The 411 MMA Top 5 01.21.10: The Breakout Fighters Of 2009

Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.21.2010

From Jose Aldo, Ben Henderson and Joe Warren to Marius Zaromskis, Brian Bowles and Jon Jones, the 411 MMA writers decide the Breakout Fighters of 2009! Check out the full column to see which Submissions made the list and why!



Welcome:
Welcome back to the MMA Top 5! What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 MMA will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all of these topics rank on people's list, we will create an overall Top 5 list. It's highly non-official and final, like WAMMA. What we are going to do over the next few weeks is run the column twice a week to crown our best of 2009. From best and worst fight to best fighter and KO of the year, the staff will come together to share out best. Thanks for joining us, and lets get down to work.


And now…

THE BREAKOUT FIGHTERS OF 2009!


Larry Csonka

5. Joe Warren - While Warren had an impressive background in wrestling, he was thrown into the deep end in MMA in 2009, and did damn well for himself. When you debut with victories over Chase Beebe and Kid Yamamoto, you have turned some heads and deserve some recognition. Warren has a ton of potential if he can put together a complete MMA game.

4. Brian Bowles - Brian Bowles unfortunately for us only fought one time in 2009, but what a fight it was. He fought Miguel Torres and not only beat him, but finished the man in impressive fashion. Torres was one of the poster children of the WEC, had an insane record and seemed as if he was unbeatable. But Bowles took him out, and now goes into 2010 as the man in the division.

3. Marius Zaromskis - Marius Zaromskis will get the chance to impress the US MMA audience when he faces Nick Diaz at Strikeforce: Miami for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Title, but those who have been following the Japanese scene know that Zaromskis made his presence known in 2009. Whether called Little Cro Cop of The Whitemare, the man knocked out Hayato Saskurai and Jason High on the same night to win the DREAM welterweight Grand Prix. He is one of the guys that I made a point to follow, and I am excited to see him come to the US and fight.

2. Benson Henderson - 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. If his fight with Varner would have been in 2009, he would have likely won the award from me. But that will go to another man…

1. Jose Aldo - Jose Aldo. 4-0 in 2009, total fight time 13-minutes and 7-seconds, and destroyed Mike Brown to with the WEC Featherweight title. He was THE man to break out and say, "I am here, and you are all screwed". This is a scary man…

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Jeffrey Harris

Honorable Mentions

Joe Warren - A debuting fighter with probably two of the hardest matchups you could ever get to starting your career. The former WEC Bantamweight Champion Chase Beebe, and then the legendary Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto. Warren's skills looked very impressive for an MMA rookie.


5. Donald Cerrone - Donald may have come up short in his two title opportunities this year, but he came into his own and is most definitely a force to be reckoned with in the cage. Cerrone's now poised at the top of WEC's lightweight division as his rivals Henderson and Varner will be fighting it out. Cerrone comes to fight every time and is amazing to watch.

4. Ben Henderson - Henderson put on one of the fighting performances of a lifetime at WEC 43 to become the WEC Interim Lightweight Champion. It was truly one of the best fights of the year. Henderson's unwillingness to tap and fearlessness in the face of defeat is incredible. He broke out with just one fight really.

3. Brian Bowles - Bowles was a tremendous underdog going into his title bout with Miguel Torres. Many did not expect the Torres dynasty to end, but end it Brian Bowles did knocking out fan favorite and reigning champ Torres in the first round. The undefeated Bowles shocked the world when it looked like no one was going to beat Torres.

2. Lyoto Machida - The yuckiness of the Shogun fight decision aside, this was Machida's year. He started the year strong, finally shutting down his doubters and critics of being a boring fighter that always runs by KTFO'ing the undefeated Thiago Silva. He then followed that up by straight up destroying the UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans, to capture the title. Machida became a big name and is now a credible draw as a fighter to boot. Plus, he made Rashad Evans do the stanky leg.

1. Jose Aldo - Aldo debuted in the WEC last year, but his run to the top of the featherweight division this year was no less impressive. Aldo fought a total of 4 times this year, twice in the first half of 2009 and twice in the second. He won all those fights by TKO. He followed up his sick KO of the year win over Cub Swanson by beating the champ, Mike Brown, by TKO as well. Aldo has only lost once in his career and is still in his early 20's. It's scary how good he is at the moment.

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Samer Kadi

Honorable Mentions

Brett Rogers - Burst onto the scene with a stunning 18 second knockout of Andre Arlovski then gave Fedor Emelianenko quite a test in their bout last November.

Dan Hardy - A monumental year for the Brit. After a star-making performance in his home country against Rory Markham, he racked up two big wins over Marcus Davis and Mike Swick, earning himself a shot at the welterweight title.


