I've also almost finished up deciding on my favorite knockouts and submissions of the past year, and I will publish those in a future post, though as of right now I don't know whether or not I'll take the effort to make comments/write-ups for each entry as I will do here. Anyway, without further ado...
*****
Best Fights of 2010
Just missed the cut
#15 - Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham (UFC 119)
#14 - Cub Swanson vs. Mackens Semerzier (WEC 52)
#13 - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz (UFC 114)
#12 - Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC 115)
#11 - Josh Thomson vs. Gesias Cavalcante (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II)
*****
#10 - Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz (UFC 112)
A couple things about Mark Munoz: 1) He arguably has the most dangerous ground-and-pound for anyone not named Brock Lesnar. 2) His standup striking, while powerful, is slow and leaves many openings. 3) Whenever Munoz gets rocked, his first reaction is to latch on to his opponent's ankle, as opposed to, say, getting out of danger. That being said, Munoz is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the sport because despite often getting himself into frustrating situations, if Munoz can find himself on top of his opponent, it's good night Irene, as Michael Schiavello would say. This UFC 112 prelim, thankfully, made it to the Spike TV broadcast, and let's just say that it made up for the Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia debacle. Other than an early takedown (that Grove scrambled out of while taking minimal damage) and a couple haymakers, the opening round was all Grove, who stunned Munoz and proceeded to lay the smackdown on Munoz's head as he - well - latched onto Grove's leg. Later in the round Grove would attempt three dangerous looking chokes, but Munoz was able to power out of them and survive the round. Munoz looked fresh at the start of the second round, but a knee from Grove sent him down to the mat again. After some groundwork, Grove would start working for another submission (an armbar this time). Bad idea. Munoz escaped and ended up on top, where he pounded out Grove to get the amazing comeback victory.
*****
#9 - Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis (WEC 53)
This fight will always be remembered for Anthony Pettis's flying kick off the cage, but overall it was a solid fight that was an excellent coda for the WEC in its last event before being folded into the UFC. The fight itself was as action-packed as people expected judging from who the two fighters were, and the kick was really what pushed this fight into the top ten. Both Henderson and Pettis had already proven themselves to be exciting, high-energy fighters, and especially with Pettis, you never know what to expect (who saw the au batido cartwheel kick coming in his bout against Shane Roller?). The first two rounds had great action both on the feet on the ground, and rounds three and four saw each fighter able to get his opponent in a dangerous position that could have ended in a submission had it not been for excellent submission defense. With four rounds in the books, each fighter had two rounds a piece (well, at least on two of the three judges' scorecards). That's when the kick came, flush on Henderson's jaw. Miraculously, Henderson didn't get knocked out, which provides support for my theory that Henderson must have some weird physiology going on (after getting "submitted" three times by Donald Cerrone in their epic 2009 battle but surviving and going on to win). That kick essentially marked the end of Henderson's tenure as WEC champion, as Pettis was able to take over the rest of the round and secure the win. Pettis will not get an immediate UFC title shot as originally promised, but he will remain an excellent prospect and definitely one of MMA's most exciting fighters to watch.
*****
#8 - B.J. Penn vs. Frank Edgar I (UFC 112)
This lightweight title fight ended in one of the most controversial decisions of the year (along with Garcia vs. Phan and Jackson vs. Machida), but there's no denying that it was a great, technical battle, if not at the very least for the surprise factor when Edgar, a 10 to 1 underdog, showed that he could be competitive with arguably the greatest lightweight of all time. Edgar showed off his cardio with nonstop in-and-out movement combined with beautiful transitions between striking and takedown attempts. The challenger was even able to score a few takedowns on the champ, who is notoriously difficult to take down. Meanwhile, Penn stuck to his style of stalking his opponent and using accurate but powerful boxing. Nearly every round was a close, technical endeavor, and while neither fighter was really ever in danger of being finished, the fight did still provide "holy ****" moments when Edgar scored takedowns. In the end, I scored the fight 48-47 for Edgar but would not have been upset with a 48-47 victory for Penn. The judges, however, saw it as more of a one-sided affair in Edgar's favor, including a 50-45 card from Doug Crosby, who would later make a strange post on the internet defending his decision. Because of the closeness of the fight, the controversial decision, the theories that Penn's relatively poor performance was a fluke, and the lack of another clear-cut contender meant an immediate rematch would be made. Edgar would dominate Penn to a clear decision and later defend his belt again in a draw against Gray Maynard that will inevitably land in the list of the top ten fights in 2011.
