411's 2009 MMA Fighter of the Year

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 01.14.2010

2009 was another year in which mixed martial arts was taken to new heights, largely due to the great efforts of the fighters themselves. The 411 MMA staff has honored these fighters by voting on the best performances every month. After 12 action packed months, the year is over and 411 has ranked the top ten fighters of 2009! Who is the fighter of the year? Check out the column to find out!



Each month in 2009, the 411 MMA staff voted on the Fighter of the Month. The results from each month have been tallied and the list of the top ten mixed martial artists of the year has been made. This list is made up of the elite fighters of the sport; all ten were titleholders in 2009 and nine still have those titles today. Without any further ado, let's get to the top ten fighters of 2009!

10. Jake Shields


Jake Shields made it well known in 2008 that he was the best welterweight not under UFC contract. In 2009, Shields moved up in weight and became one of the best non-UFC middleweights in the world. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt didn't fight until June, but he picked off right where he had left off when he submitted top middleweight Robbie Lawler. Then in November Shields took on Jason Miller for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, winning by unanimous decision. With the win, Shields solidified himself as one of the few fighters who can fight at the highest level in multiple weight classes. -Dan Plunkett

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9. Brock Lesnar


Brock Lesnar started off 2009 riding high after defeating Randy Couture in November 2008 for the heavyweight title. A rematch with his nemesis Frank Mir was in the works after Mir disposed of Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera at UFC 92. The much anticipated rematch was supposed to happen at UFC 98, but injuries postponed the bout to UFC 100, where Lesnar and Mir headlined what was arguably the promotion's most-hyped show ever. A war of words between Lesnar and Mir preceded the out and appeared to motivate Lesnar for revenge of his first UFC loss to Mir. The second meeting of the two consisted of Lesnar overpowering Mir and holding him down while inflicting damage to his face. Lesnar walked away with a TKO victory, but fanned the flames of controversy by resorting back to some WWE tactics during his post-fight celebration which included getting in Mir's face, flipping the bird to the hostile Las Vegas crowd, and insulting the event's sponsor, Budweiser. Lesnar later apologized, but his antics might have garnered more news than is victory. Lesnar was next scheduled to defend his title against powerhouse wrestler Shane Carwin, but a career-threatening bout of diverticulitis has sidelined Lesnar indefinitely. Hopefully he returns in 2010. -Scott Kuczkowski

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8. Anderson Silva


Despite being hailed as the best MMA fighter on the planet by many, 2009 didn't get off to a great start for Anderson Silva. After a lackluster performance against Patrick Cote to end 2008, Silva began 2009 in a title defense against Thales Leites. Though Silva clearly won the bout and was never in any danger, it was widely criticized and was recently named the worst fight of 2009 by the good folks here at 411mania. Needing dangerous opponent for the middleweight champ, the UFC chose former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin to take on Silva. In what can only be truly described using Joe Rogan's term "ballet of violence," Silva utterly destroyed Griffin. After, getting knocked down three times throughout the 3 minute and 23 second fight, Griffin waved his arm in the air, conceding defeat. In 2010, Silva will look to repeat that performance when he defends his middleweight title against Vitor Belfort. -Dan Plunkett

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7. Benson Henderson


2009 was certainly a great year for Benson "Smooth" Henderson, or "Lil Hendo" as I like to call him. And before you ask, I just like to give out nicknames. Before 2009, Henderson was a 7-1 fighter, working smaller shows and trying to make a name for himself. And then he got the call from the WEC, and made his debut at WEC 38, where he defeated Anthony Njokuani via second round submission. With the victory, he returned three months later at WEC 40, where he defeated then 5-1 Shane Roller via first round TKO. Henderson was on the rise, and with Jamie Varner out of action due to injury, "Lil Hendo" got the call to face Donald Cerrone (10-1-1nc) for the Interim Lightweight Title at WEC 43. Many thought the Cowboy would walk through Henderson on his way to a rematch with Varner, but instead, we got a war in the cage between these guys that was one of the very best fights of the year. Henderson escaped numerous submission attempts, and put on a great fight that not only won him the title, but also made him an instant star. Benson Henderson deserves his place on the list of best fighters from 2009, as he was undefeated and certainly advanced his career status. Note: This was written before WEC 46 and the Title Unification Bout With Jamie Varner. -Larry Csonka

