The year 2013 had some memorable match-ups, not just in the UFC, but in MMA as a whole.
MMASucka 2013 Year End MMA Awards
I’m sure each and every one of you had your favorites in terms of fighter, fight, submission, knockout and everything else. We at MMASucka.com put together our collective picks for Year End awards and our efforts are below.
Male fighter of the year
Jeremy: Urijah Faber takes the nod for Fighter of the Year for me. I am not saying this because he is one of my favorite fighters, but because he went 4-0 in 2013 against some top notch talent. He beat Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and most recently Michael McDonald. Not only did he beat these guys, but he decisively beat them and is now going to get another crack at the UFC bantamweight title in 2014.
Justin: While 2013 saw the old guard begin to fall, none made a legend crash down to Earth the way that Chris Weidman did. He captured the UFC Middleweight Title by knocking out the heretofore untouchable Anderson Silva, and then followed it up with an injury stoppage win after breaking “The Spider’s” leg by checking a kick. And did I mention that Weidman beat Silva the first time coming back off of major shoulder surgery and having to rebuild his house following Hurricane Sandy? Yeah, he’s the man.
Allen: Demetrious Johnson gets the nod slightly over Urijah Faber. He was the only champion to defend his title three times, which says a lot about him. People continued to doubt him and he silenced all critics. First he was only considered to be a wrestler and then the new knock on him was having “pillow hands”. After knocking out Joseph Benavidez, he sealed this award. His three victories proved that he’s starting to become one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world.
Henry: For me, the “Old Lion” Vitor Belfort gets my vote. At the beginning of the year following his lost to Jon Jones in the LHW division and his previous lost to Anderson Silva, many had him on a long road to a title shot again. However, after 3 head kick finishes 2013 against Bisping, Rockhold, and Henderson, he was next in line for a title shot regardless of who won between Weidman and Silva.
Honorable mention: Travis Browne
Female fighter of the year
Jeremy: Ronda Rousey made her mark not just in women’s MMA, but also in the UFC. The reason for women being inside the Octagon was because of Rousey and the first ever women’s fight was in early 2013. She successfully defended her belt twice and also had a coaching stint on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. How could you not give her the female fighter of the year award?
Justin: With two successful title defenses, a stint coaching the Ultimate Fighter, and two movie roles filmed, I don’t see how you can say that anybody other than Ronda Rousey is deserving of the honor. Love her or hate her, she is the champion that the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division needs right now: A person who can generate gut reactions and make people to see her fight, win or lose.
Allen: Ronda Rousey by default. I’ve been critical about the latest TUF season mainly because of her actions. It still doesn’t hide the fact that she’s a tremendous fighter and continues to win in convincing fashion. Hopefully she’s more active in 2014, it will only make her an even bigger attraction.
Henry: How can I not vote for Ronda Rousey? Both of her title defenses were highly entertaining and dominant. If not for doing TUF as well, she probably would of had a third fight in 2013. With GSP and Silva most likely not fighting in 2014, she has the opportunity to springboard herself from face of women’s MMA to face of the UFC.
Honorable mentions: Alexis Davis, Carla Esparza
Fight of the year
Jeremy: This is an easy one for me – Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson hands down. Not only did Gus give Jones a run for his money, but many believed he beat the champ at UFC 165. Prior to this fight, Jones was the odds on favorite to beat “The Mauler” quite handily and that wasn’t the case. There were many great fights in 2013, but this one tops my list.
Justin: A very tough call for me. I really enjoyed Jones vs. Gustafsson, but the sheer drama and unexpected awesomeness of Mark Hunt vs. “Bigfoot” Silva was a sight to behold. Can I give it to both? No? Okay. Coin flip. Heads: Jones vs. Gustafsson. Tails: Hunt vs. Silva. The result: Tails. Hunt vs. Silva is my fight of the year.
Allen: It has to be Jon Jones versus Alexander Gustafsson. Based on reading other websites and their awards, I’m happy there is a consensus for this one. Both fighters didn’t try to brawl and throw wild punches for no reason. They both tried to execute their game plan and it ended up an incredible chess match. Jones wore a shirt that said “not human” before the fight. Gustafsson was the first fighter to humanize him and pushed him near the brink of defeat. That fight will be remembered forever.
Henry: This award is a two horse race between Jones vs. Gustafsson and Hunt vs. Silva but I give the latter the edge. How often do you see fans happy about a draw? Almost never but in this case, it was absolutely fitting. Both Hunt and Silva went back and forth in one of the most entertaining HW fights in history.
