Holly Holm and Demetrious Johnson Named Fighters of the Year on Inside MMA's 2015 Bazzie Awards
Dec 21, 2015 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- LOS ANGELES – Newly crowned UFC women’s
bantamweight champion Holly Holm,
who unseated reigning champ Ronda
Rousey in November, and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious
Johnson, who twice defended his belt in 2015, took home top
honors as female and male fighters of the year tonight on INSIDE
MMA’s 2015 Bazzie Awards show hosted by Bas Rutten and
Ron Kruck.
Holm also won KO of the year for her devastating knockout of
Rousey, while Legacy Fighting Championship’s Dylan
Ashburn won submission of the year for his brutal twister
submission of Donis
Francois at Legacy 38 and fight of the year honors went to the
bloodbath between Robbie
Lawler and Rory McDonald at UFC 189 in July.
Rounding out the awards show, undefeated UFC bantamweight and AXS TV Fights alum Thomas Almeida won breakthrough fighter of the year, Lion Fight’s Gaston Bolanos was named AXS TV Fights Rising Star and Patricio Freire won comeback of the year for his KO of Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138.
AXS TV’s INSIDE MMA, the longest running and only independent MMA news show on television, has handed out the Bazzie Awards, named after series host and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, since 2008. The winners are voted on by Rutten, Rice, correspondent Ron Kruck and the INSIDE MMA news team.
The complete list of winners and nominees are below (winners in bold):
MALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
Demetrious Johnson (winner)
Donald Cerrone
Daniel Cormier
Justin Gaethje
Liam McGeary
Conor McGregor
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
Holly Holm (winner)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Cris “Cyborg” Justino
Ronda Rousey
Miesha Tate
FIGHT OF THE YEAR:
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II - UFC 189 (winner)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne - UFC 187
Vitaly Bigdash vs. Igor Svirid - One Championship 32
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson - UFC 192
Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino - WSOF 19
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR:
Dylan Ashburn vs. Donis Francois - Legacy Fighting Championship 38 (winner)
Braden Crowell vs. Darren Romkee - Summit FC 11
Tyrone Henderson vs. Hong Young-Gi - Road FC 21
Liam McGeary vs. Tito Ortiz - Bellator 142
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano - UFC 184
Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez - UFC 188
KO OF THE YEAR:
Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey - UFC 193 (winner)
Harris Bonfiglio vs. BJ Prak - Reality Fighting
Jay-ar Campos vs. Michael Vojantic - Clan Wars 21
Paul Felder vs. Danny Castillo - UFC 182
Chris Gardner vs. Chris Henderson - VCFC
Hisaki Kato vs. Joe Schilling - Bellator 139
Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee - UFC Fight Night 71
Alex Morono vs. Valdir Araujo - Legacy Fighting Championship 44
AXS TV FIGHTS RISING STAR:
Gaston Bolanos - Lion Fight (winner)
Ricardo Ramos - Legacy Fighting Championship
Andrew Sanchez – Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Luke Sanders - Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Valentina Schevchenko - Legacy Fighting Championship/Legacy Kickboxing
Eric Spicely - CES MMA
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER:
Thomas Almeida (winner)
Max Holloway
Henry Cejudo
Liam McGeary
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Donald Cerrone
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR:
Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Weichel - Bellator 138 (winner)
Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein - UFC 183
Vitaly Bigdash vs. Igor Svirid - One Championship 32
David Burrow vs. Anthony Njokuani - Legacy Fighting Championship 38
Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch – UFC 183
ABOUT AXS TV FIGHTS
AXS TV Fights presents more LIVE mixed martial arts and kickboxing events than any other television network with 40+ LIVE world-class fight cards each year. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich call all the action as champions, challengers, and top prospects take center stage every Friday night at 10pE/7pP. AXS TV Fights can be found online, on Facebook and on Twitter. AXS TV is widely distributed in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also carried in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
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Rounding out the awards show, undefeated UFC bantamweight and AXS TV Fights alum Thomas Almeida won breakthrough fighter of the year, Lion Fight’s Gaston Bolanos was named AXS TV Fights Rising Star and Patricio Freire won comeback of the year for his KO of Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138.
AXS TV’s INSIDE MMA, the longest running and only independent MMA news show on television, has handed out the Bazzie Awards, named after series host and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, since 2008. The winners are voted on by Rutten, Rice, correspondent Ron Kruck and the INSIDE MMA news team.
The complete list of winners and nominees are below (winners in bold):
MALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
Demetrious Johnson (winner)
Donald Cerrone
Daniel Cormier
Justin Gaethje
Liam McGeary
Conor McGregor
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
Holly Holm (winner)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Cris “Cyborg” Justino
Ronda Rousey
Miesha Tate
FIGHT OF THE YEAR:
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II - UFC 189 (winner)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne - UFC 187
Vitaly Bigdash vs. Igor Svirid - One Championship 32
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson - UFC 192
Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino - WSOF 19
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR:
Dylan Ashburn vs. Donis Francois - Legacy Fighting Championship 38 (winner)
Braden Crowell vs. Darren Romkee - Summit FC 11
Tyrone Henderson vs. Hong Young-Gi - Road FC 21
Liam McGeary vs. Tito Ortiz - Bellator 142
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano - UFC 184
Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez - UFC 188
KO OF THE YEAR:
Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey - UFC 193 (winner)
Harris Bonfiglio vs. BJ Prak - Reality Fighting
Jay-ar Campos vs. Michael Vojantic - Clan Wars 21
Paul Felder vs. Danny Castillo - UFC 182
Chris Gardner vs. Chris Henderson - VCFC
Hisaki Kato vs. Joe Schilling - Bellator 139
Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee - UFC Fight Night 71
Alex Morono vs. Valdir Araujo - Legacy Fighting Championship 44
AXS TV FIGHTS RISING STAR:
Gaston Bolanos - Lion Fight (winner)
Ricardo Ramos - Legacy Fighting Championship
Andrew Sanchez – Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Luke Sanders - Resurrection Fighting Alliance
Valentina Schevchenko - Legacy Fighting Championship/Legacy Kickboxing
Eric Spicely - CES MMA
BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER:
Thomas Almeida (winner)
Max Holloway
Henry Cejudo
Liam McGeary
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Donald Cerrone
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR:
Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Weichel - Bellator 138 (winner)
Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein - UFC 183
Vitaly Bigdash vs. Igor Svirid - One Championship 32
David Burrow vs. Anthony Njokuani - Legacy Fighting Championship 38
Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch – UFC 183
ABOUT AXS TV FIGHTS
AXS TV Fights presents more LIVE mixed martial arts and kickboxing events than any other television network with 40+ LIVE world-class fight cards each year. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich call all the action as champions, challengers, and top prospects take center stage every Friday night at 10pE/7pP. AXS TV Fights can be found online, on Facebook and on Twitter. AXS TV is widely distributed in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also carried in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
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