Conor McGregor, CM Punk, Ronda Rousey and the Best MMA Moments of 2016
With less than a week separating 2017 from it's predecessor, it's easy to look back and pick out the best fights and overall cards of the year gone by. After all, it's relatively fresh in our minds, vivid and visceral as only combat sports can be.
But, over time, memories fade. UFC 199 and UFC 205 will be less distinct as the years pass, and specifics will disappear with the days.
What's left, what really matters, are the moments.
Whether it was Kevin Randleman's monstrous suplex on Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St-Pierre dropping to his knees to beg for a title shot or Ronda Rousey refusing to take Miesha Tate's outstretched hand, MMA consistently delivers snapshots fans will never forget. 2016, of course, was no different.
What follows are six of our favorites during the year, a mix of the silly and the sublime. Collectively, they are what make MMA the greatest sport on Earth. If you have a different moment playing on repeat in your head, don't be shy. Let us hear about it in the comments.
Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit End UFC 195 with Epic Round 5
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The best fights leave you feeling like you’ve received a gift, like the athletes left behind something intangible that can never be returned. If you watched UFC 195 back in January and witnessed then-UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit leave pieces of themselves inside the UFC Octagon, you should have walked off with that feeling.
After 20 minutes of savage battle, neither man had pulled definitively ahead on the scorecards. With everything on the line, the two proceeded to spend the next five minutes sending chills up our spines, trading crushing shots that would have folded almost any other living man who might have been standing across from the other.
Lawler provoked the action with a hint of desperation, attempting to cut off Condit’s footwork, while Condit worked to counter through his angled strikes in open space. For most of the round, it was that kind of cat-and-mouse action until the champion surrendered his self-imposed restraints and went full-Lawler.
With 90 seconds to go, it was all or bust, and for one of the first times in the round, he successfully corralled Condit against the cage and unleashed a heatseeker that landed flush, sending Condit reeling back a few steps. And with that, it was on, a sprint to the finish line that was both exhilarating and uneasy to observe.
At one point, Lawler landed a vicious left hand and head kick, backing Condit up against the cage. With the challenger seemingly ready to wilt, he somehow blasted out a right uppercut followed by combination that landed to the body and head. By the end, only courage and pride was holding them up.
The decision—a split-decision for Lawler—was controversial, but hopefully in time it becomes an afterthought, overshadowed by an all-time great display of competitive ferocity.
CM Punk Finally Makes the Walk at UFC 203
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MMA gives you things no other sport can.
You’ll never see LeBron James playing in the NHL because of his brand recognition or Chad Dundas donning a luchador mask and challenging Undertaker at WrestleMania because of his.
In MMA, though, you might see a particularly famous fan being given a chance at the highest level of the game because of the cash they’ll generate. That’s how we were graced with CM Punk appearing in the Octagon at UFC 203.
I’ll save you the recap of his path to the cage because it’s been done to death at this point. The only thing that matters is that he got there after almost two years of making us wait, and it was as polarizing as anything taking place in MMA this year.
Some people hated him for having the chance, others found him inspirational, still others just wanted to see what the hell might happen when an aging 0-0 "athlete" challenged a hungry young buck to a fistfight on a Saturday night.
Mickey Gall was that buck, and he was happy to provide the answer.
Punk whiffed on a single schoolyard punch before Gall took him to the ground and ruthlessly smashed him for a few minutes. When a choke presented itself, Gall smashed him a little more for good measure before slapping it on and ending the night.
In a weird way it was all very pro wrestling: The literal grizzled wrestling vet putting over the kid who has some major star potential and showed as much in talking trash as soon as they put a mic in front of him. He further backed it up by beating Sage Northcutt pretty convincingly on Big Fox to round out his year. If you didn’t know the UFC operated without scripts, you’d think this one was plucked right out of the writer’s room.
Still, this whole CM Punk saga reminded us—or at least reminded me—why this sport is so much fun. You get things like said saga here, and you won’t get them anywhere else. For those of us who fell in love with a game made up of a guy in a gi choking out a guy wearing one boxing glove, the CM Punks of the world are the closest we’ll ever get again to such absurdist whimsy.
