Our friends over at FightDay.com have put together their Top 5 list of mixed martial arts events for 2012. I’ll give you the first three but to see the top two you’ll have to hit the link to see which two shows made the top of the list.
Top 5 MMA Events of 2012
2012 was a tumultuous year in mixed martial arts due to an increased number of injuries and several canceled shows. Despite all the, shall we say, inconveniences, the year still featured several terrific events that stood out among the rest. Here are the top five MMA events from this past year.5. UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz
Easily one of the most stacked cards of 2012, UFC on FOX 5 may have not been the most action-packed event of the year, but it certainly had a lot of meaning. The event marked a passing of the guard between the old generation and the new one, featuring Rory MacDonald’s dominant victory over BJ Penn and Alexander Gustafsson’s effortless win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Then, in the main event, lightweight champ Benson Henderson easily out-pointed Nate Diaz to retain his title. Again, while the action might not have been through the roof, the ramifications of these matches will certainly shape much of 2013.4. UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson
Last February the UFC returned to Japan with UFC 144, and the Saitama Super Arena was packed for a night of action. And card certainly didn’t disappoint with five knockouts and one submission to go along with several back-and-forth brawls. Following highlights such as Anthony Pettis’ head kick KO against Joe Lauzon and Mark Hunt’s technical knockout win over Cheick Kongo, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar went to war against Benson Henderson in a five round battle. Henderson would go on to earn the 155 lb. title in one of the year’s best bouts.3. UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes
The preliminary card of UFC 142 was nothing to write home about, but the Brazilian fans got what they paid for with a main card featuring five fights which ended via stoppage. Kicking off the pay-per-view portion of the event, Edson Barboza earned a knockout win against Terry Etim, which most consider the “Knockout of the Year,” while Rousimar Palhares landed his signature heel hook later in the evening. To cap off the evening, Brazilian Jose Aldo defended his title against Chad Mendes, earning a vicious knockout in the final seconds of round one before leaping out of the cage and into the stands to celebrate with his fans.
Be sure to visit FightDay.com in order to view the number one and two mma event of 2012.