Awards: Best of the Rest…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(wait, this guy knocked out Kimbo Slice? Photo by David Mandel)
We’ve had our fight of the year. We’ve had our fighter of the year. Now let’s see what other moments made MMA in 2008 arguably the most successful year.
KO of the Year: Too many to choose, so let’s put it to three. Rashad Evans’ KO of Chuck Liddell is highlight-worthy. Rampage Jackson’s left hook KO of Wanderlei Silva was fantastic. But for my money, I’m going with Junior Dos Santos’ amazing uppercut on Fabricio Werdum. That was good stuff.
Submission of the Year: Not one, but a fighter. Let Dustin Hazelett fight and enjoy the ride. Something about the wild beard he has, but he had two dynamic submissions this year. I wouldn’t get on the ground with Hazelett.
Upset of the Year: It’s tough to classify an upset in MMA because all it takes is one shot, but there are two that stand out. Mike Brown beating Urijah Faber was a dramatic upset in WEC. As you know, Faber is one of the Boneman’s favorites. Brown caught him and was just so much naturally bigger than Faber. It’ll be interesting if there is a rematch.
The other one, of course, is Seth Petruzelli knocking out Kimbo Slice in a matter of seconds in Elite XC. Who could have seen that coming? Kimbo was supposed to be fighting Ken Shamrock. A freak day-of-injury had Shamrock out and in stepped Petruzelli.
And then with what looked like a six-inch punch, dropped Slice. Speculation of the fight being fixed has irked me, and I don’t buy it. The best shot is a short, compact shot you never see coming.
Event of the Year: I’m going with UFC 91 in November. On perhaps the biggest stage MMA has ever had, there were no disappointments. Which leads me to…
Boneman’s 2008 MMA Moment of the Year: Brock Lesnar knocks out Randy Couture to win the UFC heavyweight championship.
I’m a Lesnar mark. Always have been, always will be. I loved him in the WWE, and I’m glad he has found something in life he loves.
After losing to Frank Mir, it looked like his life could have gone downhill. But after a win against the durable but limited Heath Herring, Lesnar was given the shot of a lifetime.
He made the most of it. Couture will always be an MMA/UFC legend, and this was exactly the type of fight Lesnar needed to validate himself.
After an even first round, Lesnar hurt Couture bad with an elbow in round two. Two minutes later, it was a right hand and some hammer fists, and we had a new heavyweight champion.
I hate to see Couture lose, but if he had to, glad it was to Lesnar. His time in the WWE has given Lesnar the natural ability to sell himself and sell a fight. He makes you want to watch him, either to see him get messed up or to KO the other guy.
Lesnar gets a chance to avenge his sole defeat when he takes on interim champion Frank Mir sometime in 2009 to unify the belt once again.
That will be one hot ticket, and you best believe I’ll find someway to watch that one. The best is yet to come as the Next Big Thing has officially arrived.
Friday: 2008 thoughts and Wish List for 2009.
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