MMA Fighter Of The Year

[Turd Ferguson]

Alright guys, as the year comes to a close, the MMA Awards will be something we're going to be doing again. And because all of the possible candidates have fought, here is the voting for Fighter of the Year.

Your candidates are as follows...

1.) Georges St. Pierre

Key Wins:
UFC 111 - Dan Hardy (Defended UFC Welterweight Championship)
UFC 124 - Josh Koscheck (Defended UFC Welterweight Championship)

We only had the pleasure of watching GSP fight twice this year, but he put in 10 rounds of complete domination over his opponents. Dan Hardy had no answer for his takedowns, and Josh Koscheck had no answer for GSP's masterful work on the feet. GSP gets unfairly criticized for not finishing fights. Personally, I couldn't give a shit about that, as any GSP fight is an event, and he's so dominant. He's a complete mixed martial artist. Will GSP's lack of finishing weigh into your decision? Or will you look more favorably on how he didn't lose one round out of 10 that he's fought this year?

2.) Frankie Edgar

Key Wins:
UFC 112: BJ Penn (Won UFC Lightweight Championship)
UFC 118: BJ Penn (Defended UFC Lightweight Championship)

Nobody gave Frankie Edgar much of a chance this year, and to the shock of many, he beat the greatest lightweight of all time, BJ Penn, not once, but twice. In the second fight, he was even more dominant than the first time. BJ Penn had no answer for "The Answer"'s footwork and his wrestling. Frankie Edgar was damn impressive this year. However, the two wins over BJ Penn have been met with a lot of criticism, with many believing BJ took the first fight, and that BJ didn't care for the second fight. Nonetheless, beating the greatest Lightweight of all time not once, but twice, should earn him great consideration for the crown of "Fighter of the Year".

3.) Jose Aldo

Key Wins/Events:

WEC 48 - Urijah Faber (Defended WEC Featherweight Championship)
WEC 51 - Manny Gamburyan (Defended WEC Featherweight Championship)

November 23, 2010 - Awarded UFC Featherweight Championship

Jose Aldo had a huge year. He went into Urijah Faber's hometown and demolished him for five rounds with a brutal assault of leg kicks. He demolished Faber so badly that he moved down a weight class. He then destroyed Manny Gamburyan. Jose Aldo proved once again this year how dominant he is. However, he might be too dominant for the Featherweight Division, and many believe he should move up to Lightweight to challenge himself and prove that he is as dominant as he appears to be.

4.) Cain Velasquez

Key Wins:

UFC 110 - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
UFC 121 - Brock Lesnar (Won UFC Heavyweight Championship)

Cain Velasquez came into this year with people thinking he was a good prospect, but still needing a lot to prove as he couldn't finish Cheick Kongo despite pounding him into oblivion on the ground, and even though he destroyed Ben Rothwell... come on, who cares about that Bubba Ray Dudley lookalike?

So, Cain main evented UFC 110 against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, with many believing that Big Nog would win, due to the fact that Cain never faced a submission specialist, let alone one of the best of all time like Big Nog. Furthermore, Big Nog was coming off of a very impressive win against Randy Couture, with many believing he was back and that the Mir loss may have been a fluke. Cain destroyed him.

Then Cain went on to fight Brock Lesnar. Again, nobody expected Cain to win. He utterly destroyed Brock en route to becoming the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. With A+ striking and A+ wrestling, plus the ability to go five rounds each and every time, Cain Velasquez might be on top of the division for awhile.

5.) Anderson Silva

Key Wins:

UFC 112 - Demian Maia (Defended UFC Middleweight Championship)
UFC 117 - Chael Sonnen (Defended UFC Middleweight Championship)

Two title defenses for Anderson Silva. That's all you really can say though as he put on an embarrassing performance against Maia, and he nearly lost the fight as Maia really turned on the heat the last two rounds. He was losing to Chael Sonnen for four and a half rounds, and he should have lost the fight. Sonnen got caught with a triangle that Silva pulled out of his ass, but it was complete domination for Sonnen. Was Anderson Silva really the fighter of the year in your point of view?

6.) Shogun Rua

Key Win:

UFC 113 - Lyoto Machida (Won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)

Shogun ended the Machida era, and avenged his complete robbing from the judges at UFC 104, with a very impressive knockout of Machida. Shogun missed the rest of the year with another catastrophic knee injury. Was his knockout of Machida impressive enough to award him fighter of the year?

