Welcome to the 2012 TXMMA Awards – MMA Edition
It’s been another great year of tremendous growth for the Texas Mixed Martial Arts Community in 2012.
Our goal for these awards is to recognize outstanding performances and contributions within our community statewide over the past calendar year. With this goal in mind, we’ve done our best to work with the community’s recommendations along with our own extensive amount of research and record keeping in nominating what we feel are the most deserving candidates within all categories this year.
While we certainly do not claim perfection on our interpretation and do expect some modicum of controversy since these awards are both objective and subjective in nature and our research can only carry us so far, we hope the community will work with us in narrowing it down even further so we can ultimately claim a winner in each category.
2012 TXMMA Awards – Voting Process
The election process to identify a winner in each category will be conducted via a mixture of confidential panel voting along with a populous fan vote conducted via our TXMMA Facebook Page. This process has been designed to allow for the unbiased election of the top nominees for each of the 2012 TXMMA Award Categories while also serving as the means to decide the People’s Choice Award Winners. For a detailed explanation of the election process for the 2012 TXMMA Awards, please click here.
Notice of Eligibility: Fighters must reside in Texas as primary place of residence and/or fought the majority of their bouts within the state of Texas in 2012 to be considered. Events up for awards must also have taken place in Texas. Certain other criteria may apply to select categories at our discretion.
2012 TXMMA Awards – Timeline of Events
► December 28, 2012 – MMA edition finalists released; Voting commences.
► January 10, 2012 – MMA edition voting deadline at midnight
► January 11, 2012 – MMA edition People’s Choice Winners announced.
► January 13, 2012 – Official 2012 TXMMA Award Winners announced.
► January 17, 2012 – Grappling edition finalists released; Voting commences.
► January 27, 2012 – Grappling edition voting deadline at midnight.
► January 28, 2012 – People’s Choice Winners announced for Grappling Edition.
► February 1, 2012 – Official Winners announced for Grappling Edition
Read on to view the finalists and vote for your choices to win! Enjoy the 2012 TXMMA Awards!
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most exceptional fight of 2012 at the professional level – taking into consideration fan reaction, competitive nature, and bout significance.
2012 TXMMA Pro Fight of the Year Finalists
► Chris Pecero vs. Douglas Frey (XKO 16)
► Cody Williams vs. Steven Peterson (Legacy 14)
► Clayton Robinson vs. Donnie Bell (Legacy 13)
► Derrick Lewis vs. Jared Rosholt (Legacy 13)
► Flavio Alvaro vs. Rey Trujillo (UWF 4)
► JP Cole vs. Kashif Solarin (Premier Fight Series)
► Matt Schnell vs. Ryan Hollis (Legacy 14)
► Mitchell Hale vs. Anselmo Luna (America’s Most Wanted)
► Sean Spencer vs. Evan Cutts (Legacy 13)
► Steven Peterson vs. Matt Hobar 2 (LFC 16)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the professional fighter who had the most successful year on the Texas MMA Scene in 2012. Candidate must have competed in at least two professional bouts in 2012 to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Pro Fighter of the Year Finalists
► Andrew Craig (2-0 in UFC, wins over K. Noke and R. Natal)
► Chas Skelly (3-0, wins over R. Trujillo, L. Vega, and J. Myers)
► Chris Pecero (5-1, Title win over Douglas Frey at XKO 16)
► Colton Smith (1-1 official, 4-1 total in 2012, TUF 16 winner)
► Derrick Lewis (2-0-1, Title win over J. Rosholt at LFC 14, NC against J. Constant at F2W)
► James Vick (3-1 on TUF, made it to semi-finals of Ultimate Fighter Season 15)
► Johny Hendricks (2-0, wins over M. Kampmann & J. Koscheck, ranked top-3 in division)
► Ryan Benoit (3-0, wins over J. Sandoval, R. Villarreal, C. Williams)
► Sean Spencer (2-0, wins over E. Cutts, J. Daily)
► Will Campuzano (2-0, title win over J. Flick at LFC 16, win over J, Sampo)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most spectacular knockout of 2012 at the professional level. Bout finish must have been ruled a knockout (not TKO) by the state of Texas in order to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Pro Knockout of the Year Finalists
► David Armas over Kirk Hubble by knee (UWF 4)
► Derrick Lewis over Jared Rosholt by punch (Legacy 13)
► Domingo Pilarte over Daniel Delgado by punch (Legacy 15)
► Frank Trevino over Corey Bellino by punches (STFC 21)
► Geraldo Abadie over Jeff Lawson by punch/knee (IMKF 3)
► Jorge ‘Macaco’ Patino over Clay Hantz (Legacy 11)
