Michael Bisping wins the coin toss and he wants the first pick. Miller gets to pick the first fight.

The bantams: Bisping takes Louis Gaudinot (guy with green hair). Miller takes John Dodson. Bisping takes TJ Dillashaw. Miller goes Johnny Bedford. Bisping goes with John Albert. Miller goes with Dustin Pague. Josh Ferguson goes to Bisping. Roland Delorme goes to Miller.

The feathers: Bisping takes Diego Brandao. Miller goes with Dennis Bermudez. Bisping chooses Akira Corassani. Miller goes with Bryan Caraway. Miller goes with Marcus Brimage. Miller goes with Dustin Neace. Stephen Bass goes with Bisping. Steven Siler is the last pick for Miller.

Miller says that Bisping’s guys don’t look like they want to be on his team. Bisping calls Miller a Strikeforce reject. Miller seems super excited to work with these guys, unlike some of the coaches we’ve seen in the past.

Miller brings in these space suits that helps rejuvenate the body like a full body blood pressure machine.

Miller picks Bryan Caraway to fight Marcus Brimage. Bisping doesn’t think Caraway has the killer instinct. Miller says Caraway is much more talented.

Brimage is 157 before the fight so he has to cut 11 pounds. He’s a little worried because he doesn’t know the tricks to cutting weight. Bisping wants him to run, take a hot salt bath, get underneath the covers, then back in the bath, and back under the covers. He says he should cut about six or seven pounds that way. Cutting weight is nuts.

Miller asks Caraway if he’s nervous and Caraway says he’s ready to throw-up.

Team Mayhem put all the tires they use for training in Team Bisping’s room. They also rigged the room so that Team Bisping can’t open the door. A tire is wedged against it.

Brimage weight in on point and so did Caraway. I wonder if Meisha Tate bought him the pink underwear. Dana White seems to think Brimage has the advantage. Team Bisping created a chant that was sort of disrespectful toward Caraway. Bisping had to break the door to get in his room.

Bryan Caraway vs. Marcus Brimage

Caraway owned him on the ground in the first round, working for a choke and just controlling him. Brimage was trying to throw punches from his back.

Caraway got tired and let Brimage have a little bit of success on his feet, but soon thereafter, he was back on him and finally sunk him in a choke to win the fight.

Winner: Bryan Caraway by way of 2nd round submission

Well, ok, MMA doesn’t dominate PPV. UFC does. But still, it has been an amazing ride and it’s only the beginning. As you will see below, 2010 was also a pretty newsworthy year. From Brock Lesnar coming back from diverticulitis and defending and then losing his belt, to Chael Sonnen coming so close to beating Anderson Silva, to Anthony Pettis’ Showtime kick which ended the year (at least in US MMA) with a bang, tons of great things happened.

Duan, Alan, and I from this very site, along with friend of the site JP, Ryan Frederick (Ryan on Twitter), Stevie J from Angry Marks, and Big D from Superfriends Universe give out awards. Yes, I said that D was back here for “One Night Only” in the pro wrestling post, but I forgot about the MMA Awards. He’s back for “Two Nights Only”!

Fighter Of The Year

Duan – Cain Velasquez

He has established himself as the UFC number 1, and with Fedor taking a loss this year, that makes him MMA’s premier heavyweight.

Alan – Cain Velasquez

His two big wins are enough for me to choose as fighter of the year.

JP – Frankie Edgar

When it was announced that Frankie Edgar would fight B.J. Penn for the Lightweight championship, just about everyone counted him out. Instead Edgar proved impossible to put away and won a controversial decision. An immediate rematch was announced and this time Edgar dominated Penn for five rounds to keep his title and truly validate himself.

Ryan – Frankie Edgar

Not many men beat BJ Penn. Not many beat Penn twice. And only one has beaten Penn twice in 5 months. Edgar’s performance in their first bout and his domination in their second bout earned him this award, fighting off tough competition from Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez, Dominik Cruz and Anthony Pettis.

Stevie J – It’s a tie between Georges St. Pierre and Cain Velasquez.

Big D – Anthony Pettis

Two Words: The Kick. Close 2nd Place: Jose Aldo and Chael Sonnen.

