2011 Mid-Year UFC Awards: Top 5 Comeback Wins of the Year

After a long stretch of major MMA events ended with UFC 132, we are now midway through the calender year. As we wait for the MMA schedule to pick back up, Bleacher Report will be taking a look at  several different mid-year awards.

This installment will focus on the UFC Comeback Win of the Year, which will be handed out to the fighter who completes the most impressive come-from-behind victory of 2011. Already, there have been plenty of options for the award, but we had to narrow it down to five nominees.

Here are the top five UFC comeback wins from the first half of 2011.

5. Brad Tavares vs. Phil Baroni

Early in the first round of his fight with Phil Baroni at UFC 125, Brad Tavares was dropped by a left hook. Despite Baroni's history of being able to finish opponents quickly once he had them hurt, Tavares was able to regain his feet and recover.

Tavares answered back with a head kick that stunned Baroni. Then, Tavares forced Baroni to cover up after a knee from the clinch. From there, Tavares punched until the referee pulled him off of Baroni.

4. Dave Herman vs. Jon Olav Einemo

Dave Herman might not have been getting dominated in his UFC debut at UFC 131, but he absorbed several big shots from Jon Olav Einemo in their two-round fight.

After getting hurt with a big knee, Herman dropped Einemo with a left hook. A series of knees from the clinch forced Einemo to the ground a second time, and Herman finished the fight with a barrage of punches.

3. Nik Lentz vs. Waylon Lowe

In March 2011, Nik Lentz took on Waylon Lowe in the opening fight of UFC Fight Night 24. After two-and-a-half rounds of being out-wrestled, it looked like Lentz was about to suffer his first UFC loss.

However, midway through the third round, Lentz secured a guillotine choke and forced Lowe to tap. It was an unbelievable comeback.

2. Jeremy Stephens vs. Marcus Davis

At UFC 125, Jeremy Stephens wasn't getting destroyed by Marcus Davis, but he had clearly lost the first two rounds of their three-round fight.

In the third round, Stephens came out headhunting. Halfway through the final round, one of Stephens haymakers finally connected and knocked Davis out cold.

1. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry

As great as some of the other comebacks on this list were, they all pale in comparison to Cheick Kongo's epic comback win at UFC on Versus 4.

After getting knocked down multiple times, Kongo settled in on wobbly legs and threw two brutal punches that knocked Pat Barry unconscious.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.