There are a lot of big names being nominated for MMA Fighter of the Year, but in the end, I think it’s a fairly easy call. I made my decision based on a few factors: quantity of fights, quality of opponents, type of fights (title bouts weigh more) and overall dominance. First, the runners-up…

B.J. Penn

No fighter looked more dominant than “The Prodigy” did in his wins against Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian. But Penn was throttled soundly by GSP back in January.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor fought only twice and won both times. He beat Arlovski and Rogers, but it’s not enough for FOY.

Gegard Mousasi

Mousasi will get a lot of mentions for FOY, but his 2008 was actually more impressive than his 2009. He beat Mark Hunt, who was on a 4-fight losing streak. He needed just one minute to KO Babalu. And he finished the year with a TKO win over Sokoudjou here in Chicago.

Anderson Silva

“The Spider” probably was the most bored fighter of the year. The Forrest Griffin fight was nonsense and Thales Leites is no longer in the UFC. The UFC needs to challenge him more in 2010.

Georges St. Pierre

GSP dominated B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves, but it’s not enough for the FOY.

Lyoto Machida

Machida beat Thiago Silva, then Rashad Evans for the LHW belt. But it is the opinion of many that Shogun Rua should be the champion after their UFC 104 fight. I agree. So I can’t give Machida FOY.

There’s just one man left that could be the “FOY”.

Jose Aldo

Aldo was the most active and impressive fighter in 2009. He fought 4 times and won them all. He started 2009 with a round 1 knockout of Rolando Perez at WEC 38 in January. He fought again just over a month later at WEC 39: Brown vs. Garcia. There he needed just 1:39 to get the TKO victory over veteran fighter Chris Mickle.

In June, Aldo was back to face an even tougher opponentin Cub Swanson, who entered the cage having won 13 of his last 14 fights. Aldo’ s flying knee and the subsequent gash above Swanson’s left eye are now legendary. Aldo needed just :08 to destroy Swanson.

Those 3 straight victories got Aldo a title shot against Mike Brown at WEC 44 in November. Brown is one of the most well-rounded and respected fighters in all of MMA. Aldo absolutely domianted him. He took the belt after a TKO win at 1:20 of round 2. No one had a more dominant or impressive year than Jose Aldo. He is Chicago’s MMA 2009 Fighter of the Year.

Bad Boy Walk In Zip Up Hoodie

Anderson Silva is one of the best finishers in mixed martial arts. His highlight reel is a spectacular collection of unforgetable knockouts. But Silva isn’t just a “Killer Finisher”, he’s a “Killer Starter” too! Check out this collage of ring entrances from his fights in Japan. Silva has stated before he is a big Michael Jackson fan, and how the King of Pop was an influence in his own life.  Anderson is not only “Dangerous” but he’s “Bad.”  Alright, that does it for the Michael Jackson puns, watch the video.

Silver Star Anderson “Spider” Silva UFC 97 Walkout Tee (Black, Red, or White)

Visit http://www.MMAUltimateSet.com for more information on Silva’s upcoming DVD set.

Also check out his Bruce Lee impersonation.  It’s quite enjoyable seeing him copy the reference point trapping Lee at one time incorporated into his Jeet Kune Do training.

You’ll start finding out who the top 100 of all-time are on July 1st. Then they’ll deliver 10 a day until they unveil #1 on July 10, the day before UFC 100.

I’m going to go ahead and throw some names out there. And it’s not as easy as you think. Some fighters — like Cro Cop — have been very successful in Pride but not in the UFC. Here we go, in no particular order…

• Chuck Liddell
• Ken Shamrock
• Dan Severn
• Evan Tanner
• Randy Couture
• Royce Gracie
• GSP
• Matt Hughes
• Rich Franklin
• Quinton Jackson
• Maurice Smith
• Vitor Belfort
• Mark Kerr
• Mark Coleman
• Oleg Taktarov
• BJ Penn
• Tito Ortiz
• Jeremy Horn
• Forrest Griffin
• Patrick Smith
• Ricco Rodriguez
• Jens Pulver
• Keith Jardine
• Anderson Silva
• Diego Sanchez

Ok. That’s just 25. Hit it up with some more…

Anderson pokes fun at some of the most popular UFC fighters by impersonating their different fighting styles in the Octagon.

For more on Anderson Silva’s upcoming video instructional series visit www.MMAUltimateSet.com

The fans inside the Bell Centre for UFC 97 booed during Anderson Silva’s fight with Thales Leites.  For those who watched live and on pay per view you will likely tell you how disappointed they were with this particular match up.  Anderson Silva gives us his opinion on the fight.