Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM
MMAFreak is proud to introduce the 2012 MMA Awards. We would like to thank our staff and you the fans for voting and giving us your input. I would also like to send a special shout-out to: Pete D. @longhornsmma, Casey H. @Hof23 and Gabe @sparrow933 for all their help.
It was a wild year in MMA and we left it up to our staff and you the fans to pick our winners this year. We will be presenting awards and discussing the, fight of the year, fighter, sub, KO, best comeback fighter, best comeback fight, and breakout fighter of the year. I will also be giving out a special award for MMAFreak’s Standout Fighter of the year.
There was some obvious choices this year for certain categories like KO of the year and others, but some obvious choices didn’t make it to the surface. All of you gritty MMA fans let your mind be heard and you gave us some great picks.
I give props to Edson Barboza for his KO on Terry Etim and Charles Oliveira for his unique calf-slicer submission, but they won’t be receiving any awards today. Without further ado, here are your picks for MMAFreak’s 1st annual MMA Awards.
~Best Comeback Fight of the Year- Tim Boetsch over Okami UFC 144~
I Mean…….. It’s Freaking Tim Boetsch!
When Tim Boetsch entered UFC 144 against Yushin Okami he probably thought the fight would be closer going into the third round, but he was wrong. Boetsch was down on the scorecards and was losing the fight. He lost the first two rounds before rallying back and knocking out Okami (even though it was called a TKO to earn the biggest win of his career and our comeback of the year.
~Breakout Fighter of the Year- Cub Swanson~
Matt Brown was a heavy favorite going into this category, but the true MMA fans saw it differently. Brown was the only fighter to win four fights this year, but beating Swick was the only win that really stood out.
After a loss in his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas, Swanson entered 2012 in January knocking out George Roop (TKO) in the second round making a huge statement. From there he went on getting two straight KO of the night Bonuses finishing heavy handed Ross Pearson and dangerous ground specialist Charles Oliveira.
Swanson is expected to face Dennis Siver on February 16, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 7 and we all expect him to keep his name firmly in the mix of top featherweight throughout 2013.
~Comeback Fighter of the Year- Cain Velasquez~
Cain Velasquez had the world at his feet until the end of 2011 when Junior Dos Santos shocked the UFC fans and community forever when he knocked out Velasquez in less than two minutes of the first round to become the new UFC heavyweight champion.
Cain couldn’t even defend his title once, but that didn’t get the former champion down. Instead he went back to the drawing board and regrouped. After his destruction of “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 146, everyone knew that the man who beat Brock Lesnar for the title, was back.
Cain was recently given his rematch against JDS and showed the world that when he is healthy and determined, he is capable of anything. Cain took out JDS and is without a doubt our Comeback Fighter of 2012.
Watch highlights and analysis from UFC 155 in the video below.
Video courtesy of FuelTV and the UFC
~Submission of the Year- ‘Let’s Get Sassy’~
Everyone had their own opinion on this one, but when it came down to it, Paul Sass tied with himself.
Paul Sass vs Jacob Volkman UFC 146
When Jacob Volkman stepped inside the octagon with Paul Sass at UFC 146, both fighters knew what the other was going to do and neither one could stop it. Sass knew Volkman would attempt to take him down, which he did, and Volkman knew that once he got Sass down he would attempt a heel-hook or a triangle, which he did.
Volkman was able to get Sass down, but Sass pretty much wanted to go to the ground so he didn’t try and fight it off. Sass won his first seven fights by triangle, so Volkman should’ve been more careful. Instead Volkman rushed into the fight and was submitted via triangle/armbar in the first round, giving Sass the submission of the night bonus as well.
Paul Sass vs Matt Wiman UFC on Fuel TV
A few months later Sass was given a step up in competition, and not only that, but he was a huge favorite facing off against Matt Wiman. Wiman is always underestimated, which usually always backfires for his opponent. Sass came in doing what he does best and got the fight to the ground early and secured a submission.
The problem with this is, Wiman has great defense on the ground and has a submission game of his own. If you would’ve told Paul Sass that his fight was going to end submission via armbar in the first round with a submission of the night bonus attached, he would of just nodded and smiled.
Now if you would’ve told him all that was true but Wiman was going to win, he probably would of laughed. Wiman is no joke and impressed us all with this win, including Sass.
