2019 Combat Sports Awards, Part 1: MMA
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Happy new year! We hope you’ve enjoyed the first four months of The Fight Site, thank you for bearing with us as we develop our brand, grow the team, and tweak our website.
Early 2020 has a lot in store, including the final three installments of our “GOAT Series” as well as new podcasts, weight-class specific “Best of” articles, and profiles on athletes competing in ACA (formerly ACB).
2020 will also mark the beginning of our Patreon system, which will allow our few faithful a way to contribute to this crazy experiment and request or access special content. An idea we’re floating is the option to provide scouting services - you can hire a staff member to break down footage of training, competitions, or potential opponents. Given the superstar team we’ve assembled, I imagine some might be interested in trying that out. Let us know your thoughts!
We cover many combat sports, so it’s only fair that each team (and other interested staff) put together awards for each sport!
MMA Awards
Fighter of the Year
Alexander Volkanovski (UFC featherweight champion)
Israel Adesanya (UFC middleweight champion)
Henry Cejudo (UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion)
Ed Gallo: Alexander Volkanovski
Philippe Marchetti: Alexander Volkanovski
Kevin (Yodsanan): Israel Adesanya
Julian Lung: Israel Adesanya
Ben Kohn: Alexander Volkanovski
Danny Martin: Israel Adesanya
Ryan Wagner: Izzy Adesanya
Sriram Muralidaran: Alexander Volkanovski
Lucas Bourdon: Izzy Adesanya
Kyle McLachlan: Israel Adesanya
Taylor Higgins: Alexander Volkanovski
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Israel Adesanya
Seth Petarra: Alexander Volkanovski
Israel Adesanya - MMA Fighter of the Year
Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Ed: I’d like you all to know I requested a brief paragraph on each category winner. This is what I got!
Danny Martin: The prevailing narrative in MMA this past year was momentum. A lot of the biggest championship turnovers felt less surprising in retrospect, given the state of the champions versus the challengers. Style matchups are complicated to get a read on, but the following rule is not: Pick the fighter who has been winning with less difficulty. That spike in confidence, poise, and consistency can often make the difference at the highest levels.
By the time Israel Adesanya was slated to challenge Robert Whittaker for the lineal middleweight championship, all of the momentum was in his corner. The closer the fight got, the more it felt like Whittaker was more than a few miles behind the streaking kickboxer. The fight happened, and we all could see why. A fairly even fight on paper turned into one of most dazzling title winning performances in the last few years. Israel was already an incredibly high profile contender by the end of 2018, rattling off four consecutive wins over increasingly stiff competition, cultivating in a five-round clinic over Brad Tavares and a highlight reel finish versus Derek Brunson. And if Adesanya’s first victory over the former middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, didn’t set the world on fire, that was likely by design. Against a certified legend in the sport of MMA, Adesanya gave the aged fighter a great deal of respect. In many ways, he looked excited and maybe a bit awestruck to even be sharing the cage with his idol. This was the weakest of his three offerings this year.
His latter two victories in 2019 couldn’t have been more crucial, however. The first of which, we got to see what Israel was truly made of. Over a terrific 25 minute contest, Adesanya put the screws to Kelvin Gastelum, knocking the Cordeiro product down a whopping four times and justifying his own hype in terrifying fashion. The bout wasn’t all one-way traffic, for Gastelum himself put forth a valiant effort against the decorated kickboxer, but at times it felt like his own grit and toughness were the only things keeping him afloat. In every single round, Adesanya looked like the brighter competitor, slowly taking away the limited toolbox of his opponent and accumulating a frightening amount of damage by the end. If this was fight was Adesanya’s final hurdle towards greatness, it’s impossible to say he hadn’t proved himself. After defeating Kelvin Gastelum so emphatically, it seemed like only a matter of time before Israel Adesanya netted himself the lineal championship. The only thing standing in Israel’s way was Robert Whittaker, whom most predicted would be a tremendous challenge for the kickboxer.
