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The holiday season is upon us. Carlos Ruiz Jersey . Its a time of year for family and friends, gifts and surprises, and a hectic Premier League holiday fixture list. As we approach the halfway point of the season, the table is as topsy-turvy as ever. The unpredictable nature doesnt stop with team performances. Individual contributions have been erratic and entirely volatile. There are players, however, who have been altogether consistent. Many who have come out of obscurity, and/or have performed above what was expected. Before the season they were overlooked or underestimated. They have answered the critics and become top Premier League players. Lets call these players true holiday surprises, or gifts to their teams and supporters. Here is the Premier Leagues ‘Surprise starting XI. Happy Holidays! Goalkeeper Tim Howard (Everton) – Inconsistent play has always been Howards Achilles heel. This year hes been the leagues best shot-stopper and has been a rock behind a team on the rise. Howard has a joint league best eight clean sheets and Everton have conceded the joint fewest goals (15 in 16 games). The American has never been on better form, boding well for club and country. Honourable Mention: Artur Boruc (Southampton) Defenders RB: Seamus Coleman (Everton) – It was rightfully questioned where best to play the Irishman. A midfield role seemed beyond him when deputized. Right back was always the most logical fit. The 25-year-old has grown leaps and bounds over last season, as comfortable in attack as defending. Three goals to his tally contribute to a more balanced team attack, providing an alternative to the reliance of attacking down the left. He is one of three players in the team to play every minute this season. The argument can be made he has been the top right back in the league thus far. CB: Dejan Lovren (Southampton) – The Croatian was a significant signing from Lyon last summer and an absolute bargain at £8.5 million. Lovren has only missed one game, a 2-0 loss at Arsenal, one of only three games the team has conceded more than one goal. His leadership has been an asset in a young team, and although still just 24, plays with much more maturity than his years. Lovren leads the spine of the team that is among the best in the league. CB: Steven Caulker (Cardiff City) – Another shrewd £8.5 million purchase, the 21-year-old represents the present and future for Cardiff City. Its puzzling why a club as steadfast on development as Spurs wouldnt give the player a longer look. Caulker needed opportunity and the move to Wales has revitalized his promising career. He has the faith of his teammates and the manager, serving as stand-in captain. Caulkers already one of the best defenders in the air and has also blocked the most shots in the Premier League. Hes played in all 16 games, with the highlight scoring the game winner in the South Wales derby. LB: Kieran Gibbs – Arsenals back four was in shambles a season ago. The entire back line has improved, but its Gibbs who has developed into an every match left back. The stats dont flatter, but his week-in, week-out influence is certainly felt. The wingback duo of Gibbs and Bacary Sagna down the right has contributed extensively to a fluid Arsenal attack. Gibbs has always had promise. But whether Arsene Wenger could rely upon him was debated. The acquisition of Nacho Monreal last season was a wake-up call. Gibbs has kept the Spaniard a peripheral player. Honourabe Mention: Curtis Davies (Hull City) Midfielders RM: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) – The much-maligned Henderson has puts his many critics behind him to become a lynchpin for Brendan Rodgers. The manager has branded Hendo the most improved player in the league, and the assessment isnt far off. Henderson still looks awkward at times, needs to get better in front of goal and may never live up to his £20 million dollar purchase price. But hes only 23, is the only Liverpool player to start every Premier League game, and has been a versatile player down the right side. His passing has also been top rate. He will continue to be relied upon with Steven Gerrard out through injury. CM: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) – The story has been well told. No player has shown improvement like the meteoric rise of the Welshman. A team-best eight goals and 21 shots on goal, an impressive six assists, and nefound poise on the ball, Ramsey has been the best player on the leagues top team. The potential has always been there. This season its been realized. Arsenal has a versatile, box-to-box midfielder to build around in the 22-year-old. The future is bright. CM: Ki Sung-Yeung (Sunderland) – Get to know this name. The 24-year-old South Korean International moved on loan from Swansea, bringing his composed, pass first approach into Gus Poyets team. He has become a consistent starter under Poyet and has been a real threat. A Capital One Cup game-winner against Chelsea Tuesday was the icing on the cake on a run of form making onlookers believer Sunderland may find a way out of the relegation zone. Hes good with both feet and is passing accurately at a rate of 89 percent. LM: Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United) – The 18-year-old was playing in the Dallas Cup last spring. Now, hes a Manchester United first-team regular. Januzaj introduced himself