BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS!
01/23/2012
PUNCHDRUNKGAMER’S BEST OF 2011 MMA AWARDS
By Justin Bolduc
2011 continued the rise and success of mixed martial arts. The UFC has continued to expand and has broadened its scope by signing a network deal with Fox, Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa, and fans were treated to amazing fights, knockouts, submissions, and hot prospects. Below are the best of 2011 awards by PunchDrunkGamer.
Fighter of the Year
Jon “Bones” Jones
2011 Record: 4-0 (1 TKO, 3 Sub)
2011 Victims: Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida
Accomplishments: Crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones spent 2010 changing his status from prospect to contender. He began 2011 against previously undefeated The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader, ending the fight with a guillotine choke late in the second round. Jones then challenged Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC’s light heavyweight title, dominating the former PRIDE superstar to earn a third round TKO stoppage.
Jones continued to succeed in an action-packed division when he then submitted former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson with a fourth round rear naked choke. Jones then successfully defended his title against another former champion, Lyoto Machida, in his most recent performance at UFC 140. Jones secured a standing guillotine choke in the second round, quickly putting the “Dragon” to sleep.
Honorable Mention
Dan Henderson
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, Fedor Emelianenko, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Accomplishments: Crowned Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion
Nick Diaz
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Paul Daley, B.J. Penn
Accomplishments: Defended Strikeforce Welterweight Title x2
Michael Chandler
2011 Record: 4-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Marcin Held, Lloyd Woodard, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Eddie Alvarez
Accomplishments: Crowned Bellator Lightweight Tournament Champion & Bellator Lightweight Champion
Fight of the Year
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – UFC 139 (November 19, 2011)
In what was truly a dream fight, former PRIDE champions Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua battled in the main event of UFC 139. The bout was dramatic from start to finish with both fighters giving it their all and fans worldwide cheering the UFC for making five-round non-title bouts happen. Not only was the bout fight of the year, but it is easily considered as one of the sports’ greatest bouts period.
The first three rounds saw Henderson landing heavy shorts, hurting and nearly finishing the Brazilian. “Shogun” was able to survive and provide enough offense, but Henderson’s power proved the difference maker. Once round four came around both fighters were visibly exhausted. Rua began his comeback, using leg kicks and takedowns to edge out the fourth frame. In the final round Rua scored a takedown and rode Henderson from full mount for nearly five minutes. Using ground and pound and positional control fans and critics felt Rua earned a 10-8 round to end the bout in the draw, but the judges only scored it a 10-9, giving Henderson the unanimous decision three rounds to one.
Honorable Mention
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 – UFC 136 (October 8, 2011)
Outcome: The third bout between Edgar and Maynard started a lot like the previous meeting, with Maynard hurting Edgar in the first round and almost finishing the bout. Maynard showed patience, unlike the second bout, but was too patient. Once again Edgar rallied, but this time was able to knock out his challenger in the fourth round.
Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann – UFC Live 3 (March 3, 2011)
Outcome: The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Diego Sanchez met up with Martin Kampmann earlier in the year, and both fighters left it all on the line. When the bout was over Sanchez’ face was a bloody mess and Kampmann looked like he had to fight off three guys by himself. Many fans and critics felt Kampmann won, but Sanchez’ aggression was enough to earn him a unanimous decision from the judges.
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley – Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley (April 9, 2011)
Outcome: Paul Daley challenged Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight championship and seemed like a viable opponent. Diaz loves to stand and strike and Daley loves to knock people out. It was a back of forth battle with Daley landing bombs and almost finishing Diaz. Diaz kept it together and was able to stop Daley with only three seconds left in the first round.
Knockout of the Year
Patricky “Pitbull” Freire def. Toby Imada – Bellator 39 (April 2, 2011)
“Pitbull” punched his ticket into the finals of Bellator’s lightweight tournament when he knocked out Toby Imada mid-way through round one of their semi-final contest. Freire landed a devastating flying knee which essentially had Imada out on his feet. After a follow-up blitz, Imada found himself flat on his back with the referee waving off “Pitbull”.
