UFC 2016 Awards: Cage Pages Best Fight of the Year

While Lawler/Condit is a close second, McGregor vs. Diaz was on a massive scale. Everyone tuned in to watch and nobody was disappointed. It was back and forth, back and forth, and the whole world just lost it. Never before have I had my phone blow up from people texting me if I was watching this and that it was the greatest thing they’d ever seen. McGregor started fast and Diaz had an answer for everything he was hit with, but McGregor was able to sneak by with the win. Fans are still left with the hope for a rubber match to finally settle the score, as Diaz defeated McGregor earlier in the year.

Nate Diaz steps in on 11 days notice, no camp, and McGregor with the hype of a lifetime and the most push of any UFC fighter. Kill or be killed Diaz comes in with the Stockton slap and makes McGregor tap.

I thought that because Cody was green in the UFC at the age of 25 and hadn’t faced anyone even close to the quality of Cruz, combined with his clear lack of composure during interviews, that Cruz would win an easy unanimous decision and Cody would hit air. Instead, I saw one of the greatest performances in MMA history, where for 25 minutes Garbrandt combined MMA with slick dance moves and Anderson Silva-like slips and movement. Cruz got dropped three times in the fourth, but instead of finishing him Cody mocked him and danced in front of him. It was audacious, stunning, and disrespectful in a thrilling way. To Cruz’s credit, he arguably won two rounds, caught Cody with some shots, and showed that he is one of the toughest fighters in the game.

Rarely do fights live up to the type of hype the rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor created. Despite a delay from the original plans at UFC 200, the second bout between the rivals went back and forth for five furious rounds. I’ll be among the many patiently waiting for the trilogy fight.

Amazing back-and-forth battle that lived up to the hype. For a bout that many felt didn’t make sense, it ended up being the best fight of 2016. We also saw the kind of grit and tenacity from McGregor that we did not expect.

I was on my feet screaming throughout the fight. Amazing performance by both.

Being an Ohio-boy myself, I was inclined to say Stipe’s title defense against Overeem. But having Garbrandt take down the invincible Cruz, and doing so not with an astounding knockout, but rather just wearing him down over five rounds was so much fun to watch.

These two men spent five rounds trying to knock each other out. The goosebumps I had during the fight makes this my Fight of the Year.

There was plenty of hype leading up to the fight at UFC 206, and in a rare occasion, Swanson and Choi lived up to it. For 15 minutes, Swanson and Choi threw technique out the window and slugged it out before Swanson took home the unanimous decision and proved that he’s still got it. As for Choi, his stock skyrocketed with his toughness.

It was fun as shit.

In a year full of memorable fights, most of them with title implications as well, this was just two fighters unwilling to leave the cage without having their hand raised. Showcasing almost every aspect of MMA. It was edge-of-your-seat nail-biting entertainment. If you had one fight to show a friend to try to get them into the sport this would be it.

Talk about technicality going out the window. Doo Ho Choi gave Nate Diaz a run for his money in the ‘iron chin’ contest after this one. Not that Choi didn’t have moments of his own, but the amount of punishment Swanson unleashed had fans bewildered that the South Korean could still stand. These two went to hell and back at a UFC 206 which was expected to be one of the worst PPV’s of all time. Yeah right.

It was probably the most skillful Women’s MMA fight in a while. And it was also the first championship bout for that division in ONE Championship. There were several near-submission finishes, and the one who spent most of the fight on her back rallied back to win.

Despite being pushed back from when it was supposed to be at UFC 200, it was worth the wait. There was massive anticipation, especially after the press conference. The match lived up to the hype and Conor got his revenge.

No other fight was this much fun, and both fighters had two very different routes to victory. Both fighters played to their strengths, and it was the conclusion of Henderson’s career –providing the drama necessary to make this one a classic.

An all-out war between two of the best. It happened early in the year and set the bar high.

This slobberknocker was a battle for the ages. For those who hadn’t yet heard of the “Korean Superboy,” he made his presence known by taking everything that “Killer” Cub sent his way. Choi proved that not only is he a prospect to watch, but that his chin has superhuman strength, too. Swanson’s diverse arsenal of attacks would not be Choi’s kryptonite, making for a wild three-round war, with the “Korean Superboy” hanging in there until the final horn. ‘Twas difficult to give this one the nod over the Lawler-Condit classic, but apparently it’ll get my vote since it happened more recently and is more fresh in my mind. Nonetheless, an all-time classic.

An insane three rounds that had fans on their feet throughout. One of the best fights I’ve been in attendance for. Swanson showed he still has what it takes to hang at the top. Choi showed heart, chin, and that he has a hell of a future.

Now I may be a bit biased because Carlos Condit is far and away my favorite fighter, but man was this fight incredible. Once this fight was booked, everyone knew that this was a guaranteed barn-burner, even the detractors who believed Condit had not earned a shot at gold. Over 25 minutes it was Condit’s consistent volume against Lawler’s fight-ending power. There was an appearance from the mythical Fifth-Round Lawler and Carlos Condit ate bombs that would make lesser men fall. The only thing that would have made this bout better is a correct judges’ decision (yes, I’m still bitter).