7.) Jake Shields

Key Wins:

Strikeforce: Nashville - Dan Henderson (Defended Strikeforce Middleweight Championship)
UFC 121 - Martin Kampmann (Became #1 Contender to UFC Welterweight Championship)

Nobody expected Jake Shields to beat Dan Henderson. Shields got killed by Henderson in the first round, stuck through the beating, and came back to dominate for four rounds en route to a successful title defense. He then left Strikeforce on top, and parlayed his Henderson win to a nice payday from the UFC. He then fought Martin Kampmann to decide who the #1 contender to GSP would be, and he suffered through a bad weight cut. Despite this, he still won, and will most likely fight GSP in April. Was Jake Shields impressive enough to win your vote as Fighter of the Year?

8.) Fabricio Werdum


Key Win:

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum - Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor was thought to be the most domiant and best fighter of all time, and nobody gave Fabricio Werdum a chance in hell to beat him. He submitted Fedor in 69 seconds. A huge win and the question has to be if that makes him out to be fighter of the year.

9.) Nick Diaz

Key Wins:

Strikeforce: Miami - Marius Zaromskis (Won Strikeforce Welterweight Championship)
Dream 14 - Hayato Sakurai
Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons - KJ Noons (Defended Strikeforce Welterweight Championship)

There's always the question as to whether or not the level of competition is up to par for Nick Diaz, but he came off his best year as a professional. At the time, Zaromskis was extremely dominant in 2009. He won the Dream 10 Grand Prix and made quick work in 19 seconds of his opponent at Dream 12. Diaz derailed his hype train.

Then Diaz beat Hayato Sakurai. Sakurai is now contemplating retirement. Sakurai is still a very good fighter, and was one of the best as of last year.

Then, he avenged his loss to KJ Noons in what was a classic. It was a great year for Nick Diaz. But was the level of competition up to par?

10.) Chris Leben

Key Wins:

UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz - Jay Silva
TUF 11 Finale - Aaron Simpson
UFC 116 - Yoshihiro Akiyama

Leben turned his career around this year. He came off an embarrassing loss to Jake Rosholt and decisioned Jay Silva in what was supposed to be a fight to re-establish him. Then he took on Aaron Simpson in a fight nobody gave him a chance in, and he looked to be back to his old form, defeating the previously undefeated Simpson. That same week, Wanderlei Silva had to drop out of UFC 116 with an injury, and Leben stepped up to fight Akiyama on two weeks notice. He went on to win the fight in what was a Fight of the Year candidate. Leben has had a career renaissance, and he won two fights in two weeks, which is unheard of.

Who gets your vote for Fighter of the Year?

 

[Kid Joker]

My Pick: Chris Leben

Why:

I picked Chris Leben because I think he had great year for him, 3 fights which is the most of any of the other candidates. I know he wasn't fighting guys at the level of the other nominees were, but for him to turn his career around like he did this year was amazing. He is now on the verge of maybe becoming a contender again if he beats Brian Stann at UFC 125 to start off 2011, and then maybe he gets his fight with Wandy. Either way, I know he didn't have a Title Shot or win a Title or face top notch talent, but Leben had a great year in my opinion, so I vote Leben.

 

[INDYjon22]

Before last night I was leaning towards Jose Aldo, but after last night my choice goes to GSP. He proved that he is the most dominate and well rounded fighter in MMA today with his five round destruction of Koscheck. He put on a grappling clinic against the ultra tough Dan Hardy, and then he put a striking clinic on against Kos. He reinforced the fact that there are little to no holes in his game. He also retained his title for the fourth and fifth times. Great year for GSP.

 

[Slyfox696]

I think it's close between Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez and GSP. They are the only three guys to fight the very best competition in their weight class on more than one occasion, and look dominating doing it.

Edgar - only beat one guy (twice, but still just one man)

Silva - was not impressive at all against Sonnen

Rua - only won one fight against a man that's probably not as good as his record indicated

Shields - was impressive against Henderson but underwhelming against Kampmann

Werdum - Only won one fight, got lucky in doing so, and did it against a guy that really hasn't been tested in a long time.

