UFC Best Of 2016 Awards

This was the easiest award to give out, as there’s only one clear-cut contender here. While somewhat of a case could be made for strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she hasn’t had nearly the impactful year that bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes has enjoyed.

Playing a role in the potential retirement of the two biggest names in women’s MMA, Nunes stormed onto the scene in the main event of UFC 200 and dispatched champion Miesa Tate with furious ease, leaving her as a shell of her former self who essentially gave up on the sport mid-fight in her next bout against Jessica Pennington.

Her win put a halt to what the UFC would have assuredly preferred as Ronda Rousey’s return, challenging her longtime rival Tate for the 135 title she lost to Holly Holm.

Instead Rousey was forced to jump back in the octagon after a year long layoff against the buzzsaw that is Amanda Nunes, and we all saw how that turned out. It wasn’t just a dominant win for the current champion; it was a soul-crushing defeat that left the icon of WMMA looking broken and bewildered.

Ronda will probably never step inside the cage again, and after looking like a novice with no training whatsoever against Amanda, it’s probably what’s best for her well-being.

UFC 200 and 207 both did huge numbers on pay-per-view. Will that exposure translate into Amanda Nunes becoming a star and getting a rub from her wins over Tate and Rousey? More than likely no, but she’s a likeable champion with a style that’s fun to watch and isn’t guaranteed to tear through everyone she faces.

While that’s not exactly best for UFC’s business, as fans at least it brings a sense of mystery to the women’s bantamweight division, something it hadn’t experienced prior to Ronda losing her championship to Holm.

Honorable Mention: Joanna Jędrzejczyk