2012 ESPY Awards: Anderson Silva and Jon Jones Nominated for Best Fighter

The ESPY for Best Fighter is the pinnacle of combat sports awards. It recognizes not just the the most famous but also the most successful fighter of the year. In previous years boxers have edged out mixed martial artists such as Georges St. Pierre and Fabricio Werdum for the award. 

However, this year MMA has two fantastic athletes as representatives up for this coveted award. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones are both nominated for the Best Fighter. 

Both Jones and Silva have built up resumes that make them arguably the best fighters in MMA. Silva's seven year run in the UFC has been legendary while Jones has arguably become the most dominant light heavyweight fighter in MMA history. 

For Silva, winning this award would cap off a fantastic MMA career. He's currently focusing on his upcoming bout with Chael Sonnen at UFC 148. The lead up has seen Silva go on the offensive in the press as he has finally let out two years of frustration in the former of some amazing pre-fight banter. 

Jon Jones has been on an absolute tear since joining the UFC and has put himself in the discussion of best light heavyweights of all-time. The only other fighters that could be considered are Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, but Jones has arguably had a tougher championship run than either of those fighters. 

The ESPY awards will air on July 11th on ESPN. You can vote here.