Sherdog.com’s 2014 Fighter of the Year

4. Fabricio Werdum

Once viewed as a dangerous but one-dimensional martial artist, Werdum has developed into something far more menacing since returning to the UFC in 2012.

The 37-year-old Brazilian posted a pair of wins over the past 12 months, beginning with a unanimous decision over Travis Browne at UFC on Fox 11 and concluding with a stirring knockout of Mark Hunt at UFC 180 on Nov. 15 in Mexico City -- the latter bringing with it the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown. Werdum coached opposite reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez on “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” and was scheduled to face the American Kickboxing Academy brute before an injury opened the door for Hunt.

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Showcasing the vastly improved standup skills he has honed under Kings MMA mastermind Rafael Cordeiro, Werdum stopped the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner with a second-round knee strike and follow-up punches to win interim gold. The two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist closed out Hunt 2:27 into the second round, joining Junior dos Santos and Melvin Manhoef as the only men to have finished “The Super Samoan” with strikes.

Hunt controlled the first round with his striking and a takedown, and he twice dropped the Brazilian with right hands. However, he never came close to a finish. Werdum bided his time, landed a crushing knee in the center of the cage midway through round two and pounced on the dazed kiwi with punches and hammerfists. Hunt, 40, did not recover, leaving referee Herb Dean to intervene on his behalf.

Werdum, who figures to face Velasquez in a unification bout sometime in early to mid-2015, has rattled off five straight wins, three of them finishes, and entrenched himself as one of the sport’s top three heavyweights. He has not lost a fight in more than three years.

Continue Reading » No. 5: Rafael Dos Anjos