Honorable Mention
Dan Henderson def. Fedor Emelianenko – Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson (July 30, 2011)
John Makdessi def. Kyle Watson – UFC 129 (April 20, 2011)
Lyoto Machida def. Randy Couture – UFC 129 (April 20, 2011)
Anderson Silva def. Vitor Belfort – UFC 126 (February 5, 2011)
Cheick Kongo def. Pat Barry – UFC Live 4 (June 26, 2011)
Submission of the Year
Chan Sung Jung def. Leonard Garcia – UFC Fight Night 24 (March 26, 2011)
In a highly-anticipated featherweight rematch between “The Korean Zombie” and Leonard Garcia, fans were not only treated to an exciting fight but a rare, exciting finish. While Jung’s twister was not the first in the sport’s history, it was the first in the UFC and the most high-profile.
Honorable Mention
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (kimura) – UFC 140 (December 10, 2011)
Vinny Magalhaes def. Viktor Nemkov (mounted gogoplata neck crank) – M-1 Challenge 25 (April 28, 2011)
Tito Ortiz def. Ryan Bader (guillotine choke) – UFC 132 (July 2, 2011)
Richard Hale def. Nik Fekete (inverted triangle choke) – Bellator 38 (March 26, 2011)
Rousimar Palhares def. Dave Branch (heel hook) – UFC Live 3 (March 3, 2011)
Event of the Year
UFC 129 (April 30, 2011)
The UFC ventured into Toronto, Canada for UFC 129 on April 30th and treated fight fans to two title bouts. The night ended with a pair of knockout of the year candidates, brutal TKO’s, exciting submissions, and great fights.
In the main event Georges St. Pierre out-striked Jake Shields to retain his UFC welterweight championship. Fans felt like St. Pierre could have done more, but Shields’ heart kept him in the fight. When it was all said and done the judges scored the bout 50-45, 48-47, and 48-47.
The co-main event is where the headlining portion of the bill truly shined. Jose Aldo defended his UFC featherweight championship against Canada’s own Mark Hominick. Aldo took off to an early lead on the scorecards, even causing a massive lump to form on Hominick’s face. Showing true determination however Hominick made a strong comeback late in the fight, nearly dethroning the champion in the final round.
UFC 129 also featured KO of the year candidates. On the preliminary card John Makdessi smashed Kyle Watson with one of the most devastating spinning backfists the sport has ever seen. Later on the card former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida used a front kick similar to Anderson Silva to knock out former UFC light heavy and heavyweight champion Randy Couture, sending the legend into retirement. Also of note was Vladimir Matyushenko‘s twenty-second knockout of Jason Brilz, Pablo Garza‘s flying triangle against Yves Jaboin, Jake Ellenberger‘s trumping of Sean Pierson, and Rory MacDonald‘s battle with TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz.
Honorable Mention
UFC 139 (November 19, 2011)
Notable Bouts: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le, Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story, Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson (July 30, 2011)
Notable Bouts: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson, Miesha Tate vs. Marloes Coenen, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante vs. Bobby Green, Robbie Lawler vs. Tim Kennedy, Tarec Saffiedine vs. Scott Smith, Tyron Woodley vs. Paul Daley
UFC 134 (August 27, 2011)
Notable Bouts: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Forrest Griffin, Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson, Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher, Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub, Erick Silva vs. Luis Ramos
Breakout Fighter of the Year
Michael Chandler
2011 Record: 4-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
2011 Victims: Marcin Held, Lloyd Woodard, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Eddie Alvarez
Accomplishments: Crowned Bellator Lightweight Tournament Champion & Bellator Lightweight Champion
Michael Chandler truly had a breakout year. After notching wins over Marcin Held and Lloyd Woodard in the Bellator lightweight tournament quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, he outworked highly-regarded Patricky “Pitbull” Freire to win the tournament. Chandler capped off 2011 in one of the year’s best fights, stopping Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the fourth round to remain undefeated and claim the promotion’s divisional title.