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6. Fedor Emelianenko


Fedor Emelianenko is the #1 heavyweight fighter in the world. He's also widely regarded as one of the top 3 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. In 2009, Fedor reminded us why he is one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. While many MMA fans may complain about the lack of competition that Fedor faces, the bottom line is....the man will fight anyone willing to face him and he will more than likely destroy them. Look at his competition in 2009. Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski was riding a 5-fight win streak going into his fight with Fedor (with wins over Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell, etc.) and it only took Emelianenko a little over three minutes to send Arlovski's chin into the fourth row. After defeating Arlovski, Fedor was matched up with the undefeated Brett Rogers. While Rogers put up a little bit of a fight, it only took Fedor around seven minutes to finish Rogers. That's just how dangerous "The Last Emperor" is. Hopefully in 2010, we will finally see Fedor compete in the Octagon where he can face the likes of Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin and show the world why he really is one dangerous man. -Dustin James

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5. B.J. Penn


BJ Penn got off to a rough start in 2009. Although he was willing to fight his nemesis Georges St. Pierre TO THE DEATH at UFC 94, he was forced to quit before the fifth round of their fight. Many questioned just how good Penn was and if he still had the desire to fight after taking such a beating. Penn silenced all critics at UFC 101 when he took on Kenny Florian. In that fight he showed that GSP hadn't beaten him mentally by beating Florian with a rear naked choke in the fourth round. The "finally taking this fighting thing serious" BJ Penn had arrived highlighted by a new strength and conditioning program led by Marv Marinovich. Penn continued his Lightweight domination at UFC 107 with an epic performance against Diego Sanchez where he dominated Sanchez in every aspect of MMA and made him unrecognizable in the process. He's the best Lightweight in world, he's one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world, he proved this year that he can sell PPVs, and he always gets a good write up from me. - Jeremy Lambert

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4. Jose Aldo


Talk about a fighter who had a rocket strapped to his back in 2009 and one of the first names to come to mind is Jose Aldo. The Brazilian fighter made his American and WEC debuts in 2008 and jumped onto the scene with a thump. Entering 2009 as a man who many expected would challenge for the WEC featherweight championship, it took him most of the year, but he did not disappoint. He fought four times and the total length of those fights was just over seven minutes. In January, he knocked out Rolando Perez with a barrage of strikes including knees and punches. In March, he knocked out Chris Mickle with an explosive boxing display. In June, on the card that featured the Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber rematch, he knocked out Cub Swanson with a flying knee in just eight seconds. Thus, Aldo earned himself a shot at champion Mike Brown. With the world wondering what would give, the strong wrestling champion or the fast striker, it was almost unbelievable. What was amazing to watch was the dominance displayed by Aldo as he simply battered Mike Brown. Aldo was faster, more powerful and when the fight went to the ground, he lost neither. In fact, Mike Brown looked lost as he tried to defend Aldo's boxing. Jose Aldo is now the undisputed WEC featherweight champion and at just 23-years old, it is downright scary to imagine how long he can potentially hold on to that belt. The most popular WEC champion of all-time, Urijah Faber held that belt for over two years and made five successful title defenses. Aldo has the tools to make those stats look commonplace. -Jonathan Solomon

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3. Georges St. Pierre


Georges St. Pierre may have only fought twice in 2009, but the competition he's beaten is second to none (The only fighter to come close is Lyoto Machida, but we know the story of the Shogun fight). In January of 2009, GSP put a beating on BJ Penn, a fellow top five pound for pound fighter. The ease in which St. Pierre was able to handle Penn was stunning to say the least. He followed it up with a one sided decision victory over Thiago Alves at UFC 100, a fight in which GSP sustained an injury that forced him to sit out the rest of the year. With arguably his biggest year to date behind him, GSP's stock is at an all time high, as he has turned into one of MMA's biggest superstars. In terms of skillset, "Rush" has it all: He's the best wrestler in MMA, a very gifted striker, and a BJJ black belt. With the looks, the charisma, and the popularity to top it off, GSP is just getting started. Here's hoping he doesn't ruin it by pursuing his Olympic dream. -Samer Kadi

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2. Mike Brown


Mike Brown is an unassuming man. Generic looking, not a standout personality, kinda hard to pick him out of a crowd unless you knew who and where he was. Well, we knew where he was in 2009. He started off the year with a TON of momentum. He had just handed Urijah Faber his first loss in nearly three years, and had become the new WEC Featherweight Champion. He then went on to hand Leonard Garcia his very first stoppage loss, and followed that up with a masterful performance in a FOTY candidate in a rematch with Urijah Faber that saw him solidify his claim to being the best in the world at 145 pounds. He was on top of the world. Were it not for his most recent encounter in the cage with Jose Aldo, I'm sure Brown would be the Fighter of the Year and most definitely have a huge stake in Pound for Pound rankings everywhere. I wholly expect to see Mike Brown back in the title hunt soon, and I wholly expect to see him wearing the belt once again. -Daniel Bonnizzio