GG – Cain Velasquez

I was very close to going with Frankie Edgar here, but Cain beating Brock Lesnar on such a huge stage in his first main event fight was slightly more impressive to me.

MMA Show Of The Year

Duan – WEC PPV

Every fight was fantastic. This was exactly what WEC was all about. The MMA world will be worse off without it.

Alan – UFC 116

Between an epic main event, and two excellent fights (Leben/Aki & Bonner/Krystof), this show had more than most.

JP – Strikeforce: St. Louis

Headlined by Dan Henderson against Babalu, this event was tough to find because it was only on Showtime, but featured good fighters (Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith) with great finishes. Mike Kyle coming in on days notice and nearly knocking out Antonio Silva set the pace as the remaining three fights ended in impressive knockouts that could each be contenders for “KO of the Year”.

Ryan – UFC 116

UFC 116 had arguably 3 of the 6 best fights of 2010, and was an action-packed event that included some memorable finishes. Lesnar/Carwin, Leben/Akiyama and Bonnar/Soszynski all produced top-notch performances and capped off a memorable night in Las Vegas.

Stevie J – UFC 116

Big D – UFC 116

Three fight of the year candidates + Lesnar’s awesome face turn.

GG – UFC 116

Rarely does the biggest show of the year live up to every expectation and more. For the UFC, it was the perfect storm.

Fight Of The Year

Duan – Leonard Garcia vs. Jung Chan-Sung (The Korean Zombie)

It was an incredible 3 round slugfest and my fight of the year.

Alan – Shane Roller vs. Anthony Pettis

Nobody gives this fight the hype it deserves but I damn sure haven’t seen better. Back and forth excitement with a great finish.

JP – Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva

It is rare that a UFC fight surpasses the hype built for it but the main event at UFC 117 did. After months of an incessant one-sided war of words, Chael Sonnen seemed well on his way to backing up every word by dominating the middleweight champ Silva for four rounds. In round five, just as the announcers were ushering in the reign of Sonnen, The Spider pulled out a triangle/armbar submission that helped him retain his title and gave him his career signature win.

Ryan – Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung and Ben Henderson vs Anthony Pettis delivered action-packed performances. Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar’s fights against Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez delivered drama with memorable finishes. But one fight put it all together. Leben and Akiyama had a fantastic fight on the best show of the year, and both men came out of the fight as winners, and the crowd responded with appreciation that these two deserved.

Stevie J – It was a three-way tie between Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck, Leonard Garcia vs. Korean Zombie, and Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez.

Big D – Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva

Because I can’t think of a fight all year that had my heart pounding as much as this one. Missing this live would’ve made me slice my wrists.

GG – Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

It had just the right amount of a mindless slugfest with technical skill. At the end of it, I felt that I got my money’s worth on UFC 116 and we hadn’t even seen the great main event yet.

Big Things In ’11

Duan – Eddie Alvarez

Alverez is unbeaten in two years and has notched up some good wins along the way. He will be ready to answer the call when UFC or Strikeforce come knocking.

Alan – Ben Henderson

I’m not gonna fall over shocked if he’s the UFC 155 champ in two fights time.

JP – Jon Jones

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones has carried the label as “next big thing” since he tossed around Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100 in mid-2009. But 2011 will be the year he arrives on the grand stage. Jones’ last three fights have headlined SpikeTV events, but at February’s UFC 126 Jones moves to his ritual place on PPV with a “prospect becomes contender” match against Ryan Bader. A win could put him in a title eliminator match mid-year and a title shot at the end of 2011.

Ryan – Anthony Pettis, Josh Grispi, Tyron Woodley, and Chad Mendes

These guys are the future of the sport. Pettis is a legitimate threat to the 155 pound division in the UFC and could be champion by July. Not many people think Jose Aldo can be beaten, but Grispi and Mendes have the tools to give him a tough fight. And Woodley is the top prospect at 170 pounds, and though he is in Strikeforce at the moment, don’t be surprised if he ends up in the UFC soon, but he’ll take the title in Strikeforce soon.

Stevie J – Paul Daley and Jon Jones

Big D – Jon Jones: The push will continue!

GG – Jon Jones

I think he beats Ryan Bader at UFC 126 and gets a title shot by year’s end. I also think he wins the light heavyweight championship.

