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You are here: Home > Boxing classes > Top 11 Moments of 2011 in MMA

Top 11 Moments of 2011 in MMA

Posted in Boxing classes | January 4th, 2012

2011 is a year of many things to many people. And in MMA this was a conspicuous year in that story was finished a handful of times by a handful of people. And while Inside Fights has presented a handful of pieces covering a best of 2011 in terms of knockouts, submissions and fights, 2011 was also a year of moments in a foe that perpetually altered it. Thusly we benefaction to we a 11 tip moments in MMA for a year 2011.

11. Brock Lesnar RETURNS and Alistair Overeem becomes a star in a process

If you’ve followed a K-1 Grand Prix for years, you’ll know that Alistair Overeem has some of a best distinguished in a world. But his MMA record didn’t simulate his ranking; he was ranked as a 2nd or 3rd best heavyweight in a universe though there was adequate room in there to expostulate a train by it.

And thereafter he went out and destroys Brock Lesnar in widespread fashion, so silencing everybody who ever doubted him. Myself included.

Lesnar was never utterly a same after dual battles with diverticulitis; he wanted to make one final run during a pretension and thereafter travel away, meaningful either or not he still had it. It’s excellent in a way; he didn’t dawdle around like Jens Pulver, fighting in informal shows and during bars assured he can make one final run to a large uncover of a UFC. He’s walking away, not wanting to settle for fighting guys like Roy Nelson in a midst card, when he substantially could still make a function fighting opposite second tier guys as a border contender.

10. An Icon Walks Away – Randy Couture Retires for a final time

He introduced a Greco-Roman bind into a diversion and a judgment of unwashed fighting is something he pioneered a use of. An Olympic group swap who entered a foe during an age when many would be walking away, Randy Couture was in a midst of one final good run. Submitting associate UFC fable Mark Coleman and fighting good James Toney with a preference feat over Brandon Vera thrown into a mix, Couture wanted one male for his final quarrel in a UFC: Lyoto Machida.

Could Couture solve a sport’s biggest riddle?

After a spin of disappointment opposite a karate fighter, Couture’s final moments in a enclosure would be ones he substantially won’t remember as Machida held him with a fantastic front flog in front of 50,000 and in Toronto. And while Couture walked divided from a quarrel though categorically mentioning a word “retirement,” carrying finished so a integrate times already and come back, “The Natural” walks divided maybe a many zodiacally dear warrior to have graced a cage.

9. “Anderson Silva, we positively suck!”

There’s something inherently comical about Chael Sonnen. Whenever he opens his mouth something good is going to come out. After over a year of articulate rabble and authorised problems for a accumulation of things, Sonnen finally got to let his fists do a articulate opposite a loyal American favourite in Brian Stann. Dismantling a Marine Corp Captain and submitting him in heartless fashion, Sonnen had usually thing left on his mind.

Anderson Silva.

In what was one of a craziest moments of a night, and his career, Sonnen called Silva to a runner for a Super Bowl rematch. And while it never came to delight for a accumulation of reasons, it was one of a surreal moments of a year.

8. Nov 19th ends adult with a dual best fights of 2011

For fans of Bellator, Eddie Alvarez was a golden boy. Amongst a best ranked lightweights in a universe notwithstanding not carrying a UFC contract, all he had to was continue winning in remarkably widespread conform and no one could doubt his place with many veracity. Michael Chandler was a tip awaiting though for someone of Alvarez’s distance was ostensible to be another speed bump. After a stable burner of a initial round, Alvarez seemed to be en track to another win. Chandler opted to make this a tighten fight, instead, and choked Alvarez out in a fourth.

For UFC fans, Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua was a lost categorical event. Coming off a initial UFC on Fox, this was a label that JDS/Cain was ostensible to pretension and Hendo/Rua was an afterthought. And for 3 rounds, Henderson looked to be en track to a sincerely widespread feat as well. Henderson was quiescent to a UFC after a tip run in Strikeforce, culminating with a knockout of Fedor and a light heavyweight pretension run. This seemed to be explanation that Hendo was on nonetheless another run behind to a pretension shot opposite someone with a belt. A third spin was tighten though if a quarrel had finished there it would’ve been a widespread win from a US Olympic group member. Rua wasn’t gassed and Henderson was, however, and Rua took it to him for 10 some-more mins in what was an epic quip in a possess right.