Diaz - I don't know much about his fights or opponents this year, but I do know St-Pierre is still considered the best Welterweight in the world, and Diaz didn't fight him.

Leben - While I was glad to see him have a successful year, his opponents are not considered elite competition.


Between GSP, Velasquez and Aldo I just don't know how to differentiate, but I'll try. I'm removing Velasquez because he was not a defending champion in any of his fights, and I think there's something to be said about having the target on your back as champion. Unfair though it may be, I'm removing Velasquez.

Between Aldo and GSP, I'm just not sure there's really anyway to separate the two. Both were dominating this year, both fought the best competition available. I'll go with GSP for no reason other than his fight last night is still fresh in my mind, and it showed a completely different style of fight than we've seen from GSP.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Well to me it is quite simple.

GSP, although Jose Aldo was a close second. GSP had two title defenses and did not lose not one round of five. In both fights he showed total dominance in both aspects of MMA the ground game and striking game. In Koscheck fight he put a striking masterclass and really it was amazing to see that footwork and combos he pulled.
Against Dan Hardy he really showed people how good his BJJ is and really just showcased how complete of a mixed martial artist he is. So this year my vote is for GSP.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

I think it's close between Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez and GSP. They are the only three guys to fight the very best competition in their weight class on more than one occasion, and look dominating doing it.

This. The other guys are just filling out the list, there really are no other choices besides these three.

Cain - Definitely a breakout star, but I'm still not convinced he's the best fighter in his division.

GSP - Obviously the best fighter in his division, and as noted, won every round he's been involved in, he's a great choice.

Jose Aldo - Won both of his fights in absolute vicious fashion, the most exciting MMA fighter alive.

I'm gonna go Aldo, both GSP and Aldo dominated their fights, but Aldo is just nasty. I may be a bit biased 'cause Aldo's my favorite fighter, but Aldo is my choice.

 

[jmt225]

If I were bias, then it's obvious who I would vote for. However, I want to be fair here, so the choice comes down between Jose Aldo and Cain Velasquez.

People considering GSP... he's 2-0 against 2 guys who were nowhere near his level and who did not deserve to be in the same octagon as him. Also, the fact that GSP couldn't finish those guys hurts his case as well, if you ask me.

Cain Velasquez knocked out a (currently) top 3 Heavyweight of all time in under 3 minutes, and then went on to beat the fuck out of a man people were beginning to think was unbeatable in a fight where hardly anyone gave Velasquez a chance to win. Not to mention, of course, winning that last fight won him the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Jose Aldo, for five rounds straight, beat the hell out of one of the greatest Featherweights in MMA history, and the only reason he didn't finish was because, I feel, he felt sympathy for Urijah Faber. And then of course he would go on to decisively defeat a very worthy challenger in Manny Gamburyan.

At the end of the day, I have to vote for Cain Velasquez. If Werdum had fought again by the time this year was over and beat another big name like Overeem or even Fedor for the 2nd time, then he would have gotten my vote, but Cain's two wins are more impressive than anybody's wins on the list since Werdum was only able to fight one time this year.

 

[Slyfox696]

If I were bias, then it's obvious who I would vote for. However, I want to be fair here, so the choice comes down between Jose Aldo and Cain Velasquez.

People considering GSP... he's 2-0 against 2 guys who were nowhere near his level and who did not deserve to be in the same octagon as him. Also, the fact that GSP couldn't finish those guys hurts his case as well, if you ask me.

I disagree. First of all, I think Koscheck is one of the top Welterweights today, despite how much I hate him. Other than Fitch and Shields (who just got to UFC and will fight GSP next), who can you say the UFC has that's better in the Welterweight Division? Hardy is not a top fighter, agreed, but GSP beat both Koscheck and Hardy in dominating fashion.

And I completely disagree about finishing a guy. If this were boxing, would you take points away from a boxer because he didn't knock his opponent out? If this were freestyle wrestling, do we take points away because he couldn't get the pin? No, we wouldn't, so why do we insist on doing it in MMA? MMA, I feel, has evolved past the need to "finish fights" in order to prove you're a good fighter. MMA fighters are becoming more and more skilled, and more rounded, and I think it's silly to think that a great fighter isn't as great because he fights with his head, instead of swinging wildly for the knockout.

