Tis the season for freezing temperatures and heated debates about what fights, fighters and failures stood out in 2016 as the best of the best. After Rolling Stone put out their article naming Michael Bisping the “Fighter of the Year” heated debates began on Twitter.
While arguments can be made for and against the choosing of Bisping, the rolling out of the red carpet seems a little premature. According to my calendar, we still have 10 days until the new year. As well, we have a major UFC event that can put a little wrench into a lot of the Best of the Year discussions.
UFC 207 takes place on December 30th, meaning that it still falls onto the 2016 calendar year. I don’t want to go all Kanye on these award ceremonies, but UFC 207 could have some of the greatest fighters and comeback stories of the year.
Fighter of the Year: Cody Garbrandt and Amanda Nunes
Cody Garbrandt made his UFC debut on January 3rd, 2015. In less than two years after his UFC debut, Garbrandt will be fighting for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. His path to the title was buffed up by three straight first-round KO’s in 2016. Although his list of opponents isn’t as great as some other FOTY contenders, a first-round knockout of Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 would be one of the biggest wins of 2016.
The odds of that happening are low, but in MMA anything can happen, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising considering some of the shocking upsets of 2016. It would also be significant as Cruz hasn’t lost a fight since 2007 and has never been knocked out. Knocking off a top P4P fighter and winning four fights in 2016 should be a lock for the award.
Amanda Nunes could also throw her hat in the pool of candidates with a dominant win over Ronda Rousey. Three wins in a calendar year including first-round championship win and a victory over the most dominant championship in UFC women’s history might do the trick. She has not been as flashy as Garbrandt or Miocic, not as surprising as Bisping or as captivating as McGregor, but on paper she’s right up there with others in contention.
Comeback of the Year: Ronda Rousey, Dominick Cruz and Cain Velasquez
It has been over a year since Ronda Rousey last stepped in the cage, and when she did, it resulted in one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history. The godly, unbeatable, 14-second winning, most dominant woman in sports was thrown right down to earth. It was an embarrassing performance that turned the discussion revolving Rousey from greatest to overrated.
A dominant win over Amanda Nunes will not put Rousey back into the heights that she reached before her trip to Melbourne. Technically it wouldn’t be the most shocking or greatest comeback ever, but it would be significant. A sub-thirty second finish over Nunes would bring the Rousey show back into town and would be a hell of a comeback.
Dominick Cruz would also have a strong case for this award if he is able to beat Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. Cruz would have gone from fighting once between 2012 and 2015 to winning three straight fights in 2016, including taking back his UFC Bantamweight Championship.
It can be easily argued that his comeback is far more significant and a greater story of overcoming adversity than Rousey’s. Cruz dispelled the notion of ring rust and proved any doubters wrong that he couldn’t come back into the octagon and look the same, if not better, than he did in 2011.
While Cain Velasquez doesn’t have as strong of a case, 2016 would be a great comeback year for him if he can defeat Fabricio Werdum. After years of injuries and the loss of his title, 2016 has been injury free and saw him put on a great performance against Travis Browne.
Other Possible Awards:
Decline of the Year: Johny Hendricks
Submission of the Year: Ronda Rousey/Fabricio Werdum
Event of the Year: UFC 207