Issue 164

February 2018

The first time Fighters Only handed out awards to the best exponents of our sport, things were a little different to how they are now. But while there was no Las Vegas ceremony or famous silver statuettes (the prizes were little glass shields back then), thousands of fans still voted for some legendary names to be the first to have the honor of getting their gloves on a World MMA Award…

Top man

The world was blown away by Anderson Silva. Everyone realised he was good when he came into the UFC, but his destruction of Rich Franklin to take the 185lb title left jaws on the floor. Two more stoppages in the Awards’ eligibility period against Travis Lutter and Nate Marquardt showed there was no one in the same league as ‘The Spider’.

Worth the wait

Possibly the most-wanted fight in MMA history. Fans had demanded Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for almost half a decade, ever since ‘The Iceman’ went to compete in the 2003 Pride Grand Prix. It took the collapse of the Japanese organization for ‘The Axe Murderer’ to finally enter the Octagon. By that time though, both were on two-fight losing skids. Some asked whether it even mattered anymore, but as soon as they stood toe-to-toe and started swinging, it was clear this showdown of light heavyweight legends had been worth the wait. It was a brawl in which both men got hurt and came back to throw more haymakers, but Liddell hit harder and fought smarter to have his hand raised.

Poster girl

At the height of Gina Carano’s career, EliteXC was the only organisation giving women a push, and ‘Conviction’ was its star turn. Wins over Tonya Evinger and Kaitlin Young meant she was a shoo-in for Female Fighter of the Year.

Magic on the mat

Three Submission of the Night bonuses in his first three UFC fights made Demian Maia considerably wealthier, an immediate contender at 185lb and grappling fanboys’ automatic choice for Breakthrough Fighter of the Year.

Outstanding submission

Submission of the Year was well deserved by Georges St-Pierre. Not many people can say they outclassed and embarrassed Matt Hughes. After dominating for nine minutes, ‘Rush’ finished the former 170lb champ in style, throwing him to the matt and sliding seamlessly into side control, before transitioning from a kimura to an armbar which caused Hughes shout “Tap, tap, tap!”