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The 411 MMA Year-End Awards: Part Four – The Worst Fights of 2016
Welcome back to the MMA Top 5, year-end awards edition! What we are going to is take a topic and all the writers here on 411 MMA will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, and the end, based on where all of these topics rank on people’s list, we will create an overall Top 5 list. It looks a little like this…
1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1
At the end we tally the scores and get our overall top 5! It’s highly non-official and final, like WAMMA. From best and worst fight to best fighter and KO of the year, the staff will come together to share out best. Thanks for joining us, and lets get down to work.
5. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov – UFC Fight Night
4. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155
3. Jessica Eye vs. Sara McMann – UFC Fight Night
2. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night
1. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – Kimbo failed his pre-fight drug test for traces of an anabolic steroid and elevated levels of testosterone. The fight itself was proof it never should have been sanctioned by the state of Texas as Dada was not in reasonable physical condition to compete. Kimbo Slice, 42, passed away in June. Despite being one of the most controversial figures in MMA during his fighting career, he clearly brought tons of eyeballs to the sport who otherwise never would have watched, his final fight included.
5. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155
4. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
3. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night 89
2. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta – Rizin 4
1. Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. Dafir “Dada 5000” Harris – I very nearly gave this to Garcia vs. Hotta which was unethical, non-competitive, and featured an honest to God running the ropes bit. But Rizin is a freak show promotion built around freak show fights, there is a degree to which they aren’t held to the same standard as the bigger promotions. This fight though was just the dirt worst. Both men gassed in the first three minutes, Slice actually achieved full mount and proceeded to do nothing with it, Dada’s striking technique was just laughably bad, then the post fight stuff about Slice’s drug test issues and the continued ineptitude of the Texas commission comes out. This was the dirt worst from an in cage perspective, should never have been sanctioned in the first place, and featured a combatant so ludicrously unprepared to fighting that the physical exertion (minimal as it was for this encounter) nearly killed him. This is an utterly irredeemable mess.
5. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov – UFC Fight Night
4. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155
3. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night
2. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta – Rizin 4
1. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – People joke about a fight going out there and dying. But in this case, A MAN LITERALLY ALMOST DIED DURING THIS FIGHT. Not only was this one of the worst fights I have ever witnessed, but it could have been devastating for MMA had Mr. 5000 died in the cage during a live and televised MMA event.
5. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov – UFC Fight Night 102
4. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155
3. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night 86
2. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta – Rizin 4
1. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – The fight itself was uninspiring, sloppy, and embarrassing. Both fighter gassed immediately, lacked technical finesse, and did nothing but prove the fight should have never taken place on the stage which it had. But then you get into the particulars after the fight—kimbo failing a pre-fight drug test, Dada 5000 nearly dying after the fight as a result of his lack of physical conditioning, and Kimbo dying several months later. This is a fight that should never have been sanctioned and taken place. It’s a travesty Bellator lowered itself enough for such a fight. Simply, this fight was a circus; it was ridiculous and is a sore eye for the sport. And that’s something when how ridiculous my number two pick is.
5. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155
4. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov – UFC Fight Night 102
3. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night 86
2. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta – Rizin 4
1. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – Going back and watching this was very uncomfortable, considering Dada 5000’s condition post fight. Add on top of this the fact that at about two-minutes in these guys were spent, looked to be moving in slow motion and exhibited some of the worst displays of “MMA Skill” on record, and it was an easy pick for #1.
5. Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef – Bellator 155 – 6 points
4. Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov – UFC Fight Night 102 – 7 points
T2. Sam Alvey vs. Elias Theodorou – UFC Fight Night – 16 points
T2. Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta – Rizin 4 – 16 points
1. Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – 25 points
THE 2015 411 MMA AWARDS:
* The Biggest Stories of 2016: Zuffa Sells UFC to WME-IMG for $4 BILLION – 29 points
* The Most Disappointing Fighters of 2016: Johny Hendricks – 28 points
* The Breakout Fighters of 2016: Cody Garbrandt – 25 points
* The Worst Fights of 2016: Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 – Bellator 149 – 25 points
* The Best Submissions of 2016: TO BE DETERMINED (January 23rd)
* The Best Knockouts of 2016: TO BE DETERMINED (January 24th)
* The Best Fights of 2016: TO BE DETERMINED (January 25th)
* Fighter of the Year: TO BE DETERMINED (January 26th)
