Awards: Fighter of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Evans stamped 2008 by winning the LH championship. Photo by Chris Cozzone)
Because of lack of viewings, trying to find the fight of the year was a challenge. But in the recent months, I’ve seen quite the great performances in MMA.
When looking for the top fighter, there are many who qualify for the honor. I’ve narrowed the list down to four: Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Frank Mir.
4. Anderson Silva: Had a leg up on the competition after defeating Dan Henderson, but his last two fights, eh, didn’t do it for me.
I still think Spider is the best fighter pound-for-pound, but he didn’t have the competition in 2008 to prove it.
He demolished James Irvin with a great right hand but didn’t look that impressive in a win against Patrick Cote. He wasn’t saved by Cote’s knee injury, but it wasn’t Silva’s finest hour, either.
It’ll be interesting to see what 2009 holds in store for Silva. I will say when I hear Silva is going to fight, well, I get a little giddy inside.
3. Frank Mir: A little controversy on this one. I have no problem with anyone who thinks Mir should be rated higher. While 2008 was a magical and a year of rejuvenation for Mir, next year could be even better.
Mir made Brock Lesnar tap in February and followed that with being the first guy to stop Nogueira. Sounds like enough to be named FOY, right?
If Mir can beat Lesnar the second time, I’ll take back everything I’m about to say. As for 2008, Mir was in the right place at the right time.
Lesnar was too amped up, too excited. He wanted to make too big of a first impression. In turn, he got caught in a kneebar.
Against Nog, hey, time may have caught with Nog at this point. But I’m not trying to take away from Mir. He got into the best shape of his life and put forth the best 12 months of his fighting career.
Another showdown with Lesnar will answer all critics (including me).
2. Georges St. Pierre: He was No. 1 until Saturday night. He was named Canada’s 2008 male athlete of the year. You think that would be enough to be named Boneman’s top fighter, but it wasn’t.
And I guess without seeing the Jon Fitch fight, it’s a little unfair, but it’s my list.
He’s put here for his performance alone against Matt Serra in his hometown.
Serra pulled off a monumental upset beating GSP the first time around, but not this time. It was a beautiful mix of all that makes MMA great to watch as GSP got his revenge.
He, like Mir, can make his own mark again next year when St. Pierre takes on B.J. Penn at UFC 94. GSP won the first bout between the two by split decision. That should be a great one.
No. 1 and Boneman’s 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year: “Sugar” Rashad Evans. I admit it. Anyone who knocks out Chuck Liddell is going to be ranked a little bit higher than everyone else.
But with the way he kept his cool against Forrest Griffin on Saturday night makes me confident in this honor.
Evans was supposed to be Liddell’s chance to get back up in the rankings. Instead, one right hand put the Iceman on ice once again.
Everyone has seen the highlight by now. If not, it’s worth a search for sure.
And then I didn’t think he would have the toughness to go with Griffin. And after he lost the first two rounds, I thought he was proving me right.
But Evans is a tough dude and also an extremely talented fighter. He dropped Griffin in round three. And Griffin’s ground game is no slouch, but Evans kept his cool until he was in a dominant position and finished the job.
Looking in my crystal ball, I see Evans vs. Rampage Jackson for the light heavyweight championship in 2009.
Thursday: Best of the rest.
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