Howdy Steemit -

As some of you may be well aware - I'm 100% fanboy when it comes to Mixed Martial Arts / UFC events. (aka: Real Life Ninja Fights)

For the uninitiated: 2016 was a banner year for the Sport - hosting a wealth of highlight reel submissions, and knock outs.. as well as several fights that will be talked about for a long time to come. I've been paying very close attention to MMA for a while now, and figured I'd compose a breakdown of my personal favorite MMA moments over this past year. Mind you most of this content is copyrighted material, so any YT clips I find may be substandard in quality, edited, or not original clips. (though I did make sure to grab the best ones I could find)

So put your guard up & tuck your chin Steemit ... here are GiftedGaia's Top 2016 MMA Highlights!

---My 2016 'Top 3 Submission' picks---

Everyone wants to see the banner one punch Knock Out to end a fight, and I'll have some excellent examples of that content a little later down the list - but I've personally become partial to seeing a fight end via a technically high level Jujitsu skill set. Below are some of the best examples of that this past year..

#3 Jordan Lucas vs Yusup Saadulaev - ONE FC48

Saadulaev dominates this bout - but its how he ends it that is worth praise. After knocking Lucas to the ground with a hard punch, Saadulaev hops into his guard and begins to work. With less than 1 minute left in the first round - Saadulaev moves into side control, starts working on a choke out of nowhere, and at 6mins in the video - performs one of the smoothest jump over passes I've ever seen in a bout.. which ends up tapping his opponent quickly via a very cranked Rear Naked Choke.

Point of observation: if anyone you're going to fight happens to be fighting out of the 'Republic of Dagestan, Russia' - promptly cancel that bout.

(Fast Forward to 6mins)

#2 Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor - UFC 196

In one of the most anticipated fights of the year - Nate Diaz steps in for an injured Rafael Dos Anjos to face Conor McGregor on less than 2 weeks notice in a catch weight bout. These warriors would do battle twice in 2016, yet its the first bout that I'd like to pay attention to here. The lead up to the fight proved the Men could barely be in the same room without verbal & physical confrontation. By the time the event day landed - there was a lot of hype and excitement about the fight.

Diaz spent most of the first round getting boxed up by Conor, who had a full fight camp and was in better form at the start. Diaz then comes out in Round 2 looking like he's now a completely different fighter gushing with confidence. Nate trains with some of the best professional boxers on the planet - and once he warmed up going into Round 2, the fight soon turned in his favor. At 17 seconds in the below video Nate lands a hard 1, 2 that sends McGregor to wobble town.

In desperation: Conor soon shoots on Nate who sprawls the take down attempt and lands Conor right into a the arms of a longtime Cesar Gracie BJJ Blackbelt. Nate starts with a Guillotine choke, transitions to full mount, then takes the back with ease. Nate then lands a hard punch that skillfully knocks Conor's head right into the awaiting Rear Naked Choke, ending the bout by tap out seconds later. Though the entire thing was set up by Nate's boxing - it was the skilled BJJ work on the ground that landed the winning submission.

(Conor Taps Out)

Very few people were expecting Nate Diaz to win on short notice with no camp, and this bout is widely regarded as one of the couple fights that "Shocked the World" this year.

Joe Rogan - "Nate Diaz - you just shook up the world, hows that feel?"
Nate Diaz - "Aye - I'm not surprised Mother Fuckers!" (post fight interview)

There is also a short and hilariously wonderful commentary of the fight provided by the infamous Mr. "Ozzy Man" himself - which is probably far more entertaining than my above account and worth the watch.

(OzzyMan Breakdown)

#1 Mackenzie Dern vs Montana Stewart - Legacy FC 61

Mackenzie Dern isn't even in the UFC (yet) - and is still widely acknowledged as the best female BJJ practitioner on the planet. Her skill set was never more apparent than when she faced off with Montana Stewart earlier this year at Legacy FC 61.

Mackenzie ended the fight with her opponent locked up in 2 simultaneous submissions! She first landed her opponents arm in a fairly rare submission known as an Omoplata, then transitions to the back and at the same time sinks in a Rear Naked Choke to force the tap.

This is a display of incredibly high level Jujitsu skills - and you will rarely see a professional fighter turned into a pretzel like this ever again. I've personally never seen two submissions locked in like this before, and its my pick for the best Submission of 2016!

