UFC Best Of 2016 Awards
6. Fight Of The Year - Robbie Lawler Vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195)
Yet another example of why 2016 was such a landmark year for the UFC is the amount of legitimate contenders there are for this award.
Everyone looks for something different from their fights: some want bloody brawls with guys winging wild hooks at each other, certain fans looks for technical matchups between highly-skilled grapplers or clinics from deadly strikers, while others want to see grudge matches featuring rivals with a genuine contempt for each other.
The year gave us all of those things in abundance, but one fight stood above the rest as the absolute pinnacle of what mixed martial arts can be. UFC 195 kicked off the year with a card main evented by then-170 lb champion Robbie Lawler defending his title against Carlos Condit.
"The Natural Born Killer" was making his second attempt at the welterweight belt and is highly regarded as one of the most exciting combatants in the UFC. His foe was in the midst of an amazing career resurgence, reborn as a champion after years in the sport, written off by many prior to his return to the UFC in 2013.
Lawler and Condit are elite strikers with differing skill sets but equal amounts of grit, guts and heart, and both men brought an entire arsenal of human weaponry into the bout.
The level of warrior spirit on display in this contest is the stuff of legend, and although the champion saw his hand raised to retain his title - a decision some considered controversial - there were no real losers when it comes to this classic showdown.
Honorable Mentions: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 (UFC 202), Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi (UFC 206), Marco Polo Reyes vs. Dong Hyun Kim (UFC 199) & Steve Bosse' vs. Sean O'Connell (UFC Fight Night 89)