It’s been a historic, busy year for combat sports and I’m happy to announce the 2017 Caged Minds Awards winners. This week with the continued growth in MMA we’ve added some more categories. My decision where hard but they have been made. Here’s the 2017 Caged Minds Combat Sports Awards.
Big Leauge MMA Awards
UFC Male Fighter of 2017
UFC Male Fighter of 2017- Max Holloway 2-0 won & defended UFC Featherweight title against former champion Jose Aldo/ Rafael Dos Anjos 3-0 the former Lightweight champion moved up a weight class scored all 3 of his wins came against top 15 ranked opposition
Bellator Male Fight of 2017
Bellator Male Fighter of 2017- AJ McKee 4-0. 1 KO 1 Sub, 2 decisions was the most active fighter on the roster
LFA Male Fighter of 2017
LFA Male Fighter of 2017- Robert Watley 3-0, 2-0 in LFA, Won the LFA title w/ a unanimous decision over Thiago Moises and defended it w/ a TKO of Daryl Wilson
UFC Women’s Fighter of 2017
UFC Women’s Fighter of 2017- Cris “Cyborg” Santos 2-0, Won the vacant UFC Women’s Featherweight title by TKO of Tonya Evinger & defended it by unanimous decision over Holly Holm solidifying herself as the top WMMA fighter of all time
Bellator Women’s Fighter of 2017
Bellator Women’s Fighter of 2017- Ilima-Lei MacFarlane 2-0, this year submitting Jessica Middelton & Emily Ducote, the later earned “The Ilimanator” the acclaim of becoming the inaugural Bellator Women’s Flyweight champion.
LFA Women’s Fighter of 2017
LFA Women’s Fighter of 2017 Andrea Lee the LFA Women’s Flyweight champion went 3-0 in the year, 2-0 in LFA winning the LFA title submitting Heather Bassett & defending it by submitting Jamie Thorton
Breakthrough Fighter of 2017
Break Through fighter of 2017- Nicco Montano 4-0, 1st ever UFC Women’s Flyweight champion. Won 3 exhibition fights on TUF 26, and defeated Roxanne Modafferi by unanimous decision in the finals
Upset of 2017
Upset of 2017- Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217
Event of the 2017
Event of 2017- UFC 218 the t2o fights of the year, knock out punch of the year, and co fighter of the year on the card
Top Knockouts of 2017
Punch KO of 2017- Francis Ngannou def. Overeem UFC 218Rafael Carvalho def. Melvin Manhoef Bellator 176Knee KO of 2017- Paul Daley def. Brennan Ward Bellator 170Elbow of 2017- Gaston Balanos def Rick Gutierrez Bellator 189
Best Submission of 2017
Submission of 2017- Demetrous Johnson def. Ray Borg toss up an armbar UFC 216
Comeback win of 2017
Comeback win of 2017- Darren Elkins def. Mirsad Bektic UFC 209
Fight of 2017
Fight of 2017- Alex Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros & Justin Gaethje vs. Eddie Alvarez both brawls from UFC 218
New Mexico MMA Awards Male MMA Fighter of 2017
New Mexico MAle MMA Fighter of 2017 Harvey Park went 3-0 knockouts of Brandon Trujillo and Roberto Corvo, plus submitting Majdeddine Ayadi
New Mexico Male Breakthrough Fighter of 2017
2017 local Male Break through fighter- Andres Quintana 3-0 decision wins over Erick Sanchez & Saul Levy, plus submitting Rey Trujillo
New Mexico Female Breakthrough Fighter of 2017 & New Mexico Big League Fighter of 2017, & New Mexico Female Fighter of 2017
icco Montano 4-0, 1st ever UFC Women’s Flyweight champion. Won 3 exhibition fights on TUF 26, and defeated Roxanne Modafferi by unanimous decision in the finals
Amateur MMA Fighter of 2017
Amateur MMA Fighter of 2017- Chris Cortez (5-0 2 KO’s, &1 sub in 2017)
NM MMA Event of 2017– JacksonWink Fight Night 2
MMA Event of 2017- JacksonWink Fight Night 2, 11 fight card. 5 amateur contest & 6 professional. 9 finishes. Chris Brown made his pro debut. A bloody war between Cody East and Tony Lopez, Both then pro and amateur knock outs of the year for New Mexico.Damacio Page won by stoppage in the main event.
NM Pro KO of 2017
NM Pro KO of 2017- Wilfredo Santigao def. Omar Acosta JacksonWink Fight Night 2
NM Pro Sub of 2017
NM Pro Sub of 2017- Harvey Park def. Majdeddine Ayadi by submission (rear naked choke) 4:05 R1 JacksonWink Fight Night 2
Pro Fight of 2017
Pro Fight of 2017- Roy Saucedo def. Ernesto Salvidez at Jackson’s MMA Series XXIII
Amateur KO of 2017
Amateur KO of 2017- Ozzy Chavez def Daniel Nieto at JacksonWink Fight Night 2
Amateur Sub of 2017
Amateur Sub of 2017- Christopher Cortez def. Bryan Linares by submission (modified americana) 0:58 R1 at Jackson’s MMA Series XXI
Amateur Fight of 2017
Amateur fight of 2017- Nicco Nathan vs Sterling Peak at KOTC Chosen Few
New Mexico Boxing Awards New Mexico Boxer of 2017
Boxer of 2017- Jose Osorio, His KO of Ricky Vasquez was spectacular and a win in a even fight. The win year Roman Reynoso was one of the only wins by an underdog on the New Mexico boxing scene all year.,
Knock out of 2017, Come from behind win of 2017, Fight of 2017
– Matthew Esquibel def. Christopher Russell at Battle for the Brave
Card of 2017
Legacy Boxing Battle for the Brave several hard fought and closer then expected contests with a very good main event. Also had fight, come back, and knock out of the year.
Upset of 2017
Upset of 2017- Jose Osorio (9-3-1) def. Ramon Raynoso (20-1) by split decision at Holmes Boxing Countries Collide
Biggest Balls Award
Gene Perez in the Ring or the Cage willing to fight anyone anywhere