It was not a challenge. It was a destruction. When the two men fenced at range, it was a fairly even, but it was notable how much more confident Adesanya looked. When Whittaker committed on his entries, he committed hard. Israel, on the other hand, gently slid his upper body out of range, took slight angles, and obstructed his opponent’s approach. Whittaker seemed convinced that Adesanya wouldn’t be willing to exchange with him, and that simply wasn’t true. As the exchanges started getting deeper, the worse it began looking for Whittaker, counter to what a lot of analysts were predicting. Adesanya knocked out the New Zealander with the same combination Alex Pereira finished him with years prior. Punch them into place with the right hook, crush then with the left hook. The fight was over within two rounds, and it wasn’t even a surprise. Perhaps the most striking element of Adesanya’s amazing year is how perfunctory it all felt. Apart from one or two hairy exchanges against Gastelum, Adesanya was the better fighter in nearly every moment of his year. Israel was the focal point of 2019, and everything surrounding him felt like an obstacle for him to overcome. He was a fighter destined for greatness who met every single roadblock with aplomb. He’s just that kind of fighter.
Fight of the Year
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway (UFC 236)
Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236)
Paulo Costa vs. Yoel Romero (UFC 241)
Ed Gallo: Poirier-Holloway
Philippe Marchetti: Romero-Costa
Kevin (Yodsanan): Adesanya-Gastelum
Julian Lung: Romero-Costa
Ben Kohn: Poirier-Holloway
Danny Martin: Poirier-Holloway
Ryan Wagner: Poirier-Holloway
Sriram Muralidaran: Poirier-Holloway
Lucas Bourdon: Poirier-Holloway
Kyle McLachlan: Poirier-Holloway
Taylor Higgins: Poirier-Holloway
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Poirier-Holloway
Seth Petarra: Nurmagomedov-Poirier
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2 - MMA Fight of the Year
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
FULL ARTICLE: Behind the Crimson Mask
Excerpt: “Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway II is among the rarest of rare fights. Instead of a quick finish or a one-sided domination, two of the sport’s best and more violent fighters engaged in a phenomenal battle of will. Exemplifying both tremendous technical growth and unbelievable grit and determination, Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon them.”
Knockout of the Year
Jorge Masvidal over Ben Askren (UFC 239)
Jorge Masvidal over Darren Till (UFC on ESPN+ 5)
Israel Adesanya over Robert Whittaker (UFC 243)
Kevin Lee over Gregor Gillespie (UFC 244)
Ed Gallo: Adesanya-Whittaker
Philippe Marchetti: Lee-Gillespie
Kevin (Yodsanan): Masvidal-Askren
Julian Lung: Masvidal-Till
Ben Kohn: Masvidal-Askren
Danny Martin: Adesanya-Whittaker
Ryan Wagner: Masvidal-Askren
Sriram Muralidaran: Masvidal-Till
Lucas Bourdon: Masvidal-Askren
Kyle McLachlan: Masvidal-Askren
Taylor Higgins: Masvidal-Askren
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Masvidal-Askren
Seth Petarra: Adesanya-Whittaker
Jorge Masvidal over Ben Askren - MMA Knockout of the Year
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Kyle McLachlan: Knockouts can be impressive for a number of reasons: their aesthetic quality, the way the knockout happened, who it happened against, the impact it had on the wider world of MMA fandom.
Tick all of those boxes for Masvidal’s knee screaming across the cage and connecting with Ben Askren’s chin in the first seconds of round one just as Pynchon’s V-2 screamed across the sky in the first sentence of Gravity’s Rainbow.
Gravity sent Askren down immediately after the knee connected, and he probably never felt the follow-up shots. But we did, and if you’re anything like me you’ve replayed that short burst of brutality over and over since July 6th. Everything that’s brutal and beautiful about MMA squeezed into just a few, short seconds, and everyone—and not just us combat sports nerds—was talking about it. A true highlight-reel, and a performance that seems to have made an unlikely star out of a fighter only us combat sport nerds cared about for so many years.
Ben Askren wasn’t actually very good (some of us nerds already knew that) but one thing he seemingly had left was his durability and inherent toughness. None of that mattered when Masvidal flat out mullered him.