5. Jon Jones - Now widely regarded as one of the most promising prospects in the sport, few were aware of Jon Jones' abilities prior to his bout with Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. Jones dominated Bonnar with a breathtaking display of unorthodox striking and wrestling. From throws, suplexes and spinning back elbows, it was a starmaking performance for "Bones". He followed it up with an impressive second round submission of Jake O'Brian and dominated Matt Hamill (we all know the story there).

4. Cain Velasquez - While many were already proclaiming him as the next big thing since 2008, many had their doubts regarding Cain Velasquez as he had yet to be tested. It's fair to say that his performances against Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell shut down the majority of the critics.

3. Brian Bowles - He may have only fought once in 2009, but he produced arguably the upset of the year by knocking out Miguel Torres and capturing the WEC bantamweight title.

2. Marius Zaromskis - Head kicked his way into stardom. Zaromskis surprised everyone with brutal knockouts of Hayato Saskurai and Jason High on the same night to win the DREAM welterweight Grand Prix.

1. Jose Aldo - Really was that ever in doubt? Four fights, four knockouts, WEC featherweight title, what more do you ask? Labeled as nothing more than a mere prospect in 2009, Jose Aldo is now widely regarded as one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world.

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Daniel Bonnizzio

Honorable Mentions

Joe Warren - This guy had the hardest two opening fights in any career I could think of, and came out winning and smiling. Awesome.


5. Brian Bowles - He fought but once in 2009, yet that one fight was one that will be watched and remembered countless times throughout the MMA world. He toppled the ruler of the 135-pound division and ended a 17-fight win streak. Not only that, he STOPPED Torres. He flew under most peoples' radars in 2009, but you can be sure that we'll all be looking closer at him in 2010.

4. Lyoto Machida - Despite walking into 2009 with a 13-0 record with victories over top competition like Rich Franklin and BJ Penn, the fact was that Lyoto wasn't very liked. He changed that with a one-round mauling of Thiago Silva and a one-and-a-half round torture of Rashad Evans that saw him capture the Light Heavyweight belt. He endeared himself to the fans and really established himself as a good fighter, a big draw, and definitely more exciting.

3. Ben Henderson - Despite being relatively unknown going into WEC 43, his entire WEC career happened in 2009 and that was where he really shined. He took Cerrone into deep waters and came out bright as a star. Quite possibly one of the gutsiest fighters I can think of in recent times, look for him to use his stellar 2009 to springboard him to greater heights in 2010.

2. Marious Zaromskis - 4 fights, 3 vicious KO's, and a championship. Nobody knew who Zaromskis was going into 2009 except Che Mills, but walking out everyone (who watches DREAM) knows who he is. He quickly became one of my favorite fighters and hopefully stays there for a while.

1. Jose Aldo - Four fights won in 2009? Check. Four KO's in 2009? Check. Beating the champ to become the champ? Check. Nobody had as great a year as Aldo. The guy came into 2009 as nothing more than someone figured to be a player in the featherweight division. He walked out of 2009 as somebody who will be playing for the top spot in many P4P rankings everywhere.

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Jonathan Solomon

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tyron Woodley - Perhaps "breakthrough" is not the proper phrase just yet but Woodley made his debut last year and is now 5-0. He has a bright future ahead of him.

Gegard Mousasi - The only reason he is not ranked is because his opponents in 2009 were not all impressive and he had a name prior to 2009. Last year, he submitted Mark Hunt and knocked out Babalu Sobral, Sokoudjou and Gary Goodridge.


5. Jonathan "BONES" Jones - The UFC light heavyweight likely should be undefeated but an illogical rule forced a disqualification loss last month. Even with the loss, Bones Jones had an impressive 2009. He started the year by disposing of Stephan Bonnar with entertaining throws. He finished Jake O'Brien with a guillotine choke at UFC 100 and was on his way to manhandling Matt Hamill. Realistically, the fight should have been stopped because of either A) Hamill had taken an inordinate amount of strikes without answering them or B) Hamill had injured his shoulder, but the referee allowed the beating to continue until Jones threw a downward elbow. Jones is on tap for an even bigger 2010 as he fights in his first UFC main event in March against Brandon Vera.

4. Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy - Hardy made a name for himself fighting in his native England before making his UFC debut in late-2008. Ironically, Hardy is 0-2 when fighting in the U.S.A. and will make his first U.S. appearance for the UFC when he challenges GSP in March. In 2009, he knocked out Rory Markham and then took decision wins from Marcus Davis and Mike Swick. It was all the hype before the fight with Davis that really helped build Hardy up for the UFC audience. He can talk it, and apparently, he's not too bad of a fighter either. Hardy may not have much of a chance (according to fans) against GSP, but never count out the slugger.

