Penick's Take
Penick's 2014 Year-End MMA Awards: Fighter of the Year
Dec 31, 2014 - 5:50:13 PM Penick's 2014 Year-End MMA Awards: Fighter of the Year

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

2014 was a year packed to the brim with fights, but with so many major injuries and so many fairly inconsequential fights on a big stage, it was hard for a lot to rise above the rest. Still, the year featured plenty of moments that have stuck with us through the year, and we'll be highlighting the top finishes, events, and fighters here this week as we close out the year.

Over the next several days, I'll be running down my awards for the year, and we'll have thoughts from the Torch team in a series of roundtables with their favorites from the year as well. The awards continue this evening with the "Fighter of the Year."


2014 Fighter of the Year: Robbie Lawler

Even though his 2014 run kicked off with a loss, it came in one of the best fights of the year, and he avenged it less than nine months later. Honestly, is there really anyone else this year who claimed this spot for themselves?

Robbie Lawler's resurgent run to the top of the welterweight division has been incredible, and would have been completely unbelievable just two years ago. Lawler returned to the welterweight division following the folding of Strikeforce, entering the UFC as just another name, an afterthought of a past era of the sport. Then he knocked out Josh Koscheck in the first round, knocked Bobby Voelker's head off his shoulders, and beat top contender Rory MacDonald to get a fight against Johny Hendricks for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship.

That fight with Hendricks kicked off his 2014 campaign in March, and Lawler surprised most with how he nearly took the title so many years after his first run in the UFC. An immediate rematch wasn't in the cards due to Hendricks' numerous injuries, but Lawler would earn his chance again with two excellent performances in beating Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown in the summer. In another fantastic and competitive fight with Hendricks, Lawler would finish out the year with the belt around his waist.

It's as unlikely a run as anyone could have expected, but Lawler's three wins over a seven month stretch, ending it with that title win, was the best anyone had in 2014.


The Best of the Rest

Ronda Rousey: The UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion only spent one minute and 22 seconds in the Octagon over two fights this year, but taken in conjunction with how she closed out 2013, and she had one excellent year herself. In the process, she changed things up a bit as well, stopping Sara McMann with a brutal knee to the body, then taking Alexis Davis out in 16 seconds with one of the most beautiful throws you'll see in the sport, along with a hard series of strikes while holding onto the headlock. Rousey put a stamp on her dominance at 135 lbs. this year, and she'll look to keep that up in 2015.

Donald Cerrone: The top ten lightweight had one hell of a year, and may be closing in on a title fight in 2015 if he beats Myles Jury on Saturday night at UFC 182. Cerrone not only picked up four wins in 2014, he stopped three opponents, and beat Bellator Champ Eddie Alvarez to close out his campaign. Had the UFC had another fight for him earlier, he'd have fought even earlier than this weekend as well. Cerrone had two head kick wins this year over Adriano Martins and Jim Miller, and had a fantastic submission win over Edson Barboza as well. From a pure in-cage results standpoint, Cerrone was fantastic this year.

Frankie Edgar: Yes, he only had two fights this year, but that may have been the best Frankie Edgar we've ever seen in those two fights. He just absolutely decimated B.J. Penn at the close of The Ultimate Fighter 19, then beat Cub Swanson up badly before scoring one of the latest finishes in UFC history in November. Though he may not get a title fight next, he's closing in on another shot.


Honorable Mentions:

-Jose Aldo
-Fabricio Werdum
-T.J. Dillashaw