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| Image via CombatLifestyle.com |
Ah 2011, you have been an epic year full of movers and shakers for the sport of MMA. From Zuffa's acquisition of chief rival Strikeforce, the UFC's network debut on FOX, selling out the 55,000 large Rogers Center, all the way to fall of the old guard in MMA and the rise of young phenoms like Jon Jones, 2011 was the beginning of that next major step necessary for this young sport. New divisions and new faces paved the way to a year of exciting events, fights, and moments.
Many websites have covered the year's most significant and monumental moments ad nauseum , and to be certain, none of us can deny how great an impact many of the events of 2011 will leave. However, here at It's MMAzing, we decided to simply take a look at what we enjoyed personally from the year of events. There were moments that were good for the sport, good for media coverage, great for business, but our moments here, were great to us simply because we are fans.
Kid Presentable:
1. Tito Ortiz and the return of the Grave Digger
I'll be honest, I make jokes about Tito just like most fans do nowadays, but that doesn't mean that I don't remember what Tito has meant to this sport. As a kid in middle school, you loved Tito. The guy was a star, he had personality, and to this day he's been the best COACH through the seasons of TUF. He has fallen on many hard times over the last few years up to the point that his name has become a punch line in most circles. But oh boy, when he finally got that win against Ryan Bader? The roof came off. Tito had been known for his demonstrative displays of victory and disrespect. Before the Diaz brothers entered the fray, you had Tito with the smoking gun middle fingers. Tito's guillotine choke victory and subsequent Grave Digger celebration routine brought this nostalgic rush of joy where me and the boys were just on our feet yelling in the living room. I think I ran a lap around the room letting out some Ric Flair "WOOOO"s.
2. The War to End them all
Myself and the It's MMAzing staff have been very fortunate that every event we have attended has held some type of historical significance in the sport, or some jaw dropping moment. We saw Anderson's triangle choke hail mary on Chael, his front kick to Vitor, Fedor's first real loss, the ascent of Nick Diaz against BJ Penn, the coronation of the Jon Jones era, and even the WEC's sole ppv of Aldo vs Faber. However, the war that stood above them occurred on one fateful San Jose eve, as Dan Henderson took on Shogun Rua. There are a lot of fights out there that are billed into being wars, but then usually you get a fast KO, or a one-sided beatdown, but this matchup led to everything you could hope for. Displays of the massive power each man possesses in their striking, to the legen... wait for it... dary chins and resilience these men have been known for. Everyone was on their feet from start to finish in the HP Pavilion that night, and in between rounds you just heard murmurs from everyone talking to each other about how they might just be witness to something historic here. Slightly controversial decision at the end be damned, you couldn't do a damn thing but applaud after what those two warriors left for the fans in the cage. Oh, and getting to yell "PRIDE NEVER DIE!" belligerently always makes for a great evening.
Doctor Law:
1. ZUFFA purchases Strikeforce
On March 13, 2011 Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC announced, with the help of the best reporter in MMA, Ariel Helwani, that they had purchased Strikeforce from Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment. This was news that absolutely NOBODY was expecting. I remember where I was when I heard the news. I was in Brooklyn with Mike (Lavender Gooms) waiting outside of Peter Luger Steak House (because that's how we roll) for some friends to show up. I checked MMAFighting.com on my phone and saw the link to Helwani's interview with Dana White. When I told Mike the news, he said "wait, what" at least 4 times. We were both completely shocked and immediately thought of the possibility of seeing guys like Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz in the UFC. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoyed watching Strikeforce fights and they were, as DJ Mark put it, "our" MMA promotion, given their Bay Area roots. However, their attempts to compete with the UFC likely lead to their downfall. In any case, their ability to put on an entertaining card (almost always filled with 1 or 2 squash fights) ensures that they will not be forgotten.
