Sportskeeda MMA Awards 2016: Top 10 Fights of the Year
Ladies and gentlemen, in 2016, we have a unanimous decision victory for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. As much as 2015 was a year full of exhibition and spectacle for hardcore and casual fans alike, it is safe to say that 2016 has surpassed, if not at least matched the torrent of unexpected outcomes in tremendously well-tailored fights.
As this is the last year Joe Silva will be involved with match-making in the UFC, it comes as no surprise that he left it all on the table for his farewell.
If styles make fights, and marketing brings in the greatly indispensable hype, then Joe Silva and his contemporary Sean Shelby truly managed to hit the sweet spot. One bull’s eye after another..
The year marked the titles changing hands several times and in rather unsettling and unforgiving fashion. Egos were bruised and shattered, an unhealthy amount of pride was boasted and many who once ruled the kingdom were left in the dumps to rebuild themselves from scratch.
Some had to construct a viable model of the light in which they choose to scrutinise their skill sets, and some, even their lives. Many houses of cards came tumbling down and many are currently standing, ignorantly pursuing the road to glory, because that is what fighters do, until they can't anymore.
You have to be a special kind of crazy to put your health and even life on the line to chase a feeling of invincibility that barely lasts long enough to be cherished. Maybe you go in like a Gladiator, and come out with a loss on your record and pain in areas of the body that you didn't even know existed.
All while being under the laser focus of the public's microscope. The other side of the coin is being worshipped as the ‘baddest’ man/woman on the planet in that weight division. But as we have seen time and time again, there is no such thing as a free lunch, not at least on this planet. There is a price to be paid, and usually a hefty one.
In 2016, some fighters went ahead and paid the price, holding nothing back, resulting in some of the most entertaining fights to have ever graced the Octagon that left us at the edge of our seats, anticipating the possibilities of every moment more desperately than the last one.
Here are 10 awe-inspiring fights that made 2016 an extremely memorable year for the fans of Mixed Martial Arts.
#10 Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping
When all-time great Anderson Silva signed an agreement to fight Michael Bisping in London, England, he was arguably at the lowest point in his career. Two devastating and traumatising KO and TKO losses to Chris Weidman, including a horrific leg fracture, made a lot of people question if Silva still had a few fights left in him.
While Silva was without a doubt in a funk for the last few years, Michael Bisping also wasn't exactly riding the wave. Sporting a two-fight win streak in a lacklustre career couldn't be called having momentum on your side. But Bisping still came into the fight extremely confident and ready to put on a show.
After a back-and-forth battle which saw Bisping landing a greater volume of peppering punches and low kicks, as usual, the rhythm of the fight was very slow and uneventful, until Silva became the aggressor.
Known primarily as a crisp and precise counter puncher, Silva didn't come out all guns blazing in the beginning but picked up the pace, realising he was behind on the scorecards.
After a brutal beating that involved Bisping getting scorched by quick counters that led to a huge gash and a broken nose, Silva dropped Bisping with a flying knee in the last few seconds of the third round, landing flush on the jaw.
In the heat of the moment and watching his adversary virtually knocked out, Silva started to celebrate, only to come to the realisation that the fight was still not over.
A disappointed Silva and a broken but motivated Bisping then took the battle to the distance. To the surprise of the fans and even Bisping himself, Bisping's volume punching earned him a very controversial unanimous decision victory. A decision that many fans and even Dana White publically protested.
Regardless, the fight that had a very slow beginning, rounded off with a dramatic plot, concluding with a textbook anti-climactic ending. A recipe for gripping sports entertainment.