Dummy Awards: MMA KO OF THE YEAR!

The only man in MMA to simultaneously hold major titles in two divisions, Dan Henderson, quietly waited for his shot at shutting the mouth of his TUF nemesis Micheal "The Count" Bisping after weeks of trash talk from the opposing coach. Henderson was practically shut out on the show with only one of his fighters making it to the finale only to get smashed by James Wilks and this was just more fuel to the fire that was building in Henderson. During the fight at the epic UFC 100 event Henderson constantly looked for a home for his overhand right opting to throw power at every chance he got at the Brit until finally the power punch hit the sweet spot on Bisping's chin to end his night. Henderson followed that KO punch up with a raucous elbow after Bisping was already out to lunch.  Henderson had just tasted sweet victory on the biggest UFC card to date and what is now looking like his finale performance in the UFC he ended his run there in vicious fashion by dispatching the promotion's UK sweetheart Micheal Bisping. We will miss your Octagon appearances Hendo, but realize that you have a whole new stable of fighters to terrorize in Strikeforce! The video of the triumphant KO is below:

MMA'S TOP 9 OF 2009

(The Prestigious "Dummy" Awards for 2009)

Opinions are like.... everyone has one and they all stink. Here is my take on some of the most exciting and talented fighters to shine in 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.

What The Strikeforce Signing of Hendo Could Mean For The Sport

As you may have heard Dan Henderson has signed a deal to fight for Strikeforce opting to work with the budding promotion rather than stay with the UFC under a deal he was unhappy with. With Strikeforce steadily building it's roster of fighters, coud it only be a matter of time before co-promotion between them and the UFC is unavoidable? The UFC's strict policy on not co-promoting fights has led to several missed opportunities to make the best fights out there. M-1 is nothing without Fedor and Gegard Mousasi so there was no real upside for the UFC to co-promote with them. Strikeforce however is steadily garnering talent in all of it's divisions and gaining more and more eyeballs with CBS and Showtime backing it which gives them a huge bargaining chip to hopefully someday broker a deal to co-promote with the UFC. Elite-XC had the network coverage in it's corner what they didn't have was competent management, see Scott Coker, or the greatest heavyweight of all time. Strikeforce did co-promote with Elite and reaped the benefits of the television coverage without getting shit on it's face from the backroom shenanigans that Gary Shaw and company had engaged in. With GSP publicly stating that one of his dream fights would be with Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields, and fans salivating over a Brock Lesnar/ Fedor Emelianenko match up, how much longer can this policy exist without hurting the sport? Dan Henderson is just the latest of high profile stars to stray from the pack and join forces with someone who sees that he is worth more than just mid-level treatment and mild respect from his promoters.

Why Anderson Silva has earned the right to choose

Dan Henderson claims that Silva is ducking him for his next title defense, and Nate Marquart has stated his intentions as being the next in line. They both have valid arguments and are definitely at the top of the heap of 185ers. However, Silva beat both of these guys convincingly and states that he wants Nate and Hendo to fight to determine the next challenger to the belt which I believe is the most logical solution. Sure it's not Silva's call, but everyone seems to be forgetting that Yushin Okami is right up there in the mix, and I believe the next logical opponent for Anderson. Okami has a DQ win over Silva, he has only one loss in his UFC career, and will present some different problems for the Champion. The one thing that really gets to me about MMA rankings is that there is no universal system that should have to be followed to determine these types issues. WAMMA is a joke because the UFC wont play nice with anyone who doesn't exist solely under their umbrella. The fans and pundits shouldn't choose challengers based on drawing power and flashy styles, they should be determined by consistently working your way up the rankings.

Undisputed

Anderson Silva

Silva has no visible threat to his middleweight title in sight. He lost the first round to Henderson, but came out and domintated the second before finsihing with a rear naked choke with just seconds left in the round. I won a little grip of money and a stack of DVD's for my prediction of Silva's win, as there were tons of people calling for Hendo to come out the victor. I would like to see him go to a different weight class, and challenge for another belt in the UFC. Quick results are below:




Main Card:

Anderson Silva submits (rear naked choke) Dan Henderson at 4:52 of round 2
Heath Herring defeats Cheick Kongo by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Chris Leben defeats Alessio Sakara via TKO at 3:16 of round 1
Yushin Okami knocked out (knee) Evan Tanner at 3:00 of round 2
Jon Fitch over Chris Wilson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:

Andre Arlovski defeats Jake O’Brien via TKO (strikes) at 4:17 of round 2
Luigi Fiorvanti defeats Luke Cummo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Koscheck defeats Dustin Hazelett via TKO (strikes) at 1:24 of round 2
Diego Sanchez submits (strikes) David Bielkheden at 4:43 of round 1
Jorge Gurgel defeats John Halverson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Middleweight Mayhem!

Before the exodus of some of the elite heavyweights in the UFC, the Middleweight division was by in large considered the thinnest weight class talent wise. The UFC must have taken notice given the plethora of fighters moving into the 185lb realm.

Enter "Hendo"
First an foremost "Dangerous" Dan Henderson who held Pride FC's welterweight and middleweight belts simultaneously during his tenure with the organization. Henderson lost a hard fought decision to the reigning light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in London last year, in what was his first fight since returning to the UFC. "Hendo" as he is so affectionately referred to, was a bit stubborn about moving down in weight at first as he felt more comfortable at 205lbs. Dana White has a way of getting what he wants however and eventually talked Dan into going to Middleweight to unify the Pride and UFC belts in that division. Facing the devistating striker, and BJJ Black Belt Anderson Silva.

The Showdown

Dan Henderson has publicly stated that he does not beleive Silva to be the number one pound for pound fighter he is so widely regarded as, citing his losses in Japan, and not fighting the highest caliber wrestlers, as the reason for his conclusion. The fact that Henderson's teammate Ryo Chonnen has a win over Silva in Pride can only be adding to his confidence. Anderson Silva has been on a tear for a long time now decimating his opposition thus far in the UFC. Hendo will most likely be the toughest test to his skillset, and beleives that he WANTS to be in Silva's clinch, where he says he can dominate.

TUF Middleweights
The latest season of the TUF will feature an all Middleweight cast, and will be coached by LHW champ Quentin "Rampage" Jackson, and Challenger Forrest Griffen. Hopefully this yeilds some good prospects, and adds to the depth of the division.

Of Note
Ricardo Almeida has returned to the UFC after a long layoff, with an impressive submission.

Patrick Cote has been realizing his potential recently, and looks to get his shot at gold after a couple of notable wins.

The other Middleweight showdown happening this weekend is between Yushin Okami and a newly returned Evan Tanner. Tanner is coming off a two year layoff to face Okami.