Friday evening in Las Vegas saw the Fighters Only 2012 World MMA Award cereomy take place at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fighters, media, stars and fans all turned out for the red-carpet, black-tie ceremony hosted by UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen and reporter Molly Qerim.
The award ceremony was not broadcast live but will air via tape delay on January 20, 2013 on FOX Sports Net.
The top award winners on the night were UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who walked away with his second straight “Fighter of the Year” award, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey won for “Female Fighter of the Year,” and “Fight of the Year” went to Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon for their UFC on FOX 4 bout.
Former UFC champ Frank Mir went home with two awards, the “Comeback of the Year” honor, for his win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, and for “Submission of the Year” for the same fight.
Check out the full list of World MMA Awards for 2012 below:
CHARLES ‘MASK’ LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Daniel Cormier, Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey
Winner: Jon Jones
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jessica Aguilar, Sarah Kaufman, Sara McMann, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate
Winner: Ronda Rousey
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC 139), Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez (Bellator 58), Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez (UFC on FUEL TV 1), Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung (UFC on FUEL TV 3), Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC on FOX 4)
Winner: Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC on FOX 4)
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Renan Barao, Michael Chandler, Luke Rockhold, Ronda Rousey, Chris Weidman
Winner: Chris Weidman
INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Chan Sung Jung, Martin Kampmann, Stefan Struve
Winner: Michael Bisping
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Adam Khaliev vs. Alexei Belyaev (League S-70), Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim (UFC 142), Stephen Thompson vs. Dan Stittgen (UFC 143), Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC 144), Brian Rogers vs. Vitor Vianna (Bellator 61)
Winner: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim (UFC 142)
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140), Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely (UFC on FOX 2), Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio (UFC 142), Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate (Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey), Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC on FUEL TV 3)
Winner: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
BEST PROMOTION
Nominees: Bellator, Invicta FC, ONE FC, Strikeforce, UFC
Winner: UFC
GYM OF THE YEAR
Nominees: American Kickboxing Academy, Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA, Kings MMA, Nova Uniao
Winner: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
SHAWN TOMPKINS COACH OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Rafael Cordeiro, Cesar Gracie, Greg Jackson, Javier Mendez, Andre Pederneiras
Winner: Rafael Cordeiro
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Alan Belcher (career), Mike Swick (career), Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140), Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami (UFC 144), J.P. Joubert vs. Norman Wessels (EFC Africa 15)
Winner: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Herb Dean, Marc Goddard, John McCarthy, Josh Rosenthal, Mario Yamasaki
Winner: Herb Dean
FIGHTERS ONLY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Winner: Leon Tabbs
MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Karyn Bryant, MMA HEAT/FUEL TV; Ben Fowlkes, MMAjunkie.com/USA TODAY; Gareth A. Davies, The Telegraph; Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/FUEL TV; John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com/USA TODAY
Winner: Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/FUEL TV
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jon Anik, Bruce Buffer, Mauro Ranallo, Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten
Winner: Joe Rogan
MMA MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: ESPN, “Inside MMA” on AXS TV, MMAFighting.com, MMAjunkie.com, Sherdog.com
Winner: Sherdog.com
LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Victor Cui, Lorenzo Fertitta, Shannon Knapp, Bjorn Rebney, Dana White
Winner: Dana White
BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND
Nominees: Bad Boy, Clinch Gear, Hayabusa, Jaco, Venum
Winner: Clinch Gear
BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND
Nominees: Bad Boy, Dethrone, Headrush, Punishment, TapouT
Winner: Bad Boy
BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT
Nominees: Everlast, Fairtex, Hayabusa, Pretorian, Venum
Winner: Pretorian