3. Paul "Semtex" Daley - Daley has been around for a long time, having been in over 30 professional fights since his debut in 2003. He's fought big names throughout his career but now he is on the cusp of becoming a HUGE name. He began 2009 with a disappointing decision loss to Nick Thompson in Canada, but things went way better for him afterwards. He picked up two KO wins fighting in England and Slovenia and then made his UFC debut in September. Daley was actually a substitute for Mike Swick against Martin Kampmann and shocked the audience with a knockout win in just over two minutes. On January 2nd, 2010, he knocked out Dustin Hazelett and is on tap to compete for a potential UFC title shot.

2. "The Whitemare" Marius Zaromskis - The Lithuanian fighter made his Japanese debut in April won a decision in the quarterfinals of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix against Seichi Ikemoto. He fought three times to cap off 2009 and win each fight with a head kick in the first round. He sent Sakurai, Jason High and Ho Bae Myeon packing with his awesome display of strikes. In the process, he became the first DREAM welterweight champion. Zaromskis spring boarded that success into a contract with Strikeforce where he will fight Nick Diaz later this month for their welterweight championship.

1. Jose Aldo - There is only one man who fought his way into the best P4P talk this year and that's Jose Aldo. He won each of his four fights in 2009 through vicious TKO wins. That includes a great flying knee knockout against Cub Swanson and a dominating performance against Mike Brown. Yes, the same Mike Brown who handled Urijah Faber twice. Jose Aldo is just 23-years old and he figures to be on the "best" lists for years to come. The reigning WEC featherweight champion figures to fight Urijah Faber in 2010, perhaps on PPV and will be the favorite heading into the contest.

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Dan Plunkett

5. Ben Henderson - To start off 2009, Henderson defeated the very dangerous Anthony Njokuani. After that he stopped Shane Roller in the first round of their April bout. Then came the fight that made Ben Henderson. In October he fought Donald Cerrone for the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship. A back-and-forth five round war ensued that many call the fight of the year. In the end, it was Henderson who came out with the belt around his waist.

4. Dan Hardy - Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Dan Hardy had a great 2009. After upsetting Akihiro Gono in late 2008, Hardy kept the momentum going in 2009 by knocking out Rory Markham at UFC 95. Then Hardy started a feud with Marcus Davis, a guy that's always on the cusp of being an elite welterweight. At UFC 99, Hardy beat Davis by split decision and in November found himself fighting to become the #1 contender. Once again, the underdog Hardy shocked many as he defeated Mike Swick to earn himself at shot at Georges St. Pierre in 2010. Good luck with that.

3. Marius Zaromskis - This is a scary man. "The Whitemare" broke out this year when he won the DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix. Even more amazing? He's currently on a three-fight streak of finishing his opponent with a head kick. Nick Diaz watch out.

2. Jon Jones - At only 21 years old, many thought Jon Jones would simply be too inexperienced for Stephan Bonnar when they fought in January of 2009. Those people, including myself, were quite wrong. Jones dominated Bonnar from the opening bell with his flashy throws and unorthodox striking. After defeating Jake O'Brien at UFC 100, Jones took on the toughest test of his career in fellow wrestler Matt Hamill. Though he lost the bout by disqualification, there's no denying that Jones manhandled Hamill throughout the fight. Now 22, Jones is one of the most exciting prospects in all of MMA.

1. Jose Aldo - I knew going into 2009 that Aldo was a guy to watch, but I didn't expect him to do the things he did. After demolishing his first two less than stellar opponents, the Brazilian stepped into the cage against a solid fighter in Cub Swanson. Swanson only lasted 8 seconds. Then Aldo got a shot at champion Mike Brown. Incredibly, Aldo completely demolished Brown. He showed to have probably the fasted hands in the division, great takedown defense, and a deadly ground game. Jose Aldo is a beast.

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AND 411's BREAKOUT FIGHTERS OF 2009 ARE…



T5. Jon Jones –6pts.




T5. Lyoto Machida – 6pts.




4. Brian Bowles – 7pts.




3. Benson Henderson – 10pts.




2. Marius Zaromskis – 18pts.




1. Jose Aldo – 30pts.


THE 2009 AWARDS
* The Best Fight Of 2009: Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone: WEC 43 – 26pts.
* The Worst Fight Of 2009: Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites: UFC 97 – 28pts.
* The Best KO Of 2009: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping: UFC 100 - 26pts.
* The Best Fighter Of 2009: Lyoto Machida – 30pts.
* The Best Submission Of 2009: Toby Imada vs. Jorge Masvidal: Bellator 5 - 30pts.
* The Most Disappointing Fighter Of 2009: Josh Barnett – 32pts.
* The Breakout Fighter Of 2009: Jose Aldo – 30pts.

Come back next week when we get back to the regular column~!

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