Sunday, January 3, 2010

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Much has happened over this past year in the world of mixed martial arts. From the consistency of the UFC to the development of Strikeforce to the re-appearance of Japanese promotions, MMA has continued its rise into the mainstream world. This year has contributed in producing breakout stars like Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, and Gegard Mousasi, controversial main events like UFC 94 - GSP vs. Penn II (more commonly known as "Grease gate"), and unbelievable upset specials (think Brian Bowles over Miguel Torres or Jose Aldo over Mike Thomas Brown).

Any discussions about this year in MMA and you have to mention some of the sport's best fighters as well as some surprising players. Fedor, who was all over the news this year, was among the best in 2009. After stringing the UFC along and baiting Dana White into thinking that he would have monopoly on the sport, Fedor shocked the MMA industry by signing with former regional promotion, Strikeforce. The current WAMMA heavyweight champion picked up his 26th and 27th consecutive victories with a KO of Andrei Arlovski at Affliction "Day of Reckoning" in January and then a TKO of previously-unbeaten Brett Rogers at Strikeforce's "Fedor vs. Rogers" in November.

Among the other steady stars that produced in 2009 include, GSP, who used his freakishly deep skillset to dismantle BJ Penn at UFC 94 in January and then dipped into his tool box once again to throttle Thiago Alves at the monumental UFC 100 in July. Jake Shields, a steady force in Strikeforce's 185-pound division, also kept pace with other stars by submitting Robbie Lawler this summer and capturing the organization's middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Jason Miller this fall.

There were also pleasant surprises in the MMA world this year, like Jose Aldo, a little-known Brazilian that now ranks on most top-10 pound-for-pound lists. "Junior" recorded four wins over the past year, beginning with TKO's of Rolando Perez at WEC 38 (January), Chris Mickle at WEC 39 (March), Cub Swanson at WEC 41 (June), and Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 44 this November to become the new WEC featherweight champion. Brian Bowles, although fighting only one time over the past calendar year, was also a surprise force in MMA. The (8-0) Georgia-native and 3-to-1 underdog earned an impressive "KO of the Night" against Miguel Torres to begin his tenure as the WEC Bantamweight champion in August at WEC 42.

You have to also include Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi when discussing the year's best fighters in 2009, although they fit in neither the veteran or breakout categories. Machida was 3-0 in 2009, defeating Thiago Silva at UFC 94 in January, earning the Light Heavyweight strap at UFC 98 by knocking out Rashad Evans in May, and defended the title with a controversial unanimous decision victory over Shogun Rua at UFC 104 in October. Mousasi, also 3-0 over the 12-month span, became the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion and vacated the DREAM Middleweight title this year. His submission of Mark Hunt was expected, as was his KO of Babalu at Strikeforce "Cyborg vs. Carano," but it was his TKO of Sokoudjou in November that made American MMA fans, "true believers."

Some other headlines that left MMA fans shaking their heads in 2009 included Kimbo Slice, once the lead-man for the Elite XC bandwagon, joining forces with Dana White and the UFC with his stint on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Although Kimbo didn't have a successful run in the TUF 10 tournament, he did record an official octagon victory with his unanimous decision over Houston Alexander at the December Finale which has earned him a roster spot in the promotion that once made him out to be a laughing stock. Dan Henderson, a veteran multi-weight who has fought all over the world, shocked the MMA world in more than one way this year. After the Team Quest founder produced one of the year's most brutal KO's, a UFC 100 KO of Michael Bisping, he stunned the beloved UFC fans by defecting to rival Strikeforce in December. Finally, when speaking on shocking moments in the fighting industry, you are lost if you leave Quinton "Rampage" Jackson out of the mix. "Rampage," fresh off of his role as a coach on TUF 10, first announced his "retirement" from the UFC and then, a month later, announced that he was not done fighting just yet, announcing that he would indeed return to fight later in 2010. Rampage, who was off filming in a supporting role for the A-Team movie, missed his main event fight against new-found rival Rashad Evans in his home town of Memphis, TN at UFC 107 and engaged in a verbal war of words with UFC President and former friend, Dana White.

This year also included some of the flashiest submissions ever caught on broadcast TV. Demian Maia's triangle choke submission victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 95 in February was impressive, as was Ricky Story's arm triangle choke submission on the undercard at UFC 103 in September. However, the best submission of the year with no question has to go to Toby Imada's inverted triangle choke submission over Jorge Masvidal at the upstart Bellator FC 4 in May. After getting punished on the ground and on his feet for 2½ rounds, Imada defended against a takedown attempt, slipped his shin around the neck of a standing Masvidal and choked him unconscious for his eighth straight victory. The seldom-seen submission will go down as one of the best in not only the past year but in the history of the sport.

Overall, we can say that the year of 2009 was a successful one if speaking on MMA alone. We got through the economic decline that cost so many fans their jobs. We saw a top-notch MMA video game fly off the stores, and watched as "The Iceman" struggled through two left feet as a competitor on the ABC hit show, "Dancing with the Stars.. Many productive events have led to where we are now with the development of mixed martial arts; however one thing is for sure, that 2009 has been a major success in contribution to making mixed martial arts the number one sport worldwide.

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[Via Recreation & Sports]

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