2016 was a great year for mixed martial arts in general, and to honor the achievements for people involved in the sport, some of the best fighters from all promotions have been included in the nominee lists. The list includes some of the biggest names off course, but there is one notable absence and that is Ronda Rousey. She had just one fight in 2016 on penultimate day of the year, and there was a category of most disappointing comeback fight of the year, she would have comfortably won that. However, the biggest winners of 2016 were Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunez, and Michael Bisping.
Here are the nominees in different categories in World MMA Awards 2016:
Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year
To be awarded for best contribution to the sport both inside and outside the ring or octagon.
- Michael Bisping
- Donald Cerrone
- Cody Garbrandt
- Conor McGregor
- Stipe Miocic
Female Fighter of the Year
- Cris Justino
- Angela Hill
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk
- Angela Lee
- Amanda Nunes
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
- Yair Rodriguez
- Cody Garbrandt
- Dooho Choi
- Derrick Lewis
- Michael Page
International Fighter of the Year
- Michael Bisping
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk
- Conor McGregor
- Gegard Mousasi
- Khabib Nurmagomedov
Fight of the Year
- Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195)
- Cub Swanson vs. Dooho Choi (UFC 206)
- Michael Bisping vs. Anderson Silva (UFC Fight Night 84)
- Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 (UFC 202)
- Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson (Bellator 165)
Knockout of the Year
- Anthony Johnson (vs. Glover Teixeira, UFC 202)
- Lando Vannata (vs. John Makdessi, UFC 206)
- Michael Page (vs. Evangelista Santos, Bellator 158)
- Yair Rodriguez (vs. Andre Fili, UFC 197)
- Michael Chandler (vs. Patricky Freire, Bellator 157)
Submission of the Year
- Ben Rothwell (vs. Josh Barnett, UFC on FOX 18)
- Nate Diaz (vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 196)
- Miesha Tate (vs. Holly Holm, UFC 196
- Mackenzie Dern (vs. Montana Stewart, Legacy FC 61)
- Thiago Moises (vs. David Castillo, RFA 35)
Comeback of the Year
- Michael Bisping (vs. Anderson Silva, UFC Fight Night 84)
- Nate Diaz (vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 196)
- Dan Henderson (vs. Hector Lombard, UFC 199)
- Miesha Tate (vs. Holly Holm, UFC 196)
- Dominick Cruz (career)
Upset of the Year
- Michael Bisping (vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC 199)
- Bryan Barberena (vs. Warlley Alves, UFC on FOX 18)
- Joe Taimanglo (vs. Darrion Caldwell, Bellator 159)
- Brandon Moreno (vs. Louis Smolka, UFC Fight Night 96)
- Zac Riley (vs. Hugo Viana, RFA 34)
Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year
- Jason Parillo
- Din Thomas
- John Kavanagh
- Marcus Marinelli
- Greg Jackson
Trainer of the Year
- Jake Bonacci
- Mike Dolce
- Lawrence Herrera
- Loren Landow
- George Lockhart
Gym of the Year
- American Top Team
- SBG Ireland
- Jackson Wink MMA Academy
- American Kickboxing Academy
- Team Alpha Male
Referee of the Year
- Marc Goddard
- Herb Dean
- John McCarthy
- Yves Lavigne
- Leon Roberts
Ringcard Girl of the Year
- Arianny Celeste
- Brittney Palmer
- Mercedes Terrell
- Carly Baker
- Jhenny Andrade
Leading Man
- Dana White
- Scott Coker
- Victor Cui
- Marc Ratner
- Jeff Novitzky
Best Promotion
- UFC
- Bellator MMA
- ONE Championship
- KSW
- Legacy FC
Personality of the Year
- Joe Rogan
- Jimmy Smith
- Jon Anik
- Matt Serra
- Brendan Schaub
Analyst of the Year
- Brian Stann
- Dan Hardy
- Robin Black
- Chael Sonnen
- Dominick Cruz
Best MMA Programming
- ‘UFC Embedded’
- ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
- ‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’
- ‘The MMA Hour’
- ‘UFC Breakdown’
MMA Media Source of the Year
- MMAjunkie
- MMA Fighting
- Bloody Elbow
- Sherdog
- FloCombat
MMA Journalist of the Year
- Ariel Helwani
- Shaun Al-Shatti
- Brett Okamoto
- Ben Fowlkes
- Karim Zidan
Best MMA Clothing & Equipment Brand
- Hayabusa
- Bad Boy
- Virus
- Everlast
- Venum
Vote for your favorite personality in various categories at worldmmaawards. The winners will be announced on March 2 at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas.