What makes a great fight? Competition. Fights where both competitors could have won stand a better chance of making this list of the top 10 MMA fights of 2009 than those that were one-sided. Further, the stakes also matter. A small market undercard event is certainly going to have a tough time outdoing a main event battle in the UFC when the actual contests were anywhere near close. Finally, there's preference and intangibles, two things that are more about opinion than anything else.
With that, here's our list of the top 10 MMA fights of 2009 (keep in mind that this list may change through December 31, 2009).
10. Yoshihiro Akiyama defeats Alan Belcher by split decision at UFC 100
The bottom line is that these two traded big shots all night long. Each and every stanza was hard to call. Though Akiyama's takedowns may have been what gave him this controversial decision victory, the fight was simply close from stem to stern.9. Scott Smith defeats Benji Radach by KO at 3:24 of round three
Radach demonstrated his boxing superiority all night long in this one. But here's the thing about Scott Smith- never assume he's out of a fight. Along with this, in the third round in a fight he was clearly losing, Smith came up with one amazing right hand. And that was all he needed to win this undercard fight on the Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz card.8. Nate Quarry defeats Tim Credeur by decision at Fight Night 19
This fight was an absolute war! Both fighters were hurt by their opponent's stand up on multiple occasions. On top of it all, Credeur nearly pulled off an early rear naked choke submission. But in the end, the most impressive part was that both fighters were still battling when the final bell sounded. If the stakes had been higher in this one, it could've netted top five honors.7. Fedor Emelianenko defeats Brett Rogers by TKO at 1:48 of round two
For people that were used to watching Fedor dominate from stem to stern, this fight represented a variation. Namely, Emelianenko immediately got hit with a jab that left a cut on his nose which bled terribly throughout the fight. In fact, at one point in the initial round, Rogers' ground and pound had his opponent in big trouble before a Fedor armbar attempt ended the damage.That said, in the second round Fedor's legend grew when he connected with a right hand that left his adversary in deep trouble on the canvas. Several hard strikes later and it was all over.
6. Rich Franklin defeats Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision at UFC 99
This was an outstanding fight. Franklin basically picked Silva apart with timely kicks and punches throughout the fight. That said, he never really hurt him. On the other hand, Silva, who was beaten in a technical sense all night long, managed some big shots that rocked Franklin in the second round. In fact, all of Silva's punches were thrown with bad intentions. When the final bell sounded, both fighters were connecting on one another in a fight for the ages that ended up going Franklin's way.5. Miguel Torres defeats Takeya Mizugaki by unanimous decision at WEC 40
At the time, we were getting pretty used to Torres dominating opponents. But not at WEC 40. Mizugaki did an outstanding job of connecting with hooks to the body and face and even cut Torres over his eye. But in the end, Torres used knees and elbows in the clinch to secure victory in a close fight.4. Martin Kampmann defeats Carlos Condit at Ultimate Fight Night 18 by decision
This is a fight that ended with a split decision and may not get the recognition it deserves on many end of year lists. Kampmann proved his well-roundedness against a former WEC champion with takedowns, ground and pound, and several guillotine choke attempts. Condit nearly came up with a rear naked choke in the second and guillotine choke at the end of the fight as well. Even the striking was pretty even in this battle of contenders, which is why it deservedly makes this list.3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Randy Couture by unanimous decision at UFC 102
One of the greatest fighters in PRIDE history (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) vs. one of the greatest fighters in UFC history (Randy Couture). It was a fight that many had talked about for years, and it didn't disappoint. Couture connected all night long, but Nogueira's strikes were harder and included a right hand in the first that downed the former UFC champion. Though "The Natural" hit home with some nice dirty boxing in spots, Big Nog's ground prowess showed through with a reversal and D'Arce Choke attempt on the night. Both did well, but Nogueira was the deserving winner.2. Diego Sanchez defeats Clay Guida by split decision at the TUF 9 Finale
Sanchez came out like gangbusters in this one, landing a ton of uppercuts before dropping Guida with a should-have-knocked-him-out high kick. But somehow, inexplicably, Guida survived. During the second stanza, Guida gained a takedown and controlled things, even if he ate some Sanchez elbows from the bottom. In the final round, things were close on the feet but Sanchez attempted two submissions. The bottom line is that Sanchez's initial fury coupled with Guida's amazing toughness will put this fight high on everyone's lists.1. Ben Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision at WEC 43
Coming into this fight for the WEC interim lightweight title, Henderson wasn't all that well known. But after he took it to Cerrone with takedowns and strong ground and pound for the first three rounds of their encounter, people took notice. That said, round four was a different story for Cerrone, who showed the heart he's become known for with a submission attempt that seemed to slow his opponent down. In the final stanza, Cerrone was great on both his feet and the ground, attempting two armbars and one triangle that almost finished things.In the end, though, Henderson's early heroics netted him the belt.