~Fight of the Year- Lauzon Steals the Show, Win or Lose~
Joe Lauzon vs Jamie Varner UFC on Fox
Lauzon versus Varner was one of the most exciting back and forth fights of 2012. Varner was winning the striking game and dropped Lauzon a couple times.
The relentless Lauzon never stopped pushing the pace, and wound up turning the fight into a grappling war in the second round before capitalizing on a Varner desperation takedown. Lauzon was able to reverse the takedown and slap on a deadly triangle choke for the win which earned him his 6th UFC submission of the night award.
Lauzon vs Jim Miller UFC 155
Lauzon doesn’t need to be on the winning end to put on a show. The only fight that was more bloody than this one was Joe Stevenson vs B.J. Penn. Miller busted open Lauzon early and never let up on his massively improved striking game.
But to Miller’s amazement, this was not enough to slow down the sherman tank that is Lauzon. Miller wasn’t able to finish Lauzon and Lauzon even attempted a heel-hook and guillotine at the end of the round. Lauzon lost a unanimous decision but earned his fifth FOTN bonus.
~Knock Out of the Year- If You Can’t Pronounce Their Name(s), You’re Probably Going To Sleep~
This was a huge category for MMAFreak and the winner(s) might shock you, but how could they when you picked them? We want to give a special shout-out to Edson Barboza for his knock out of Terry Etim and to the KO that almost won, Cung Lee over Rich Franklin.
The winner(s) are:
Siyar Bahadurzada vs Paulo Thiago UFC on Fuel Tv 2
Siyar entered this fight with a lot of hype behind him, but Thiago wasn’t afraid. Yet he should’ve been. The two quickly circled each other before Thiago rushed in and Siyar lived up to the hype. Bahadurzada hit Thiago with one gruesome punch putting the Brazilians face into the mat in 42 seconds of the first round, earning him knock out of the night in his UFC debut. One of the best one punch knockout’s ever in my opinion.
Rustam Khabilov vs Vinc Pichel
To the true MMA fan, Khabilov’s debut was going to be a statement fight, and it was. To other fans, they knew nothing about the Russian/Sambo master, instead they all rode “From Hell Pichel” only knowing about him from TUF.
Khabilov was able to impose his will early and often, tossing around Pichel like a rag doll with devastating sambo slams. He repeatedly dropped Pichel on his head. Every time Pichel’s head hit the mat we all turned away but couldn’t stop watching like a devastating car accident. Khabilov made waves with his UFC debut and knocked out Pichel in a way only real fans can appreciate.
Now it’s time for what you all have been waiting for……..Our Fighter of the year! It was a close race until last night when the winner received a group of votes winning by a huge landslide. Bendo Henderson was in the running for awhile, as was Chris Weidman, Matt Brown, Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez.
But none of these fighters have done what our winner has. He could’ve been the fighter of the year since 2005, he hasn’t lost since. Do you know who it is now?………………Here is our 2012 Fighter of the year:
~Fighter of the Year- Renan Barao- 29 and Counting~
Renan Barao may have lost his MMA debut back in 2005, but he hasn’t lost a fight since. Barao is currently the UFC’s Interim bantamweight champion and made a huge statement this year, taking out two former top contenders in Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber.
Barao has been on everyone’s radar for some time and it didn’t take him long to cement himself in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Many believe he has all the tools to dethrone current champ Dominick Cruz upon his return, but has a big task in front of him in Michael “Mayday” McDonald on February 16, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 7.
This will be a big test for Barao, but nothing that he can’t handle. Expect him to beat McDonald and then except another fight before taking out Cruz to become the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.
~MMAFreak’s Standout Fighter of 2012- Nick Newell~
This is an award for the fighter that stood out the most to us this year and his name is Nick Newell. For all you who live under a rock, Nick Newell is the current XFC lightweight champion and only has one arm.
Newell was born with a condition called congenital amputation. He has finished all of his fights inside the first round besides one. Newell recently defeated Eric Reynolds at XFC 21 with a first round rear-naked choke to become the first fighter to win a title with a medical condition resulting in missing limb(s). A true inspiration. Congrats man!
Bloodiest Fight of the Year- Joe Lauzon vs Jim Miller
Most Anticipated Fight of 2013- GSP vs Nick Diaz
Best Female Fighter- Ronda Rousey
Biggest Upset- Cung Lee over Rich Franklin & Varner over Barboza
Most Dangerous Fighter for 2013- Rory MacDonald