Best of MMA 2013

[TheNatureBoy]

With the year coming to a close w/only a couple of months left, I thought it would be cool to start a thread to look back on the great things the sport has offered this year. There are so many shows from UFC to Bellator that it is easy to forget great fights, events, finishes, etc. So this thread is for anyone to drop some of their favorite moments for this year. I'll kick it off with some that come to mind, although I'm sure there are a lot I am forgetting.

Best Fight

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustaffason UFC 165
Diego Sanchez vs. Gilbert Melendez UFC UFC 166
Dustin Poirier vs. Cub Swanson UFC on Fuel
Michelle Waterson vs. Jessica Penne Invicta FC 5
Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann UFC on Fuel
Matt Grice vs. Dennis Bermudez UFC 157
Carlos Condit vs. Johnny Hendricks UFC 158

KO of the year

Chris Weidman KO's Anderson Silva UFC 162
Emmanuel Newton spinning backfist over King Mo Bellator 90
Victor Belfort spinning heel kick over Luke Rockhold UFC on FX

Submission of the year

Anthony Pettis armbar over Benson Henderson UFC 164
Josh Burkman guillitone choke over Jon Fitch WSOF 3

These are just a few that come to mind

 

[The Infamous]

@ somebody 1 staring this thread.

 

[The Infamous]

My top 5 for each category (no particular order):

Fight of the Year:

Grice vs Bermudez
Stann vs Silva
Melendez vs Sanchez
Jones vs Gus
Hunt vs JDS

Honorable mentions: Mein/Brown, Swanson/Poirier, Condit/Hendricks

KO of the Year:

Bigfoot vs Overeem
Weidman vs Silva
JDS vs Hunt
Belfort vs Rockhold
Thomson vs Diaz

Honorable Mentions: Belfort vs Bisping, Newton vs King Mo, Pettis vs Cerrone, Machida vs Munoz

Sub of the Year:

Pettis vs Bendo II
Barao vs McDonald
Burkman vs Fitch
Moraes vs Magney (underrated sub, plus his celebration dance had me )
Werdum vs Big Nog

Honorable Mentions: Miller vs Healy, McDonald vs Pickett

Robbery of the Year:

Machida vs Davis
Boetsch vs Dollaway
Sanchez vs Gomi

Honorable Mention: Beltran vs Maldonado
Boetsch vs Dollaway just might be the worst decision in UFC history. 2 judges had the fight Boestch 30-26, which makes no sense. The word robbery gets thrown around combat sports a lot, but this was the definition of a robbery. Machida vs Davis and Sanchez vs Gomi were terrible as well. I had it 30-27 Machida and at worse, 29-28 Machida. I had it 29-28 Gomi.

 

[The G.O.D II]

Fight of the Year- Stann vs Silva UFC FN Japan
KO of the year- Lavar Johnson vs Vinivious Quierroz Bellator 102
Sub of the year- Berkman vs Fitch WSOF
Card of the Year- UFC on Fox 6

 

[TheLukieBaby]

FOTY
01.Grice vs. Bermudez
02.Melendez vs. Sanchez
03.Silva vs. Stann
04.Gus vs. Jones
05.Brown vs. Mein


Robbery of the year
Max Halloway vs. Dennis Bermudez

 

[TheNatureBoy]

Have to add Hunt/Silva after the fight last night.

 

[The Infamous]

Have to add Hunt/Silva after the fight last night.

And you could argue Shogun's KO is up there for KO of the year.

 

[TheNatureBoy]

And you could argue Shogun's KO is up there for KO of the year.

That was vicious, the way that Te Huna fell.

 

[The Infamous]

That was vicious, the way that Te Huna fell.

 

[The Infamous]

This has been a very good year for MMA. Tons of amazing fights, KOs, upsets and we were reminded numerous times that nobody is invincible.

 

[TheNatureBoy]

This has been a very good year for MMA. Tons of amazing fights, KOs, upsets and we were reminded numerous times that nobody is invincible.

That has to be one of the biggest stories of the year, you have these P4P great fighters, the best the sport has ever seen in Silva, Jones, and GSP who have dominated their divisions so long with very little threats. Silva gets KO'd and both Jones, GSP nearly lose their belts.

 

[The Infamous]

That has to be one of the biggest stories of the year, you have these P4P great fighters, the best the sport has ever seen in Silva, Jones, and GSP who have dominated their divisions so long with very little threats. Silva gets KO'd and both Jones, GSP nearly lose their belts.

Yup, and GSP should've lost his belt imo

Plus, some granite chins got cracked (Diaz, Anderson Silva, Hendo, Hunt [for the second time] etc.)