UFC Best Of 2016 Awards

2. Submission Of The Year - Nate Diaz Vs. Conor McGregor (UFC 196)

UFC 207: Cruz v Garbrandt
Eric Jamison/AP

While this may not have been the most impressive from a technical standpoint, the rear naked choke that shook up the UFC takes home this award for the impact it made on the sport as well as the business at large.

Conor McGregor went into this fight with the ego of Ali, and there was an entire legion of fans who believed - like he did - that he was unbeatable. Nate Diaz, however, was "not surprised, motherf*ckers" when he locked in a deep RNC in the second round of a fight that many people, most notably McGregor himself, expected "Notorious" to sleepwalk to victory in.

The result would lead to a rematch at UFC 202 that did bigger business than any mixed martial arts show to date and Conor's razor thin decision victory left the door open for a trilogy somewhere down the line in what has been one of MMA's greatest rivalries.

Honorable Mentions: Ben Rothwell vs. Josh Barnett (UFC On Fox 18) & Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm (UFC 196)

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Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.