Exciting fights are going to happen every year. At MMA Ratings you rate the fights to determine the best ones. Let’s count down the top 10 from 2011.
#10 – Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley) with 4.37 stars
The lead up to the contest between these two fighters was enough to hold any person’s interest. Diaz and Daley seemed to really have disdain for each other, and their one-round affair quickly proved the point.
Daley quickly rocked the champion with a left hand early in the fight, but was slow to pounce on him and attempt to finish. Diaz was somehow able to compose himself, and began delivering the damage by volume that he is known for. After a quick combo, Daley seemed to be caught off guard and oddly fell to the floor, unable to compose himself. Diaz pounced on his opponent, and finished him with multiple strikes. In less than five minutes he had proved he was one of the best welterweights that the sport has to offer, and well above the rest of the competition in Strikeforce’s division.
#9 – Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson (UFC Live on Versus 6) with 4.38 stars
Dominick Cruz has proved that he is the best in the 135-pound weight class, as he has dispatched contender after contender. Demetrious Johnson won his way into title contention, and found himself facing off against the much larger Cruz.
For five rounds Cruz was able to control Johnson at every stage of the fight, but Johnson continued pushing forward, proving that he is a tough fight for anyone who is placed in front of him. While he was another name to fall to Cruz, I believe that his performance in this bout caused him to be named as one of the top contenders for the emerging flyweight division which will open up in March.
#8 – Benson Henderson vs. Jim Miller (UFC Live on Versus 5) with 4.39 stars
Benson Henderson has proven himself to be the gem of the WEC- UFC merger. At UFC Live on Versus 5 he found himself facing off against Jim Miller, who was a winner of seven straight bouts, and considered the top contender to the lightweight title. Henderson, however, had other plans.
For three rounds Henderson pounded Miller in a way that had not been seen before. Even as Miller grasped at knee bars and other submissions, Henderson punished him each step of the way en route to a unanimous decision victory. Now he sits as the number one contender to the UFC lightweight championship, and this bout proves how much of a viable contender he has become.
#7 – Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida (UFC 140) with 4.46 stars
There was a time when many people expected Lyoto Machida to be a long reigning champion at 205 pounds. However, that quickly changed, and now that mantle has been passed to Jon Jones. When the two competitors met at UFC 140, many expected Machida to be the true test that Jones needed. He was, but only for five minutes.
Machida hit Jones in a way he had not been hit before, and even staggered the champ. At the end of the round it was clear that Machida was in control, and possibly on his way to giving the champion his first tough night out. That quickly changed as soon as Jones found a way to get Machida to the ground, and pound him with those deadly elbows. An ugly gash was opened on his forehead, and blood was everywhere. Moments later, Jones found a way to force Machida up against the cage and wrap his long arms around his opponent’s neck. Seconds later Machida went limp and was dropped to the canvas as the champion had rendered him unconscious.
Jones was pleased to finally answer the question of whether or not he can take a punch. With this win the legend of Bones continued to grow.
#6 – Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick (UFC 129) with 4.5 stars
“Heart” is a term that is thrown around too often in sports, but Mark Hominick ended this evening as a deserving example of the phenomenon. Fighting as the hometown favorite, he was facing a champion in Aldo whom many consider to be one of the top five fighters in the world. For four rounds Aldo battered Hominick, knocking him down and around the Octagon at will. But instead of breaking, as all of Aldo’s prior opponents had done, he kept coming forward, even as a massive hematoma began to form on his head, and appeared ready to burst at any moment.
The fifth round saw Hominick find a way to mount the champion and land his most effective offense of the bout. While Aldo lay prone and exhausted, barely holding on, Hominick kept attacking. Although he was unable to win the bout, he did win himself a lot of fans, and a reputation as an exciting fighter, which goes a long way in the world of mixed martial arts.
#5 – Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida (UFC Live on Fox 1) with 4.55 stars
On the UFC’s biggest night of the year, Benson Henderson and Clay Guida stole the show. While Henderson was winning in the WEC, he was called a “poor man’s Clay Guida.” Yet when this fight finally occurred, he showed the world how wrong that comparison had been.