Get that man a fresh bout agreement because I can’t wait to see his next fight.
Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi
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The UFC 206 battle between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi was one to remember. The unceasing brawl featured several tense moments, countless connections that would have made for highlight knockouts, if only the opponent had not kept on, and numerous reversals of fortune that saw Choi and Swanson wrest dominion from each other.
Such a wanton indulgence in spectacular, violent action needs little context to register as memorable. But sitting cageside that night, backed by a largely Canadian audience, it’s difficult for me to not assign the bout a larger significance.
You may recall, back in 2010, Dana White said, "This is the Mecca [of MMA]," referring to Canada. The acknowledgement not only expressed appreciation to the sell-out crowds and scores of loyal pay-per-view buyers, but it also implied the existence of a bilateral relationship between the nation and the UFC, one that would make Canada a significant part of the promotion’s future. But the relationship quickly started to fray.
The UFC’s focus on global expansion meant fewer non-U.S. cards went north. The quality of those cards declined, with middling draws Max Holloway and Demian Maia replacing the likes of Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre.
Meanwhile, outside the Octagon, St-Pierre retired and became combative with UFC management, while his heir apparent, Rory MacDonald, quietly moved on to Bellator. Rumors of St-Pierre’s triumphant return at UFC 206 were kiboshed, while even factors outside the promotion’s control conspired to undermine the first Toronto-hosted event in more than three years.
The original UFC 206 main event was scrapped when Daniel Cormier suffered an injury, and the replacement headliner lost much of its already dubious meaning when Anthony Pettis missed weight. Sentiment grew so anti-UFC that there was a movement to boycott the event outright.
And while the movement never picked up much steam, the price of tickets on the secondary market plummeted, reflecting tepid interest. The downward momentum failed to halt at the outset of the show. Canadian fighters collectively got off to an 0-4 start through what was a mixed bag of preliminary contests. A couple of Canadian victories mixed with some decent action finally enthused the crowd a bit, but the event was well on its way to irrelevancy. That’s when Swanson and Choi took to the Octagon.
The bout, one of the best of 2016, was the event’s defining moment. People stood and cheered, dropping the sporadic "G-S-P" chants you’ll hear at some point during most Canadian shows, to yell and scream their approval. They forgot they were angry with the promotion. They forgot about the cancelled main event. They simply enjoyed one of those special moments the UFC delivers every so often.
Without a strong finish to the evening, UFC 206 could easily have become another sore spot for Canadian MMA fans. Instead, the following days in Toronto felt redemptive. My fellow Torontonians who had attended were free of regret. They were eager to go again. The reason, depending upon the knowledge of the individual, was either Swanson vs. Choi, or that American and Korean that had the crazy fight. No one felt slighted.
The UFC delivered what the Canadians fans had for so long asked for. You tend to remember that sort of validation.
Michael Bisping Shocks Luke Rockhold to Win Middleweight Title
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When Michael Bisping fell backside-over-everything into a short-notice title fight against middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June, it was considered a harmless bit of nostalgia.
After amassing more than 25 fights during a decade inside the Octagon, Bisping had earned a reputation as one of the UFC’s hardest-working hard-luck stories. Always considered on the fringe of the 185-pound elite, he’d never been granted the chance to fight for the gold until now.
Inserting him against Rockhold at 37 years old, and as more than a 5-1 underdog, per OddsShark.com, was seen as a nice reward for Bisping’s years of service. Perhaps it was the fight industry’s version of getting a gold watch at the retirement party.
No one actually expected him to win the damn thing—but then he did.
When Bisping dropped Rockhold with a pair of left hands en route to a first-round TKO, it instantly became one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history. It also doubled as one of 2016’s most shocking and, ultimately, best feel-good moments.
It was heartening to see a UFC-lifer like Bisping finally realize his dream—even if he couldn’t let the moment pass without taking a second to gloat.
"Listen, I've got to be humble, even though I want to be an assh--e," Bisping said on the mic when it was over. "I am so happy right now…I am an average guy. This is my dream. Nobody was taking this away from me. Two weeks' notice. Two days' notice. Two hours' notice. Two minutes' notice. I'll fight anyone."
