2011 year in review: Brydon on the UFC

As 2011 draws to a close, we here at sportsnet.ca present a week-long look-back at the year in our five major sports, each with five unique categories.

With Monday being Boxing Day, we (very appropriately) begin with the UFC.

2011 was a year of firsts for the UFC. It had the lower weight classes compete for the first time (and it was announced will also be adding flyweights in early 2012.) It held the first stadium show and first event in Ontario when 55,724 attended UFC 129 in Toronto in April, and it held the first event in Brazil since 1998 at UFC 134 in Rio in August.

Of course, the UFC made the biggest splash when it announced it had signed a seven-year, $100-million contract with FOX for its first network television deal, and then held a teaser show in November that saw Junior Dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds to be crowned new champion and start a new era for the UFC. This all served to further UFC’s continued expansion, both globally and mainstream.

Sadly, 2011 was also a year in which the MMA community, and in particular Canada, lost a great man, when Shawn Tompkins, the renowned trainer from Tillsonburg, Ont., known as “The Coach,” passed away at young age of 37 due to a heart attack. He was one of the pioneers for the sport and will be sorely missed.

Like in any year, the UFC crowned new champions, visited new destinations and brought new fighters into the fold (including after it “joined” with rival Strikeforce). Here we look at some of the more fun and unique highlights of the year as we present a look-back at 2011 in the UFC.

Brock Lesnar

Even though he hasn’t even fought yet in 2011 (he has a pretty big one coming up this Friday), nobody makes the headlines like the former UFC heavyweight champion (and ex-WWE superstar). Even when the hulking behemoth doesn’t enter the cage, any time he does anything, it’s big news.

Lesnar started off 2011 seemingly healthy, a year after making waves for his criticism of Canadian healthcare after a bout with diverticulitis and served as one of the two coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, where he continued to cause stirs whenever he opened his mouth. He came down with diverticulitis again and opposing coach Dos Santos instead fought Shane Carwin in Vancouver.

Still the talk remained all about Lesnar, and it was questioned whether his short career might be over. Not so, as he announced his return in a promotional video that brought back the Brock buzz:

Even the most trivial things — such as Lesnar neglecting to properly tag an animal he hunted in Alberta and then getting fined for it — become headlines with him. (The good news is this time he said he “loves Canada.”)

He ends 2011 with one the year’s biggest fights (both physically and figuratively), when he takes on Alistair Overeem. As Dana White said when this fight was first announced in November, “Can you imagine the UFC heavyweight division without Brock Lesnar?”

Honourable mention: Chael Sonnen

If there’s another fighter who draws nearly as much attention than Lesnar, it’s the self-proclaimed “people’s champion” (sorry, Tito). Sonnen ran his mouth all year, but backed it up by dominating Brian Stann and followed it with his infamous line: “Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck.” (We’ll have to wait until 2012 to see if he’ll finally get his rematch with Silva, although now it seems he’s done with the middleweight champion, or so he says.)

Tuesday: A look-back at 2011 in the NHL