As the last weekend of the year approaches, many mixed martial arts fans are wrapped up in debates about who should receive various awards for their performances in the year 2013. While some categories will be easily filled, this year in particular is one of the most difficult in recent memory when it comes to picking an individual to take home the Fighter of the Year award. Once all of these 365 days known as 2013 are complete, there will be more than a few fighters who could be considered for the award:
This conversation must start with the 36-year-old Brazilian, Vitor Belfort, who has continued to rebuild his career in a way that is nearly unheard of. After 17 years of professional combat, 2013 may be the best year that “The Phenom” has put together. From January to November he’s taken three victories out of the Octagon, but the way that he has done them may give him an extra push towards winning this award.
At UFC on FX 7 he knocked out Michael Bisping in the only fight for him that would last more than one round this year. The trend continued at UFC on FX 8, when Belfort hit a spinning heel kick on Luke Rockhold to knock out the former Strikeforce champion in less than three minutes. His most impressive win came at UFC Fight Night 32, when Vitor became the first man to knock out Dan Henderson, dropping the former Pride champion and future Hall of Famer in just 77 seconds. That type of run would normally be enough to give a fighter praise over all others. Unfortunately, there is a black cloud that hangs over Belfort’s 2013 resume.
Vitor Belfort has admitted to using TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) under medical supervision to help his body cope with his low testosterone levels. He has obtained a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), which allows fighters to use the treatment that would otherwise be considered illegal and result in sanctions. The issue that many individuals have with Belfort using TRT is that many athletes use it to reverse the effects that past PED usage has had on their bodies. Vitor has been sanctioned for PED use in the past, and this situation has caused some to shy away from giving him the award that would otherwise be his. This has become more of a question of what side of the TRT line media members fall upon when considering Vitor Belfort as their “Fighter of the Year.”
“The California Kid” isn’t a spring chicken in any sense of the word, but he’s been similar to Belfort when it comes to being a fighter who remains relevant at such an “advanced” combat sports age. 2013 was a very good year for Faber, as he defeated 4 competitors and finished three of them en route to becoming the top contender to the bantamweight title again.
Faber defeated two former title challengers in Scott Jorgensen and Michael McDonald. He also became the first fighter to finish Ivan Menjivar in over a decade, and overcame a brief scare against Iuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 26 to defeat him as well. But it was his defeat of the young contender “Mayday” McDonald at UFC on Fox 9 that began the talk about Faber’s potential for being considered the best of the year. Faber’s already known for being one of the best fighters to never carry a title in the UFC. His 2013 campaign has placed him in a position to change that next year.
While the flyweight division hasn’t had the chance to carry a PPV, the first champion of the weight class has been a strong representation of the action 125 can bring to the Octagon.
“Mighty Mouse” has defended his title three times this year and done so in highlight reel fashion. Early critics of the champion can no longer formulate arguments of detraction, as Johnson continues to improve every time he steps into the Octagon.
John Dodson gave the champion a serious scare when he dropped Johnson twice in their UFC on Fox 6 fight. Demetrious proved to have the mettle of a champion, as he was able to turn the fight around and widen the gap in the final three rounds en route to a unanimous decision win. At UFC on Fox 8, John Moraga was outclassed from start to finish until he was submitted in the fifth round with an armbar. Joseph Benavidez was expected to be the toughest challenge that Johnson would have in this division. but the champion would need just more than two minutes to put the Team Alpha Male standout away.
With three successful defenses of his title in 2013, Johnson belongs on the short list of athletes to be considered for the “Fighter of the Year” award.
The verdict on consideration for Chris Weidman will still be out until this weekend’s UFC 168, but he has a strong case for the running. If the New York native can defeat Anderson Silva for the second time in 2013, there will be very few who would argue his placement on this list. At UFC 162 he did what he was telling the world for years that he would do, when he defeated Silva via second round knockout. While he is the underdog going into their December rematch, he still has many of the tools needed to continue to hold onto the middleweight title. Another win over Anderson Silva will give Chris Weidman two wins over the formerly Octagon-undefeated legend, and garner enough praise to potentially make him this year’s “Fighter of the Year.”
2013 has been an action-packed year for mixed martial arts. With so many great performances, there are a number of fighters who can be considered for the “Fighter of the Year” award. This short list just represents the top choices, fighters who could be chosen once the calendar has closed on this year.
