411’s Fighter Of The Month 10.01.08: September

Posted by Adam Tool on 10.01.2008

A wild month in MMA gives us the closest round of voting yet! But who will take the top honors?

A new month means it's time to give out the award to the person whose performance stood out above all others in the past 30 days. During September we saw Rashad Evans knock the "Iceman" out cold, Nate Diaz took another step up the lightweight ladder, Wilson Reis was crowned as the first ever EliteXC Bantamweight Champion, and Gegard Mousasi defeated Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in under four minutes to win the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix. In all of our previous months of voting the winner has taken it in a clean sweep, but that's not the case here. Read on to find out who took top honors, but first let's remind everyone of just what the hell is going on in here.

How It Works

Each staff member picks five fighters and ranks them. I'll assign a point value to those rankings. Points are determined as:

1st - 5
2nd - 4
3rd - 3
4th - 2
5th - 1

The fighter with the most points is our Fighter of the Month and then new points are assigned that will go towards Fighter of the Year. Those points are:

1st - 15
2nd - 12
3rd - 9
4th - 6
5th - 3
6th - 1

The Voting

Scott Kuczkowski

1) Rashad Evans
Evans' knockout victory of Chuck Liddell was arguably the biggest victory in his career and cemented his position in the light heavyweight top 10 rankings. A future title shot against Forrest Griffin seems predetermined.

2) Gegard Mousasi - Gegard won the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix and had probably the hardest track of all the contestants. His quick submission of Manhoef was awesome and his up-kick KO of Jacare was pretty cool. Gegard stated he plan to fight Akiyama next and them move up to light heavyweight.
3) Nate Diaz - Nate showed us he is for real in his victory over Josh Neer. He also demonstrated a degree of class by putting over Neer in his post fight interview. Diaz also demonstrated he has the gas tank to go 3 rounds of a hard fought fight.
4) Josh Thomson - Josh fought a fairly unknown opponent in Bowman and scored the first round TKO victory. The impressive aspect of this fight is that Thomson had everything to lose in this fight, but took the fight anyways because he knows that is his job as the champion (I'm looking at you KJ Noons.)
5) Rich Franklin - Rich made his return to light heavyweight with a victory over a tough Matt Hamill and demonstrated that he can be a force in the division. There are a number of interesting matchups for Franklin at 205, to include just about anyone in the top 10.


Dustin James

1) Gegard Mousasi
Say what you will about Rashad Evans impressive knockout victory over Chuck Liddell, in my eyes that doesn't compare to beating Melvin Manhoef and Jacare Souza in the same evening and under 4 minutes combined. Now, THAT'S impressive. Mousasi won the DREAM middleweight grand prix tournament and made a name for himself. People are now saying that Anderson Silva's biggest threat in the middleweight division is Mousasi. So basically, if you beat two tough opponents in under 4 minutes, become possibly Anderson Silva's biggest threat (and you aren't even in the same promotion as he is), and win the DREAM Middleweight title.....you earn yourself "Fighter of the Month" in my eyes.

2) Rashad Evans - What can I say about Rashad Evans? He is undefeated and scored his biggest win to date by knocking out Chuck Liddell in impressive fashion. "Sugar" Rashad has earned himself a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title against Forrest Griffin in a fight that I consider a very difficult match-up for Evans. Either way, good month for Rashad.
3) Rich Franklin - Franklin made his return to the light heavyweight division and did so with a victory over a very tough Matt Hamill. Franklin looked impressive and may have found a new home in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Anytime you can continue your UFC career and try to avoid Anderson Silva....it's a good month. Now Franklin just needs to hope Silva will stay at middleweight, or retire.
4) Nate Marquardt - Here we go with another impressive victory at UFC 88. Marquardt fought Martin Kampmann in what was basically a "winner gets a shot at Anderson Silva down the road" fight. Marquardt looked DAMN impressive earning a TKO victory over Kampmann rather quickly. Anytime I'm watching an MMA fight and I put my hands to my cheeks in amazement, I will include you in "Fighter of the Month" honors.
5) Dan Henderson - Notice a pattern here? 4 out of my 5 nominees come from UFC 88. Hendo earns fifth place because HE'S BACK BABY! I was worried for Hendo when I heard he was fighting the tree trunk known as Rousimar Palhares. Palhares is one of the best submission guys in the game and is also huge for a middleweight. I was glad Hendo decided to stand up and bang with Palhares for the majority of the fight and was even happier to see him pick up the win. What's next for Henderson? Rumor is he could be a coach on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter" and this makes 100% sense to me. Hendo is in charge of Team Quest-California and would make an excellent coach for the show.

