Best at the break: Naming MMA's midyear award winners for 2020

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of 2020, which provides a good excuse to reflect on what’s happened so far this year.

The MMA world certainly has been a unique ride to follow over the past six months. No sports has gone untouched by the coronavirus pandemic, but in comparison to others, this world has been able to move along quite successfully. Primarily the UFC, that is.

Although UFC events take the lions share of the attention under normal circumstances, it has been the only major show in town over the past several months. Neither Bellator, ONE Championship, PFL, Rizin FF, Cage Warriors, or Invicta FC have held an event since March.

The back half of the 2020 schedule looks to see the majority of those promotions return – along with the UFC putting on almost weekly events – so the months ahead could see plenty of memorable moments.

With that said, there’s no better time to look back at the best of the best so far in 2020 with a few mid-year awards on some major categories, issued with my judgment only.

Without further ado …

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Best male fighter: Gilbert Burns

This was probably the trickiest category to sort, mainly because of how infrequently athletes compete in MMA. Making a best fighter assessment six months into the year typically means we have one performance to go off of, and it’s entirely possible the overall 2020 “Fight of the Year” hasn’t even stepped in the cage so far. That’s how quickly things can change.

Although there are several fighters who have competed more than once this year, there’s only one who has registered wins and eye-popping performances both times. Curtis Blaydes got halfway there with two main event wins, but Gilbert Burns was the man who brought it home. He scored a rare finish of Demian Maia in the form of a first-round knockout in March, then forced his way into a main event opportunity against former UFC champ Tyron Woodley in May simply by speaking out and staying prepared.

Burns blanked Woodley on the scorecards, and in what seems like the snap of the fingers is now less than two weeks from challenging Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title at UFC 251. No one – and I mean no one – claimed at the start of the year that Burns would be fighting for a belt, in the main event of the most stacked main card we’ve seen in 2020, just over six months into the year. It’s been a crazy rise, and he deserves the recognition for it.

Honorable mention: Justin Gaethje

Best female fighter: Zhang Weili

Given the lack of female fighters and weight classes compared to the men’s side, the standards change a little bit here from what was described for the male version of this category. Angela Hill would have a compelling case if she got the decision win over Claudia Gadelha to be the only one to go 3-0 so far this year, but that didn’t happen, so technically she experienced a loss.

That leaves UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili as the only true option. Her only win of the year came in style against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March in what’s essentially been universally dubbed as the best fight in women’s MMA history. It was a blood-and-guts performance from Zhang against the most decorated champion the division has ever seen, and that counts for a whole lot.

Yes, fellow women’s champions Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes earned far more lopsided defenses against Katlyn Chookagian and Felicia Spencer, respectively, but neither of those challengers is as credentialed or decorated as Jedrzejczyk. Because of that, the value of Weili’s win skyrockets.

It might take another defense for Weili to lock up the year-end award, but to this point she’s defended her belt in arguably the most talked about fight – male or female – we’ve seen since Jan. 1.

Honorable mention: Valentina Shevchenko

Best fight: Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248

Weili doubles up courtesy of her win over Jedrzejczyk. That fight on March 7 in Las Vegas was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen from the cageside position, and it was truly special.

I’m not going to exhaust every detail of the action in Weili’s unanimous decision win over Jedrzejczyk, because I couldn’t do it justice. If you haven’t seen it already, correct yourself immediately. It’s on UFC Fight Pass, it’s on ESPN+ – it’s somewhere on the internet. Go find it and embrace the brutality.

There’s been some other memorable affairs so far this year. Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker and Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos offered similar thrilling exchanges and grotesque moments (though nothing matches Jedrzejczyk’s hematoma), but what wasn’t there were the championship stakes.

Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk would’ve been a wild fight under any circumstances, but the drama was further heightened by the fact only one side could walk away with the title. It came down to the wire, too, and no one knew the winner for certain when the decision was being read.

It had all the ingredients you need and more, and if two people are able to produce a better fight over the next six months, then God help those poor souls.

Honorable mention: Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12

Best submission: Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250

I don’t feel particularly strongly about this category, if we’re being honest. Mainly because it’s quite open to interpretation with no obvious choice. You could go with Maurice Greene’s arm-triangle choke from bottom over Gian Villante at UFC on ESPN 12 purely for the weirdness (I’m still trying to figure how Villante tapped to that), but that was not some Bryce Mitchell Twister finish where the level of opponent doesn’t quite matter.

Again, my preference is to side with stakes when deciding these categories, and although it ended with the most common submission technique in the sport, a rear-naked choke, I still have to give it up to the man Aljamain Sterling for absolutely washing Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250.

There were a good number of people picking Sandhagen to win the matchup that UFC president Dana White dubbed as a No. 1 contender fight at bantamweight. Even if Sterling was going to win, most experts would’ve agreed it wouldn’t be an 88-second wipeout. No one had ever handled Sandhagen like Sterling did when he quickly established back position and finished the fight, and for that he deserves some praise.

Honorable mention: Diego Ferreira def. Anthony Pettis at UFC 246

Best knockout: Cody Garbrandt vs. Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250

Cody Garbrandt nearly sent Raphael Assuncao’s head into the bleachers and his body through the octagon canvas with a sick knockout at UFC 250. Some (looking at you, Sean O’Malley) have labeled it sloppy and lacking technique, but we know that’s not not what it’s really all about in MMA.

Knockouts from punches happen all the time. It’s the most routine way fights are finished when striking, but Garbrandt didn’t only separate Assuncao from consciousness, he did it with one of the cooler looking right-hand setups we’ve seen in a while.

Just before the second-round horn, Garbrandt threw a feint that got a reaction out of Assuncao. He dipped away then loaded up on the same punch from another hemisphere then planted it right on Assuncao’s chin. The visual was pretty outstanding.

Add in the backdrop to the fight, and Garbrandt has to triumph in this category. The former UFC bantamweight champ came in on a three-fight skid with everyone claiming he was done, despite being only 28. Assuncao is one of the most historically difficult opponents to finish at 135 pounds, and as nearly two rounds were completed, it seemed “No Love” might need the full 15 minutes.

Then Garbrandt dropped the hammer, and all of a sudden he was a bantamweight contender again. I’d call that a pretty critical knockout from all perspectives.

Honorable mention: Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249