Honorable Mention
Daniel Cormier
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Devin Cole, Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva
Accomplishments: Advanced to Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix finals
Alexander Gustafsson
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: James Te Huna, Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko
Jordan Mein
2011 Record: 5-0 (2 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Joe Riggs, Keto Allen, Josh Burkman, Marius Zaromskis, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
Heavyweight of the Year
Junior dos Santos
2009 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez
Accomplishments: Crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion
Junior dos Santos was featured as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite former UFC champion Brock Lesnar. The initial plan was to have the coaches fight for the number one contender sport, but recurrence of diverticulitis sidelined Lesnar. Dos Santos instead went toe-to-toe with Shane Carwin, winning a unanimous decision. Dos Santos then challenged Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title on Fox, knocking out the champion in only sixty-four seconds.
Honorable Mention
Daniel Cormier
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Devin Cole, Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva
Accomplishments: Advanced to Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix finals
Alistair Overeem
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Fabricio Werdum, Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 Sub)
Wins: Roy Nelson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Light Heavyweight of the Year
Jon “Bones” Jones
2011 Record: 4-0 (1 TKO, 3 Sub)
Wins: Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida
Accomplishments: Crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
There isn’t much more to say about the explosive 205-pounder. Along with earning PDG’s Fighter of the Year honors and the UFC light heavyweight championship, it is nearly impossible to not give him Light Heavyweight of the Year as well.
Honorable Mention
Alexander Gustafsson
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: James Te Huna, Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko
Phil Davis
2011 Record: 1-0
Wins: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Gegard Mousasi
2011 Record: 2-0-1 (1 TKO)
Wins: Hiroshi Izumi, Ovine St. Preux
Middleweight of the Year
Mark Munoz
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: C.B. Dollaway, Demian Maia, Chris Leben
Munoz quickly became a fan favorite with two appearances in the WEC. Since joining the UFC he has only lost twice, and 2011 has been his biggest year yet. He began the year by knocking out TUF finalist C.B. Dollaway in only fifty-four seconds before earning a unanimous decision over top-ten ranked Demian Maia. In his most recent bout he stopped Chris Leben after two rounds.
Honorable Mention
Anderson Silva
2011 Record: 2-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami
Accomplishments: Defended UFC Middleweight Championship x2
Hector Lombard
2011 Record: 4-0 (3 TKO, 1 Sub)
Win: Joe Doerksen, Falaniko Vitale, Jesse Taylor, Trevor Prangley
Michael Bisping
2011 Record: 2-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: Jorge Rivera, Jason “Mayhem” Miller
Welterweight of the Year
Jake Ellenberger
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: Carlos Eduardo Rocha, Sean Pierson, Jake Shields
Since losing his UFC debut by split decision to former WEC champion Carlos Condit, Jake Ellenberger has become the hottest prospect in the welterweight division, and one of the top contenders. After edging out a split decision over little-known Carlos Eduardo Rocha, Ellenberger stopped Sean Pierson impressively inside the first round. Most recently he stopped Jake Shields in dominant fashion with a knee and punches, ending the bout in a mere fifty-three seconds.
Honorable Mention
Nick Diaz
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Paul Daley, B.J. Penn
Accomplishments: Defended Strikeforce Welterweight Title x2
Rory MacDonald
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle
Johny Hendricks
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: T.J. Waldburger, Mike Pierce, Jon Fitch
Lightweight of the Year
Michael Chandler
2011 Record: 4-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Marcin Held, Lloyd Woodard, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Eddie Alvarez
Accomplishments: Crowned Bellator Lightweight Tournament Champion & Bellator Lightweight Champion
PDG’s Breakout Fighter of the Year, Michael Chandler, didn’t only become a top-ten ranked lightweight and Bellator champion, but did enough to edge out UFC and Strikeforce champions to earn Lightweight of the Year.
