Sponsored by

Fighter of the Year

2009 marked welterweight champion Georges St Pierre’s first Fighters Only Fighter of the Year award. The French-Canadian put in two awesome performances, sending BJ Penn back to the lightweight division in January and handling the dangerous Thiago Alves on the UFC 100 mega event.

Sponsored by

European Fighter of the Year
Gegard Mousasi

One of the most promising young fighters to emerge from Europe, Mousasi proved he deserves a spot among the world’s best fighters with wins at middleweight over Melvin Manhoef, Jacare and even a heavyweight kickboxing fight. Since then, he has become a light heavyweight campaigner and will doubtless continue to develop into an even more dangerous fighter.

Female Fighter of the Year
Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos

The latest Brazilian badass to come out of the famed Chute Boxe academy, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos had a fantastic year with a string of high profile victories, culminating in her TKO of Gina Carano.

Sponsored by

Fight of the Year
Diego Sanchez v Clay Guida (TUF 9 Finale)

If you were to write out a script for the perfect MMA fight, this might just be it. Frantic exchanges, knockdowns, big takedowns and blood flying everywhere. These two find it impossible to have a bad fight, which made their scrap deserving candidates for Fight of the Year.

Sponsored by

Breakthrough Fighter
Brock Lesnar

Former WWE star Brock Lesnar erased any memory of his status as an entertainer by confirming his position as one of the preeminent mixed martial artists in the world. The freakishly talented wrestler pounded out Randy Couture and Frank Mir in the space of nine months to hoist the UFC heavyweight title.

Sponsored by

Knockout of the Year

The bad blood between Bisping and Henderson has been boiling for many months. They faced each other as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 9, with Bisping’s boys winning both the light and welterweight prizes, but Henderson had the last laugh – a brutal overhand right that put Bisping to sleep.

Sponsored by

Submission of the Year

One of the most audacious (yet effective) submissions we’ve seen in recent times, Toby Imada’s bizarre upside-down reverse triangle put Jorge Masvidal to sleep and sent legions of fans to the gym to try this bold move out.

Sponsored by

Tapout Training Center

Best Gym
Greg Jackson Fighting Systems

 

A home to champions, Greg Jackson’s New Mexico gym (run along with his coach and partner in MMA, Mike Winklejohn) attracts fighters from around the world. With world class coaching and scores of high level MMA fighters, results speak for themselves.

Sponsored by

Best Coach
Greg Jackson

The philosophy-spouting martial arts guru is widely recognised as one of the foremost thinkers in MMA. His sublime strategies has seen his fighters hoist UFC gold, and his excellent corner advice has carried fighters through adversity and onto victory.

Sponsored by

Ring Girl of the Year
Arianny Celeste

2009 marks the second year that beautiful ring girl Arianny Celeste has walked away with the Ring Girl of the Year award, but the model and spokesperson for the UFC has got plenty more planned, including forays into acting and singing.

Sponsored by

Leading Man Award
Dana White

The man pushing the world’s foremost MMA promotion forward, maverick executive Dana White is an outspoken figure known for his no-holds-barred business style, but who can argue with his results? 2009 saw the UFC go from strength to strength on the international stage, with plenty more promised for 2010.

Sponsored by

Best Promotion
Ultimate Fighting Championship

The premier MMA organisation in the world, the UFC is the place all MMA fighters aspire to be. In terms of growth, few years have been better for the UFC than 2009, as the company has expanded into new markets and helped open the door for regulation across North America.

Best MMA Glove Manufacturer
UFC / Century

The choice of professionals, the official glove of the UFC is loved by fans for its superior materials and quality workmanship; the famous black design can be found in kitbags across the world.

Best MMA Shorts Manufacturer
Tapout

Worn by everyone from top professionals to aspiring fighters and hobbyists, Tapout shorts are known for their striking, unique designs, and continue to push the boundaries of convention.

Best MMA Clothing
Tapout

The original MMA brand, Tapout suffered a huge loss in 2009 with the death of their founder Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis. This didn’t deter fans showed their support by purchasing from their wide range of clothing, apparel and accessories.

Best MMA Brand
Tapout

From sponsoring fighters and MMA events to producing TV shows and magazines, Tapout do it all, and according to the fans they do it better than anyone else. From their HQ in Los Angeles, they continue to develop their global empire as one of the biggest names in MMA.

Best MMA Media Coverage
MMA Junkie

One of the web’s most popular MMA news sources, MMA Junkie is the first port of call for the best in exclusive news, interviews and more, and is loved by fighters and fans alike for it’s hard hitting and objective news.

Best MMA Journalist
John Morgan (MMA Junkie)

A staff reporter and lead writer for MMA Junkie as well as The Dallas Daily News, John’s ringside reporting and many exclusives have put him among the sport’s leading scribes, something fans recognised.

Special Achievement Award
Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis

The passing of Mask was a dark day for the MMA community. A founding member of the Tapout crew, Charles Lewis Jr was a power player in business and a much-loved and close personal friend to many of the leading figures in the MMA world. Fighters Only would like to award the first ever posthumous award in honour of the work of the man known as Mask.