► Pete Spratt over Daniel Acacio, spinning backfist (Amazon Forest Combat 2)
► Ray Rodriguez over Joseph Salas by slam (Legacy 13)
► Rey Trujillo over Munil Adriano, superman punch (Legacy 10)
► Thomas Almeida over Cody Williams by elbow (Legacy 15)
Honorable Mention (Ruled TKO by TDLR)
► Artenas Young over Brandon Mitchell (IMKF 3)
► Charlie Ontiveros over Mark Garcia (Legacy 12)
► Chidi Njokuani over Jonathan Harris (Legacy 10)
► Daniel Jolly over Andre Kavanaugh (Fiesta Pro MMA Bash)
► Jay Jay Sanchez over Ciprian Hangan (XKO 14)
► Will Campuzano over Jimmy Flick (Legacy 16)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most outstanding submission of 2012 at the professional level. Bout finish must have been ruled a submission by the state of Texas in order to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Pro Submission of the Year Finalists
► Alan Nascimento over Terry Acker by kneebar (Legacy 12)
► Carlos Ferreira over Hector Munoz by armbar (UWF 2)
► Chad Robichaux over Joseph Sandoval by north/south choke (Legacy 11)
► Donnie Bell over Brad Mitchell by rear-naked choke (XKO 16, Title Fight)
► Hayward Charles over Roy Spoon by kneebar (XKO 15)
► Jeff Rexroad over Lucas Pimenta by “Rexangle” (Legacy 14)
► Jimmy Flick Wins over Randy Villarreal by Von Flue choke (STFC 19)
► Klayton Mai over Alex Russ by guillotine choke (Legacy 16)
► Matt Thompson over Jake Rosholt by kneebar (XKO 15)
► Steven Peterson over Cody Williams by omoplata (Legacy 14)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most exceptional fight of 2012 at the amateur level – taking into consideration fan reaction, competitive nature, and bout significance.
2012 TXMMA Amateur Fight of the Year Candidates
► Adrian Vallejo vs. Cody Medrano (Alamo Showdown 4)
► Alexander Chhang vs. Hector Cortina (Cage Combat 9)
► Geoffrey Neal vs. Guilherme Moreira (Cage Combat 8)
► Jacob Silva vs. Ricky Turcios (Legacy Amateur 8)
► Leville Simpson vs. Adrian Barrera (Cage Wars 1)
► Paul Earls vs. Kevin Leib (SCC 1)
► Parker Reid vs. Boone Blair (PCG 11)
► Ricardo Palacios vs. Adrian Vallejo (Texas Rage in the Cage 14)
► Ricky Turcios vs. Ryan Hollis (Legacy Amateur 7)
► Roberto Sanchez vs. Ramiro Cortina (Legacy Amateur 7)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the amateur fighter who had the most successful year on the Texas MMA Scene in 2012.
2012 TXMMA Amateur Fighter of the Year Finalists
► Chris Gutierrez (4-0 with 2 titles confirmed on MMA.tv)
► Geoffrey Neal (4-0 with 2 titles before going pro)
► Jacob Silva (4-1 with 3 titles)
► Jeremy Hardy (3-0 with one title)
► Parker Reid (3-1 with one title)
► Ricardo Palacios (3-0 in 3 title before going pro)
► Ryan Hollis (3-1 with one title before going pro)
► Trevin Giles (4-0 with one title)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most spectacular knockout of 2012 at the amateur level. Bout finish must have been ruled a knockout (not TKO) by the state of Texas in order to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Amateur Knockout of the Year Finalists
► Aaron Croon over John Rodriguez by punch (Cage Combat 7)
► Carlos “CJ” Vergara over Elias Garcia by punch (Alamo Showdown 3)
► Cameron Graves over Jose Ceja by head kick (Cage Combat 10)
► Chris Lopez over Michael Eaglin by punch (Cage Combat 12)
► Geoffrey Neal over BC Compton by punch (Cage Combat 7)
► Joel Scott over David Salazar by punch (Texas Rage in the Cage 15)
► Ray Rodriguez over Josh Rios by flying knee (PCG 4)
► Servando Almaraz over Coltin Boggs by punch (Cage Combat 11)
► Tommy Guerrero over Eric Hallier by knee (PCG 6)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most outstanding submission of 2012 at the amateur level. Bout finish must have been ruled a submission by the state of Texas in order to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Amateur Submission of the Year Finalists
► Cameron Graves over Edgar Juarez by armbar (Cage Combat 12)
► Charlie Ontiveros over Levi West by guillotine choke (Legacy Amateur 8)
► Will Hastings over Jonathan Stern by rear-naked choke (Xtreme fight Club 2)
► Jared Perez over Lester Clark by arm triangle (PCG 7)
► Julian Vega over Delis Borges by armbar (Legacy Amateur 7)
► Robert Yamashita over Kaileb Cummins by triangle/armbar (Legacy Amateur 7)
► Sijin Kurian over John Ballah by guillotine choke (Legacy Amateur 10)
► Ryan Hollis over James DeHerrera by armbar (Cage Combat 9)
► Kolby Adams over Chad Box by guillotine choke (Cage Wars 1)
► William Cody Medrano over Parker Reid by armbar (Alamo Showdown 3)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most exceptional fight of 2012 within the female divisions –taking into consideration fan reaction, competitive nature, and bout significance.