Honorable mention: Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez, Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler
Knockout of the year
Jeremy: In what was probably the biggest upset of the year, I also give the best Knockout of the year. When Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 he shocked the world. Critics were in an uproar saying that Silva was clowning and it finally caught up to him. Not enough gave credit to Weidman for being able to beat and knockout the greatest fighter in MMA history.
Justin: We’ve been spoiled rotten in terms of knockouts this year, and while Weidman knocking out Anderson Silva had me jumping from my seat and cheering, I don’t think there as a knockout quite as vicious or memorable as Uriah Hall KOing Dylan Andrews from the bottom in the TUF 17 semi-finals. Dang man, that’s some scary power.
Allen: When it comes to knockouts, how it occurs always trumps the actual fighters in the bout. That is why I’m going with Vitor Belfort’s spinning heel kick on Luke Rockhold. Nobody saw it coming and it sent Rockhold crashing down emphatically. The kick was so smooth that it left everyone speechless. Then a week later, Junior Dos Santos went for the same exact kick and it ended up knocking out Mark Hunt. The influence kick of the spinning heel kick is growing.
Henry: When big KO’s happen, you go HOLY $%!*. Well, that was pretty much my reaction followed by my jaw hitting the ground when Wiedman kept the pressure on Silva and caught him with a punch that knocked the greatest fighter in MMA history. Before the fight, most predicted if Weidman were to win, it would have to be on the ground. He didn’t let Silva’s mind games get to him and beat him at his own game which is stand up striking. Due to the shock and historical value, Weidman’s KO gets my vote.
Honorable mention: Shogun Rua vs. James Te Huna, Travis Browne vs. Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt
Submission of the year
Jeremy: There were a lot of big submissions in 2013 and after looking over some fights from the past year I am going with Anthony Pettis’ armbar against Benson Henderson to win the title. Pettis had waited in the wings for what felt like an eternity to get his lightweight title shot and when he did, he made it worth it. The armbar was set up perfectly from the bottom and locked in tight.
Justin: One submission that flew under the radar for most was Sergio Moraes triangle choke on Neil Magny at the UFC 163 prelims. It was beautifully set up from mount, saw Moraes cinch it in perfectly as he rolled over into his guard, and then rolled again to finish it in mount. A work of art from one of the premier BJJ players to make the jump in mixed martial arts.
Allen: Anthony Pettis submitting Benson Henderson barley takes the crown. It was hard picking Pettis over Josh Burkman choking out Jon Fitch. The fact that Pettis was on his back and made Henderson verbally submit was incredible. Obviously leaving someone unconscious is an impressive feat, but Fitch’s stock has dropped off massively. Henderson was the champion and Pettis finished him off his back.
Henry: I’m going off the board a bit and giving the vote to Rose Namajunas when she submitted Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5 with a flying armbar. Oh, and did I mention that she did it in 12 seconds?
Honorable mention: Josh Burkman vs. Jon Fitch, Erick Silva vs. Jason High
Event of the year
Jeremy: I like many others pick UFC 166 as my Event of the year. Not only was the main event awesome with Cain Velasquez beating up Junior dos Santos for a second time, but the Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez fight was one of the bloodiest messes we have seen inside the Octagon.
Justin: I’m going to pick UFC 160. We had the Junior dos Santos displaying an unheard of (for him) spinning wheel kick to TKO Mark Hunt, Cain Velasques turned Antonio Silva into a smear on the canvas, and TJ Grant vaulted himself into the spotlight by starching Gray Maynard. Plus, you had Khabib Nurmagomedov put on his suplex clinic on Abel Trujillo in the prelims. It was the most bang for your buck this year.
Allen: I’m going to have to agree with the consensus here. UFC 166 was just an incredible event from top to bottom. All you have to do is ignore the Daniel Cormier-Roy Nelson bout, which was expected to be a one-sided dud. Other than that, this event was full of action from the preliminary portion all the way to the main card. That pay-per-view gave everyone their money’s worth and it left you proud to be an MMA fan.
Henry: Whether it is MMA or boxing, fans tend to get more excited for HW fights. In the case of UFC 160, HW’s ruled both the main and co-main event. Also, the main card in total featured 3 KO/TKO’s, a submission and a dominant decision so you get a bit of everything.
