As a recap, most “Fighter of the Year” awards on other sites are really “Breakout Fighter of the Year” awards in that fighters who win, were usually not top fighters in the beginning of the year, but became so by the end of the year.
A fighter like this can and has won our FotY awards, but our award is more about maintaining a high standing during the award year by performing well a sufficient number of times and against a sufficient quality of opponents. It is more comparable to a season MVP in major team sports, not a playoffs/surprise MVP.
Winner: Conor McGregor
For us, it was a very tight call this year. But having fought three times, two of which involving some form of the Featherweight title. It’s hard to deny that McGregor is the fighter of the year for 2015.
Runner-Up: Rafael dos Anjos
The reign of Rafael dos Anjos at Lightweight is starting to look like one that can last a very long time. Although he only fought twice in 2015 — which is usually the case once a fighter gains a major belt, his presence as a top fighter in the sport is one that sees him as high as #2 on some pound-for-pound lists and #3 on ours.
3rd Place: Demetrious Johnson
Like “Cyborg”, the #3 for Women’s Fighter of the Year, DJ did nothing overly impressive this year, but defended his belt twice in dominant fashion. He still owns the Flyweight division and lingers toward the top of the pound-for-pound lists.