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411mania's Fighter of the Year 2009
Lyoto Machida


If ever there was a fighter you could call a phenomenon in a sport, he would most definitely be Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Lyoto had built up quite a fanbase with in the hardcore MMA community. And why not? Lyoto was an undefeated fighter. He'd fought all over the world and in Japan, and even been on the receiving end of the legendary Inoki slap. He knocked out former UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin in Japan. Machida had been dominant in his run thus far in the UFC through 2008, but still received criticism for being boring and constantly running away in fights. All that changed at UFC 94 when Machida faced off against fellow light heavyweight contender and undefeated fighter, Thiago Silva. Silva was also a BJJ blackbelt and a dangerous striker with KO power. What happened in 5 minutes was an absolute clinic as Machida absolutely destroyed Silva standing up with his unorthodox Shotokan Karate style, a style long believed dead and irrelevant for the sport of MMA, and went on to knockout just before the round ended. The victory and ensuing post-fight interview finally got more mainstream and casual fans interested in MMA. Machida started speaking in English more which crowds appreciated on a night where tons more viewers were checking out the UFC.

This continued into UFC 98 where Machida faced the new light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans, yet another undefeated fighter. Evans and Evan's trainer known for smart fighting gameplanning, Greg Jackson, thought they saw wholes in Machida's game and thought they had a winning strategy for Machida. Rashad tried to outstall Machida and make Machida strike first. That strategy failed miserably as Machida took Evans apart and Evans had absolutely no defense against Machida's style. Machida made Evans go "stankie-leg" in the second round to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The "Machida Era" had finally begun.

Machida's status amongst the MMA fandom community increased to gigantic proportions. People likened Machida to a reincarnated Bruce Lee. Machida's status took a hit with the fight with Shogun last October at UFC 104, but the fight proved that Machida could carry a PPV main event with his name value alone. 2009 was definitely the year of The Dragon. -Jeffrey Harris

Fighter of the Year Final Standings

Every month the 411 MMA staff ranked their personal top five Fighters of the Month. The results were tabulated and put into an overall ranking for the month. The first place finisher received 15 points, second place received 12, third place got 9, fourth place was awarded 6, fifth place got 3, and the sixth place finisher received 1. These points were put towards the fighter's Fighter of the Year total, which is how we got our top 10. Since there were multiple ties among the top ten point scorers, the staff voted once more to break these ties. Here are the final standings:

Lyoto Machida - 30 points
Mike Brown - 30 points

Georges St. Pierre - 27 points

BJ Penn - 21 points
Jose Aldo - 21 points
Fedor Emelianenko - 21 points

Jake Shields - 15 points
Benson Henderson - 15 points
Paul Daley - 15 points
Anderson Silva - 15 points
Brian Bowles - 15 points
Brock Lesnar - 15 points
Diego Sanchez - 15 points
Nick Diaz - 15 points
Miguel Torres - 15 points
Demian Maia - 15 points

Gilbert Melendez – 12 points
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – 12 points
Bibiano Fernandes - 12 points
Cain Velasquez - 12 points
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua - 12 points
Vitor Belfort - 12 points
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos - 12 points
Dan Henderson - 12 points
Brett Rogers - 12 points
Joe Warren - 12 points
Shane Carwin - 12 points
Nate Marquardt - 12 points

Frank Mir – 9 points
Junior dos Santos - 9 points
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - 9 points
Marius Zaromskis - 9 points
Frank Edgar - 9 points
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal - 9 points
Paulo Thiago - 9 points

Roy Nelson – 6 points
Gray Maynard - 6 points
Tyson Griffin - 6 points
Eddie Alvarez - 6 points
Tatsuya Kawajiri - 6 points
Toby Imada - 6 points
Martin Kampmann - 6 points
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - 6 points

Shinya Aoki - 4 points
Scott Smith - 4 points

Dan Hardy – 3 points
Tyron Woodley - 3 points
Gegard Mousasi - 3 points
Mark Coleman - 3 points
Krzysztof Soszynski - 3 points
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai - 3 points
Matt Hamill - 3 points
Jorge Santiago - 3 points

Bobby Lashley - 2 points

Josh Koscheck – 1 point
Mackens Semerzier - 1 point
Efrain Escudero - 1 point
Tom Lawler - 1 point
Sarah Kaufman - 1 point
Hideo Tokoro - 1 point
Anthony Johnson - 1 point
Satoru Kitaoka - 1 point

Big thanks to the 411 staff that voted each months and wrote the wonderful blurbs above.