UFC Mid-Year Awards 2011: Top 5 Fights 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 Fight of the Year, which will be handed out to the fighters who engaged in the most competitive and exciting bout 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 fights from the first half of 2011.

5. Brian Ebersole vs. Chris Lytle

In one of the biggest upsets of the year, Brian Ebersole put on quite the show against Chris Lytle at UFC 127. After opening the fight with a cartwheel kick, Ebersole's personality and unorthodox attack made this fight one where you couldn't turn away from the television.

Always entertaining, Lytle had some exciting moments of his own throughout the fight. Time after time, Lytle attempted guillotine chokes, but Ebersole's submission defense was unwielding.

4. Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez

Say what you will about the controversial decision the fight ended with, but Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez both fought their hearts out at UFC on Versus 3.

After slugging it out for three rounds, Sanchez's face was swollen badly and cut all over. Still, the judges awarded Sanchez for his aggression and scored the fight in his favor.

3. Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

This bantamweight title fight at UFC 132 was more of a strategic battle than an all-out slugfest. Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber both picked their shots and looked for takedowns when the opportunity presented itself.

Still, this fight showed that competitors can still be exciting while remaining technically sound. The five-round fight went the distance and Cruz retained his belt in a narrow decision.

2. Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick

Fighting in his home country of Canada, Mark Hominick wasn't expected to present much of a challenge for UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.

Hominick proved a lot of people wrong, though, as he went toe-to-toe with one of the best fighters in the world. In the closing moments of the fight, Hominick even had Aldo hanging on for dear life, as the Canadian looked to finish the drained champion.

1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

In the first round, this UFC 125 fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard looked to be more of a Beatdown of the Year candidate than a potential Fight of the Year winner. After hurting Edgar with a left hook and dropping the champion more than once, Maynard was unable to finish the fight.

Despite being dominated in the first round, Edgar rallied back and earned a draw on the judges scorecards and retain his title.

The fight was so entertaining that the UFC decided to have the two fighters go at it again. At UFC 136, Edgar will look to do what he has been unable to in two meetings with Maynard, which is win the fight.

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.