(End of the Fight = Its Pretzel Time)

---My 2016 'Top 3 Knock Out' picks---

This past year had a knack for seeing fights ended via vicious KO. It seemed like every card throughout the year hosted a couple highlight reel knock outs - and there were many to choose from. After some consideration, here are my top 3 favorite KO's of 2016.

#3 Lando Vannata vs John Makdessi - UFC 206

Lando Vannata had a monster of a match when he made his UFC debut on short notice earlier this year against top Lightweight contender Tony Ferguson. Lando lost that fight via submission in the 2nd round, yet performed so well even in defeat that the bout earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus. His second bout in the UFC saw him facing off against seasoned veteran John Makdessi.

This fight ended in spectacular fashion when Lando launches a highlight reel spinning heel kick - which lands flush on Makdessi's chin, knocking him unconscious with one shot. We often times see Head Kick KO's in MMA, but rarely back spinning head kick KO's.. that's like some Karate Kid stuff right there and a great way to let your division know you're a legit talent here to play.

(Bing - Right on the Chin!)

#2 Micheal Bisping vs Luke Rockhold - UFC199

Love him or Hate him - Micheal Bisping has been one of the most recognizable faces in the UFC for the better part of a decade. As of this blog post his accolades include: Current Middleweight Champion, Ranked #10 Pound for Pound best fighter in the World, #1 All Time total Significant Strikes Landed, #2 All Time total Fight Time, #3 All Time total Strikes Landed, Former Winner (and later Coach) on The Ultimate Fighter.. and yet through all of his accomplishments, until 2016 he had never earned a chance to fight for a title. That changed earlier this Summer when Chris Weidman was injured and pulled from his Championship bout with Luke Rockhold.

Bisping stepped in on less than 2 weeks notice, and frankly NOBODY thought he would win. (seriously - go back & watch the promo shows leading up to the fight.. nobody picked Bisping to win.) The two fighters had competed before years earlier, had legitimate shit talking beef with each other, and that 1st fight ended with Rockhold choking Bisping out using only 1 arm in spectacular fashion. Thus Rockhold paid NO respect to Bisping as a short notice replacement leading up to the 2nd fight, and the betting odds had Bisping listed as a -825 underdog.

When the bout began - it was clear Bisping was focused and came to Win a Championship, and he did so in SHOCKING fashion by landing a hard left hook that dropped Rockhold minutes into the first round, immediately followed by a 2nd left hook that shut Luke Rockhold's lights out.

(Let's Go Champ!)

Bisping then took home the Middleweight belt after 10+ years in the business, in a bout that nobody on the planet thought he could win, in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history!

The post fight press conference was so heated that Luke Rockhold literally threatened to kill new champ Micheal Bisping, and a 3rd rubber match fight would be great to see in 2017!

#1 Micheal Venom Page vs Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos - Bellator 158

Micheal Venom Page aka 'MVP' is one of the most exciting fighters in MMA today. He's currently contracted with Bellator - where he is running through his division. With an endless skill set of strikes that are reminiscent of Anderson Silvia in his prime, MVP continues to win his bouts in spectacular fashion. He was booked to fight Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos in what most people considered to be his hardest challenge to date, considering Cyborg is a long time pro who stylistically did not match in MVP's favor. With many eyes upon the fight - the bout ended with one of the most gruesome injuries ever seen in an MMA bout.

With a perfectly timed flying knee, MVP fractures Cyborg's skull leaving him fallen and in excruciating pain on the mat. As a fan - I never really want to see a fighter get seriously injured - yet sometimes we're reminded that the reality here is these guys & gals are trained killers, and any one of these moves could result in someone getting severely hurt. Thankfully the MMA community banded together and through a GoFundMe page, helped pay all of Cyborg's medical bills after the injury.

First link is a video of the KO, my pick for #1 Knock Out of 2016.. below is a picture of the damage that was the result of that one Muay Thai strike. Kids: Don't try this at home.

---My 2016 'Best Fight of the Year' picks---

The next few submissions mark the best moments & greatest battles waged in the cage over the course of the past year. In my opinion - these are listings that will be referenced many times in the years to come.

#3 Miesha Tate vs Holly Holm - UFC 196

Holly Holm was the Woman's Bantamweight champion after defeating Ronda Rousey via the head kick heard around the world in December 2015. She defended her title for the first time against long time contender Miesha Tate at UFC 196. Holly seemed to control most of the fight with her World Class Kickboxing skills, keeping Miesha at distance and not allowing her to take the fight to the ground where Miesha thrives.

