2019 MMA Comeback Fighter of the Year

Cammo101 · Post #1 » by **Cammo101** » Wed Jan 1, 2020 9:40 pm

Previous winners:

2018 – Jessica Eye
2017 - Georges St. Pierre
2016 - Khabib Nurmagomedov
2015 - Evan Dunham
2014 - Dominick Cruz
2013 - Robbie Lawler
2012 - Jamie Varner

cowboyronnie · Post #2 » by **cowboyronnie** » Thu Jan 2, 2020 12:46 am

All three of those guys lost their last fights. Jorge probably quaifies here.

Bernman · Post #3 » by **Bernman** » Fri Jan 3, 2020 8:15 pm

None of those fighters particularly qualify. If I have to choose between those, it's Faber. Hard to make comebacks in careers in MMA, unless you start doing roids. Once it starts going downhill it seldom does not stay there.

That's why I like to interpret this category for comebacks in fights. For that you gotta go Jairzinho v. Overeem, Cejudo v. Moraes, Pettis v. Wonderboy, etc. There were a lot of good ones in the ufc namely because of how competitively they match up guys.

Cammo101 · Post #4 » by **Cammo101** » Fri Jan 3, 2020 11:38 pm

Bernman wrote:None of those fighters particularly qualify. If I have to choose between those, it's Faber. Hard to make comebacks in careers in MMA, unless you start doing roids. Once it starts going downhill it seldom does not stay there.

That's why I like to interpret this category for comebacks in fights. For that you gotta go Jairzinho v. Overeem, Cejudo v. Moraes, Pettis v. Wonderboy, etc. There were a lot of good ones in the ufc namely because of how competitively they match up guys.

Yeah, we may just hybrid that going forward and have it be in a fight or possibly over the calendar year. I agree this one is kind of a meh category.

Cammo101 · Post #5 » by **Cammo101** » Fri Jan 3, 2020 11:46 pm

Updated with new options based on the new criteria.

Susan · Post #6 » by **Susan** » Sat Jan 4, 2020 6:26 am

Anthony Pettis. Every year.

AirCanadaMouse · Post #7 » by **AirCanadaMouse** » Sun Jan 5, 2020 5:03 am

Henry Cejudo...

No matter how much you hated him prior, he won everyone over that night.

Susan · Post #8 » by **Susan** » Thu Jan 9, 2020 5:08 pm

AirCanadaMouse wrote:Henry Cejudo...

No matter how much you hated him prior, he won everyone over that night.

I mean, that fight didn't get as bad as Stipe/DC. DC was outclassing Stipe for longer, you could see the Henry fight turning in the second (from what I remember) but that Stipe fight was 100% nothing going for Stipe until those body shots hit and it was a tidal wave following that. Really impressive resiliency (as was Askren/Lawler).

AirCanadaMouse · Post #9 » by **AirCanadaMouse** » Thu Jan 9, 2020 9:17 pm

Susan wrote:
AirCanadaMouse wrote:Henry Cejudo...

No matter how much you hated him prior, he won everyone over that night.

I mean, that fight didn't get as bad as Stipe/DC. DC was outclassing Stipe for longer, you could see the Henry fight turning in the second (from what I remember) but that Stipe fight was 100% nothing going for Stipe until those body shots hit and it was a tidal wave following that. Really impressive resiliency (as was Askren/Lawler).

You're not wrong at all, but I feel the "comeback" goes beyond the fight itself. This is a man who barely escaped a fire, lost prized possessions, endured A LOT of hate for no reason. "cringe" is no reason either, he was getting an absurd amount of hatred towards him and I never understood it. People thinking he wasn't a rightful champ because of the upset against DJ...

He came back from all of that and won everyone over in one night. Then you see the fallout with TJ, and it became a very fitting end. Flyweight division still exists because of the value he brought too, for better or for worse. That captures a comeback fighter to me. Especially when you consider the backstory before 2019, with him considering retirement. There is no doubt he is a solidified champion now.

Susan · Post #10 » by **Susan** » Thu Jan 9, 2020 9:47 pm

AirCanadaMouse wrote:
Susan wrote:
AirCanadaMouse wrote:Henry Cejudo...

No matter how much you hated him prior, he won everyone over that night.

I mean, that fight didn't get as bad as Stipe/DC. DC was outclassing Stipe for longer, you could see the Henry fight turning in the second (from what I remember) but that Stipe fight was 100% nothing going for Stipe until those body shots hit and it was a tidal wave following that. Really impressive resiliency (as was Askren/Lawler).

You're not wrong at all, but I feel the "comeback" goes beyond the fight itself. This is a man who barely escaped a fire, lost prized possessions, endured A LOT of hate for no reason. "cringe" is no reason either, he was getting an absurd amount of hatred towards him and I never understood it. People thinking he wasn't a rightful champ because of the upset against DJ...

He came back from all of that and won everyone over in one night. Then you see the fallout with TJ, and it became a very fitting end. Flyweight division still exists because of the value he brought too, for better or for worse. That captures a comeback fighter to me. Especially when you consider the backstory before 2019, with him considering retirement. There is no doubt he is a solidified champion now.

Oh, I own a LOT of stock in CRINGE INC.