Moment Of The Year

JP – Anthony Pettis’ “Showtime” Kick

About a month ago this would have been a battle between Anderson Silva’s come-from-behind submission of Sonnen or the fall of Fedor. But then Anthony Pettis went full-Neo on Ben Henderson by running up the side of the cage and then launching a right cross kick against Henderson’s jaw in one smooth, seemingly gravity-defying assault that made national sports headlines. This took the final fight of WEC’s existence from merely great to instant classic. It also works out perfectly that Pettis’ Showtime Kick was the highlight moment from 2010′s last major promotional fight.

Ryan – Anthony Pettis’ “Showtime” Kick

The last moment of 2010 is the one that will be remembered for a long time. An awesome fight which ended with the most spectacular move in MMA history, and Pettis topped Cain Velasquez’ destruction and dethroning of Brock Lesnar’s reign as heavyweight kingpin for the top moment of 2010.

Stevie J – Brock Lesnar surviving a total ass-whooping to choke out Shane Carwin in round two

Big D – Fabricio Verdum submitting Fedor Emelianenko

I thought about Brock coming back in the Carwin fight and Anthony Pettis kicking Ben Henderson off the cage, but Fedor getting tapped has the most historical, long term effect of anything.

GG – Anderson Silva submitting Chael Sonnen

We had many moments this year where what we thought could happen, didn’t. When BJ Penn didn’t come back and take his title from Frankie Edgar, I was surprised. I thought he’d snap back into being BJ Penn and win the fight. But in this case, while Chael Sonnen was beating Anderson Silva for four straight rounds, I thought Silva had a chance. It wasn’t because of how the fight was going, but more so because of the fact that when champions get tested, it sometimes brings out the best of them. Silva came through at nearly the last minute and it ended a fight that gave so many people a wave of emotions.

Anthony Pettis, your new WEC lightweight champion.

1. Kamal Shalorus vs. Bart Palaszewski

Shalorus had a nice throw and some good ground work. He also landed the bigger punches, but Palaszewski used leg kicks well. Shalorus also used leg kicks. Shalorus won the round fairly easily.

The second round was a tough one to score. Palaszewski had a much better round, scoring twice with high kicks, but then Shalorus took him down near the end of the round, and stayed on top of him.

Palaszewski landed the best shots of the fight in the last minute of the round. Shalorus got tired and took some punishment. If this fight was a little longer, Palaszewski had a chance to really do some damage.

Winner: Kamal Shalorus

The scores were 30-27 for Shalorus, 29-28 for Palaszewski, and 29-28 for Shalorus.

2. Chris Horodecki vs. Donald Cerrone

Cerrone looked great and it was a pretty one-sided round. Horodecki was able to get inside and throw strikes, but couldn’t do much else. Cerrone got a takedown and quickly got mount. Horodecki was able to switch the position, but didn’t want to be in Cerrone’s guard. He toyed with him near the end of the round, getting his back as the round sounded.

Horodecki got the takedown, but ended up paying for it. Cerrone went for an omoplata, turned it into a triangle and just kept syching it. Horodecki fought it but couldn’t get out of it and ended up tapping out.

Winner: Donald Cerrone by way of 2nd round submission

Cerrone said that he’s coming after Cole Miller. That’d be a great fight.

3. Scott Jorgensen vs. Dominick Cruz

I’m so surprised that guys who fight Cruz don’t throw more counter uppercuts. His face dips right into them. Cruz was scoring at will, in and out like usual, coming in from all kinds of weird angles. He worked his uppercut very well and whenever Jorgensen was able to come forward, he made him pay with uppercuts and nasty leg kicks. Very late in the round, Jorgensen got a takedown and jumped on his back, but Cruz ended up on top. Really good first round.

Jorgensen had a much better time trying to counter Cruz, but Cruz was still pretty dominant. He scored a takedown, a jumping knee, and continued to land with punches. Jorgensen is timing him better, but still getting hit at will.

Even when Cruz misses shots, he doesn’t quit. He missed a two punch combination, but immediately threw a leg kick after Jorgensen thought he was out of harms way. Cruz knocked Jorgensen down with a short right hand. He then got a clothesline-like takedown. The guy has to be so hard to prepare for.