Cain Velasquez knocked out a (currently) top 3 Heavyweight of all time in under 3 minutes, and then went on to beat the fuck out of a man people were beginning to think was unbeatable in a fight where hardly anyone gave Velasquez a chance to win. Not to mention, of course, winning that last fight won him the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Agree with what you say here, BUT...

Just because Big Nog is arguably a top 3 Heavyweight all-time, DOESN'T make him a top 3 Heavyweight TODAY. He's not even a Top 5 heavyweight in the UFC right now in my opinion.

Jose Aldo, for five rounds straight, beat the hell out of one of the greatest Featherweights in MMA history, and the only reason he didn't finish was because, I feel, he felt sympathy for Urijah Faber. And then of course he would go on to decisively defeat a very worthy challenger in Manny Gamburyan.

Agree completely. It's tough to vote against Jose Aldo.

At the end of the day, I have to vote for Cain Velasquez. If Werdum had fought again by the time this year was over and beat another big name like Overeem or even Fedor for the 2nd time, then he would have gotten my vote, but Cain's two wins are more impressive than anybody's wins on the list since Werdum was only able to fight one time this year.

I agree on Werdum as well...just not with Velasquez.

 

[jmt225]

First of all, I think Koscheck is one of the top Welterweights today, despite how much I hate him.

Koscheck hasn't defeated anyone worthy enough to deserve that distinction if you ask me. I mean, his biggest win is against Paul Daley, a guy who Jake Shields tapped in under 4 minutes.

The only real test Koscheck has had before GSP was Thiago Alves, and Kos got his ass kicked for three straight rounds in that fight.

Other than Fitch and Shields (who just got to UFC and will fight GSP next), who can you say the UFC has that's better in the Welterweight Division? Hardy is not a top fighter, agreed, but GSP beat both Koscheck and Hardy in dominating fashion.

As could most good Welterweights.

The only reason Kos got the Title shot was because of his heel persona, not because of his wins.

And I completely disagree about finishing a guy. If this were boxing, would you take points away from a boxer because he didn't knock his opponent out? If this were freestyle wrestling, do we take points away because he couldn't get the pin? No, we wouldn't, so why do we insist on doing it in MMA?

Actually, my real problem is that GSP doesn't even try and go for the kill. You won't see many boxing bouts where there's nothing but a jab the ENTIRE fight.

GSP could have easily finished both Kos and Hardy, but he didn't try hard enough to do so. He was content with the decision, and that's my problem.

MMA, I feel, has evolved past the need to "finish fights" in order to prove you're a good fighter. MMA fighters are becoming more and more skilled, and more rounded, and I think it's silly to think that a great fighter isn't as great because he fights with his head, instead of swinging wildly for the knockout.

Hooks and uppercuts aren't swinging wildly, man. At least throw a combination here and there. Don't just jab. GSP could have easily employed other punches outside of the jab and keep himself out of danger, but he was afraid to do so. I don't know exactly why. I mean, it's not like Kos has the boxing skills of Manny Pacquiao... all he has to offer is the overhand right. GSP, working with Freddie Roach and already being a true master in Karate and other forms of striking in Martial Arts, could have mixed up his striking easily.

The fact is, GSP used to fight to finish, and he only lost one fluke before losing to Serra. GSP obviously has the skills and talent to finish people; he just chooses not to employ them, and I think his legacy will hurt because of it, ESPECIALLY when he keeps promising he'll finish this guy off and that guy off, only to win yet another decision.

Just because Big Nog is arguably a top 3 Heavyweight all-time, DOESN'T make him a top 3 Heavyweight TODAY. He's not even a Top 5 heavyweight in the UFC right now in my opinion.

Big Nog is still better competition in the Heavyweight Division than Hardy and Koscheck are in the Welterweight Division. Let us not forget that this is the same Big Nog who decisively kicked Randy Couture's ass 6 months before the Velasquez fight. Who did Hardy and Koscheck beat that was anywhere near as good as Couture is?

 

[Slyfox696]

Koscheck hasn't defeated anyone worthy enough to deserve that distinction if you ask me. I mean, his biggest win is against Paul Daley, a guy who Jake Shields tapped in under 4 minutes.