With less than 2 minutes left in the 5th & final round - Miesha closes the distance and lands a clinch on Holly. She takes the back, sinks in a body triangle with her legs, and proceeds to choke Holly out via Rear Naked Choke, winning the World title.

(Miesha wins the title)

There are two things that stand out about this fight to me:

1 - The first is how freaking tough Holly Holm is - in that she was still throwing punches as she went unconscious. Dana White was quoted as saying Holly Holm "Went out like a gangster."

2 - The sheer joy and emotional outburst Miesha has upon realizing after an entire life time of work - she's finally won the title. It was Iconic. Even longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan was fighting back tears when he interviewed her after the fight. He's stated on his podcast that it was such an emotional moment, his voice was cracking when speaking with the new Champ.

#2 Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit - UFC 195

There isn't much to say about this fight in promo. Lawler and Condit are two veterans of the sport and their title fight at UFC 195 is one of the greatest performances we've ever seen inside the octagon. Both men fought as hard as they could, with flurries of strikes landing everywhere - and the match ended up going Lawler's way in what some would consider to be a controversial decision. (I personally had Condit winning, myself)

(Such a good fight)

When the final bell rang - both fighters had literally nothing left to give and ended up resting next to each other on the fence line in what has later become an iconic image for the UFC. You'd have to watch the entire 25 minute fight to see how much energy & heart these warriors left in the octagon that evening.

#1 Cub Swanson vs Dooho Choi - UFC 206

This fight was one for the ages. Both men have chins of granite - and it was apparent via this very contested back & forth battle that ended up going to a decision. Cub Swanson clearly won in my opinion - that said this fight had so many 'back & forth' moments that it looked like either fighter could have closed the show multiple times during the bout.

When athletes fight at this caliber - there are no losers. Both fighter's stock went up dramatically after the match and I can't wait to see this bout as a rematch should the UFC matchmakers book it. (they should - it was THAT good of a fight).

Posting a highlight video - including the gushing praise from the correspondents discussing how stunning of a performance this bout was.. Definitely my pick for 2016 'Best Fight of the Year'!

And lastly - my personal favorite 2016 MMA Moment..

---Anthony Johnson vs Glover Teixeira - UFC 202 (13 Second KO)---

In a year filled with stunning knockouts, incredible submissions, and some of the greatest fights of all time - there is one moment that stands out to me as my favorite of the year. Widely regarded as one of the scariest men on the planet - Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson is a mountain of a fighter sitting as the top contender in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. To say that he has 'one punch knock out power' is a complete understatement.. in my opinion: the more accurate wording would be listed as 'He is the hardest hitter in professional Mixed Martial Arts'.

Rumble's power was on vivid display at UFC 202, where he slept veteran fighter Glover Teixeira with one punch 13 seconds into the fight. For some reason Glover tried to stand in the pocket and exchange with the heaviest hands in MMA, and one swift uppercut from Rumble sent Teixeira to the canvas knocked out cold.

(The entire fight)

As an indication as to how hard that one punch was - here are two points worth noting.

#1 - even using a mouth guard - the punch knocked out one of Glover's teeth, which you can clearly see flying in the air after the hit lands. (Madness!) The running joke for the next few days was "Do you think Glover's tooth has landed yet?"

#2 - the hit was so hard that when Glover finally did regain consciousness - he was so out of it that he tried to continue fighting by grappling with the referee. (again: Madness!)

I also happened to be recording that evening with my fellow @steemittalk Podcast host Mr. @winstonwolfe during UFC 202 - so I happen to have the audio of us reacting to the KO live as it happened. You can hear me say "That was, I think, a tooth?" (lol)

The recording is the icing on the cake - as I'm just stunned at the sight of that Knock Out in the moment. I didn't jump up out of my chair, I didn't yell so loud the neighbors heard - I was just in complete terrified awe of the power that Rumble wields. He's very, very good at his job.

---Honorable Mention: Max Holloway v Ricardo Lamas - UFC199 (End of the Fight - "Lets Bang Bro")---

So yeah.. that sums up GiftedGaia's Top 2016 MMA Highlights!
Let me know what you think about these picks, or other picks I may have missed. Also - I'm calling Rodríguez to win over Penn next weekend.. so there ya go. :-)

Cheers Friends!

~GiftedGaia