2012 TXMMA Female Fight of the Year Finalists
► Bee Nguyen vs. Ashley Meza (LAM 10)
► Christi Morgan vs. Ashley Cannon (Alamo Showdown 4)
► Deborah Garcia Vs. Jazmine Quezada (Alamo Showdown 5)
► Katherine Roy vs. Jessica Prado (PCG 8)
► Paige Vanzant vs. Jordan Gaza (UWF 4)
► Paige Vanzant vs. Amber Stautzenberger (PFS 2)
► Sabrina Garcia vs. Christi Morgan (PCG 4)
► Sabrina Garcia vs. Katherine Roy (PCG 9)
► Stephanie Alba vs. Paulina Granados (Cage Combat 12)
► Stephanie Alba vs. Ashley Meza – (Legacy Amateur 8)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the female fighter who had the most successful year on the Texas MMA Scene in 2012.
2012 TXMMA Female Fighter of the Year Finalists
► Anita Rodriguez (1-1 in 2012)
► Audrey Alvarez (1-0 in 2012)
► Christy Morgan (2-1 in 2012)
► Katherine Roy (1-1 in 2012)
► Nicole Varone (2-1 in 2012)
► Paige Vanzant (2-0 in 2012)
► Paulina Granados (2-0 with a title in 2012)
► Stephanie Alba (2-1 in 2012)
► Sabrina Garcia (3-0 in 2012)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the professional fighter who made the most significant strides at furthering their professional career in 2012.
2012 TXMMA Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Finalists
► Carlos Diego Ferreira (3-0 in 2012, all submissions)
► Chas Skelly (3-0 in 2012)
► Clayton Robinson (3-0 in 2012)
► Colton Smith (1-1 official, 4-1 total in 2012, TUF 16 winner)
► James Vick (3-1 in 2012, all TUF 15 exhibitions – making it to the semi-finals)
► Klayton Mai (3-0 in 2012, all submissions)
► Matthew Hunt (3-0 in 2012 after going 1-2 in 2011)
► Roger Narvaez (3-0 in 2012, all finishes)
► Ryan Benoit (3-0, wins over J. Sandoval, R. Villarreal, C. Williams)
► Will Campuzano (2-0 with a title in flyweight division in 2012)
The purpose of this award is to recognize to recognize the most outstanding new performer on the Texas (Pro) MMA scene. Candidate must have made their professional debut during the 2012 calendar year to be considered.
2012 TXMMA Rookie of the Year Finalists
► Alfredo Leija (2-0 in 2012)
► Charlie Ontiveros (3-0 in 2012)
► Darrion Caldwell (2-0 in 2012)
► Matthew Schnell (2-0 in 2012)
► Paige Vanzant (2-0 in 2012)
► Patrick Ybarra (3-0 in 2012)
► Ryan Hollis (2-1 in 2012)
► Sammy Smith (2-0 in 2012)
► Tony Tipton (2-0 in 2012)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the fighter who came back from inactivity or adversity to have a successful comeback year in 2012.
2012 TXMMA Comeback Fighter of the Year Finalists
► Chas Skelly (3-0 in 2012 after being out all of 2011)
► Chris Pecero (4-1 in 2012 after 2-2 2011)
► Derrick Krantz (3-1 in 2012 after 0-2 in 2011)
► Lester Batres (3-0 in 2012 after going 0-1 in 2011)
► Matthew Hunt (3-0 in 2012 after going 1-2 in 2011)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the biggest surprise bout ending of the year in 2012. Winner must have been generally-recognized as an underdog going heading into the bout to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Upset of the Year Finalists
► David Armas over Quaint Kempf (Legacy 13)
► David Armas over Kirk Hubble (UWF 4)
► Derrick Lewis over Jared Rosholt by KO (Legacy 13)
► Jeff Rexroad over Lucas Pimenta (Legacy 14)
► Jose Sanchez over Ciprian Hangan (XKO 14)
► Matt Thompson over Jake Rosholt (XKO 15)
► Nelson Salas over Angel Huerta (Legacy 11)
► Nick Gonzalez over Ray Blodget (Legacy 15)
► Paige VanZant over Jordan Gaza (UWF 4)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the professional fighter who exemplified the attitude of “taking on all comers” in 2012. Win or lose, they were always in the cage.