to the world scoring twice in a crucial come from behind victory at Sunderland in his first career start. The creative midfielder caught the eye of United supporters on the pre-season tour. Fellow youngsters Wilfried Zaha and Jesse Lingard seemed further along in their development. But its Januzajs maturity on the ball that has impressed most. Hes the best attacking option on the United flanks at present time. Honourable Mentions: Jordon Mutch (Cardiff City), Jonny Howson (Norwich City) Forwards Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) – Hype has always surrounded the England International, yet production hasnt always followed. Liverpools bright start to the campaign can rightfully be attributed to Sturridge holding down the fort while Luis Suarez missed the first five matches through suspension. Sturridge scored four goals over that span, including three match winners. Injury has setback Sturridges breakout campaign. A big second half for the striker will be essential towards a potential Liverpool return to the Champions League. Shola Amoebi (Newcastle) – The Nigerian International has yet to score this season, but his performance is better assessed on what he means for the team. Amoebis link-up play between the midfield and targetman Loic Remy has been instrumental in Newcastles recent turn-around. In eight games Amoebis started, Newcastle has picked up 17 points and only lost once. His movement off the ball, creation of space and use of his size has made the forgotten man at Newcastle now an important player in Alan Pardews revamped team selection. Honourable Mention: Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) Other Musings - The Champions League draw may have serious implications on the Premier League when all is said and done. Manchester Citys mouth-watering fixture with Barcelona will test Citys resolve. It has always been suggested Manuel Pellegrini was brought in for Champions League success. Navigating through both competitions is no easy task. Fortunate for City, the two games with Barcelona are sandwiched between ‘soft fixtures: Sunderland and Stoke City both at home, then Aston Villa at the Etihad and Hull City away. These games will allow Pellegrini to properly rotate his squad. Arsenal meanwhile plays tournament favourites Bayern Munich. Added to the distraction is a game against Manchester United before their first meeting, and rivals Spurs following the second game with Bayern Munich. - Citys depth has already been tested through the prolonged absence of captain Vincent Kompany. Squad depth will continue to be challenged with top goalscorer Sergio Aguero out up to two months with a calf injury and right-back Pablo Zabaleta suffering a hamstring injury. These are critical losses – Aguero, a true game-winner, and Zabaleta who is top class down the City right hand side without appropriate cover at the position. - Wayne Rooneys injured status is a massive blow to United. The nature and extent of his injury has yet to be revealed. With a soft holiday fixture list ahead, this was a key time for Manchester United to make up ground. No Rooney and Robin van Persie for extended periods could force Uniteds hand to act in the January transfer window. Title contention may be out of reach. But Champions Leaue qualification cannot be. - How much can Liverpool afford to pay Luis Suarez to keep him at Anfield? And is a blank check enough? Is Champions League mandatory for a Suarez stay? Whatever Liverpools next step may be, inherent risk is involved. This is Suarez, after all. This saga is the highest stakes game being played right now in the league. - Game of the Week ahead: Arsenal v Chelsea (Monday December 23, 2013): both teams will be eager to respond; Arsenal from a dismantling at the Etihad and Chelsea coming off a Capital One Cup defeat against Sunderland. Things are boiling over for Jose Mourinho. His defenders continue to struggle, conceding soft goals and hes not getting enough out of his collection of unconvincing strikers. Both teams have title aspirations. Both have much to prove. - Two more coaching casualties this week, taking the total of managers fired this season to five. Odds on favour to go next: Malky Mackay. Theres too much dysfunction at Cardiff City behind the scenes. Youd have to worry for the team on the field if they lose their glue in the manager, Mackay. Hisashi Iwakuma Jersey . Price was hurt at the start of Wednesdays practice after facing just one shot as the team worked on their power play. He left the ice in discomfort and appeared to be favouring his leg. A Habs source told TSNs John Lu that Price suffered the injury in Sochi and not before the Olympics. Drew Smyly Jersey . Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak. http://www.baseballmarinersofficial.com/yovani-gallardo-jersey-c-24/ .Y. - Brooklyn Nets centre Brook Lopez has a strained lower back and will miss at least a week.Combat sports fans were treated to a number of memorable performances inside the cage this past year. 2013 will go down as one of the greatest in Mixed Martial Arts history and as we close out the year, TSN.cas MMA staff takes a look back at these performances with our Year End Awards. As always wed love to hear your opinion, so tweet myself (@LynchOnSports), Jordan (@FitCityJordan) or Big Marv (@BigMarv204) on Twitter. Or feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. Knockout Of The Year James Lynch – TSN.ca (@LynchOnSports) Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8 (Spinning heel-kick knockout, 2:32. RD. 1) Many pundits will point to Chris Weidmans upset knockout over Anderson Silva at UFC 162 for the knockout of the year, but in this case Im taking style over significance. In a finish that emulated Street Fighter II character Ryus "Hurricane Kick", Belfort stunned fans in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil this past May, by finishing the former Strikeforce champion in the first round. Interestingly enough, this would be the second of three straight head kick knockouts for Belfort in 2013. Jordan Cieciwa - TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan) Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez (Knockout Punch, 2:08. RD 1) This gets my nod because NO ONE EVER gets knocked out at flyweight. Johnson has been looking impressive as of late, but the power and timing it takes to knock out someone like Benavidez is more than impressive. This knockout came out of nowhere, and established Johnson as a force to be reckoned with in the Flyweight division. In addition, this was the first knockout loss for Benavidez in his career. Marvyn Timog – TSN Radio 1290 (@BigMarv204) Junior Dos Santos def. Mark Hunt at UFC 160 (Spinning heel-kick knockout, 4:18. RD.3) Too many to choose from and most of them are of the spin kick variety. What a year for MMA highlight reels! I picked this one because of two major reasons. One, when does JDS throw a kick, much less a spinning back kick. Reason number two, who the heck knocks out Mark Hunt? Submission Of The Year Lynch Rose Namajunas def. Kathina Catron at Invicta 5 (Flying Armbar, 0:12, RD 1) Sure Anthony Pettis had a great submission win over Benson Henderson to win the title, but in this case I have to give props to Namajunas (especially with how quickly she sunk in the hold). The 21-year old wastes little time with this impressive flying armbar finish back in April at Invicta 5. Fans will be seeing more of Namajunas in 2014, as shes been added to the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter and subsequently will be joining the UFCs newly created strawweight division. JC Anthony Pettis def. Benson Henderson at UFC 164 (Armbar, 4:31, RD 1)This gets the nod for the submission of the year simply because of the stage it was set on, a championship fight. Pettis had to follow up his off the cage kick with something amazing. He did the unthinkable with a first round submission against Ben "Smooth" Henderson. He beat the unbeatable, and he did it quickly and out of his normal practice. The submission was slick, and secured Pettis a title he deserves. Big Marv Anthony Pettis def. Ben Henderson at UFC 164 (Armbar, 4:31, RD 1)Pettis beat Henderson in 2010s fight of the year to win the WEC Lightweight championship. Fast forward three years and they meet again, this time for the UFC Lightweight title. We all expected another epic five round war and we were all shocked that the man who seemed like he could never get submitted tapped out to this arm bar. Fight Of The Year Lynch Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 (Unanimous Decision, RD 5) Ive had few lucky moments in my life but this was one of them. Sitting cage-side this past September in Toronto at UFC 165, I was able to witness what I consider one of the greatest fights in Mixed Martial Arts history. What puts this contest above other worthy candidates such as Mark Hunt vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (UFC Fight Night 33) or Diego Sanchez vs. Gilbert Melendez (UFC 166) for me was the implications. Nobody gave the 26-year old Swede a chance in this fight and he was nearly seconds away from taking home the UFC Light Heavyweight title. JC Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 (Melendez via unanimous decision, RD 3) Because no one saw it coming, and nothing was on the line, these two went out and put on a show. It was amazing. This year had half a dozen fights that could be right here. It was a great year for fight fans. This fight stood out for me because it was an epic back and forth battle. It represented a fight were Diego Sanchez stepped up to the next level, something he hasnt done for a while, and Melendez stood in the pocket and gave fans what they wanted. This is one for the record books, and one to be watched again. Big Marv Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva fight to a draw at UFC Fight Night 33 (Majority Draw, RD 5) When have we ever had this many fights up for fight of the year? Brian Stann vs. Wanderlei Silva, Denis Bermunez vs. Matt Grice, Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II, Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez, Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Hunt vs. Silva. I went with this fight because no one expected much from it, yet it was technical yet sloppy, brutal yet beautiful and the only time Ive ever seen the majority of people so satisfied with a draw. Upset Of the Year Lynch Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva at UFC 162 (Knockout, 1:18, RD 1)While odds-makers wont back up my case for this being the upset of the year as Silva was only a 2-1 favorite prior to his UFC 162 encounter with Weidman, the significance of this win earns the upset of the year in my books. If you consider that Silva was defeated for the first time