Upset of the Year
Kai Asakura over Kyoji Horiguchi (RIZIN 18)
Anthony Pettis over Stephen Thompson (UFC on ESPN+ 6)
Ed Gallo: Asakura-Horiguchi
Philippe Marchetti: Pettis-Wonderboy
Kevin (Yodsanan): Asakura-Horiguchi
Julian Lung: Pettis-Wonderboy
Ben Kohn: Asakura-Horiguchi
Danny Martin: Asakura-Horiguchi
Ryan Wagner: Asakura-Horiguchi
Sriram Muralidaran: Pettis-Wonderboy
Lucas Bourdon: Asakura-Horiguchi
Kyle McLachlan: Asakura-Horiguchi
Taylor Higgins: Pettis-Wonderboy
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Asakura-Horiguchi
Seth Petarra: Asakura-Horiguchi
Kai Asakura over Kyoji Horiguchi - MMA Upset of the Year
Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF
Kyle McLachlan: There can be no doubt that Kai Asakura was respected by those that followed the Asian MMA scene going into his fight with Kyoji Horiguchi.
But if he was respected by a small contingent of fans, the lad known affectionally as ‘Gooch’ had built a real following, boosted no doubt by winning not just the RIZIN bantamweight title, but Bellator’s 135lb strap as well.
If you’d polled The Fight Site team before this bout, you’d likely have seen Horiguchi pop up on more than one pound-for-pound list.
You could have scrapped all of that a minute or so into his bout with Kai Asakura: caught, stunned, and finished. All that momentum, shuddering to a halt.
Asakura then, becomes the hot name on the lips of a certain contingent of MMA fans, those that stay up late (Stateside) or wake up early (in the UK and Europe) and use VPNs or links sent into their DMs on twitter to watch some of the most fun and badly-paced mixed martial arts events around right now.
Horiguchi has had to vacate his titles, suffering with injuries and the headache of being on the wrong end of the upset of the year and Asakura was stunned himself on New Years Eve by former foe Manel Kape for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight title . For now, RIZIN appears to be unsafe for all world class bantamweights.
Submission of the Year
Rafael dos Anjos over Kevin Lee (UFC on ESPN+ 10)
Demian Maia over Ben Askren (UFC on ESPN+ 20)
Charles Oliveira over David Teymur (UFC on ESPN+ 2)
Bryce Mitchell over Matt Sayles (UFC on ESPN 7)
Marlon Moraes over Raphael Assuncao (UFC on ESPN+ 2)
AJ McKee over Derek Campos (Bellator 236)
Ed Gallo: RDA-Lee
Philippe Marchetti: Oliveira-Teymur
Kevin (Yodsanan): Maia-Askren
Julian Lung: Maia-Askren
Ben Kohn: Mitchell-Sayles
Danny Martin: Moraes-Assuncao
Ryan Wagner: Mitchell-Sayles
Sriram Muralidaran: RDA-Lee
Kyle McLachlan: McKee-Campos
Taylor Higgins: RDA-Lee
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Maia-Askren
Seth Petarra: Maia Askren
Demian Maia over Ben Askren - MMA Submission of the Year
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
To be frank, 2019 wasn’t a great year for monumental submissions, but the available options are certainly worthy of praise. On one hand, we had finishes that were interesting largely due to rarity or beautiful execution, like Bryce Mitchell’s twister, Charles Oliveira’s anaconda, and AJ McKee’s armbar off the back.
The other grouping of contenders were more traditional techniques, but the context of the fight and strength of the opponent add significance. Marlon Moraes absolutely blanked Raphael Assuncao before finishing him with a mounted guillotine, a dominating submission over an elusive striker and strong, veteran grappler. Rafael dos Anjos and Kevin Lee had a spirited battle, it was exceptionally hard-fought until dos Anjos seized momentum and began to turn up the heat on a fading Lee. Defending and flurrying off a Lee shot attempt, dos Anjos quickly advanced to a dominant position and caught a constricting arm triangle as Lee turned in.
But in terms of “historical” significance, some might say Demian Maia’s rear naked choke over Ben Askren takes the prize. While both fighters were absolutely past their primes, this was heralded as one of the all-time “what if” grappling matchups, by most fans at least. The pairing inspired four articles (1, 2, 3, 4) from our staff. When the two finally met on the ground, Maia was undeniably superior, he easily swept and controlled the funky wrestler until finishing him off in the third. For retiring Ben Askren, Demian Maia receives this honor.