You know as well as I do though, that quick victories don't always tell a story of quality. Rich Franklin won approximately 7 seconds of his fight against Chuck Liddell, but still won the fight. Koscheck has improved, and I think he was good enough to be a legitimate contender.

As could most good Welterweights.

The only reason Kos got the Title shot was because of his heel persona, not because of his wins.

I think that's only half true. I believe that had GSP come out trying to fight the same way he had fought in the last several fights, Koscheck would have been a stiff test. You could see Koscheck had good takedown defense, even after he knew GSP was working the jab. Koscheck got surprised by GSP's offense, and it threw him off.

GSP made Koscheck look like a clown, but I don't think that's a fair assessment of Koscheck's ability.

Actually, my real problem is that GSP doesn't even try and go for the kill. You won't see many boxing bouts where there's nothing but a jab the ENTIRE fight.

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be, because I'm not strong on boxing), but did Larry Holmes and Sonny Liston both not make a living with the jab?

And GSP threw more punches than just the jab. But it was definitely his primary weapon, and so what? It was scoring points and it was hurting Koscheck.

GSP could have easily finished both Kos and Hardy, but he didn't try hard enough to do so. He was content with the decision, and that's my problem.

I completely disagree about Koscheck. I think GSP could have broken Hardy's arm, but I think he wanted to finish Koscheck. He just couldn't, without opening himself up.

Hooks and uppercuts aren't swinging wildly, man.

And he threw some of those. And he attempted takedowns. But GSP has never been known as a great striker. Last night was probably his best exhibition of striking.

Why would any intelligent man do something he's not good at, just so he can win the fight in a different manner? That just doesn't make sense. The whole "finish fights" argument just doesn't do it for me.

The fact is, GSP used to fight to finish, and he only lost one fluke before losing to Serra. GSP obviously has the skills and talent to finish people; he just chooses not to employ them, and I think his legacy will hurt because of it, ESPECIALLY when he keeps promising he'll finish this guy off and that guy off, only to win yet another decision.

It used to be in America we were satisfied watching a guy win at his sport. Now, we don't care if he wins, as long as he risks getting his head knocked off to knock someone else's head off.

That just doesn't make sense to me.

Big Nog is still better competition in the Heavyweight Division than Hardy and Koscheck are in the Welterweight Division. Let us not forget that this is the same Big Nog who decisively kicked Randy Couture's ass 6 months before the Velasquez fight. Who did Hardy and Koscheck beat that was anywhere near as good as Couture is?

When was the last time Couture beat anyone good? Vitor Belfort in 2004? He's beaten Van Arsdale (who?), Tim Sylvia (joke), Gabriel Gonzaga (mediocre), Brandon Vera (the hype train for him derailed long ago), Mark Coleman (far past his prime), and James Toney (do I really need to elaborate?). Sorry, beating Randy Couture just doesn't mean anything to me, not anymore. And if you look at the ranks of Heavyweights, I don't see Big Nog beating anyone in the Top 5.

I agree that GSP was 2-0 against guys who aren't at his level, but that says far more about his quality than it does for his opponents. If GSP wasn't in the Welterweight division, can you honestly say there would be a clear #1 in that division?


Like I said before, Cain, Aldo and GSP are all fine choices, I'm not knocking your choice of Velasquez. I just think you're being overly harsh on GSP's accomplishments simply because he's far more concerned about winning a fight than delivering a highlight.

 

[M. Winters]

Would anyone consider Alistair Overeem for this? I know he's not a marquee UFC name but if we're talking about mixed martial arts then he has to at least be considered. He only had one MMA fight in the calendar year but it was a dominating performance over a decent heavyweight in Brett Rogers. He also just recently won the K1 Grand Prix in dominating fashion. Surely if he had more fights inside the Octagon he would have been considered, but I think he's more deserving than a couple of the guys up for the award.

 

[jmt225]

You know as well as I do though, that quick victories don't always tell a story of quality. Rich Franklin won approximately 7 seconds of his fight against Chuck Liddell, but still won the fight. Koscheck has improved, and I think he was good enough to be a legitimate contender.

Not always, sure, but the fight I listed did. Jake Shields took Daley's ass down, controlled him, took his back, and choked him out. Pure domination.