Over three rounds Henderson was able to beat Guida to the punch time and time again. Guida kept coming straight forward as hair flew around the Octagon. Henderson dominated him in the striking and wrestling departments. Guida tried for a last minute guillotine choke, but it was a fruitless effort.
With this win, Henderson became the true number one contender, and will be receiving his title shot in Japan on February 4th.
#4 – Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber (UFC 132) with 4.62 stars
The bantamweights were given their chance to shine as the main event of this card, and they did not disappoint in any fashion.
Cruz and Faber had a history going into this bout, as Faber had easily defeated Cruz years before. Since then, Cruz had developed into a very well-rounded mixed martial artist, while Faber had risen to the top, but slightly slipped in the past few years. The fight came down to the question of whether Faber would be able to outwrestle Cruz, or if the dynamic movement and striking of Cruz would keep Faber off balance. The answer was that Cruz was able to control the majority of the bout, as they both moved around the cage with a work rate that was almost unheard of. Cruz walked away with a unanimous decision victory, but will have to do it all over again, as Faber has found a way to become the number one contender once again.
#3 – Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (UFC 125) with 4.73 stars
Call it unlucky timing, but this fight, which occurred on January 1st of 2011, would probably have been the top ranked fight of the year had it gone down on December 1st instead.
Edgar and Maynard were fighting for the second time, and many people expected the larger and stronger Maynard to win this bout. The first round quickly supported that prediction, as Maynard battered the champion around the cage, rendering him nearly unconscious three times. But somehow the Toms River, New Jersey native found a way to hang on and make it through to the second round. At that point, the drive of the champion pushed through, as he fought back to win that stanza. The two competitors went back and forth in debatable rounds as they fought for the full 25 minutes. When the fight was over, both competitors claimed to be the winner of the fight, but the judges thought differently, and called the fight a draw.
The two would face off again later in the year, but it was their first meeting of 2011 that created Edgar’s legacy, and cemented one of the best rivalries that MMA has seen in years.
#2 – Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC 139) with 4.85 stars
Thirty minutes after Chandler found a way to upset Alvarez, fans were treated to another bout that could easily be considered the best of the year.
Rua and Henderson are two legends who created their legacy in violent fashion while competing in Japan. Since returning to the United States, both competitors have had a fair share of success and captured titles in the light heavyweight division. This bout though was the best that either fighter had put forth in the past twelve months.
Henderson started out first, hammering Rua with his trademark right hand. Rua was badly hurt and on weak legs, but found a way to defend himself well enough to keep the fight going. He returned the favor in the second round, peppering Hendo with shots throughout the round. The third round was the exact opposite, as Hendo landed another blow that dropped Rua, and placed Hendo in a position to win the fight. Yet again Rua was able to hold on and mount enough offense to stay alive in the bout. Hendo would win the fourth round, but Rua dominated through the fifth, as both fighters were beyond exhaustion.
Hendo was awarded the bout on the judges’ scorecards, but debate raged over whether this bout was actually a draw. Yet regardless of how you scored it, this was a strong candidate for the best fight of the year.
#1 – Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez (Bellator 58) with 5 stars
Argue with the validity of ranking this the top fight of 2011 it you want, it’s a fact that this contest was exciting and important in more ways than one.
Alvarez had established himself as one of the best lightweights in the sport. He was easily a top five talent who had many people wondering if he could contend with the best fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, he had to get through Michael Chandler, who had earned his number one contender status by winning the season 4 lightweight tournament.
Alvarez and Chandler pummeled each other in this fight. Chandler was the first to damage his opponent, catching the champion in the first round with a combo that stunned him. However, Alvarez found a way to answer in the second round, and looked poised to finish Chandler as the fight dragged on. Yet somehow, the fourth round bell gave Chandler his second wind, and the power he needed to push towards a victory. Another combination, followed by a quick double leg, gave him the positioning to slip in the rear naked choke which finished Alvarez.
With Bellator moving to Spike in 2013, Chandler has positioned himself as one of the faces of the organization at a time when they are in need of a fighter to build their brand around.
What was your favorite fight of 2011?
We look forward to rating the fights with you in 2012.
