too hard to ignore.
Page’s knee strike would go viral due to his ‘Pokemon Go’ celebration but the effect left by the Englishman’s knee would be just as newsworthy as Santos’s skull was found to be fractured in the days following.
Submission of the Year
The Nominees:
Brian Ortega (vs Diego Brandao) (UFC 195)
Jumping from an anaconda attempt to a guillotine before finally securing a tight triangle choke, Ortega recorded his fifth submission victory in an unbeaten 12 fight career.
Ben Rothwell (vs Josh Barnett) (UFC on Fox 18)
Using his patented ’10-finger guillotine’, Rothwell became the first man to submit Barnett in MMA.
Miesha Tate (vs Holly Holm) (UFC 196)
Heading into the fifth and final round, Tate knew she was down on the scorecards so when an opportunity for a rear-naked choke appeared, there was no chance that Tate would allow another UFC title challenge slip her by.
Nate Diaz (vs Conor McGregor) (UFC 196)
Causing one of the biggest shocks in recent years, Nate Diaz stunned McGregor on the feet before a failed takedown attempt was punished with a rear-naked choke. Diaz wasn’t surprised, however.
Demian Maia (vs Carlos Condit) (UFC on Fox 21)
No submission list is complete without Demian Maia and the ease of which he dispatched the always dangerous Condit with an RNC was breathtaking. Once the fight hits the mat, Maia makes it look like Royce Gracie at UFC 1.
Chas Skelly (vs Maximo Blanco) (UFC Fight Night 94)
Taking just 19 seconds to finish the fight, Chas Skelly came out guns blazing and latched onto an anaconda choke before switching Blanco’s light out.
Mackenzie Dern (vs Montana Stewart) (Legacy 61)
Tying Stewart up like a pretzel, Dern’s ADCC World Champion jiu-jitsu skills were on full display as she pulled off an omoplata/rear naked choke.
Francis Ngannou (vs Anthony Hamilton) (UFC Fight Night 102)
The sheer power of Francis Ngannou was no more evident than a first round kimura win over Anthony Hamilton as Ngannou dragged his opponent from against the cage to the mat with a two-on-one grip before forcing Hamilton to tap within seconds.
Winner: Mackenzie Dern (vs Montana Stewart)
Mackenzie Dern vs Montana Stewart #Legacy61 @TheMMALAB @MackenzieDern OH MY GAWD! Omoplata RNC pic.twitter.com/gM31KLOsHc
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) October 15, 2016
Dern has been tipped as the next Ronda Rousey with her slick grappling skills and her omoplata come rear naked choke against Montana Stewart was a thing of beauty.
Winner: UFC 205
The UFC’s first venture into Madison Square Garden was certainly worth the wait.
Three title fights, five devastating finishes, superb matchmaking with Conor McGregor making history as the first simultaneous two-weight UFC champion in the main event; UFC 205 was everything 200 had planned to be.
Prospect of the Year
The Nominees:
Brandon Moreno
The Mexican flyweight came into the UFC as a short-notice replacement after featuring on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions’ and pulled off a massively impressive submission victory over Louis Smolka on his debut. Moreno followed up the shock victory with an entertaining victory over Ryan Benoit and is now ranked #10 on the UFC rankings.
Lando Vannata
‘Groovy’ started his UFC tenure by being thrown well and truly into the deep-end against Tony Ferguson on short notice and came within seconds of beating the #2 lightweight. Vannata eventually succumbed to Ferguson’s pace but in his second UFC outing, Vannata landed a walk-off spinning heel kick knockout over John Makdessi at UFC 206.
Marc Diakiese
Diakiese made his UFC debut at UFC 204 in his native England and scored a second-round TKO victory over Lukasz Sajewski. ‘Bonecrusher’ followed up his impressive performance with a unanimous decision over the tough Frankie Perez and will be looking to climb the lightweight ranks in 2017.
Alexa Grasso
After a performance of the night win over in Invicta, Alexa Grasso was signed onto the UFC’s books in August to boost the promotion’s strawweight division. Grasso was quickly paired up with veteran Heather Jo Clark and absolutely dominated the Xtreme Couture fighter for three rounds. Grasso is set to take on Felice Herrig in February of next year.
Megan Anderson
Invicta’s Australian featherweight went 3-0 in 2016 with each of her victories coming via TKO. Anderson has quietly built up an impressive resume in the all-female promotion and looks to be the next big thing at women’s featherweight.
Winner: Lando Vannata
The Jackson-Wink fighter has all the tools in his arsenal to make it to the top and has been tipped by many to get there.
Fighters and coaches within his camp have stated that they expect Vannata to make a huge name for himself in 2017 and with his ‘Groovy’ stylings and performances like he put on against Tony Ferguson on just over two weeks notice, Vannata is the name to look out for in the new year.
Upset of the Year
The Nominees:
Bryan Barberena vs Sage Northcutt (UFC on Fox 18)
Stepping in on short notice against the UFC’s golden goose, Bryan Barberena forced ‘Super’ Sage to tap from an arm-triangle choke without having to step over.
Michael Bisping vs Luke Rockhold (UFC 199)
After a dominant knockout by Luke Rockhold in their first fight, Bisping came into the rematch on short-notice but for much higher stakes. In the Brit’s first UFC title fight, Bisping landed a left hook that staggered Rockhold before following up with a right hand and some ground and pound to record a first round TKO.
Valentina Shevchenko vs Holly Holm (UFC on Fox 20)
After losing a decision to Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko came into a bout with Holly Holm the underdog in a matchup between strikers. What followed was a career-defining performance by Shevchenko as she scored a wide decision victory over the former champion.