by technical knockout in his 38-fight career and the middleweight title changed hands for the first time in 2457 days (since Oct 14th 2006), I have a strong case. Other upsets like Bellators Emanuel Newton (who was a whopping 9-1 underdog) knocking out King Mo at Bellator 90 should also be noted, but that had more to do with the fact that Newton was extremely underrated. JC Emanuel Newton vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal at Bellator 90 (Spinning back-fist KO, 2:35 RD. 1) The best part about this knockout win was the amazing under-dog status Emanuel had heading into the fight. Then he followed it up at Bellator 106 with yet another win. He got his knock out, people said it was lucky, and then he backed it up with a solid win. That makes Newtons win special, and the upset of the year. If Weidman can defeat Silva without him show boating, then Im going to be changing my vote on the 28th. Big Marv Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva at UFC 162 (Knockout, 1:18, RD 1)No doubt about it. Weidman over Silva will take the cake. Too much clowning on the champs side? Maybe. But Weidman took FULL advantage. I expect nothing less than fireworks on December 28th. Male Fighter Of The Year Lynch Demetrious Johnson (UFC Flyweight Champion) 3-0 in 2013 Johnson gets the nod simply because hes taken out the top guys in his weight class and is seemingly doing so more impressively in each fight. In his last title defence (UFC on FOX 9), he knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round, handling the Team Alpha Male fighter the first knockout loss of his career. This is always a tough choice because generally a champion has the upper hand if he is able to defend successfully, as his quality of opposition is generally top notch compared to his peers. Johnson gets this award over Vitor Belfort because the 36-year old middleweight is barred from competing in certain parts of the United States because of his TRT use. Other considerations would have been UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao (2-0 in 2013) and fellow bantamweight Urijah Faber (4-0 in 2013). JC Vitor Belfort (UFC Middleweight) 3-0 in 2013 Vitor gets the nod for his three knockouts in one year (and in a row) He shocked us when he head-kicked Michael Bisping, then improved the style points against Luke Rockhold, and then did the unthinkable by knocking out Dan Henderson. He gets the nod for doing it three times in one year. In 2013 Vitor had three fights and spent a total of five minutes and 16 seconds at work. He defeated a top contender, Strikeforces champ, and the legend Dan Henderson in just over the equivalent of one round of fighting. Thats the reason the Phenom gets the nod. Big Marv Demetrious Johnson (UFC Flyweight Champion) 3-0 in 2013 Prior to UFC on Fox 9, my fighter of the year was Vitor Belfort. Then "Mighty Mouse" knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round of their fight (a man whos been knocking out flyweights on his way back to a title shot) Then I looked back at Johnsons year and I can clearly see he improved astronomically with each fight and just walks with that championship swagger. One impressive 2013 for Mighty Mouse Female Fighter Of The Year Lynch Alexis Davis (UFC Bantamweight), 3-0 in 2013 Canadian bias aside, I had to give the nod to the Port Colborne, Ontario born Davis over champion Ronda Rousey because shes been more active. At the start of 2013 she avenged her loss to Ultimate Fighter 18 contestant Shanya Baszler at Invicta 4 and would follow that up with two-straight wins over Rosi Sexton (UFC 161) and former title challenger Liz Carmouche (UFC Fight For The Troops 3). JC Rose Namajunas (UFC Strawweight), 2-1 in 2013 The 21-year old Namajunas showed the world that the girls can play rough and do it with a real flair. Invicta 5 had Namajunas winning her fight against Kathina Catron in 12 seconds with a flying armbar. She represented the strawweights perfectly, and brought some new fans to the division with her speed and accuracy. The question now is, can she follow it up with some consistent wins. Big Marv Alexis Davis (UFC Bantamweight), 3-0 in 2013 I have to agree with Lynch. Not only did Davis go 3-0 this year, but she improved with each fight. Beating down former title challenger Liz Carmouche was a huge step towards her title contention. Canadian Fighter of the Year Lynch TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 Grant earns the award because he pushed his undefeated streak at 155lbs to five-straight in 2013. His most recent win, a first round knockout over Gray Maynard (UFC 160) back in May earned him a title shot against then champion Benson Henderson. Unfortunately for the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native, a concussion has sidelined him for the second half of this year. JC TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 The reason Grant gets the nod is strictly because he lived up to the hype. There was a ton of pressure put on TJ by the media and fans. With all that pressure what did the kid from Cole Harbour Nova Scotia do? He knocked out Gray Maynard at UFC 160. As soon as he shakes this concussion, hes got a direct line at the champ (Pettis). This will be a great yeaar for him; I only hope he recovers fully before coming back. Steve Cishek Jersey. We need this young man around a while. Hes got that special something, and