Fighter of the year?

Sharkk · 11-08-2009, 01:19 PM

Most of the champions have done shitnothing except Machida ..

The candidates:

Lyoto Machida (3-0)
W - Thiago Silva (KO1)
This was really a free win when you line it up, but I guess he beat a top 15 opponent.
W - Rashad Evans (KO2, UFC title)
Of the three, this is the best win. Outclassed the champion to take the belt.
W - Mauricio Rua (DEC, UFC title)
A fight a lot of people don't think Machida won, but still a win over ranked competition.

Marius Zaromskis (4-0)
W - Seichi Ikemoto (DEC)
Ikemoto is really a journeyman but he was coming off of two big wins over Hidehiko Hasegawa and Hidetaka Monma. Unranked, probably not top-20.
W - Hayato Sakurai (KO1)
Kicked the head off of a legend. Though not ranked, Sakurai had just beaten #1 Shinya Aoki and was really only excluded from ranking because he jumps weight.
W - Jason High (KO1, DREAM title)
High wasn't regarded as highly as Zaromskis, but coming off of a questionable win over Andre Galvao, that doesn't mean High is a win that counts for nothing. Zaromskis might have earned knockout of the year honors with a crushing head kick.
W - Myeon Ho Bae
Reckless matchmaking, Bae's career highlights are two wins over Erik Oganov. Another lethal head kick, three in a row for the Lithuanian.

Georges St. Pierre (2-0)
W - BJ Penn (TKO4, UFC title)
A fight that, for all the talk, turned into a crushing win for the defending champion, forcing the Penn corner to call it after four lopsided rounds.
W - Thiago Alves (DEC, UFC title)
The second top contender in a row that GSP ruined. Alves had just trashed, absolutely trashed Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. Well, that meant nothing for the fight he gave. He didn't break, but he didn't win a round either.

Gegard Mousasi (3-0)
W - Mark Hunt (SUB1)
Hunt's long since been too relevant in MMA, but Mousasi subbed a guy with 100 pounds on him in under two minutes.
W - Renato Sobral (TKO1, Strikeforce title)
Sobral was ranked at the time of this fight, and this was really a big win for the Strikeforce title. Mousasi's big American debut.
W - Sokoudjou (TKO2)
Probably somewhat of a mismatch, but Sokoudjou's top 20 one way of the other and Mousasi did well finishing him midway.

Other candidates : Eddie Alvarez (4-0), Dan Henderson (2-0), Vitor Belfort (2-0), Anderson Silva (2-0), Mike Thomas Brown (2-0)

Pretty weak year for FOTY so far..

NoFreeSpeech · 11-08-2009, 01:23 PM

Mousasi by far.

Biscuit Oliva · 11-08-2009, 01:25 PM

No love for Michihiro Omigawa?

CNDNFighter · 11-08-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biscuit Oliva

No love for Michihiro Omigawa?

hes had a good year but hes got a loss in there somewhere this year doesnt he?

EDIT: and controversial win or not i think id go for machida, that is the best resume of the year.

Karp · 11-08-2009, 01:37 PM

Mousasi's my pick. I'd go with Machida, if he'd actually beat Rua.

XCuTioNeR · 11-08-2009, 01:38 PM

Zaromskis.

jay98107 · 11-08-2009, 01:43 PM

Mousasi, with St. Pierre in second

astrob0y · 11-08-2009, 01:49 PM

Fedor ofc

Then Lyoto Machida becuse of the figheters he has beaten. That is some crazy stuff he pulled.

Bullheaded · 11-08-2009, 01:49 PM

I'd say Zaromski. I mean let's face it, a year ago we didn't know anything about him, and in a year, he won a grand prix in a devastating fashion, and he became seen as one of the most exciting fighters out there.

He's my pick by far.

peteyandjia · 11-08-2009, 01:50 PM

It's got to be Machida.

He beat:

Thiago Silva (previously undefeated),

Rashad Evans (LHW Champion, previously undefeated),

and Shogun (a top LHW).

No one has matched that this year.

It would have been Fedor, if he had fought & beaten Barnett this summer...

But short of that, it's definitely Machida.