We’re still two months away from year’s end, but it’s time to start thinking about year end awards. Last year, I hastily put the idea together, and I think it ended up as a smashing success. I’m hoping to build on that with a little more time and planning this year.
The 2008 awards, in one word, were chaotic. I just had you guys send me your top 5 for each category, and put together a spreadsheet with the results. This year’s ship will run a little tighter.
For starters, I’d like to narrow each category down to five nominees. Nominees will be determined either unilaterally by myself and/or the BE staff using input from the comment sections. We will use the Instant Runoff method for voting. I will explain the voting process in greater detail in the future, for those too lazy to click the link.
So why am I posting this now? Last year, we had a few candidates that might have had a better shot had they been brought up sooner with appropriate media linkage. The next two months will be fresh in our heads come January 1st, so it’s time to start looking back to the beginning of the year, and uncover all the lost diamonds in the rough.
In addition, last year we had 14 categories (listed below). I’d like to get that to an even 20. So put on your brainstorming caps and think of some ideas.
2008 Categories and Winners:
Fighter of the Year – Rashad Evans
Fight of the Year – Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Card of the Year – UFC 92
Personality of the Year (in the vein of TIME’s Person of the Year) – Dana White
Promotion of the Year – UFC
Knockout of the Year – Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell
Submission of the Year – Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Burkman
Breakout Fighter of the Year – Brock Lesnar
Upset of the Year – Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Performance of the Year – Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Story of the Year – StandGate and EliteXC’s Downfall
Disgrace of the Year – Junie Browning and TUF 8
Commentator of the Year – Joe Rogan
Fight Camp of the Year – Jackson’s Submission Fighting