B.J. Penn went on an unforgettable tear in 2004. | Photo: Sherdog.com
While Shogun was dominating the Pride middleweight division, the “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi was similarly having his way in Pride’s lightweight division. Gomi went 5-0 in 2005 and won the Pride lightweight grand prix. Some felt Tatsuya Kawajiri was Japan’s top lightweight fighter following his success in Shooto, but Gomi submitted him in an exciting quarterfinal bout. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai entered the finals of the tournament with tremendous momentum: consecutive wins over Shinya Aoki, Jens Pulver and Joachim Hansen. Gomi knocked him out in less than four minutes to cap a highly successful year.
Matt Hughes File Photo
Hughes is one of the best ever.
Matt Hughes is clearly one of the most dominant fighters since Zuffa LLC purchased the UFC. Hughes also perfectly illustrates how difficult it is to have an extraordinary one-year period in the contemporary UFC. Hughes has 16 wins in the Octagon since 2001, but only once has he won three times in the same year.
That year was 2002, and it was an impressive run. First, Hughes dominated Sakurai. At the time, Sakurai was 18-1-2, with his only loss via decision to Anderson Silva.
Hughes dominated Sakurai so thoroughly that it left American fans wondering what was so special about the Japanese fighter to warrant a title shot in his first UFC contest. Sakurai would never fight in the UFC again.
Hughes’ next win was one he has called his all-time favorite. He had won the UFC welterweight title from Carlos Newton in one of the most controversial finishes in MMA history, a photo finish where it was ambiguous whether Newton had first choked out Hughes with a triangle or Hughes had first knocked out Newton with a slam. Hughes settled all controversy by dominating Newton in the rematch and finishing the fight with a crucifix and strikes. Hughes then closed out his year with a TKO win over Gil Castillo.
Fans of B.J. Penn have frequently attached an almost mystical aura to the Hawaiian fighter and his natural ability. Penn’s dynamism was never more apparent and that aura was never more solidified than in 2004. Penn moved up from lightweight to welterweight to take on the longstanding champion Hughes. Hughes had won six straight title fights and was a heavy favorite, but Penn shocked the champion with strikes and submitted him in the first round to win the 170-pound title.
A financial dispute took Penn out of the UFC, and, in his next fight, he took on Duane Ludwig. Ludwig was considered by many to be the lineal UFC lightweight champion, having knocked out Jens Pulver after “Little Evil” left UFC with that title. Penn submitted Ludwig in less than two minutes, staking a claim as the best in two divisions. Not content with that, he closed out the year by handing Rodrigo Gracie his first MMA loss in a middleweight bout. In 2004, Penn seemed like he could do practically anything.
Chuck Liddell File Photo
Liddell was on top in 2006.
Unfortunately for Liddell, that would mark the high point of his MMA career. In 2007, a new light heavyweight would establish himself as the division’s best. Jackson made his UFC debut by avenging an early loss to Marvin Eastman. Next, Jackson defeated Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight title. Finally, “Rampage” unified the UFC and Pride 205-pound titles with a hard-fought victory over Henderson. Jackson struggled for years to become the man in Pride, but, in just a matter of months, he made it to the top of the UFC.
One of the more unique developments in recent UFC history was the rise of Lyoto Machida. His karate style proved a tricky puzzle to solve, and, like Jones in 2011, many in 2009 predicted a long reign for Machida as UFC champion. Machida began the year by destroying the previously unbeaten Thiago Silva and then did the same to also previously undefeated UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. His third fight of the year is the one that takes his standing down. Machida did get the decision against Rua, but most felt “Shogun” won the fight. Still, it was a competitive contest and concluded an unbeaten year with some signature wins for “The Dragon.”
How does Jones’ 2011 compare to the best years in MMA history? For credentials, few have beaten three recent champions in a single calendar year. It is rare for a top UFC fighter to win four times in the same year. Jones also gets style points for the way he won the fights. Only Machida came close to scoring effective offense.
On the downside, none of Jones’ opponents came into the fight riding an overwhelming wave of momentum. Bader was a rising prospect who had not been tested all that often. Of the three former champions, none came into the cage with as much as a three-fight winning streak. The blueprints for success were there.
Time will help to provide additional context for Jones’ accomplishments this year. We will see where he goes from here and where his opponents go, as well, but Jones is unquestionably in an elite class and, regardless of where his career takes him, he will always be able to point to 2011 proudly.
Follow Todd Martin on Twitter at @toddmartinmma.