Honorable Mention
Gilbert Melendez
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO)
Win: Tatsuya Kawajiri, Jorge Masvidal
Accomplishments: Defended Strikeforce Lightweight Championship x2
Shinya Aoki
2011 Record: 4-0 (3 Sub)
Wins: Lyle Beerbohm, Rich Clementi, “Razor” Rob McCullough, Satoru Kitaoka
Accomplishments: Defended Dream Lightweight Champion
Benson Henderson
2011 Record: 3-0
Wins: Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, Clay Guida
Featherweight of the Year
Patricio Freire
2011 Record: 3-0 (2 TKO)
Wins: Georgi Karakhanyan, Wilson Reis, Daniel Straus
Accomplishments: Crowned Bellator Featherweight Tournament Champion
Patricio Freire spent 2011 earning himself a rematch with the only man to defeat him, Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren. Freire stopped Georgi Karakhanyan with punches early in the third round to win the quarter-finals of Bellator’s featherweight tournament. He then stopped Wilson Reis in the third round to win the semi-finals before most recent earning a unanimous decision over Daniel Straus to win the entire tournament.
Honorable Mention
Dustin Poirier
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 Sub)
Wins: Josh Grispi, Jason Young, Pablo Garza
Jose Aldo
2011 Record: 2-0
Wins: Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Leonard Garcia, Mark Hominick
Bantamweight of the Year
Bibiano Fernandes
2011 Record: 3-0 (1 TKO, 1 Sub)
Wins: Takafumi Otsuka, Rodolfo Marques Diniz, Antonio Banuelos
Accomplishments: Crowned Dream Bantamweight Grand Prix Champion
Former Dream featherweight and featherweight tournament champion Bibiano Fernandes had a strong 2011, claiming another tournament title. In the quarter-finals he submitted Takafumi Otsuka with a forty-one second rear naked choke. He was then able to dispatch Rodolfo Marques Diniz in a decision and stop Antonio Banuelos with strikes in one night. Fernandes is considered by many to be the best bantamweight and featherweight outside of the UFC.
Honorable Mention
Dominick Cruz
2011 Record: 2-0
Wins: Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson
Renan “Barao” Pegado
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 Sub)
Wins: Cole Escovedo, Brad Pickett
Scott Jorgensen
2011 Record: 2-0 (1 TKO)
Wins: Ken Stone, Jeff Curran
Mixed Martial Arts or K-1 Highlight of the Year
The Best Damn Nick Diaz Highlight by FlyWin Evolutions
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Honorable Mention
– K-1 “Imagine” Highlight by StillWill
– Mixed Martial Arts – Marching On By Machinemen
– Paul “Semtex” Daley – I’ll Be Back One Day! Highlight by Hello Japan
Ring Girl of the Year
Brittney Palmer
Well, you can’t really go wrong with any ring girl. I mean, these women are professional hotness. So here are a ton of pics of Brittney Palmer!
Additional Thoughts on 2011:
* Ian McCall is the world’s premiere flyweight. In 2011 he went 3-0 with one submission, with wins over Jussier da Silva, Dustin Ortiz and Darrell Montague. With the addition of the 125-pound division to the UFC, expect to see more of McCall.
* Miesha Tate deserves to be regarded as the best female fighter of 2011. Despite only fighting once in the year, Tate submitted Marloes Coenen to earn the Strikeforce women’s title.
* The UFC signing the deal with Fox to bring MMA to the world’s largest network, as well as to FX and Fuel, was huge for the sport. This simply means more fights and continued growth.
* There has been a lot of clamoring about comeback of the year, which would easily go to Cheick Kongo. At UFC Live 5, Kongo was almost knocked out by Pat Barry. Barry continued his assault, but instinct kicked in and it was Kongo who had his hand raised moments later.
* It is worth mentioning Chris Lytle as one of the best stories of 2011. Despite losing his first fight of the year to Brian Ebersole, Lytle’s last bout was a submission win in a one-sided fight against Dan Hardy. It was Lytle’s last fight, as he retired following. It was nice to see Lytle leave the sport not only on his terms, but also on a win – although it is also saddening as he has consistently been one of the most entertaining fighters to watch.
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