BEST CELEBRATION

José Aldo, UFC 142

Sometimes you just know certain images are destined to be admitted to the annals of MMA’s greatest moments. January had one of the best: José Aldo running into stands filled with his delirious Brasileiro brothers at UFC 142, after he knocked out featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes with one second to spare in round one. Fans of the UFC’s former sister promotion, the WEC, might have recognized Aldo’s impromptu crowd mingling from when he knocked out Rolando Perez in 4:15 of the first back in 2009. Aldo celebrated that victory by sprinting out of the cage and into the WEC 38 crowd, although in that instance his San Diegan hosts were more bemused than adoring. Whereas Rio lifted José onto their shoulders and paraded him as a returning champion, in California only one or two of the bravest onlookers trotted up and offered the odd pat on the back to a dancing Aldo.

BEST KNOCKOUT

Edson Barboza, UFC 142

Wow. We’re sure the law of averages dictates only three astonishing head kick knockouts are allowed in the UFC Octagon per half decade. Yet somehow 2011 gave us both Anderson Silva’s front teep and Lyoto Machida’s crane kick, and now within the same 12-month span Edson Barboza pulled a blinding spinning wheel kick KO on Briton Terry Etim. The punt put Etim out cold and stiff before he’d hit the canvas at UFC 142, and made for one of the UFC’s most shocking knockouts in its near 20-year history, and Etim’s first strike-based stoppage of his career. When it rains it pours, as they say.

NOW THAT’S WHAT WE CALL HELL-BOWS

Nick Denis, UFC on FX 1

The only thing cool enough to match UFC newcomer Nick Denis’ 22-second knockout win via standing-elbow firestorm is the man’s nickname: ‘The Ninja of Love.’ Well, maybe ‘cool’ isn’t the word, but the Canadian bantamweight’s debut victory in the big show at UFC on FX 1 was unceasingly impressive. Engaged in a clinch with Joseph Sandoval, Denis opted to slam four unanswered right elbows into the left side of Sandoval’s head to send his tipped foe to the mat and himself off in jubilant celebration – both ninjitsu and love being conspicuous in their absence.

THUNDERSTRUCK

Pat Barry, UFC on FX 1

Perhaps the only man to (intentionally) ‘plank’ in the Octagon – lying face down in an unusual spot – Pat Barry had the most impressive mixed martial arts performance of his career at UFC on FX 1. The kickboxer might have stood toe to toe with Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ destroyed Dan Evensen and Joey Beltran with leg kicks, and knocked out respected striker Antoni Hardonk, but his showing against a progressively more svelte Christian Morecraft was his best. Grappling being Barry’s weakpoint, he remained calm when in disadvantageous positions and even managed to escape from a tight armbar. A lunging left hook would ultimately put Morecraft down, where Barry’s heavily thunderous right hands put him out. And how does one celebrate? By hanging onto the Octagon wall via latching one leg over the top, then flexing your pythons for the crowd – that’s how!

THE CRUSHINATOR

Charles Oliveira, UFC on Fox 2

If you’ve never experienced the instinctively uncomfortable pain created by a muscle crush it’s difficult to communicate the exact sensation Eric Wisely submitted to at UFC on Fox 2. Charles Oliveira masterfully set up his calf slicer finish – with its muscle grinding, knee separating potential – after several failed leg lock attempts encouraged him to try the rarely-seen move from the back no less, and ultimately strut away with the ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus. Evidently Oliveira’s new featherweight home agrees with him, whereas Oliveira’s shin-bone being compressed between Wisely’s calf and hamstring doesn’t agree with Wisely.

GO TO SLEEP

Lavar Johnson, UFC on Fox 2

So Strikeforce fighters suck, eh? Please repeat your assertion in earshot of Lavar Johnson, the UFC’s first Strikeforce heavyweight import and the first man to ever knock out the notoriously granite-chinned Joey Beltran. Johnson did in 294 seconds what Pat Barry, Houston Alexander and Matt Mitrione couldn’t, after a string of fierce uppercuts put Beltran out on his feet then slumped onto his face on the ground. The Chicago crowd amassed for the UFC on Fox 2 card adored it, while Johnson adored the $65,000 bonus for his efforts. So, about your assumption…

MOUTH FOR WAR

Cub Swanson, UFC on Fox 2

If you’ve not a seen a right hook so hard it projects a man’s mouthpiece out of his voice hole and into the Octagon wall you’ve not seen enough right hooks. But, if you fancy fast forwarding your journey you can watch Cub Swanson’s UFC on Fox 2 bout with George Roop and the aforementioned. In January, Swanson found the same sweet spots as Mark Hominick one year earlier to give himself a stunning TKO finish in the second round. And Roop only has himself to blame, with Swanson crediting Roop’s Twitter trash talk as the fuel for the massive highlight hook that began the ref-stoppage flurry. Careful what you tweet for.

MOST CONTROVERSIAL DECISION

Michael Bisping vs Chael Sonnen, UFC on Fox 2

Curious mainstream US eyes certainly got a true flavor of how contentious judges’ decisions can be after watching the UFC’s second big-television event, UFC on Fox 2. Michael Bisping’s well-wrestled, clean-struck and hard-fought loss to Chael Sonnen in the evening’s co-main event was debatable, and weighing up the heavy outcry (even from UFC president Dana White) it likely breaches some fans’ ‘we can’t have been watching the same fight’ top 10. Judging despair has its own love-to-hate appeal amongst hardcore MMA followers, but fair-weather rubberneckers might not have the same patience. The silver lining? We get to watch Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen rematch in an open-air stadium in Brazil. Some compromises are fantastic.

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