Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: What is your "Fight of the Year" for 2010? Hansen, Hyden, Hobaugh, Williams and Penick
Dec 24, 2010 - 6:00:59 PM ROUNDTABLE: What is your "Fight of the Year" for 2010? Hansen, Hyden, Hobaugh, Williams and Penick

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What is your fight of the year for 2010 and why?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

My fight of 2010 is Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki 2 at Sengoku 14.  Not only is it my favorite fight of 2010, it's my all time favorite fight.  When the two first fought each other in 2009, Misaki dominated a fantastic fight until getting choked out with less than two minutes left.  In the rematch, Misaki dominated a fantastic fight until Santiago took control and Misaki's corner threw in the towel with 30 seconds left.  But it isn't just the backstory that makes this my favorite fight of 2010, but it was also MMA at it's highest quality.  It's just a damn shame that so many people in the States did not see this classic.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I have to go with Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung from WEC 48. That was the most entertaining fight I've seen in some time. It may not have been the most technical, but it was great for sitting around with friends and marveling at the madness. That's definitely my fight of the year.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung was my favorite fight from the WEC.  If you have not seen this fight you need to.  It is not only my favorite fight from the WEC, it is also my favorite fight in MMA this year.  I think Jung won the fight.  When the judges awarded Garcia the victory, It was disappointing.  It took nothing away from how awesome this fight was.

ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Maybe it's the recency bias, but Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson.  It was exciting throughout, fought with a high-level of skill (much higher than I anticipated), was up for grabs going into the fifth round, and featured one of the most amazing moves in MMA history (the Showtime kick).

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson stole it in the last major fight of 2010 for me. In a close second was the Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki fight from Japan, and tied in third were Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva from UFC 117 and Yves Jabouin vs. Mark Hominick from WEC 49. But Pettis and Henderson put on the best fight of the year.

After two closely contested rounds, the fight really picked up in the third round. The back and forth on the ground was excellent, with both fighters gaining position, reversing, attempting submissions and more. Then the fifth round brought out Pettis' striking advantage, where he utilized flying knees and fast hands before pulling off the move of the year with that kick off the wall. It was edge-of-your seat excitement in the final fight in WEC history with a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship on the line, and you just can't get any better than that fight this year.