Cruz got another clothesline-like takedown to start the round. The rest of the round saw Cruz make Jorgensen miss and then take him down two more times. Jorgensen threw one kick but other than that, he hasn’t really tried to do anything else.

Whenever Jorgensen went for a big punch, he was countered and clipped, and then Cruz was nowhere to be found. Jorgensen eventually got a takedown, but Cruz was right back up. And then Cruz took him down immediately. It was as complete of a performance as you’ll see. He won every minute of every round.

Winner: Dominick Cruz by way of unanimous decision

Cruz wants Urijah Faber.

4. Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson

Henderson led into the first clinch and then got a takedown. Pettis was trying to keep him honest with his fast high kicks. Henderson got another takedown near the end of the round, but only after Pettis hit him with a nasty counter-right hand.

Pettis landed another big right hand and Henderson fell to his butt. He got up, but Pettis locked him up and then got a takedown of his own. They spent the rest of the round on their feet without either guy really getting the upper hand. But based on the first minute of the round, you have to give the round to Pettis and I have the fight split so far.

Pettis rode Henderson’s back for most of the round with a body triangle. Henderson started to elbow his thighs from the position before breaking it right at the end of the round.

They were maniacal on the ground to start the round. Henderson had a guillotine, but Pettis slipped out. Then Henderson got his back and put in the body lock. He had the rear naked choke sunk in pretty deeply, but Pettis didn’t tap. Pettis escaped and then was back riding on Henderson’s back. Back on their feet, Pettis landed a solid right hand. Back on the ground, Pettis put on a one-armed guillotine. It may have been Henderson’s round ever so slightly.

Henderson landed a body kick, but Pettis returned a nice right hand. Henderson fell for a feint and actually went to the ground. Pettis followed him and tried for his back again, but didn’t get it. Pettis ran toward Henderson and jumped at him with a kick, but actually, he used the cage to push off from and kicked Henderson right in the face. I’ve never seen that before. He nearly wall walked. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in the cage.

I have Pettis 3 rounds to 2.

Winner: Anthony Pettis by way of unanimous decision

He won by scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.

After cutting a promo about how he can still do anything through God, Henderson was upset and said the judges gave it to him and he did a good job.

This was a killer show. They went out with a bang.

We also discuss:

- Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito
- Why boxing fans need to watch Sergio Martinez this weekend
- The plight of MFC fighter Jesse Juarez
- Whether Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir is the next fight for both
- WEC/UFC merger and some of the negatives around it
- UFC 122 and how the merger should help bland events

Right click to download or stream below.

Urijah Faber could use a nice win heading into UFC. He’s so marketable, but needs to win this fight. I’d love to see he and Miguel Torres face off and maybe even do a The Ultimate Fighter season as coaches.

1. Demetrious Johnson vs. Damacio Page

If you scored by takedowns, Page would win three to one. And if you scored by velocity of takedowns, Page would be winning handily too. He slammed Johnson down hard. On the last one, I thought Johnson may have injured his back, but he was ok. Page also got the mount after the first takedown.

Johnson shinned him right in the package. Even with the package shot, the round was all Johnson. He got two big takedowns and stayed on top of him most of the round. He was pretty active on top too. I have it tied at the end of two rounds.

The round started much like the second with Johnson all over Page. He started to set Page up for a submission and had a front face lock until he was able to get Page to sit back and held the guillotine from the top position. Page tapped.

Winner: Demetrious Johnson by way of third round submission

2. Wagnney Fabiano vs. Joseph Benavidez

Benavidez pushed the pace and set the tone. It was almost comical watching the much shorter Benavidez walk down Fabiano. Fabiano landed a couple of body kicks that landed well, but Benavidez threw many more strikes and was in control.

Benavidez took advantage of a slip by Fabiano and started to leg kick him. He sunk in two different guillotines that looked tight, but Fabiano was able to get out both of them. Bonnar thought the fight was over twice. And then, all of a sudden, he sunk in another, this time without the arm in and Fabiano tapped out. That was excellent stuff by Benavidez.

Winner: Joseph Benavidez by way of 2nd round submission

3. Francisco Rivera vs. Erik Koch

This is Rivera’s first fight in the WEC and I guess technically, his last.

Koch threw a nasty high kick that hit him right on the jaw. Rivera didn’t immediately go out, but he was definitely out of it. Koch finished him on the ground with hammer punches.