Eric Spicely vs Thiago Santos (UFC Fight Night 95)
Santos was an 8-1 favourite heading into a fight with Eric Spicely before a quick submission by Spicely stunned the Brazilian crowd into silence.
Brandon Moreno vs Louis Smolka (UFC Fight Night 96)
Entering a bout with submission standout Louis Smolka on short-notice, Moreno managed to beat Smolka at his own game as a guillotine choke in the first round secured a debut win for the happy-go-lucky flyweight.
Raquel Pennington vs Miesha Tate (UFC 205)
In Miesha Tate’s first fight since losing the UFC bantamweight title, Raquel Pennington managed to best Tate in the clinch with effective dirty boxing and stunned the New York with a brilliant performance.
Winner: Michael Bisping vs Luke Rockhold
Nearly everyone had written off Michael Bisping’s chances of claiming UFC middleweight gold after Luke Rockhold claimed the title but after finally getting his shot 10 years into his UFC career, Michael Bisping – or the self-dubbed Left Hook Larry – truly shocked the world with a first round knockout of a fighter many had predicted to run roughshod over the division.
Female Fighter of the Year
The Nominees:
Jessica Andrade
Since dropping down to strawweight, Jessica Andrade has looked simply terrifying. In her 115 lbs debut, Andrade battered former title challenger Jessica Penne in two rounds before following up the impressive victory with a first round submission win over fellow title contender Joanne Calderwood.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna ‘Champion’ extended her unbeaten career to 13-0 in 2016 as she successfully defended her strawweight title twice. After beating her closest challenger Claudia Gadelha for the second time in the build up to UFC 200, Jedrzejczyk faced another tough test in fellow Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 205 but once again put on a stellar performance in a decision victory.
Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino
‘Cyborg’ successfully defended her Invicta featherweight title at the beginning of the year before moving over to the UFC for two 140 lbs catchweight fights. Justino, as expected, put away both of her opponents via TKO.
Amanda Nunes
Nunes had a breakout year in 2016 as she became the UFC’s bantamweight champion at UFC 200. Nunes started out the year by beating Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 196 before main eventing the marquee UFC 200 against Miesha Tate where she made quick work of the legendary fighter with a first round rear-naked choke submission. Nunes now has the chance to beat another legend in Ronda Rousey on December 30th at UFC 207.
Raquel Pennington
Pennington managed to squeeze in three fights this year and has improved markedly in each outing. After beating former title challenger Bethe Correia in April, Pennington went on to best Elizabeth Phillips at UFC 202 before scoring a massive upset over former champion Miesha Tate at UFC 205. ‘Rocky’ has made use of her boxing skills in each of her fights and 2016 has seen her go from strength to strength.
Winner: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has continued to be as dominant as ever in 2016 and by beating two of the best contenders at strawweight, Jedrzejczyk’s position as champion looks as strong and stable as ever.
Long live Joanna Champion.
Male Fighter of the Year
The Nominees:
Michael Bisping
After a 10-year long UFC career, Michael Bisping finally claimed the UFC title he had sought after so much as a first-round knockout of Luke Rockhold wrote his name in the history books. If that wasn’t enough, Bisping also beat the greatest middleweight fighter of all time in Anderson Silva in February and later defended his title against Dan Henderson, avenging his most devastating loss.
Donald Cerrone
‘Cowboy’ moved up to welterweight at the beginning of 2016 and has never looked better in the cage. Going 4-0 throughout the year, Cerrone has also managed to put away every single one of his opponents and has done so in stunning fashion. A submission win over Alex Oliveira was followed a dominant TKO against Patrick Cote with two amazing knockouts over Rick Story and Matt Brown closing out his active year.
Conor McGregor
McGregor started out the year with a loss to Nate Diaz but quickly rebounded by winning the rematch at UFC 202 in a memorable bout. What followed was a chance to make history at UFC 205 however as the Irishman successfully challenged UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to become the first man to simultaneously hold two UFC belts.
Stipe Miocic
The part-time firefighter has certainly had a year to remember. After beating former champion Andrei Arlovski in the first UFC event of the year, Stipe Miocic claimed Cleveland’s first world title in 52 years by beating Fabricio Werdum in the Brazilian’s back-yard. Miocic would go on to have a triumphant return to Cleveland at UFC 203 as he successfully defended his belt against Alistair Overeem in an epic one round shootout.
Stephen Thompson
While Wonderboy’s year ended in somewhat disappointing circumstances, 2016 has been a breakout year for the karateka. Thompson dominated former champion Johny Hendricks in February with a first round TKO victory before going on to battle Rory MacDonald in a title eliminator. Again, Thompson would better his opponent on the feet as he completely shut out MacDonald’s offence for five rounds setting up a UFC 205 title challenge against Tyron Woodley. Thompson and Woodley would go on to battle to a majority draw but Thompson won the affections of the crowd in attendance with his fighting style.
Winner: Stipe Miocic
It’s somewhat hard not handing the award to Conor McGregor for his history-making year but going off of fighting records and performances, Miocic simply cannot be overlooked.
Miocic faced Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem in 2016 – a who’s who of heavyweight greats.
Arlovski was on a six-fight winning streak with three stoppage victories heading into his bout with Miocic; Fabricio Werdum was on a six-fight winning streak with four stoppage victories while Alistair Overeem was on a four-fight winning streak with three stoppage victories.
Stipe Miocic knocked out each and every single one of them in the first round. 2016 was Stipe Miocic’s year.