UFC Best Of 2016 Awards

2016 may have been the most eventful, newsworthy, and profitable year for UFC. We saw champions crowned and new warriors trying to make their name while legends faded. There was the rise of one of the game’s all-time biggest superstars and the fall of another, plus suspensions, fines, and a sale that shook the sport to its core.

The past 12 months saw the sport make quite a bit of history, and from a business and competition standpoint it's possible we've already reached the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. For an industry that is still in its infancy comparatively, the goal is to constantly grow the audience. Thanks to the thrilling action and compelling stories that 2016 provided, buyrates and ratings show that mission was accomplished. Now the UFC has to focus on maintaining that momentum.

With such an exciting year to reflect on, it's time to issue our awards for 2016. In the following pages we’ll recognize the fighters, events, knockouts, submissions, and news stories that stood out the most in a banner year for the fight game. It speaks well of the action that there were very few easy winners chosen.

Here’s the Best of 2016 UFC Awards.

There are four men who can make a viable argument that they deserve to be crowned Fighter of the Year, where as in 2015 there was one clear-cut winner. Despite a crowded field of credible contenders, my pick for this award is new bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.

When choosing this honor, what happens inside the cage is the most important criteria. In fact, that’s the sole reason why Conor McGregor – the man most other media outlets are gifting with the designation – is not the choice here. I just can’t agree with naming someone the year’s top fighter when they ended up with one in the loss column. That’s not to discredit his immense success, but he never defended the first championship and didn’t work his way to a title shot for the second belt.

The other contenders are Michael Bisping and Stipe Miocic, and of the two, Miocic’s year ranks higher on my list.

But for my money, Cody Garbrandt is the real winner here. The thrilling young bantamweight has a crowd-pleasing style comprised of swagger and knockout power, and his year was magical. He fought four times during 2016, beginning with three straight first round stoppages and then capped off the year with a masterful performance in his first championship fight, taking the belt from the most dominant 135er ever, perennial pound-for-pound giant Dominick Cruz, doing so in a way that assures the UFC has a new star on their hands.

Honorable Mentions: Stipe Miocic, Michael Bisping, Donald Cerrone & Conor McGregor