· Fights Of The Year - 2011
This past year is likely to go down in history as an absolutely amazing year of MMA action. Believe us when we say that putting together a list of the year’s five best fights was no easy feat. From the many great televised bouts and undercard wars that some weren’t fortunate to witness in the major promotions—to battle-tested veterans meeting overseas, and many great prospects in regional circuits fighting to take the next step into stardom—it was an absolutely brilliant year for our young sport.
Aside from being an amazing year, with even a glimpse of the final list, one can see that it was also a bit atypical. The top two fights of the night took place within minutes of one another at separate events. A brief look further down the list shows that two of the bottom-three feature the same two fighters. These are rarities that one sees once in a lifetime, but we were lucky enough to witness each of the following as they occurred.
1) Dan Hendeson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC 139 – November 19)
Most longtime MMA fans that look back on the days of Pride with the fondest memories couldn’t compose themselves due to anticipation when this match-up was announced. Dan Henderson was riding a three-fight win-streak; Shogun had just avenged his loss 2007 to Forrest Griffin after a crushing victory to Jon Jones, who wrested the light heavyweight title from the Brazilian.
From early in the first, fans knew they were in for something special. While it was apparent that Muay Thai was no match for Hendo’s boxing, Rua was ready to prove that he was not out of the fight. Throughout the first two periods, Hendo dominated the Brazilian for the duration, both men being badly hurt by shots on a few occasions. In the third stanza, Henderson landed a brutal overhand right, one that would have sent a lesser man out of the cage on a stretcher. While badly hurt, Rua, was able to use his jiu-jitsu to survive the round—even dropping Hendo with hard punches of his own toward the closing frames.
When the fourth period began, Rua came out looking for revenge. Henderson had clearly given all he had left trying to put Shogun away. Rua outgrappled and outstruck the American for the duration of the round, even dropping him close to the end of the round. In the final frame, Rua came out striving to end the fight as he was surely down three rounds on judges’ cards. Shogun would bl
itz the American with his arsenal of ground attacks. Both men looked exhausted, but Rua managed to whirl Henderson in the clinch and get him to the ground.
Shogun moved from mount to back control almost at will, for the duration of the round, pounding on the American legend with everything he had left. Rua could not finish his opponent. The final bell rang on what many believed was a 10-8 round. Had he done it? Had Rua fought back from the brink of defeat and earned a draw against Henderson? In the end, that proved not to be case, as Henderson took home a unanimous decision in what UFC president Dana White called “The best (expletive) fight I’ve ever seen in my life.”
2) Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez (Bellator 58 – November 19)
Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez seemed to be a juggernaut, towering head-and-shoulders above the rest of the division when he stepped into the cage to face season four tournament winner, Michael Chandler. The young, hungry prospect proved early into the bout that he was not there to be easy fodder for the reigning champion. Chandler nailed Alvarez with a beautiful superman punch and sent him to the mat early in the first. Alvarez recovered, and what ensued was one of the most thrilling fights to ever grace the sport. Near the end of the first period, Alvarez would find himself hurt once again, but managed to survive what was a very one-sided round for the challenger.
Chandler continued his onslaught in the second stanza, but the Mizzou alum couldn’t recreate his success. It was a hotly contested round with both men trading heavy leather and grappling effectively. Alvarez showed the heart of a champion when he came out in the third frame. He dominated Chandler, beating the young prospect from pillar-to-post. Chandler could no longer find his range; the Philadelphia native was picking him apart. His wrestling seemed to be null in this period. However, Chandler was able to overcome adversity and survive Alvarez’s salvo of bombs and hammer fists.
In the fourth, Chandler seemed to have recovered, but both men’s faces looked badly mashed, they had been in an absolute battle. Chandler continued to come forward, in spite of how badly the previous round had gone; in the end, it paid off. The young lion began to connect on the champion once again, wobbling him. Chandler shot-in for a takedown, as Alvarez managed to stuff him at first, but eventually lost his balance. Chandler moved to mount and pounded on the champion, forcing Alvarez to give up his back. Chandler immediately sunk in a deep rear-naked choke, wrenching back on it so hard that Alvarez’s back seemed to curve in the wrong direction. At 3:06 of the fourth round, a reign hand ended and Bellator had a new lightweight king in the young prospect Michael Chandler.
3) Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III (UFC 136 – October 8)
It was less conclusive the last time these two men stepped into the Octagon, but that shall be explored later. The rubber match between these two lightweights started off very similarly to their rematch. Maynard hurt Edgar multiple times, almost finishing him in the first. Edgar again showed his iron will and dominated each and every round leading up to the fourth period with his superior boxing—he’d found the answer to Maynard’s power punching, no pun intended. The Bully seemed to have punched himself out; the Jersey native continued dominate throughout the fourth, where he landed a vicious uppercut, dropping the Bully. Maynard recovered, but Edgar continued to swarm with a series of hooks which once again put down the Xtreme Couture product. Maynard once again crumped to the ground and Edgar followed, handing Maynard his first career loss and cementing his place as the best lightweight in the world.
4) Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley – April 9)
There are two words to describe this welterweight tilt: reckless abandonment. Both men were throwing haymakers within 20 seconds of the opening bell.Daly connected with a crushing hook that sent Diaz to his knees, but the champion would not go down without a fight. He got to his feet and began drilling to the body of the Brit, who continued to throw savage hooks at Diaz, eventually sending him to the ground again. Diaz would recover and regain guard. Daley stood to keep the fight where he felt he had the edge, unfortunately it was a bad move for "Semtex." The Gracie black belt drilled into his body, sending him reeling backward. Diaz swarmed in, Daley shoved the Stockton native away, but the damage had been done, he fell to canvas. Diaz followed and savagely beat "Semtex" until the fight was called with a mere three seconds left in the round.
5) Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II (UFC 125 – January 1)
The sole blemish on Frankie “The Answer” Edgar’s resume, was a tough decision loss to Gray Maynard in 2008. Riding high on back-to-back wins against former lightweight king B.J. Penn, Edgar came in confident when he faced the Bully. Maynard didn’t care. He absolutely had is his way with the smaller Edgar in the first round, brutalizing the champion. Edgar’s heart was all that kept him in the fight for the first five minutes. Always overcoming adversity, Edgar battled back using his superior boxing, outlanding Maynard through much of the bout—although Maynard was never not competitive. After five rounds, the judges turned in their scorecards; tensions were high when UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer announced that judges had ruled a split draw. Both warriors were clearly disappointed, but no one could take anything away from either man, each having started off the year with an absolute battle of attrition that will not be soon forgotten by any MMA fan for years to come.