The rest of the year at middleweight turned out to be pretty fun with the brash Brit at the helm.
Bisping continued to clash in the press with Rockhold. He also beefed with former champ Chris Weidman and longtime nemesis Dan Henderson. After successfully defending the belt in a nail-biter against Henderson at UFC 204, Bisping now has his sights set on probable No. 1 contender Yoel Romero.
He may be one of the most surprising champions in UFC history, but Bisping brought a much-needed sense of personality to a belt that had been mired in the promotional doldrums since Chael Sonnen challenged Anderson Silva for it in 2010 and 2012.
With a fight against Romero likely scheduled for early ion 2017, things are only going to get more fun from here.
Lioness Amanda Nunes Roars
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Amanda Nunes’ post-fight savagery instantly registered with me.
The focus, as it should be, was on her blistering UFC 207 performance. It was stunning. It was stunning even if you believed Rousey was not prepared for her return against one of, if not the, toughest tests in the division. Nunes walked her down and pelted her with shot after shot until it was finished—all in under 50 seconds.
As soon as the referee stepped in to save Rousey, Nunes put a finger up to her mouth to shush everyone. Like "The Lioness" she is, her first step was to Rousey’s trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan. The former champion's outspoken trainer went silent when Nunes stood in front of him, and Nunes even tried to exit the cage to get closer to him.
An absolute boss move.
Nunes’ post-fight extravaganza didn’t just stop there.
The queen of the bantamweight division hit on several notes. As soon as UFC color commentator Joe Rogan came up to her for the interview she instantly thanked him for his tweet about how "bizarre" the UFC 207 promos were without Nunes.
After thanking Rousey for what she has done for the sport, she told the crowd to "stop this Ronda Rousey nonsense" and pay her respect as the champion of the division.
"I know I’m gonna beat the s--t out of Ronda Rousey," said Nunes. And she did.
Nunes could have stopped there, but she continued on by helping put over the entire division. Telling the crowd that there is an entire division and it’s not just about one person. It’s more than the UFC has done.
She shushed the crowd and Rousey’s trainer. She thanked the former champion for her contributions to the sport. She put over her girlfriend (Nina Ansaroff), team (American Top Team) and the bantamweight division.
It was all-encompassing post-fight savagery from "The Lioness" and a spectacular way to close the year.
Nate Diaz Wasn't Surprised
6 of 6Conor McGregor knows what a fighter is supposed to be. He's quite clearly made careful study of all his predecessors, the men who have captured the public's imagination and, as a result, pocketed millions and millions of dollars.
In the course of his short career, he's mimicked iconic moments and poses from his fellow legends—men like Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali and even contemporary rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. Whether real or facsimile, McGregor has managed to turn himself into the kind of brash, boastful and beautiful fighter who sells tickets by the barrel.
But there's another archetype of fighter that resonates loudly in the public consciousness. The warrior speaks loudly with fists, not words. He asks no inch and takes none in return. And the warrior archetype isn't quite so simple to simulate.
Sure, McGregor could sit at a now-legendary press conference before UFC 196 and engage in a contest of who "gives a fook" with Nate Diaz. But could he internalize that ethos? Because, when the cage door closes, the time for pretending is over.
It's easy to say you don't care. Actually seeing the world through Diaz's eyes, adopting his will, so obdurate and pure, is another matter. Diaz's eyes are deep and dark wells, they know no pity. Pride, vanity and bluster break against the heap of bones, the carcasses of other lesser men who have come before to test his resolve.
Diaz is a brick wall, cunningly disguised as a gazelle. McGregor crashed into it again and again—and then the wall hit back. Triggered, McGregor sought a safe space on the mat. But there is no safe space, not against Nathan Donald Diaz. The unbreakable Diaz choked McGregor until his will broke.
And that's when it happened. UFC announcer Joe Rogan, grinning like a Cheshire cat, interviewed the victor. The result was a catchphrase for the ages.
"I'm not surprised, motherf--kers."
What else need be said? It was the perfect end to a perfect night—and the best moment of 2016.
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