FIGHTER OF THE YEAR – GEORGES ST-PIERRE
St-Pierre had an incredible 2009 both in and outside of the Octagon. The UFC’s welterweight champion improved his record to 19-2 and established himself as a top sporting attraction with convincing victories over BJ Penn and Thiago Alves at UFC 94 and UFC 100, respectively. He also broke barriers for the sport of mixed martial arts by signing ground-breaking endorsement deals with the likes of Gatorade and Under Armour.
The native of Saint-Isidore, Quebec was again voted Rogers Sportsnet’s Canadian Athlete of the Year, in addition to placing second behind Sidney Crosby in the Canadian Press version of the poll.
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR – ZUFFA
Another year, another record broken. Zuffa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship smashed its previous mark for PPV sales in 2009 with nearly 8 million units sold. The organization also broke its record for live gate revenue with over $42 million generated from 20 events.
It was a year in which the company encountered immense success with its first champion vs. champion bout at UFC 94 between Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn. Zuffa then continued to build momentum with the release of its UFC Undisputed video game in May and UFC magazine in July. However, the key to the year was the success of the UFC 100 weekend: a potent combination of unprecedented media coverage, a fan expo held parallel to the fight, and, of course, the title defenses of the UFC’s two most prominent fighters in Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre.
The year may not have been without its challenges, but in the face of adversity Zuffa emerged from the year in a great position to repeat its success with not just the UFC but also the WEC. Indeed, with the UFC staring at a star-studded line-up of fights and a WEC PPV featuring Urijah Faber and Jose Aldo in Spring 2010, Zuffa will likely find itself right back here next year.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR – Shari Spencer
Last year Spencer made headlines with her less-is-more philosophy to MMA that saw her build the St-Pierre brand image with careful sponsorship selection that painted St-Pierre as a clean, strong, and reliable entity to which sponsors could associate their own brands. In 2009, her approach paid off as St-Pierre has become a top draw and marketable commodity for the UFC - evidenced by the major endorsement deals he inked with Gatorade and Under Armour.
Spencer will now look to do the same for Frankie Edgar in 2010 as the young lightweight from New Jersey is set to challenge for BJ Penn’s title in April.
INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR – MARC RATNER
Marc Ratner serves as the UFC’s VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs, and is the driving force behind the UFC’s effort to get MMA regulated in all 50 states. In 2009 alone he helped to open up Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, and the City of Vancouver for MMA.
Ratner is easily one of the most well-respected individuals in the sport because of the way he chooses to do business on a daily basis. With a gentle disposition and calm demeanor, Ratner is engaging to all. However, he has also become one of the sport’s greatest proponents and defenders.
In 2010, you can expect New York and Ontario to be his two major priorities, but with a well of experience under his belt it’s only a matter of time before he locks down MSG and the ACC as viable venues for the UFC and the rest of MMA.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
BJ Penn:
Penn rebounded extremely well following his loss to Georges St-Pierre in their blockbuster fight that began the year. The UFC lightweight champion defended his belt twice – both in convincing fashion – against Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez at UFC 101 and UFC 107, respectively.
The Prodigy earned every bit of his nickname not just with his performances, but also in the way he has slowly developed into the draw that everyone in MMA hoped he’d become. He currently leads the MMAPayout.com Power Rankings with money generated for his three outstanding headline performances in 2009.
Strikeforce:
Scott Coker’s vision is quickly becoming a reality as the veteran promoter landed his organization a network television deal, signed the best heavyweight fighter on the planet, agreed to a fighter-sharing alliance with Japanese promotion Dream, and formed a collaborative agreement with Electronic Arts that will showcase Strikeforce fighters in EA’s up-coming MMA game. Not bad.
Expect more from Strikeforce in 2010 as the promotion is planning to hold some 20 events and a very important return to CBS in April. Coker has also signed sports marketing guru Matt Levine to help develop a marketing strategy that will elevate the brand in the New Year.
Ed Soares:
The manager’s stable of fighters includes Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Jose Aldo, Antonio Rodrigo, Antonio Rogerio, and Junior dos Santos – it’s quite possible that by the end of the year Soares fighters will own 50% of Zuffa’s divisional hardware. Impressive.
Soares isn’t on the honorable mention list just because of the success of his fighters – he also happens to be one of the hardest working professionals in the sport. He signed his clients to numerous sponsorship deals in 2009 including a slew of agreements with breakout clothing company Silver Star. Soares also runs his own clothing company, Sinister.
Charles “Mask” Lewis:
The co-founder of clothing company TapouT regrettably passed away earlier this year, only having seen half of his life-long dream realized: MMA’s ascension as a legitimate and popular sport. While his brand has risen to the top of the MMA clothing ladder – generating an estimated $180-200 million in 2009 – Lewis’ spirit and determination will remain with the entire MMA industry as it pursues worldwide acceptance and popularity.