*****
#7 - Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC 116)
Our first of three entries from UFC 116 (which, unsurprisingly, I regard as the year's best card) features both great action and an unlikely story. Just one year ago, Leben was going through rough personal issues and had more of a gatekeeper role in the UFC after posting unimpressive results. Just two weeks before this fight, Leben made a comeback victory to defeat Aaron Simpson (also a great fight). Akiyama, meanwhile, was scheduled to fight Wanderlei Silva in a bout that would possibly determine a top middleweight contender. However, when Silva pulled out of the fight due to injury, he was replaced by none other than Leben, in perhaps one of the year's biggest surprises. Akiyama's camp initially wanted to pull out of the fight because they wanted a stronger opponent, but eventually agreed. The fight was even and action-packed, with Akiyama controlling the grappling and Leben being the better striker. After splitting the first two rounds, Akiyama was able to out-grapple Leben in the third and was looking in good shape to take the win. But with just seconds to go, Leben secured a triangle choke and shockingly forced the judoka to tap out. This win marked Leben's rebirth and placed him back on the map, while also securing his reputation as one of the sport's most likable fighters.
*****
#6 - Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski II (UFC 116)
Everyone remembers Stephan Bonnar's epic battle against Forrest Griffin in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, and with this fight, Bonnar reminded us why his nickname is "The American Psycho." This fight came during a slump in Bonnar's career, with him losing his previous fight to Soszynski in controversial fashion after an accidental headbutt opened up a fight-ending cut (usually these accidents result in "no contests"). Anyway, this fight displayed what I think are two of Bonnar's awesome trademarks: bleeding a lot and flurries of haymakers while looking downward instead of forward (this is especially used as a "defense" in lieu of blocking, keeping distance, or timing counter punches). Both men were exchanging back and forth while the fight lasted, and while Soszynski was able to stun his opponent in the second, Bonnar quickly recovered, eventually dropped Soszynski with a huge knee and finished the job with ground-and-pound. Bonnar's pose for the camera after his victory is unforgettable, and both fighters put on a great show for the fans, with Bonnar perhaps baiting Soszynski into a reckless fight, which is exactly the kind of fight that Bonnar would want every time. Vintage Stephan Bonnar.
*****
#5 - Mark Hominick vs. Yves Jabouin (WEC 49)
The WEC had somewhat of a reputation for always delivering fights that satisfied, which differed from other organizations' approach of lining up good "on paper" match-ups that often underwhelmed. This battle featured a first round that reminds us of one major reason why WEC fights tended to be good - lighter fighters meant better cardio, and better cardio meant more unbroken action. The first round of this fight was a close striking battle in which both fighters were active nonstop. What sets this round apart from others on this list is the level of technicality and precision, which contrasts to other memorable rounds that are more matters of heart and wildness. However, the heart factor was decisive in round two. With Jabouin perhaps in the lead after scoring the more powerful strikes (most notably several spinning back fists and elbows), Hominick downed his opponent with a powerful punch to the liver. Jabouin weathered the storm, however, and proceeded to drop Hominick with a strike of his own. With Jabouin now looking to be in the driver's seat, Hominick pulled out a sweep and was able to finish Jabouin through ground-and-pound. Though the fight didn't have the same electric feel that pervaded many of the more significant fights in this list, it was both exciting and technically brilliant.
*****
#4 - Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin (UFC 116)
After demolishing Frank Mir to avenge his only loss, Brock Lesnar seemed like an unstoppable force. Enter Shane Carwin. Going into an interim title fight with Mir as a slight underdog, Carwin gave Mir a similar brutal beatdown and seemed like an unstoppable force himself. This set up - literally - the biggest heavyweight title fight in UFC history, with both fighters being mega-hulks who cut weight to reach the 265 lb weight limit. The question going into the fight was whether Lesnar's explosive takedowns would trump Carwin's powerful punches. Early in round one, Carwin was able to easily brush off a Lesnar takedown attempt, and for the rest of the round, Carwin laid the smackdown on the former WWE superstar, forcing Lesnar to curl up against the cage. At so many points in the first round, it seemed like the fight was just about to be stopped, but Lesnar was able to use his massive forearms to protect his head and stay in the fight. Despite utterly dominating round one, Carwin had his infamous incident of "lactic acidosis," gassing himself out from all the punching he performed. In round two, Lesnar looked fresh while Carwin was clearly out of steam. Lesnar quickly secured a takedown, passed to mount, and locked in an arm triangle choke to put away the challenger, shock the viewers, and win over many of his former detractors. It wasn't long after that Lesnar would lose his title and aura of invincibility to Cain Velasquez, but regardless, this fight had an electric atmosphere to it that was only matched in 2010 by another certain UFC title fight that would occur about a month later.