Larry Csonka

1) Rashad Evans
It almost seems like forever ago that the destruction of Chuck Liddell took place, but the knockout is still fresh in my memory. Some say that it would have meant more two-years ago, but the fact is that Chuck Liddell is still a big name in the business and Rashad shut a lot of people up with the win. The question is, can this propel him all the way to the title?

2) Gegard Mousasi - I really struggled with my first and second place picks this time around. But at the end of the day I had to go with Evans huge win over Liddell. But that doesn't take away from Gegard Mousasi's impressive performance at DREAM 6, where he won the middleweight grand prix. I was very impressed with Mousasi's performance, and he is a fighter I want to see more of.
3) Wilson Reis - Wilson Reis comes in third place for me as he had a very impressive performance, winning the first ever EliteXC Bantamweight Title.
4) Nate Diaz - Nate Diaz continues his domination of the UFC Lightweight Division and is getting closer and closer to a title shot.
5) Rich Franklin - Rich Franklin defeats a game Matt Hamill as he makes the transition to Light Heavyweight. Franklin looked great, the only question is can he keep it up?

Jonathan Solomon

1) Gegard Mousasi
A big month for him as he won the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix, defeating two tough opponents within four minutes of total action. A nice knockout of Jacare Souza and an awesome submission of Melvin Manhoef (in his last fight ever?) sealed the deal.

2) Rashad Evans - A highlight reel KO of Chuck Liddell is a career maker and Evans is a step away from reaching the top of the mountain. He gets to main event the big New Year's Eve show for UFC against Forrest Griffin in another main event. Evans is momentum. Why not the top spot? Because the Mets ruined my week.
3) Clay Guida - The wild man put on another great show for fans in a decision victory over Mac Danzig. You know whenever he fights, you will get your money's worth or simply be entertained.
4) Josh Thomson- He remains at the top with a quick victory at the Playboy Mansion. Future title defenses are on the horizon, but it was the Playboy Mansion. Playboy Mansion.
5) Dan Henderson - HENDO! Back in the saddle again with a decision win at UFC 88. Now let's see if he can back it up down the line. Is he still an elite fighter? Who knows but a win for him was important after suffering defeat against Rampage and THE Silva.

Bren Oliver

1) Rashad Evans
This is really a "1A"/"1B" situation when it comes to Mousasi and Evans. However, scoring a highlight reel knockout against "The Iceman", while in the process earning yourself a shot at Forrest Griffin's UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, are reasons enough for me to award "Sugar" Shad with this month's top slot.

2) Gegard Mousasi - Mousasi has more or less established himself as a "Top 3" Middleweight with consecutive wins over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, and Ronaldo Souza. Not too shabby for a 23-year old, eh?
3) Clay Guida - "The Carpenter" showed fans once again why he is one of the toughest draws in the UFC's Lightweight division. Mac Danzig is an excellent fighter who looked to be a true force at 155 pounds, yet Guida controlled him throughout the majority of their bout and never seemed to be in real trouble. He may not ever be champion but you better believe that whoever WILL be the UFC's next Lightweight champ will have to get through Guida to get there.
4) Nate Marquardt - Marquardt destroyed one of the UFC's best Middleweights (Martin Kampmann) and looks to be a win away from earning a rematch against Anderson Silva.
5) Nate Diaz - Looked good against one of his hardest opponents to date (Josh Neer), though he'll have to improve his striking in order to find himself stepping into the Octagon to compete for UFC gold. Still, a win over Neer shows Diaz is a legitimate force to be reckoned with, and he's definitely proven that he's ready for another step up in competition.