Breakout Contender of the Year
Petr Yan (Tiger Muay Thai)
Paulo Costa (Eric Albarracin)
Kai Asakura (Tri-Force)
Ed Gallo: Petr Yan
Philippe Marchetti: Paulo Costa
Kevin (Yodsanan): Petr Yan
Julian Lung: Petr Yan
Ben Kohn: Petr Yan
Danny Martin: Petr Yan
Ryan Wagner: Petr Yan
Sriram Muralidaran: Petr Yan
Lucas Bourdon: Petr Yan
Kyle McLachlan: Kai Asakura
Taylor Higgins: Petr Yan
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Petr Yan
Seth Petarra: Kai Asakura
Petr Yan - MMA Breakout Contender of the Year
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Sriram Muralidaran: Yan was not a new face in 2019, having entered the rankings with a thrashing of Douglas Silva de Andrade at the end of 2018, but 2019 was the year in which it became clear that “No Mercy” was the true all-action contender that divisions dream of. Three fights, three wins, two of them not remotely close and the last just as impressive in a different way.
Yan's year started with John Dodson, a veteran respected for his skill and longevity if not necessarily for high-action potential. Yan’s was the most convincing destruction of Dodson ever, as he put a pressure showcase on the speedy out-fighter. His year ended with the slaughter of Urijah Faber, as the beloved veteran (who looked in fine form, even) got a beating near the level of the one he took at the hands of Jose Aldo. Yan dropped him thrice and left him a mess, and the finish was a formality. The center fight was the most encouraging, though; against a Jimmie Rivera in the form of his career, a man who looked downright elite on that day as a boxer and as a defensive operator, Yan looked inevitable. It wasn't an easy fight, but it was clear for Yan on the bigger spots of offense, and it leaves him in position for a massive 2020 in true title contention.
Performance of the Year
Alexander Volkanovski over Max Holloway (UFC 245)
Israel Adesanya over Robert Whittaker (UFC 243)
Ed Gallo: Volkanovski-Holloway
Philippe Marchetti: Volkanovski-Holloway
Kevin (Yodsanan): Volkanovski-Holloway
Julian Lung: Adesanya-Whittaker
Ben Kohn: Volkanovski-Holloway
Danny Martin: Adesanya-Whittaker
Ryan Wagner: Volkanovski-Holloway
Sriram Muralidaran: Volkanovski-Holloway
Lucas Bourdon: Volkanovski-Holloway
Kyle McLachlan: Volkanovski-Holloway
Taylor Higgins: Volkanovski-Holloway
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Volkanovski-Holloway
Seth Petarra: Volkanovski-Holloway
Alexander Volkanovski over Max Holloway - MMA Performance of the Year
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Mat Fenrych: In a year of era-defining fights, New Zealand native Alexander Volkanovski put forth maybe the most impressive performance of the year in defeating featherweight king Max Holloway, himself in contention for P4P honours throughout his reign.
Volkanovski, for much of his run a noted pressure fighter, in this fight showed masterful fightcraft and a high strategic IQ, displayed an ability to find and maintain distance against a much taller fighter, all while also keeping up a pace that Holloway couldn’t overwhelm. As top-level fights become less and less defined by wild swings in dynamic momentum with hugely disparate techniques crumbling or prevailing, Volkanovski instead managed to halt Holloway’s vaunted avalanche of offense by keeping up a steady stream of intercepting kicks and clean pocket defence; in short he won a clean striking battle with one of the better boxers in the UFC. As the MMA meta-game continues to move at a rapid rate, Volkanovski-Holloway may prove a hallmark as to where it’s headed.
Gym of the Year
City Kickboxing (Auckland, NZ)
American Top Team (Coconut Creek, FL, USA)
Ed Gallo: CKB
Philippe Marchetti: ATT
Kevin (Yodsanan): CKB
Ben Kohn: CKB
Ryan Wagner: CKB
Lucas Bourdon: CKB
Kyle McLachlan: CKB
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: CKB
Seth Petarra: CKB
City Kickboxing - MMA Gym of the Year
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Kyle: The work Eugene Bareman and his team have been doing with their fighters this year is nothing short of exceptional, masterminding first-rate victories over two of The Fight Site’s greatest fighters of all time in Max Holloway and Robert Whitaker. Strategically, the Auckland fight team appear to be leagues ahead of their competitors.
If the talented champions in their stable Israel Adesanya (185lbs) and Alexander Volkanowski (145lbs) see out 2020 as champions—and if Dan Hooker continues to make strides in his game—you can be sure that City Kickboxing will be at the top of this category again.