*****
#3 - Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki II (Sengoku 14)
While the Sengoku championships are not really as highly regarded as those of other larger organizations, who can complain when a great fight goes into the fourth and fifth rounds instead of being stopped after the third? In this case, Sengoku's middleweight champion Jorge Santiago and challenger Kazuo Misaki fought a technical battle that later exploded into an action-fest. While Santiago seemed to have the advantage in the striking department, Misaki was able to take down the Brazilian repeatedly, utilize some ground and pound, and lock in some submission attempts that may have put away fighters not as determined and skilled at jiu-jitsu as Santiago. The first three rounds had some solid technical action, with the first two rounds probably going to Misaki and the third to Santiago. In the fourth, Misaki started beating down the champion, who had to deliberately fall out of the ring to stall for time, resulting in a red card and point deduction. At this point, it was clear that Santiago would need a finish to successfully defend his belt. With seconds left in the fourth round, Santiago landed some great strikes that stunned his foe, then completely took over the fifth round and battered Misaki until the challenger's corner threw in the towel with less than a minute remaining in the fight. This fight had the most energetic crowd I have ever seen at a Japanese MMA event - the Japanese fans are notorious for largely staying silent during fights, as opposed to the American crowd who like to create as much noise as possible. However, this fight was so awesome that the crowd was going wild and chanting, especially in the later rounds.
*****
#2 - Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (UFC 117)
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was at the time considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and was making quick work of his opponents over the past several years, but in a fashion that caused much of the MMA fan base to lose respect for him. Chael Sonnen, who not that much earlier wasn't even really in the title picture, was the next unlikely challenger for the belt in a middleweight division that lacked a clear cut number two fighter. With his pre-fight interview antics and trash talk, Sonnen made an intriguing situation out of a matchup that many might have otherwise ignored. Come fight night, Sonnen backed up his talk by completely dominating the champion for four and a half rounds, taking him down at will and even outstriking him, which was extremely surprising considering Sonnen's wrestling background and the fact that no other fighter could stand with Silva. Never was such a one-sided fight so entertaining, and Sonnen's trash talk and energy was probably the reason it was that entertaining. (When Sonnen pulled off a kind of somersault in the first round, you know s*** just got real.) With less than three minutes to go, it looked like the end of an era, but in perhaps an homage to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Silva was able to pull off a submission after having sustained a thorough beating. This submission left me frozen in a state of bemusement for several minutes. While the champion was proven to be vulnerable, he showed the heart of a true champion in pulling off the win, while Sonnen also proved that he can back up his talk.
*****
#1 - Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung (WEC 48)
This featherweight battle, which was shown for free on Spike as a prelim for WEC's pay-per-view event was fifteen full minutes of sloppy yet ridiculously awesome back-and-forth standup action. For the entire bout, both fighters were swinging at full strength with punches, kicks, knees, and even throwing in some of the crazier techniques like spinning back fists and wheel kicks. The fight was close, with both Garcia and Jung having their moments and with both fighters getting dropped repeatedly and in general getting severely beaten up. You probably couldn't go ten seconds at any point in the fight without seeing some sort of ridiculous action, whether it was both guys swinging wildly at the air or one of them blocking punches with their face. The most memorable part of the fight for me was when a wild exchange knocked Garcia's mouthpiece out of his mouth, which forced a time out. I couldn't help but go crazy when immediately after Garcia put his mouthpiece back on, the two fighters began flailing at each other again as if the timeout hadn't happened at all. In the end, Garcia won a split decision in the controversial manner that has become associated with Garcia's name, and while neither man displayed elite-level technique, they put an incredible display of recklessness and heart, and most importantly put on one of the most purely entertaining fights of all time.
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