2015 Them's Fightin' Words Awards: Event of the Year

[Elsalvajeloco]

The nominees are...

 

UFC ON FOX 14: GUSTAFSSON VS. JOHNSON (Tele2 Arena, Stockholm, Sweden, January 24, 2015)
Key Bouts:
ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON VS. ANTHONY JOHNSON
DAN HENDERSON VS. GEGARD MOUSASI 
AKIRA CORASSANI VS. SAM SICILIA 
NICHOLAS MUSOKE VS. ALBERT TUMENOV 
KENNY ROBERTSON VS. SULTAN ALIEV
ANDY OGLE VS. MAKWAN AMIRKHANI 
MIRSAD BEKTIC VS. PAUL REDMOND
NEIL SEERY VS. CHRIS BEAL 
 

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 65: MIOCIC VS. HUNT (Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, May 9, 2015)

Key Bouts:

STIPE MIOCIC VS. MARK HUNT

ROBERT WHITTAKER VS. BRAD TAVARES 

JAKE MATTHEWS VS. JAMES VICK 

HATSU HIOKI VS. DAN HOOKER

KYLE NOKE VS. JONAVIN WEBB

DANIEL KELLY VS. SAM ALVEY

DYLAN ANDREWS VS. BRAD SCOTT 

ALEX CHAMBERS VS. KAILIN CURRAN

 

UFC 187: JOHNSON VS. CORMIER (MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Nevada, NV, May 23, 2015)

Key Bouts:

ANTHONY JOHNSON VS. DANIEL CORMIER

CHRIS WEIDMAN VS. VITOR BELFORT

DONALD CERRONE VS. JOHN MAKDESSI

TRAVIS BROWNE VS. ANDREI ARLOVSKI

JOSH BURKMAN VS. DONG HYUN KIM 

URIAH HALL VS. RAFAEL NATAL 

ISLAM MAKHACHEV VS. LEO KUNTZ

JUSTIN SCOGGINS VS. JOSH SAMPO 

 

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 68: BOETSCH VS. HENDERSON (Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA, June 6, 2015)

Key Bouts:

TIM BOETSCH VS. DAN HENDERSON 

BEN ROTHWELL VS. MATT MITRIONE 

DUSTIN POIRIER VS. YANCY MEDEIROS 

THIAGO TAVARES VS. BRIAN ORTEGA 

JOE SOTO VS. ANTHONY BIRCHAK

FRANCISCO RIVERA VS. ALEX CACERES

BRIAN EBERSOLE VS. OMARI AKHMEDOV 

JOE PROCTOR VS. JUSTIN EDWARDS

 

UFC 189: MENDES VS. MCGREGOR (MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, July 11, 2015)

Key Bouts:

CHAD MENDES VS. CONOR MCGREGOR 

ROBBIE LAWLER VS. RORY MACDONALD 

DENNIS BERMUDEZ VS. JEREMY STEPHENS 

GUNNAR NELSON VS. BRANDON THATCH

BRAD PICKETT VS. THOMAS ALMEIDA

MATT BROWN VS. TIM MEANS

CODY GARBRANDT VS. HENRY BRIONES 

NEIL SEERY VS. LOUIS SMOLKA

 

UFC 194: ALDO VS. MCGREGOR (MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, December 12, 2015)

Key Bouts:

JOSÉ ALDO VS. CONOR MCGREGOR

CHRIS WEIDMAN VS. LUKE ROCKHOLD 

RONALDO SOUZA VS. YOEL ROMERO

DEMIAN MAIA VS. GUNNAR NELSON 

URIJAH FABER VS. FRANKIE SAENZ 

TECIA TORRES VS. JOCELYN JONES-LYBARGER 

WARLLEY ALVES VS. COLBY COVINGTON

LÉONARDO SANTOS VS. KEVIN LEE

 

2013 Winner: UFC ON FOX 7: HENDERSON vs. MELENDEZ

2014 Winner: UFC 181: HENDRICKS VS. LAWLER II

 

Award voting will close 1/14 at 1:00 p.m. CST

 

 

[Elsalvajeloco]

Since it's legitimately a two dog race, why would someone pick UFC 189 over UFC 194 or vice versa?

 

My reasoning? I thought 194 was really great, but UFC 189 is just so hard to replicate in terms of the performances and atmosphere. While 194 had perhaps the most historic occurrence between the two cards, UFC 189 laid so much foundation in terms of what would happen later in the year and even stuff for 2016. Plus, you had one of the most brutal title fights in MMA history.

[Jiji]

Exactly. I feel like UFC went from treading water due to injuries and whatever other circumstances into the best period in time in the promotion's history. It was corner turned type of stuff. You had Conor living up to the hype, walking through a really respectable power puncher in Mendes. But the Lawler/MacDonald fight was fucking insanity and one of the more violent title fights I've ever seen. Having great fights top-to-bottom really pushes it to the top for me. When Matt Brown vs. Tim Means is just a throw-away prelim on the show, that's an impressive card. The violence party Almeida threw on Pickett's face was unreal and a star making performance.
 

Weidman/Rockhold was a great fight for sure. The main event flash KO was hard to believe and changed UFC for the better (Aldo will be back but IT WUZ BEST 4 BIZNEZ). Fucking Romero had to go and get popped for roids (whodathunkit) and now the top of the middleweight division is in disarray. The outcome of the show outside of Conor's win hasn't been all that rosy and it doesn't have the quantity of good or great fights like 189 had. 

[The Natural]

Went with UFC 189 but you can't go wrong with UFC 194 either.

[Elsalvajeloco]

 

UFC 189 is your 2015 Them's Fightin' Words Awards: Event of the Year.