I think that's only half true. I believe that had GSP come out trying to fight the same way he had fought in the last several fights, Koscheck would have been a stiff test. You could see Koscheck had good takedown defense, even after he knew GSP was working the jab. Koscheck got surprised by GSP's offense, and it threw him off.

Think about this, man... all GSP did was jab. Pretty much, that's all he did. And he landed nearly every single one of those suckers. What does that say of Koscheck's ability as a fighter? Sure, he improved his takedown defense, but when you cannot slip a jab out of hundreds of attempts, that speaks highly of your stand-up, which Kos had absolutely none of.

The guy is simply not a top tier fighter. I really believe any elite Welterweight in and out of the UFC could beat him.

GSP made Koscheck look like a clown, but I don't think that's a fair assessment of Koscheck's ability.

I do. All Koscheck has is wrestling, and a looping overhand right. With those qualities, he'll be able to beat guys with zero wrestling ability (ala Paul Daley), or guys with zero stand-up ability (ala Yoshiyuki Yoshida). But he won't beat the elite like GSP, Fitch, Alves, Shields, Diaz, etc.

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be, because I'm not strong on boxing), but did Larry Holmes and Sonny Liston both not make a living with the jab?

Sonny Liston was known for his power punching, as was Larry Holmes. They just used the jab, like most boxers, as a way to set up their big punches. That's why the jab exist. Hardly anyone in boxing uses only the jab throughout the entire duration of the fight. And if they did, they would be hated. Look at John Ruiz, former Heavyweight Champ... even though he had a big win streak, people fucking hated him because he would jab and then hug. That's literally all he did, and he won fights. Did people watch those fights after they began to see that was his style? Not many, because no one wants to watch a guy win that way.

And GSP threw more punches than just the jab. But it was definitely his primary weapon, and so what? It was scoring points and it was hurting Koscheck.

I agree, but I'm just saying... I wish GSP would have opened up a little more, that's all. I guarantee he wouldn't have put himself in danger had he. Kos could only see out of one eye, and like I mentioned earlier... Kos stand-up, both offense and defensely, is shit anyway.

And he threw some of those. And he attempted takedowns. But GSP has never been known as a great striker. Last night was probably his best exhibition of striking.

This is a huge misconception. People believe just because Serra caught GSP on the chin once that he's not a great striker... GSP IS indeed a great striker. The only reason he got caught by Serra was because hardly anyone knew Serra was packing that kind of power. Had GSP known, he would have been better prepared and kicked Serra's ass, like he did in the 2nd fight.

Watch GSP early fights against Hughes, Mayhem, Sherk, Karo, etc... GSP kicked fucking ass with his aggressive karate. And even in his recent fights against BJ and Thiago, GSP was clearly winning the stand-up exchanges. GSP truly is a great striker, man. He's just so good at wrestling that people forget that about him.

It used to be in America we were satisfied watching a guy win at his sport. Now, we don't care if he wins, as long as he risks getting his head knocked off to knock someone else's head off.

That just doesn't make sense to me.

So, if a guy won the fight by simply holding someone against the cage for 25 minutes, you wouldn't have a problem with that? People pay money to see good, exciting FIGHTS, not lay fest and cage humping.

Besides, you can still be exciting and intelligent at the same time. Chael Sonnen for example, strictly uses his wrestling, but his fights are still exciting. Why? Because he's constantly throwing punches and damaging his opponent while he's on the ground, instead of just laying there holding him. Wrestlers need to take note of that. Jon Fitch for instance, terribly boring ass fighter. The guy is superb in the way he can get someone to the ground, but it's not fun to watch if he's just going to lay on top of him. Why would someone pay $60 to see that?

When was the last time Couture beat anyone good? Vitor Belfort in 2004? He's beaten Van Arsdale (who?), Tim Sylvia (joke), Gabriel Gonzaga (mediocre), Brandon Vera (the hype train for him derailed long ago), Mark Coleman (far past his prime), and James Toney (do I really need to elaborate?). Sorry, beating Randy Couture just doesn't mean anything to me, not anymore.

Understandable, but you still didn't answer my question... who did Hardy and Kos defeat that was on the same level as him?

And if you look at the ranks of Heavyweights, I don't see Big Nog beating anyone in the Top 5.

