2011 proved a few very interesting things: veteran fighters with countless years of experience are still capable of evolving and remaining relevant, and the new breed of uber athletic fighters are every bit as frightening as their physique’s and potential ceilings would indicate. From the rejuvenation of Dan Henderson, to the otherworldly resilience of Frankie Edgar to the mesmerizing performances offered forth from Jon Jones, it’s been a great year for mixed martial arts, and these three particular men not only turned heads, but turned in remarkable years that command acknowledgement.

Nick Diaz

Written By: Marvin Blue

As we enter the day after UFC 140 many criticisms were laid to rest. One that seems to stick with all fight fans was the chin of UFC Light Heavyweight Jon Jones. Jones rise to the top has been meteoric to say the least. However, it has not been without controversy. Jones replaced former teammate and close friend Rashad Evans in the fight that earned Jones the UFC title.

Next up was the possible injury that postponed the fight between the former teammates and the accusations from Rashad Evans that Jones was ‘swagger jacking’ and ducking out of the fight with him. However under all that controversy, Jones has kept a cool head and remained focused on being the best. Lately, Jones has had to fight the criticism that he didn’t have a chin.  He was never really tested against Rampage Jackson and in all his fights his opponents have not been able to get anything going against his unorthodox style. Then came UFC 140 and the chance for Jones to fight one of the most unorthodox fighters in the UFC, former champion Lyoto Machida.

By Jillian Bullock

When people look at MMA champions Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, many MMA fans, commentators and reporters believe they are pound-for-pound the greatest mixed martial arts fighters in their division. Many also believe that since they are superbly dominant as fighters and they have the ability to go through each opponent who stands before them that there are no other MMA fighters who can actually beat these amazingly talented warriors during a bout.

The 29 year-old Welterweight champion, St. Pierre, 22-2, hasn’t lost a match since 2007. To understand how impressive St. Pierre is as a fighter, it should be noted that he has not lost a round, not one round, in over three years. What St. Pierre has going for him other than his unrelenting MMA cardio conditioning, which includes gymnastics in his regimen, but his striking game is superior. He is also considered one of the most disciplined athletes in the world, which helps St. Pierre stay focused even when his opponents trash talk him. He doesn’t give in to the mind games.

With Jon Jones absolute destruction of Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 on March 19, a match between former number one contender Rashad Evans for the new light heavyweight champion is on the radar.  Following the fights, MMA fighting’s Ariel Helwani interviewed Evans, and throughout Evans looked like he was anxious and eager. 

The one time Evans smiled was when he was asked after watching the fight, was he thinking about how to fight him.  Evans replied, “I know how to fight him.  I trained with him.”

1. Mauricio Rua knocked out unhittable Machida

The former PRIDE stars owns one of the last defeats on Alistair Overeem’s record, made his debut in the UFC against Forrest Griffin September 2007, and got choked out.  He didn’t fight again for nearly 16 months and many fans were worried that he left his skills in Japan.  In the Mark Coleman fight, he looked rusty, but won by TKO in the third round.  He knocked out Chuck Liddell in the first round and was ready for a title shot.  He lost by unanimous decision in one of the worst decisions I have ever seen to Lyoto Machida.  The Ultimate Fighting Championships agreed and gave him a rematch, where he knocked out Machida in the first round to win the title.  We haven’t seen him fight since, but he’s the top guy in the top company in the world.