(The Prestigious "Dummy" Awards for 2009)
9. Jake Shields
Aside from the much maligned performance that he won the Strikeforce Middleweight title with, Shields has been on a tear for some time now. He did however win the contest and became the Middleweight Champion against the tough vet Jason Miller. Before that dud of a fight Shields quickly submitted former Champ Robbie Lawler in an exciting fight, and the Miller fight was his first to go the distance since 2006. 8. Brock Lesnar
Although he had just one fight this year, it was a dominating beating of the man to hand him his only defeat, Frank Mir. Lesnar also handed MMA fans one of the best post-fight speeches ever in which he proceeded to blast the UFC's biggest sponsor and disrespect his fallen opponent. With Heavyweight contenders piling up in the UFC, hopefully Brock will be healthy and able to return to the cage ASAP. 7. Nick Diaz
Aside from Diaz's love from marijuana and his hate for the CSAC, Diaz has put on some of his most memorable performances. He completely dominated the legend Frank Shamrock and smashed the heavy handed Scott Smith all outside of his normal fighting weight as he moved up to Middleweight. Next year may be an even better one for Nick Diaz as he is set to compete for the Strikeforce Welterweight title. 6. Jon Jones
Jon "Bones" Jones is the most exciting prospect in the UFC, period. He burst on to the UFC radar after making his debut against the more experienced Andre Gusmao winning a unanimous decision. His competition didn't get any easier, but that fact was seemingly unknown to Bones. He smashed Stephan Bonner via UD, and just recently steamrolled Matt Hamill, but was unfairly disqualified due to an illegal strike way after the fight should have been stopped.5. Gilbert Melendez
"El Nino" had a rough 2008 having racked up the two lone losses of his career to Mitsuhiro Ishida and Josh Thomson. The latter loss being the most painful because it was at the cos of his Strikeforce Lightweight strap. Melendez re-focused himself and blitzed through Rodrigo Damm to earn the Interim belt at 155 and avenging his first professional loss to Ishida in dominant fashion. The last fight El Nino had this year was the much anticipated and long delayed re-match with "The Punk" and it turned out to be one of the best fights of the year. Melendez took the fight via UD to reclaim his spot atop the 155lb division in Strikeforce. 4. Dan Henderson
Dan started the year out with a close split decision win over rich Franklin to win the bid to be coach on TUF. "Hendo" had a tough run with a measly 1 fighter from his team on TUF make it to the finals of TUF USA vs UK. Henderson had his revenge however over the brash Micheal Bisping as he landed a hellacious right hand to put "The Count" out for the count. The former champion also signed a landmark deal with Strikeforce making him one of the biggest UFC stars to jump ship to the budding promotion. We look forward to seeing Hendo on CBS against the best middleweights Strikeforce has to offer. 3. Fedor Emelianenko
The Heavyweight fighter is still a fan-boys wet dream despite not signing with the MMA juggernaut the UFC. Fedor started the year off with a highlight reel KO of another former UFC champion in Andrei Arlovski as well as dispatching the formerly unbeaten Brett Rogers. MMA enthusiasts were treated to a trademark Fedor performance free on network television in his Strikeforce debut. Fans and pundits alike still wish for the former Pride FC star to make his long awaited debut in the UFC.2. Georges Saint Pierre
The Canadian Middleweight king sent BJ Penn packing his bags back to the Lightweight division with a beating the likes of which Penn has never been privy to. GSP cemented his place at the top of his division with a dominating win over muay thai powerhouse Thiago Alves. Georges earned an award for being Canadian Athlete of the year for the second year in a row.1. Jose Aldo
With some of the most exciting finishes in the WEC, and striking prowess similar to the UFC's Brazilian Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Aldo proved his worth with stirring wins over top contenders and Champion Mike Brown. "Junior" had four fights in the WEC in 2009 and all ended via KO/TKO as he pushed his way to the top. Aldo won the title from the ATT ace Brown with quick and accurate strikes to take his place atop the WEC's featherweight division. The 145lb firecracker is my pick for fighter of the year in 2009 and looks to have a bright 2010 ahead.
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