2012 TXMMA Ironman of the Year Finalists
► Chris Rose (3 fights, 2 on less than 24 hour notice *amateur)
► Cody Williams (5 fights)
► David Armas (5 fights)
► Donnie Bell (5 fights)
► Gilbert Jimenez (5 fights)
► Chris Pecero (5 fights)
► Randy Villarreal (5 fights)
► Rey Trujillo (7 fights)
► Edgar Juarez (7 fights *amateur)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most disputed finish of 2012; as defined by those decisions or finishes that caused the most controversy post-fight based on general consensus.
Note: this award does not mean the final results of these fights were wrong per say, but rather denote the controversy resulting from said fights.
2012 TXMMA Controversy of the Year Finalists
► Artenas Young over Bubba Bush by DQ – punches to back of head? (Legacy 11)
► Chad Robichaux missing weight and pulling out of title fight vs. Will Campuzano (Legacy 12)
► Chris Tickle over Douglas Frey by TKO – early stoppage? (Legacy 13)
► Gregory Diaz over Leville Simpson by DQ – knee reinforced or not? (Cage Combat 9)
► Jonathan Lopez over Billy Buch by DQ – bad ref call? (Fiesta Pro MMA Bash)
► Lucas Pimenta over John Malbrough in 3 instead of 5 rounds at tournament finals (UWF 4)
► Matt Schnell over Ryan Hollis by Split Decision – 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 (Legacy 14)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the coach(es) who’ve contributed to most in 2012 by virtue of their fighters performances in MMA competition here in Texas. Consideration given to overall amount of fighters produced and success of fighters at both the amateur and professional levels.
2012 TXMMA MMA Trainer(s) of the Year Finalists
► 4OZ Fight Club (Bob Perez, Jeremy Mahon)
► American Revolution (Freddy Medellin)
► Gold Team (Jorge ‘Macaco’ Patino)
► Octagon MMA (Sayif Saud)
► Phalanx MMA (Durwyn Lamb)
► Saekson Janjira Muay Thai (Saekson Janjira)
► Silverback Fight Club (Tony Orozco)
► Team Mohler (Allen Mohler)
► Team Takedown (Marc Laimon)
► Team Tooke / Jace Pitre MMA (Jace Pitre / Travis Tooke)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most successful MMA manager / management group in the state of Texas in the 2012 calendar year.
Criteria for Selection: Quantifiable statistics regarding the amount of fighters managed along with individual and overall successes by those fighters.
2012 TXMMA Manager(s) of the Year Finalists
► B3 Sports
► First Round Management Group
► Imperial Fight Management
► KO Dynasty
► Team Takedown
The purpose of this award is to recognize the referee of the year in 2012 as voted by the Texas MMA Community.
2012 TXMMA Referee of the Year Finalists
► Danny Dealejandro
► Don Turnage
► Jake Montalvo
► Jason “Jay” Stafin
► Joshua Ferraro
► Kerry Hatley
► Kevin Hancock
► Michelle Drake
► Patrick Patlan
► Steve Armstrong
The purpose of this award is to recognize the sponsor that best defined the spirit of the Texas MMA Scene in 2012. Company must be involved in the business by sponsoring athletes, promotions, and/or other driving entities in the sport in order to qualify. Preference given to those nominated during our selection process in the last two weeks of November.
2012 TXMMA Sponsor of the Year Finalists
► AmmoToGo.com
► Armbar Submission Gear
► Born2Bang Athletics
► Bull Prints / Bullshirts
► Cruz Combat
► Furious Brand
► My Fight Shop
► Rock’s Supplements
► Revolutus Fight Wear
► Torque Sports and Performance
► Wu MMA
The purpose of this award is to recognize the promoter that had the most successful year on the Texas MMA Scene – as defined by volume of events held, quality of events, profitability, fighter / vendor feedback, and overall fan support. Must have held at least 3 events within the state of Texas during the 2012 calendar year to qualify.
