MMA's Most Dominant Performances in 2009

With 2009 coming to a close, it's time to start taking a look back on some of the more notable things that happened in what was a banner year for Mixed Martial Arts.

I'm starting out by counting down the most dominant performances of the year. These fights might not have been the most competitive, but the performances left us shocked none the less due to a nearly flawless effort.

The quality of the opposition is also a key consideration.

10. BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Kenny Florian couldn't really get much going against the Prodigy, as Penn seemed to simply wait around and let Florian try to do his thing before ending it quickly once the fight finally got to the ground.

This one would have been much higher had Penn finished earlier.

9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane

Luiz Cane came into this bout virtually undefeated, as his only loss was due to a disqualification. Nogueira had been nearly forgotten by all but hardcore fans since his shocking loss to Sokoudjou.

Cane, who had beaten Sokoudjou, was considered to be a very tough UFC introduction for Nogueira.

Nogueira responded to the challenge by absolutely owning Cane with his left hand, landing with that punch nearly at will.

8. Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell

Wrestling obviously matters, as Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo can attest. Calin Velasquez followed his victory over Kongo by running over Rothwell and throwing him around like a ragdoll.

Steve Mazzagatti might have ended this one at an inappropriate time, but prior to that moment, Rothwell showed no signs that he could possibly have done anything to stop Velasquez.

7. Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva

When two 13-0 fighters meet, one would expect a relatively close affair. Fighters don't just get to 13-0 by being reckless or anything less than being extremely mentally strong. That kind of mental strength is what allows a fighter to find a way to win even in the worst circumstances.

Thiago Silva couldn't find anything against Lyoto Machida, and the loss was so brutally one-sided that people have forgotten how good of a fighter Silva actually is.

6. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir 2

Frank Mir got lucky in the first fight due to a premature Mazzagatti stand-up.

Being a year more seasoned, Brock Lesnar wasn't about to let the same thing happen.

The loss was enough to make Mir realize that if he is going to have any chance against Lesnar in the future, he's going to need to close the gap in size and strength.

MegaMir was unveiled at UFC 107. May we please see a showdown between MegaMir and Ubereem sometime in the future?

5. Jose Aldo vs. Mike Brown

Utter dominance.

Mike Brown couldn't take Jose Aldo down, and he certainly couldn't stand and trade with him on the feet.

Once Aldo got Brown down early in the second round, the end came quick for the former WEC champion. Once again, we are left wondering if this champion will end up being the WEC dominant champion that we've been waiting for.

4. BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

Following a rebound victory over Kenny Florian, one might have thought that Diego Sanchez would have recognized the necessity to come up with some kind of tactic or strategy to allow for some success against the champ.

Instead, Sanchez ran out of answers only seconds into the fight, and the rest of the fight was a matter of when and how.

This fight erased the memory of UFC 94, and brings Penn once again into consideration for pound-for-pound supremacy. Had he fought like this all of his career and done it entirely in the lightweight division, he might already own that distinction.

As it stands, it's still not out of the realm of possibility.

3. Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans

Already coming off a dominant victory over Thiago Silva, Machida trumped that performance by making Rashad Evans look like he didn't know what he was doing inside the octagon.

Machida tends to make almost all of his opponents look bad, but in this case, Evans looked like he just didn't have any answers for Machida's style.

Machida put an exclamation on the performance with one of the knockouts of the year.

2. Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

Anderson Silva was threatened by Forrest Griffin's striking ability about as much as a cat is threatened by a mouse.

Silva toyed with Grififin for a few minutes before knocking him out with a backpedalling jab.

This performance would be No.1, but some of the credit goes to Griffin for employing a game plan only marginally more effective than the one Kalib Starnes used against Nate Quarry.  Add that on to the fact that Forrest is a pretty easy stylistic match for Anderson, and I still place this performance at No.2.

1. Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn 2

The first round was close, but after that, Georges St. Pierre held BJ Penn on his back for nearly the entire fight, landing takedowns, scoring with strikes, and perhaps most impressively, passing BJ Penn's guard at will. Even the people who predicted a GSP win, didn't think that it could have been this dominant.

The only unfortunate thing about this performance is that it was overshadowed by the allegations and bitterness that followed.

Penn seems to have rebounded and has taken the loss as big motivation. Penn admitted afterward that he had planned on possibly retiring had he won the fight, so even BJ Penn fans can look back upon this fight and thank GSP for keeping BJ around in the UFC for years to come.