Traditionally, MMA flows like a sine wave. Highs are inevitably followed by comparable lows, and any joy one feels will likely be offset by a similar helping of disappointment 12 months later. 2015 was a damn good year of mixed martial arts and, as such, it was easy to feel bearish entering 2016.
Boy, was that streak broken. That strong 2015 was followed by an even stronger 2016, which delivered shocking twists and turns on an almost monthly basis.
There were the usual roundups of amazing fights, of course, like Doo-Ho Choi vs. Cub Swanson and Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit. There were plenty of feel-good moments like Michael Bisping capturing UFC gold and Stipe Miocic riding shotgun at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA Championship parade. And there was major, industry-shaking news on an almost monthly basis with MMA being legalized in New York, free agency coming front and center and major chatter about fighters organizing as a workforce.
There was a lot to love in 2016 and that made it incredibly difficult to pick the winners for the Bleacher Report MMA Awards. The team of Patrick Wyman, Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Josh Gross was up to the task, though, and managed to sift through all the action to pick out the year’s biggest and best.