2012 TXMMA Promoter of the Year Finalists
► Bussey Family, XKO (Arlington, TX)
► Eric Garcia and Jace Pitre, Cage Combat (Humble, TX)
► Fabian Butler, Twenty Four Seven Entertainment (Midland, TX)
► Jake Latimer, Immortal Kombat Fighting (Houston, TX)
► Jennifer Ray and Trevor Bird, Cowboys Extreme Cagefighting (San Antonio, TX)
► Mick Maynard, Legacy Fighting Championship (Houston, TX)
► Noe Beltran, Texas Rage in the Cage (Beaumont, TX)
► Oscar Enriquez, Ultimate Warrior Fighting (Corpus Christi, TX)
► Raul Ramos, STFC (Rio Grande Valley)
► Steve Armstrong, Xtreme Fight Club (Mesquite, TX)
The purpose of this award is to recognize the professional event that can be considered the best of 2012. Consideration given for quality of matchups, level of fighters on the card, overall excitement within the fights themselves, state/national significance, and post-fight positive feedback generated by the event within the community.
2012 TXMMA Pro Event of the Year Finalists
► Legacy FC 12
► Legacy FC 13
► Legacy FC 14
► Legacy FC 15
► Legacy FC 16
► STFC 19
► UWF 2
► UWF 4 – Finale
► XKO 14
► XKO 16
The purpose of this award is to recognize the amateur event that can be considered the best of 2012. Consideration given for quality of matchups, level of fighters on the card, overall excitement within the fights themselves, state/national significance, and post-fight positive feedback generated by the event within the community.
2012 TXMMA Amateur Event of the Year Finalists
► ABG Promotions – Rugged Saints
► Alamo Showdown 3
► Cage Combat 8
► Cage Combat 9
► Cage Combat 10
► Cage Combat 12
► Legacy Amateur Series 7
► Legacy Amateur Series 8
► Legacy Amateur Series 10 *Hybrid Muay Thai / MMA Card
► Premiere Combat Group: Cowboys Extreme Cagefighting 9
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most MMA-friendly venue in Texas, as voted on by the fans.
2012 TXMMA MMA Venue of the Year Finalists
► Allen Event Center
► Arena Theatre
► Cowboys Dance Hall
► La Grave Field
► Galveston Island Convention Center
► The Gym
► Texas Motor Speedway
The purpose of this award is to recognize the most memorable moment of the year in 2012, as defined by feedback from the community.
2012 TXMMA Moment of the Year Finalists
► Chris Quitiquit suffers a massive cut vs. Flavio Alvaro at UWF 3
► Daniel Pineda beats Pat Schilling in UFC debut (1st Legacy fighter to get called up)
► Derrick Lewis’ title victory over Jared Rosholt in honor of his grandfather at LFC 13
► Eric Thompson dragged to stool and loses amateur title fight versus Trevin Giles
► Fighter’s mom jumps over the cage and onto referee Joe Soliz at Cage Combat
► Legacy FC comes to Dallas for the first time at the Europa Sports & Get Fit Expo
► Matt Hobar suffers elbow dislocation against Steven Peterson at LFC 13
► Ryan Hollis comes out dressed like Banana Man at Legacy 15
► The VKO – Levi West vomits and loses fight versus Kaileb Cummins at Legacy 15
► UWF brings MMA to the American Bank Center with Tournament of Warriors
The purpose of this award is to recognize a deserving individual or group for their dedication to helping or bettering others in the community in 2012.
2012 TXMMA Community Service Award Finalists
► CDM Promotions – Holiday Gift Drive, Thanksgiving Food Service, Ongoing efforts with At-Risk Youth
► Marcia Ogasawara / Legacy FC – Red Cross Blood Drive, School Supply Drive, Race for the Cure, etc.
► Superior Combative Championships – TADSAW Charity Drive
► UFFL MMA – Fight for Cash Charity Even and the Salute To Arms Wounded Warrior Event
The purpose of this award is to recognize a deserving individual for their long-term commitment to the Texas MMA Community. Recipient will be inducted into the TXMMA Hall of Fame.
Last Year’s Winner – Saekson Janjira
2012 Lifetime Achievement Award Finalists
► Dickie Cole / Greg Alvarez – TDLR Combative Sports Senior Administrators.
► Guy Mezger – Veteran fighter / trainer. Former president of HDNet Fights.
► Rick Blalock – Longtime referee and instructor.
► Saul Soliz – long-time trainer / promoter.
► Steve Armstrong – long-time state official / promoter.
► Tim Mousel – long-time trainer and originator of the Defend.Net forums.