With the UFC putting on an ambitious number of shows there were fears that their product would become diluted. Yes, there have been some instances like UFC 108 and 109 when fans have been upset about the quality of a card. However, when MMA’s biggest promotion wants to put on a huge card they pull out all the stops.
In 2009 the UFC did just that for their 100th numbered card – UFC 100. Despite the fact that it was not a real milestone, the promotion still hosted several memorable fights. The contests not only looked great on paper, but also entertained the MMA viewing public.
The card featured two title fights, a showdown between coaches from “The Ultimate Fighter” and the debut of a foreign superstar. In the end it lived up to the hype and provided enough excited to be named the ProMMA.info Card of 2009.
As always there were a few matches before the show goes live on pay per view. The UFC 100 under card was above average just like the rest of the card.
Hot prospect Jon Jones showed off his impressive all-around game in destroying Jake O’Brien. Tom Lawlor scored an upset with a mean guillotine choke on CB Dollaway. Of course, the highlight had to be UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman picking up his first win in three years over Stephan Bonnar.
To open the broadcast the UFC selected Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher. “The Talent” gave the Korean-Japanese anti-hero all he could handle in a back and forth affair. In the end Akiyama took home victory and the fighters split fight of the night honors.
The grudge between Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping only grew during the filming of ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” For Bisping it was a chance to show he was ready for the top middleweights in the world. Henderson had to prove he still belonged there. In the end Henderson put an emphatic end to the rivalry with a highlight knockout.
Georges St. Pierre continued his domination of the welterweight division with a five-round victory over Thiago Alves. The American Top Team product earned his shot the old fashioned way and appeared to be a stiff test for St. Pierre. The champion used the fight as an opportunity to show that he is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
In the main event UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar got his second chance against Frank Mir. The brash champion appeared to be unbeatable as he left Mir in a bloody mess in the second round. Afterwards Lesnar went professional wrestling, and his antics got played on every major sports talk show for a month.
MMA has seen some great cards. With the sport continuing to grow the product can only get better. In 2009 there was not any card better than UFC 100.
Be sure to check out the rest of the awards
ProMMA.info Breakthrough Fighter of 2009: Muhammed Lawal
ProMMA.info Disappointment of 2009: Josh Barnett
ProMMA.info Submission of 2009: Toby Imada’s Inverted Triangle Choke
ProMMA.info Female Fighter of 2009: “Cyborg” Santos
ProMMA.info Comeback Fighter of 2009: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
ProMMA.info Robbery of 2009: Beebe vs. Easton Decision
ProMMA.info Knockout of 2009: Fedor over Arlovski
ProMMA.info Fighter of 2009: Jose Aldo
More coming soon!