One epic quarrel per year is something. But dual in a same night? That’s something remarkable.

7. Dana White buys his foe … again

Leave it to Dana White to startle a universe one some-more time. How so? He bought his competition. Again. It was one of a large moments of a year when a biggest aspirant to a UFC’s MMA bench became his employees.

6. The UFC draws a biggest North American throng to see an MMA eventuality ever

With a biggest pull (GSP) holding on his many challenging plea nonetheless (Jake Shields), UFC 129 packaged in a biggest throng for an eventuality ever. There was something EPIC about saying such a large throng for a fight.

5. Fedor gets planked by Dan Henderson

I was there for this one, maybe 10-15 feet divided from a enclosure itself, and there was something conspicuous function as both group came to a cage. This was a strife of legends and everybody in assemblage was amped for it. You couldn’t hear Jimmy Lennon Jr. since of a bark for Fedor; a one for Henderson that preceded it was roughly as loud. This was a throng that had crapped on scarcely a whole card, that was sincerely muted in retrospect, and now they were unhinged in glee. After a furious brawl, Dan Henderson did what no one has ever finished to a male who had one of a biggest runs in MMA story in a heavyweight division: spin his lights off.

You could disagree that Werdum was a box of removing held by a premier acquiescence artist. Bigfoot Silva’s distance played a large partial in his win. But Henderson was about a same distance as Fedor and held him with a infamous punch that put a Russian down and out. It was as offensive as it was spectacular; we unequivocally disturbed Fedor was seriously, henceforth harm as he went down. It was such a infamous shot, many some-more so in chairman than on television, and it was a form of impulse Fedor formed his repute on delivering, not receiving.

4. Edgar-Maynard 2 becomes a pull for a ages

You couldn’t have scripted this quarrel any improved if we wanted to. It’s a initial categorical eventuality of a year and a label that appealed some-more to a hardcore fans than mainstream ones. And what a quarrel it was.

After a widespread spin where he looked to be finished, Frankie came behind and fought his approach to what many suspicion was a victory. And Maynard suspicion he had a win, too, with a widespread initial spin and winning during slightest one of a subsequent four. Edgar showed a champion’s heart in entrance behind after a catastrophic opening round, something that would repeat itself in a rematch as well, and “The Answer” once again answered all Maynard had for him. But a initial time felt some-more special than their third quarrel since it was; we’d seen this before and knew that Edgar could will himself back. Going into a second spin of their second fight, we wasn’t certain if Edgar was going to answer a bell.

And nonetheless he came behind and soldiered on, handling to get a pull in what would be a basement for a sincerely enchanting promo for a quarrel card. we had a initial quarrel 48-46 Edgar though a draw, or a Maynard victory, was something we could see as well. There was no outcome that could’ve happened that wouldn’t have repelled me during this point. Right before a judges review a scores, one thing was certain: we had usually seen what in any normal year would’ve been a quarrel of a year.

3. Tito Ortiz grave digs one some-more time

I had an whole essay written, for a many part, about a tumble of Tito Ortiz and what we reputed to be a final spike in a coffin improved opposite Ryan Bader. It was unequivocally expressive too, if we don’t say, with this grand story about how honour goes before a tumble and that Tito’s inability to adjust over a years joined with injuries incited him into a bombard of what he was. we even had a tip 10 list of things we suspicion he’d use as excuses for his loss, including one involving Testosterone Replacement Therapy that was sincerely funny. As he walked to a enclosure to “I’m not afraid” by Eminem, there was an meaningful feeling in a air. This was his final travel to a enclosure and a MMA village was usually watchful for his drop to tell articles about a arise and tumble of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” we had one all prepared though let’s face it: everybody did. But it wasn’t like a outcome was adult in a atmosphere for many people.