hes Canadian! Big Marv Georges St-Pierre (Former UFC Welterweight Champion), 2-0 in 2013Lets look at the former Welterweight Champions year. He won with a total domination of Nick Diaz in his first fight and a win over Johny Hendricks in an all-out war in his second bout. Controversial ending or not, that fight was a war. He accomplished all of this while battling some personal demons. Then, knowing he needs time off, rather than holding up the division or having the UFC bring in another interim championship, he vacates his belt. All class, all the time, a true, proud Canadian. Comeback Performance of the Year Lynch Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) Former Strikeforce champion Overeem was seconds away from pulling off what many believed would be a first round knockout of the Jackson/Winklejohn product Browne. Instead the 31-year old Hawaiian weathered the early storm and caught the former K1 champion with a beautiful front-kick knockout. JC Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) I cannot think of many fighters who could be on the brink of a loss to Overeem and come back. "The Reem" finishes people, its what he does. He is powerful, aggressive, talented, and has a ton of experience. When Travis Browne battled back, and finished the fight, he had this locked up. That fact that he came back was amplified by the fact that he did it in the first round. He regained his sense, and ended the night for Alistair. It was a very impressive gut check. Big Marv Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) As soon as this fight ended, I knew this was my pick for comeback of the year. Browne was all but done against the cage. Then he showed some heart and fortitude and eventually introduced his foot to Overeems face and said good night. What an amazing one round fight to watch! Robbery of the Year Lynch Phil Davis def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 (Unanimous Decision, RD 3) This fight, like many controversial decisions in MMA history has come down to one round. In this case, it was the first round of the light heavyweight affair and for some reason the judges in this contest valued Davis one takedown over the flurry of punches that Machida imposed. Just to give you an idea, Machida was close to finishing the fight early on, yet the one takedown Davis made in the eyes of two judges was enough to steal the round. Almost all major media members scored this fight for Machida and to make matter more bizarre, this fight was held in Machidas native country of Brazil. JC Rashad Evans def. Dan Henderson at UFC 161 (Unanimous Decision)Never leave it in the hands of the judges, that is the number one thing coaches will tell you. Dan Henderson has a bit of a sleepy style, looking for the big right hand. This fight was no exception. The problem I had with the decision was with the judging. There is no clear cut way to judge a fight. Dan definitely was more aggressive, but Rashads speed landed more shots. The more damaged fighter clearly was Rashad, but he scored more strikes. Id like to see MMA judges decide if we are scoring the Sport of MMA (More points for strikes, Rashad, GSP) or the Fight of MMA (More damage Dan, Hendricks). Whatever it is, I was heartbroken to see Dan lose. Big Marv Phil Davis def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 (Unanimous Decision, RD 3) Lynch and I seem to be on the same wave length here. At no point was Machida in any trouble during this fight, yet somehow he loses? Its like Pacquiao/Bradley all over again. Disappointment of the Year Lynch Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013 2013 was supposed to be a breakout year for Overeem in the UFC. After sitting out all of 2012 due to getting popped for elevated levels of testosterone, the 33-year old Dutch heavyweight was a round away from earning himself a UFC Heavyweight title shot back at UFC 156. Instead the Blackzillians members overconfidence proved to be his downfall, as in the third round against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva; he dropped his hands and suffered a knockout loss to the Brazilian. Overeem would follow that up with his second straight loss in a head-kick knockout loss to Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26. Now facing Frank Mir next year at UFC 169, another loss could spill the end for Overeem career inside the UFC. JC Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013....but hey hes drug free. Im happy we have this category. You cant hear my sarcasm, but Alistairs lack of honesty in the whole performance enhancing drug scandal had me livid. Blaming doctors, using his sick mother as a cover to not take a test. You name it, and in 2012, Overeem did it. So what is Karma like? Well its 0-2 in 2013 and losing the respect of fans and pundits around the MMA world. He looked lack luster and flat. For his reputation sake, I do hope he can turn it around in 2014. Big Marv Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013 I would absolutely fawn over how awesome Overeem was when talking to fairweather MMA fans. Then he came to the UFC and suddenly I dont know what Im talking about anymore. I sincerely hope we see an Overeem on fire in 2014! Comeback Fighter of the Year Lynch Robbie Lawler (UFC Welterweight), 3-0 in 2013 Nobody in Mixed Martial Arts has had a resurgence in their career quite like Lawler did this past year. After