MMA Awards: The Case For... Cub Swanson vs Doo Ho Choi

Matchmakers have a notoriously difficult job. Much like referees, they go largely unnoticed if they do their role properly, but it is extremely obvious when they get it wrong. However, there are those infrequent moments when they get it perfectly right, handing fight fans up and down the world with those perfect contests that last long in the memory.

2016 was a good year for fights across a number of promotions and divisions. Minus perhaps the heavyweights, the argument can certainly be made that in 2017, we now have the deepest array of fighters across all weight classes in the sport's history.

As a result, some of the match-ups seen last year have been truly spectacular, and the winner of the 'Fight of the Year' will have truly earned it.

Often, the best events come from the card with the least hype. Following the juggernaut that was UFC 205, with its stacked card and three title fights, UFC 206 looked very much like the red-headed step child of the family, especially when the initial headliner, Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson, was cancelled due to injury, leaving an awkwardly-shoehorned interim featherweight title bout as the main event.

Step forward the co-main event and third fight of the card. These were two absolute barnburners, with Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone's picture perfect headkick KO of Matt Brown surprisingly playing second fiddle to the quite ridiculous battle between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi. Though it was touted as a 'fun fight' in the lead-up, few would have expected the 15 minute war that ensued.

Originating from what was considered an ambitious call-out by the Korean Superboy, the fight had been in the works for a while, and was seen as the first real test of Choi's UFC credentials. In the lead-up, most commentators felt that Cub would be one step too far for the youngster, and would ultimately outclass him.

As with most things in the highly unpredictable sport of MMA, they couldn't have been more wrong. While Choi admittedly took a while to warm up, the fight proved to be the very definition of back and forth. Quite honestly, how either of them made it to the final bell with their heads still attached is amazing, such was the power and ferocity of some of the punches thrown. In particular, the Korean Superboy may have one of the best chins in the sport at present, taking an incredible amount of punishment and continuing to survive and throw strikes. I seem to recall one of his countrymen being famous for something similar - Korean Zombie 2.0 anyone?

Perhaps the best thing about the contest, however, is that it demonstrated the best of each of the three main disciplines in MMA, namely kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. The feeling throughout was that the fight could be stopped at any moment, with both fighters going through moments of jelly-legged trouble, in addition to submission attempts and battles for positional control. Unsurprisingly, once the crowd caught its breath, it showed its appreciation with a huge standing ovation at the end of the second round.

The real reason that this fight stands out from its competition for this award is that it's the only non-main event contest. Take a look at the list. From Bisping/Silva to Henderson/Chandler, every one of the other fights has benefitted from an enormous amount of promotion as part of the UFC or Bellator's PR machine, meaning that many will have bought their tickets with the express intention of watching the main event. I've seen it first hand at UFC 204 - while Bisping vs Henderson was not by any means an exceptional fight, the atmosphere generated by its significance made it feel all the more entertaining and impressive.

While the Cub/Choi fight received a bit of attention as a main card bout, it was by no means hyped by the UFC, and the fact that it stands out as one of the best fights of the year underlines the quality of the contest itself, rather than benefitting from a more electric atmosphere. There's no doubt that after this fight, both will be in main events in the near future, with Swanson already set to headline against Artem Lobov later this year.

Do you agree with this choice? Let me know your thoughts either in the comments section or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMAChandkler