The decade is over! While it is tempting to definitively declare a fight of the decade, we decided to pick several fights from the 2010s. MMAtorch.com’s Michael Hiscoe, Frank Hyden and Dylan Thompson submitted a fight of the year pick for every year of the 2010s. After sifting through the nominations, I declare an absolute winner for each year.
This list is the epitome of subjectivity, so enjoy accordingly!
Also if you are in the spirt of the New Year, go ahead and give a follow to everyone that contributed to this list.
2010
Leonard Garcia vs. The Korean Zombie WEC 48
Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin UFC 116
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen UFC 117
My pick: These are three great fights, but Garcia vs. The Zombie takes this one. The split-decision is actually somewhat satisfying. Also, what a standout fight, from a card that was sold on bigger stars at the top of the card.
2011
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson
Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida UFC on FOX 1
My pick: It is nice to see some Strikeforce representation here, but I have always thought that Henderson vs. Guida is such an underrated fight. It has the infamy of being a great fight that nobody saw. It aired on Facebook (remember those days) so the fight was more of a myth than a live experience. Do yourself a favor and watch the fight in 2019.
2012
The Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen UFC 148
Georges St Pierre vs. Carlos Condit UFC UFC 154
My pick: This one is easy, GSP vs. Condit is a great fight and you will not change my mind. The rebuilt GSP was better than ever, while the resilience of Condit made this an instant classic. This was one of those unique fights that one person dominated, but that dominance did not take away from the watchability of this fight.
2013
Wanderlei Silva vs Brian Stann UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann
Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva UFC 162 (2x)
My pick: Neither! Ok I’m gonna cheat on this one, and put forward my own nomination. I know it is a hipster pick at this point but I am going to go with Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson from UFC 165. Don’t @ me!
2014
Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva
My pick: Who am I to argue with the will of the people! we finally have a consensus here! In all honesty 2014 fells like such a down year in retrospect. It is a good thing this gem is still getting some love.
2015
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald UFC 189 (2x)
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm UFC 193
My pick: 2015 was fun! Holm vs. Rousey is a fight that we are still feeling the reverberations from, but Lawler vs. MacDonald was the classic encounter. Despite their differences in quality, both of these fights share the kinship of nether losing fighter being the same after the fight.
2016
Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm UFC 196
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz UFC 202
My pick: Tate vs. Holm has been lost in the fog over past few years but that fight does deserve some acknowledgement, but Diaz vs. McGregor II was a thing of absolute beauty. The momentum swings in this fight were unbelievable. Upon further viewings this fight gets harder to judge, cases can be made for both fighters. In this case that’s a good thing.
2017
Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Johnson The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale (2x)
Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje UFC 218
My pick: Justin Gaethje’s debut fights in the UFC lived up to the hype, but Gathje vs. Johnson was a special encounter. When Johnson looked like he had this fight won, it seemed that Gaethje was going to have a rough go in the UFC, but his comeback in this fight changed everything. Also, Gaethje’s backflip after this fight was a hoot!
2018
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje UFC on Fox 29 (2x)
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor UFC 229
My pick: Our friend Gaethje makes another appearance! When Poirier and Gaethje locked up there was a sense that this was a great fight, but everyone watching might need to question why they enjoyed something so violent. That’s the perfect recipe for a great fight.
2019
Well we already this so I will refer everyone the link below!
More from MMATorch
- Was 2019 a good year for the UFC?
- What was the biggest story of the year?
- HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 237
- Rizin and Bellator continue Japanese year-end tradition while UFC makes way for football
- Who was the fighter of the year?
- What was the fight of the year?
- MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans – Vallejos and Monsey review Bellator Japan, talk the year that was 2019 in MMA, more
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