Bader was a bigger, some-more jaunty chronicle of Matt Hammill, who had usually broken Tito. You couldn’t have pronounced behind thereafter that Bader was a auspicious matchup for Tito. Coming off a detriment to Jon Jones, Bader was still a best light heavyweight awaiting in a UFC and a legitimate tip 10 fighter. This seemed to be a box of Tito maybe satirical off some-more than he can chew, a former champion being put out to pasture by someone who could be one in a future. The inscription on his MMA career was all though chiseled.

No one told Tito that.

Summoning adult one large punch that clipped Bader and thereafter choking him out, a change in tension went from difficulty to elation. With everybody rushing to check on Bader, Tito dug a grave for Bader like he had for many other fighters over a years. As a MGM Grand exploded one some-more time, we got to relive a excellence we’d never suspicion we’d see again. With dual waste to tip fighters signaling that this “comeback” was some-more of a imagination than an actuality, and Ortiz formulation on one some-more quarrel before retiring, there’s still something enchanting about this win. Tito had left from being a bad child of MMA to saving his impression over a years, dual stints on “The Ultimate Fighter” rehabilitating his picture remarkably, and for a brief impulse a possibilities seemed endless.

It might have upheld though examination Ortiz applaud that feat when everybody counted him out reminded because we was a fan of MMA in sold and foe in general; infrequently it’s good to see an aging favourite uncover he’s still got it.

2. Jon Jones arrives faster and improved than anyone could’ve illusory by destroying Shogun Rua

The UFC light heavyweight champion finished 2010 with a drop of Vladimir Matyushenko and a notice that he’s on a fork of greatness. He finished 2011 with a second invulnerability of his pretension though a signature impulse of his in 2011 was opposite Shogun Rua. Dominating a Pride brave from start to finish, a Jon Jones epoch began improbably after Rashad Evans’ knee damage non-stop adult a container for “Bones” in 6 weeks time. Stopping him mid by a third after violence down a champion in convincing conform in usually a approach Randy Couture’s win over Tim Sylvia matched in terms of dominance, Jon Jones arrived.

It wasn’t over fast and Rua didn’t suffer it. But he was no longer a champion; no one knew it though Jon Jones before they stepped into a enclosure and everybody did afterwards.

And while his wins over Machida and Quinton Jackson cemented his standing as a sport’s large rising star, a biggest impulse for Jones was his pretension win. This was a ruthless, bloody changing of a ensure like no other. Rua, a Pride brave and dear by many hardcore fans, was distant by a man who was in high propagandize during a epicenter of a Pride era. An contestant turn athlete, Jones dissapoint a balance perpetually in a shockingly aroused manner.

1. Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez conflict on Fox

When a many critical fights in UFC story are created down years from now, this one will be adult there with Griffin-Bonnar 1 and Ortiz-Shamrock. Why? Because this was a quarrel that gave a before outlaw foe and graduation mainstream credit and was a initial step towards MMA’s subsequent vital expansion cycle. It might have lasted shorter than it took to review this column, though it was epic while it lasted.

The dual best heavyweights in a universe walked into a cage. JDS was a underdog, entrance out to “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky to weigh it one supposes. Cain comes out with a mariachi band, personification to his roots in San Jose, CA, and a Hispanic village there. Cain is a champ, no fear in his eyes. JDS comes out to a center of a enclosure during a introductions, throwing down a gauntlet and adventurous a champ to accommodate him there. And thereafter he became like Caesar in a way.

He came. He swung. He conquered.

The destiny is tough for Dos Santos, as there isn’t an easy quarrel among a contenders for a heavyweight crown. But for one night he was aristocrat of a world; he did what Mike Tyson did in his heyday by dismantling his competition in a accost of energy punches. For all a things that could’ve happened in a really initial UFC quarrel promote on Fox, generally after such a conspicuous promote that finished we feel like this was usually as large an eventuality as a PAC-10 and BIG 10 college football discussion championships (amongst others) that atmosphere on a same network, this brief slugfest was a preview of what should be good things to come.