Adam Tool

1) Rashad Evans
Obviously I'm not the only one that had tough decision to make in regards of who to rank number one. When making my choice though I decided to go with the performance that had the biggest impact. Rashad Evans got the biggest win of his career in a fight where nobody (including myself) gave him a chance of pulling it out. Evans shocked the world, and delivered what may go down as the biggest upset of the year. He also played the part of spoiler by throwing a big wrench into the rumored Chuck vs. Forrest title fight. Instead Evans will catapult right into his own title shot in one of the world's deepest divisions, and he'll have a chance to make history once again. Whether he wins or loses that fight, Evans has served notice that he belongs right there amongst the elites at light heavyweight.

2) Gegard Mousasi - As I said, it was a tough decision for number one as Mousasi is also worthy of that honor. He may have been one of the favorites in the DREAM Middleweight GP, but I don't think anyone expected him to go right through two of the most difficult opponents in the tournament. Mousasi negated the punching power of Melvin Manhoef by submitting him quickly and hardly breaking a sweat. Then when faced with the outstanding grappling abilities of Jacare, Mousasi is able to land one of the most perfect up kicks you'll ever see and knock his opponent out cold. Gegard Mousasi is your DREAM Middleweight Champion and the best 185 lbs. fighter in the world currently not receiving a check from Zuffa.
3) Wilson Reis - In all fairness, winning a championship in EliteXC is a bit of a dicey prospect right now. That doesn't take away from the fact that Reis defeated a very game opponent, and he now has a place in MMA history as the first EliteXC Bantamweight Champion.
4) Dan Henderson - When making my picks for UFC 88 I almost went with an upset special and took Rousimar Palhares to beat Henderson. Hendo knew he was facing a dangerous opponent and he worked a perfect gameplan to get the win. With that he launches right back into the barren landscape that is the UFC's middleweight title contender pool. Let's not forget the rumors flying that Henderson may be coaching one of the squad's on next year's "Ultimate Fighter."
5) Nate Diaz - In his first main event fight Diaz performed flawlessly. He may not have gotten the finish but that's more due to the toughness of Josh Neer. Now we can expect Díaz el más joven to get another step up in competition and (hopefully) an appearance on a PPV card.

The Results

Honorable Mentions: Josh Thomson, Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson

5th Place - Rich Franklin (5 points)

Franklin makes his return to the light heavyweight ranks and soundly beats a tough Matt Hamill.

4th Place (TIE) - Wilson Reis & Clay Guida (6 points)

Reis captures EliteXC gold while Guida hands Mac Danzig his first UFC loss.

3rd Place - Nate Diaz (7 points)

The season six "Ultimate Fighter" gets a nice win in the main event and raises his stock in the lightweight division

2nd Place - Gegard Mousasi (26 points)

Mousasi plowed right through the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix and becomes a champion.

Fighter of the Month for September - Rashad Evans (28 points)

"Sugar Shad" scores the biggest win of his life and gives us the frontrunner candidate for "Upset Of The Year."

Fighter Of The Year Standings

Voting began on June 3rd.

Rashad Evans - 15 points
Georges St. Pierre - 15 points
Forrest Griffin - 15 points
Urijah Faber - 15 points
BJ Penn - 15 points

Josh Thomson - 13 points

Gegard Mousasi - 12 points
Brock Lesnar - 12 points
Fedor Emelianenko - 12 points
Wanderlei Silva - 12 points

Nate Diaz - 9 points
Kenny Florian - 9 points
Anderson Silva - 9 points
Shinya Aoki - 9 points
Eddie Alvarez - 9 points
Lyoto Machida - 9 points

Wilson Reis - 6 points
Clay Guida - 6 points
Carlos Condit - 6 points
Robbie Lawler - 6 points
Joachim Hansen - 6 points
Amir Sadollah - 6 points
Kimbo Slice - 6 points

Rich Franklin - 3 points
Jon Fitch - 3 points
Steve Cantwell - 3 points
Christian Cyborg - 3 points
KJ Noons - 3 points
Miguel Torres - 3 points

Nate Marquardt - 1 point
Dan Henderson - 1 point
Frank Trigg - 1 point
Jake Shields - 1 point
Michael Bisping - 1 point
Scott Smith - 1 point