losing his final Strikeforce bout against Lorenz Larkin in 2012, the 31-year old would be brought over to the UFC and made the smart decision to drop down to 170lbs. Facing a stiff opponent in his UFC return against former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck (UFC 157), the ATT product would finish the former TUF contestant in the first round. Lawler would follow that up with wins over Bobby Voelker (UFC on FOX and Rory MacDonald (UFC 167). Because of current champ Georges St-Pierre taking a leave of absence, Lawler now faces Johny Hendricks for the vacant welterweight title. JC Robbie Lawler (UFC Welterweight), 3-0 in 2013 I had written Robbie off in Strikeforce. His weight cut to 170lbs was a thing of brilliance. He made short work of Josh Koscheck at UFC 157 with a first round knockout (at 3:57). Hes turned so many heads that at 31, Lawler will be fighting for the championship. I dont think Lawler could have beat GSP, the wrestling and control would have been too much. I do think he can out strike Johny Hendricks, and you know thats the direction this fight is going. Big Marv Vitor Belfort (UFC Middleweight) 3-0 in 2013 Vitor looks like hes 19 again. Hes really enjoyed finishing his opponents in 2013 by kicking them in the head. And these werent tomato cans either. Belfort knocked out TUF winner Michael Bisping, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and the un-knockout-able Dan Henderson. Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Lynch Matt Brown (UFC Welterweight) 2-0 in 2013 With finishes over Jordan Mein and Mike Pyle, Brown pushed his undefeated streak to six-straight. Unfortunately a back injury ousted the 32-year old from his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC on FOX 9 this month, but likely would have earned a title shot with a win over the former interim welterweight champion. Considering he lost four of his last five fights at the end of 2011, the fact hes been so impressive since then has earned him this award. JC Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC Lightweight), 3-0 in 2013 Undefeated now at 21-0 (5-0 in the UFC) and took out top fighters Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo and Pat Healy all in 2013. Thats enough to get my vote! Big Marv TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 In 2012 we said, "who is TJ Grant?" Now were saying, "when is he getting his title shot?" Disappointing Fighter Performance Of The Year Lynch Gray Maynard (UFC Lightweight), 0-2 in 2013, two first round KO lossesDespite a lackluster split-decision win in 2012 over Clay Guida, it seemed to many that Maynard would be back on the road to title contention in the 155lb division in 2013. Instead the TUF 5 contestant would lose back to back fights to the hands of TJ Grant and Nate Diaz, both first round knockout losses. Now the question isnt "is Maynard a title contender?", but instead "should the 34-year old be thinking retirement?" JC Ryan Jimmo (UFC Light Heavyweight), 1-2 in 2013 (including the most boring fight of the year at UFC 161) 2012 had Jimmo knocking out Anthony Perosh in seven seconds, the record fastest KO in UFC history. Coming out of the MFC with the hype of a natural born superstar and starting this new chapter of his career with a bang, Jimmo shocked the world with one lackluster performance after another. His fight with Igor Pokrajac was boring and disappointing at best. Jimmo has to be on his last legs with the UFC, Im hoping 2014 has a few performances worth watching. Love to see that robot dance again (not really). Big Marv Gray Maynard (UFC Lightweight), 0-2 in 2013, two first round KO lossesTotally Agree with Lynch here. What happened to Maynard? His chin seems weak and his wrestling is almost non-existent. Event of The Year Lynch UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 Top to bottom, this free card on FOX delivered in a number of different ways. For starters, there were 11 finishes, with the only decisions being Daniel Cormier over Frank Mir and Francis Carmont over Lorenz Larkin. We saw a number of spectacular highlight reel knockouts from Josh Thomson, Yoel Romero, Joseph Benavidez and Miles Jury. The main event (while controversial) produced an entertaining battle between two of the top lightweights in Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez. JC UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 There is no question, 2014 was a year full of solid events. But when you cap off 11 fights finished, and many with some flash and style, with a fight people will be talking about for years, youve got something special. If the UFC could recreate the energy more often, theyd secure themselves as a mainstream success. The fights had everything, including excitement start to finish for a new fan. Not to mention an absolute war between the Champ Benson Henderson and the Challenger Gilbert Melendez. Big Marv UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 Again, I have to agree with Lynch. This was a fun card to watch and it was absolutely free! What are your year-end awards? Tweet us or leave your opinions in the comments section below. Also be sure to tune into the "Weigh-In" on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday at 12:30pm ET as myself, Jordan and "Big Marv" Timog go toe to toe discussing the hottest topics in MMA. Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap ' ' '