Actually, Big Nog already defeated Werdum a couple of years ago, and he's in the top 5 Heavyweights in MMA. Nog would beat him again fought once more.

I also believe Big Nog could also crush guys like Carwin, Nelson, Struve, etc. But only time will tell with that.

I agree that GSP was 2-0 against guys who aren't at his level, but that says far more about his quality than it does for his opponents. If GSP wasn't in the Welterweight division, can you honestly say there would be a clear #1 in that division?

It would be between Shields, Fitch, and Nick Diaz, but yes... there would be a clear #1.

Like I said before, Cain, Aldo and GSP are all fine choices, I'm not knocking your choice of Velasquez. I just think you're being overly harsh on GSP's accomplishments simply because he's far more concerned about winning a fight than delivering a highlight.

But that was only a part of my argument. His two wins just aren't as impressive as Velasquez two wins, which is why I ultimately voted for Velasquez. If GSP beat Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, then he would have gotten my vote no matter what. However, I just didn't respect the quality of his opponents like I did Cain's.

 

[jmt225]

Would anyone consider Alistair Overeem for this? I know he's not a marquee UFC name but if we're talking about mixed martial arts then he has to at least be considered. He only had one MMA fight in the calendar year but it was a dominating performance over a decent heavyweight in Brett Rogers. He also just recently won the K1 Grand Prix in dominating fashion. Surely if he had more fights inside the Octagon he would have been considered, but I think he's more deserving than a couple of the guys up for the award.

I think Overeem is the best Heavyweight today, and a top 5 pound for pound fighter.

However, like you mentioned, he only had one fight this year, and it wasn't against a top quality opponent. Sure, his K1 win was glorious and as impressive as anything any fighter in MMA did this year, but K1 is not MMA, so no... Overeem doesn't deserve to be nominated. If this was just Fighter of the Year, then most definitely he should be and I would have gave some serious thought to vote for him, but this is the MMA Fighter of the Year, which means we're strictly voting based on MMA accomplishments from the year 2010.

 

[Tougie]

Really tough to choose out of all of these people. My first thought was Werdum, but one fight, no matter how much of a shocker it was isnt good enough for fighter of the year. So I went with Frankie Edgar. You beat the greatest lightweight in history, twice, you deserve fighter of the year. He was an underdog in the first fight and shocked the world. And going into Boston most people still thought BJ would walk in, kick his ass in a detirmined rage and take back the belt.

Needless to say that didnt happen and it was a surprise. Frankie's time is most likely limited with Jose Aldo entering the division, but this year to me was about a new era in the lightweight division.

 

[Via Armbar]

I voted for Cain. It was definitely between him, GSP and Aldo and any other candidates don't even come close honestly. The only thing that really put Cain ahead of the other two is the level of competition he beat. Granted Aldo and GSP were already considered the number one fighters at their respective weight but Cain beat the number one ranked fighter at his weight AND another top ten heavyweight this year. GSP fought an extremely over ranked Hardy (usually eighth) and fourth ranked Koscheck. Aldo beat third Faber and generously third ranked Gamburyan. Aldo had the closer competition than GSP did I believe but I believe that Cain really had a coming out this year whereas GSP and Aldo were both already considered the best in their division.

I also believe that Cain put on the more dominant performances than Aldo or GSP did in their fights. That isn't discrediting because GSP didn't finish Koscheck/Hardy and Aldo didn't finish Faber but I do think that Cain dominated his opponents in a more brutal fashion. Any of these three men deserve to win and there would be no robberies here, but I firmly believe that 2010 was Cain's year.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Cain - Definitely a breakout star, but I'm still not convinced he's the best fighter in his division.

It doesn't matter whether if you are at the top of your division to become a fighter of the year, but rather how you perform during your matches.

I have to go with Cain as well. He first made short work of Big Nog, by being only the second guy in Nog's legendary career to stop him by punches. Say what you want about Nog being older and not the same, but he still is a top contender in the Heavyweight division, and the fight with Cain was for the number one contender to the title. Off subject with Nog, I believe if he has been healthier these past few years and able to fight more often we would see him do better then we have. Now to the fight with Lesnar. Cain did something that we never seen so far with Lesnar, we seen Lesnar take him down only to have Cain get right back up, and start beating the shit out of Lesnar into verbally submitting him with punches.