Honorable mention: UFC 165, UFC on FOX 9
Coach of the year
Jeremy: Duane Ludwig has to get my vote for Coach of the year. He may not have brought titles home for Team Alpha Male, but since he came on board the team has been on an absolute roll. As a team they went unbeaten for the majority of the year and Chris Holdsworth even took home the TUF 18 title.
Justin: I don’t think you can say that any coach other than Duane Ludwig should be coach of the year. The guy took an entire team and put them on a roll. Outside of some hiccups at the end of the year, 2013 was the year of Team Alpha Male.
Allen: Duane Ludwig deserves it more than anyone. The winning streak that Team Alpha Male had was incredible, before TJ Dillashaw lost in a close decision to Raphael Assuncao. Obviously Benavidez was knocked out and Danny Castillo lost a close decision a few weeks ago, but that team still had a tremendous year. Ludwig has made Urijah Faber into a much better striker, along with Chad Mendes. You can tell his influence has brought in more high-profile success to Team Alpha Male.
Henry: Duane Ludwig definitely gets my vote. The difference he has made to Team Alpha Male is simply amazing. Not saying they were a bad camp before (in fact, they were very good) but since he has taken over as coach, their fighters have simply been absolute monsters in the stand up aspect to go along with their strength in wrestling.
Honorable mention: Javier Mendez, Greg Jackson, Ray Longo
Gym of the year
Jeremy: My 2013 Gym of the year may come out of left field, but I am going to go with the Blackzilians. In 2012 many counted anyone who went to train with them out of their respective fights, however in 2013 they have come out with invigorated power. Rashad Evans started out the year with a loss, but then picked up two giant victories to look like the Rashad of old. Vitor Belfort has also found a career resurgence and will fight for the title in 2014. The fighters doing there thing, along with the new coaching staff they have brought on board and you would be crazy to not want to train with the team down in Florida.
Justin: I think gym of the year goes to Nova Uniao. If it weren’t for Demetrious Johnson, they would have a stranglehold on the sub-155 lbs. divisions. When you have two mean, nasty, nearly-impossible-to-defeat representatives holding titles like Renan Barao and Jose Aldo, how can you not be said to have the best gym?
Allen: I’m still going with Team Alpha Male. Chad Mendes and Urijah Faber combined to go 7-0 this year winning all seven fights in dominant fashion. TJ Dillashaw has now become a top ten bantamweight, while Joesph Benavidez had multiple knockout finishes this year. You can’t forget Chris Holdsworth winning “The Ultimate Fighter” as well. They are still looking for their first title, but the success they’ve had this year can’t be denied. For a camp to lose only three fights all year is remarkable.
Henry: My vote for gym of the year is Nova Uniao. If we go by pure championship numbers, they end the 2013 year with two champions on their roster which is more than any other gym. Even though Renan Barao is just the interim champion, he has already defended the belt twice. Along with Jose Aldo, both representatives are completely dominant in their respective weight classes.
Honorable mention: AKA
Prospect of the year
Jeremy: I’m going to go out on a limb here and choose someone outside the UFC as my Prospect of the year – Justin Gaethje. He fought three times in 2013 for the World Series of Fighting and won all three by devastating TKO’s. His most recent victory was a TKO stoppage against Dan Lauzon. In early January he will take on Lewis Gonzalez for the WSOF lightweight championship. I expect big things out of Gaethje in 2014 and could even see the letters U-F-C inside this calendar year.
Justin: Some people may list Holly Holm as the best female fighter of the year. I think they’d be wrong to do so, but I do believe she is the best prospect. If she can shed the management team that’s holding her back and start taking on some serious challenges, “The Preacher’s Daughter” could be fighting Ronda Rousey by 2015.
Allen: Brandon Thatch has already proven to be a human highlight reel in a matter of two fights. His knockouts of Justin Edwards and Paulo Thiago were brutalizing. You can tell how much confidence he has, based on his aggressiveness. This is someone to look out for, especially in the most stacked division in the UFC. The way he utilizes his knees to finish his opponent have impressed me the most.
Henry: This one is tough to pick but my vote goes to Sergio Pettis and not because he is the younger brother of current LW champion, Anthony Pettis. Sergio fought fought a total of 4 times in 2013 capturing both NAFC Bantamweight Championship and RFA Flyweight Championship. Those victories got him his first UFC fight at UFC 167 and he performed very well against Will Campuzano. With a 10-0 record and a talented skill set, I expect more great things from him in 2014.
Honorable mention: Conor McGregor, Ali Bagautinov
