Sherdog.com’s 2016 Year-End Awards: The Complete List

Another memorable year has come and gone in the sport of mixed martial arts. Though Bellator MMA, the World Series of Fighting, Rizin Fighting Federation, One Championship and Invicta Fighting Championships all made moves, the Ultimate Fighting Championship once again dominated the headlines; and change became an operative word.

It started with UFC 195 on Jan. 2 and finished with UFC 207 on Dec. 30. Within the confines of those 12 months, Zuffa sold the UFC to WME-IMG for an eye-popping $4 billion and ushered in a new era for MMA’s premier organization. Matchmaker Joe Silva, play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg and others with longstanding ties to the promotion said their goodbyes.

The winds of change also blew inside the cage. Seven of the 10 weight classes saw their titles switch hands, some of them more than once. Fabricio Werdum, Luke Rockhold, Robbie Lawler, Eddie Alvarez, Rafael dos Anjos, Dominick Cruz, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate were all dethroned. Meanwhile, at 145 pounds, Conor McGregor was stripped of his championship two weeks after becoming the company’s first simultaneous two-division titleholder. Only Daniel Cormier, Demetrious Johnson and Joanna Jedrzejczyk were safe at the top.

The spaces in between were filled with fights that stretched the bounds of what was thought possible, bone-jarring knockouts, slick submissions, judging controversies, athletic commission shenanigans and the rise of new stars that will help carry the combat sports torch into a promising but unknown future.

A complete rundown of Sherdog.com’s 2016 Year-End Awards:

• Fighter of the Year by Brian Knapp
• Fight of the Year by Eric Stinton
• Knockout of the Year by Todd Martin
• Submission of the Year by Jordan Breen
• Story of the Year by Tristen Critchfield
• Beatdown of the Year by Eric Stinton
• Event of the Year by Brian Knapp
• Breakthrough Fighter of the Year by Brian Knapp
• Robbery of the Year by Todd Martin
• Round of the Year by Jordan Breen
• Upset of the Year by Tristen Critchfield
• Comeback Fighter of the Year by Brian Knapp
• All-Violence Team by Jordan Breen