Winner: Erik Koch by way of 1st round TKO

4. Mackens Semerzier vs. Cub Swanson

This was an entertaining first round. They both threw a ton of kicks and straight right hands. Good head movement from Swanson too. It was pretty close to a stalemate. Semerzier had a standing guillotine in for a short time, but it wasn’t that deep.

Swanson started to get the better of Semerzier because he was able to mix in a couple takedowns and started to gain the advantage in the stand-up. Without the takedowns, it’d be a harder round to call, but it’s Swanson’s round.

I think Swanson is going to get this decision because of his ability to get Semerzier down with takedowns. The stand-up is close to call. Swanson had some of the better boxing you’ll see in MMA, though he would fall in love with it and drop his hands low. But offensively, he was pretty smooth. Semerzier got Swanson down and tried to get his back unsuccessfully, but was able to get on top of him and stay busy. Maybe Semerzier will steal this decision. With about 10 seconds left, they were both on their feet and just swinging for the fences. It’s on the list of best fights of the year for sure.

Winner: Cub Swanson by way of split decision

You can’t go wrong with that decision. I would’ve been fine with either guy winning.

5. Javier Vasquez vs. Chad Mendes

Mendes smothered him from top position the entire round. Vasquez used his rubber guard to stop Mendes’ advancement. But that’s the way the entire round went.

Mendes immediately went to the takedown again. Vasquez fought very well off his back, throwing elbows from the bottom. Vasquez got Mendes off him and Mendes did a front flip to try to get back on top and they rolled around until Mendes was back on top.

Thankfully, they showed the Cub Swanson fight because this fight isn’t doing much for me. Mendes got the takedown again and again, but Herb is standing them up pretty quickly now. I can’t see Mendes losing this type of fight.

Winner: Chad Mendes by way of unanimous decision

All the scores were 30-27.

6. Takeya Mizugaki vs. Urijah Faber

For most of the first round, they were clinched up against the cage with neither guy having an edge. Then, Faber tried to lock in a front face lock and then immediately went to his back. He got on top of his back and Mizugaki was carrying him. Faber tried a choke with one arm and then switched arms. Mizugaki tried to drop Faber on top of his head but instead, he just ended up giving up his back on the ground. Faber sunk in a choke and Mizugaki wouldn’t tap. They were close to the cage so the ref couldn’t see if Mizugaki was out or not. The choke was probably on several seconds too late, not at the fault of anyone though.

Winner: Urijah Faber by way of 1st round submission

I’m interested to see how Urijah’s first UFC fight is booked.

Josh Koscheck wants Sako to make sure that he doesn’t give Jonathan Brookins his back.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Sako Chivitchian

Sako shot in and Brookins underhooked him and threw him down. Then Brookins immediately went for his back just like they predicted. After struggling, he sunk in the rear naked choke and it was over. Wow.

Winner: Jonathan Brookins by way of 1st round submission

Sako says he didn’t follow the game plan. Koscheck says he just made a mistake.

Nam Phan is fighting Cody McKenzie and Josh is training Nam strictly on guillotines. Koscheck says if Nam gets guillotined in this fight, he’s hitting him over the head with a chair. Jeff Hardy just smiled while Ken Anderson grimaced.

Nam says that McKenzie’s techniques aren’t necessarily correct, but they work for whatever reason.

Cody McKenzie vs. Nam Phan

This was a weird round. McKenzie just kept shooting in and not being able to take Pham down, except one time. Pham was fighting against the cage, keeping him off all round as Koscheck was screaming at him. Then McKenzie looked tired, or was playing possum so he could get Pham in closer. Pham landed some punches near the end of the round.

Pham just started unloading in the second. He landed right hands that rung McKenzie’s bell, but actually knocked him down with two body shots. He finished him on the ground and the ref stopped it.

Winner: Nam Phan by way of 2nd round TKO

Dana White said that while it’s nice to guillotine choke guys in the first round, you don’t get the rounds and experience underneath your belt.

Koscheck was whooping and hollering and said it was personal because of how much he didn’t like McKenzie.

Looks like Aaron Wilkerson and Kyle Watson are fighting while Bruce Leroy and Michael Johnson are paired and both fights are on next week’s show.