The Doggy Bag: Topics of the Week

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I'm curious what made you guys favor Kazuo Misaki-Jorge Santiago 2 as your "Fight of the Year" over Benson Henderson-Anthony Pettis and Chael Sonnen-Anderson Silva. I thought the fight was good, but didn't have the drama or significance of those other two fights. Sonnen-Silva, with the story and build-up, is probably one of the best MMA fights I've ever seen and can't imagine a fight in the UFC touching it for a while.
-- Alex from Carlsbad

Jeff Sherwood, site founder: I can totally see how you point out the fights you did, which were very good as well. The other finalists prominently discussed for "Fight of the Year" were Misaki-Santiago 2 and Sonnen-Silva. Also, I was live for Henderson Pettis. I think a great argument could be made for all of them, as well as Silva-Sonnen.

The buildup for the UFC 117 main event was amazing thanks to Sonnen, and it’s rare that a title bout with such huge implications lives up to the hype. But, Misaki-Santiago had its own relevance as well, between two other very good middleweights. Also, it too played out over five thrilling rounds, but had a level of back-and-forth action that you just don’t see that often. I think it has both the relevance and the excitement to be worthy of “Fight of the Year” status.

In the end, I believe it’s a just a preference of what you are looking for in a fight. Arguments can be made either way; just like when people argue about who won a close decision, I think when it comes to "Fight of the Year," anyone’s slight inclination for a fighter or a particular fight can be to taste. Our awards committee thought that Santiago-Misaki had the best level of back-and-forth action, drama and importance in 2010, but it was a year full of great fights. That is what makes this sport great: 2010 reminded us about how amazing it is when different organizations are able to stage classic fights. In a year like that, the real winners are the fans.

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