The nominees for the thirteenth Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards 2021 have been announced and the voting has opened
While the venue and date for the 2021 World MMA Awards are yet to be decided, the voting lines have been opened and will conclude on September 8. While Kamaru Usman and Charles Oliveira are the leading contenders for the Male Fighter of the Year Award, Valentina Shevchenko and Mackenzie Dern are leading the race for the Female Fighter of the Year Award.
Read on to know the nominees for all the 22 categories. You can cast your votes HERE.
World MMA Awards 2021 Nominees
Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Male Fighter of the Year
- Kamaru Usman
- Brandon Moreno
- Yaroslav Amosov
- Charles Oliveira
- Jan Blachowicz
Female Fighter of the Year
- Mackenzie Dern
- Kayla Harrison
- Valentina Shevchenko
- Rose Namajunas
- Manon Fiorot
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
- Khamzat Chimaev
- Jiří Procházka
- Brandon Moreno
- Yaroslav Amosov
- Kevin Holland
International Fighter of the Year
- Vadim Nemkov
- Israel Adesanya
- Yaroslav Amosov
- Robert Whittaker
- Jan Blachowicz
Fight of the Year
- Paul Daley vs. Sabah Homasi (Bellator 257)
- Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos (UFC 262)
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno I (UFC 256)
- Jiří Procházka vs. Dominick Reyes (UFC on ESPN 23)
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Miguel Baeza (UFC on ESPN+ 47)
Knockout of the Year
- Joaquin Buckley vs. Impa Kasanganay (UFC on ESPN+ 37 via back kick)
- Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal (UFC 261 vis punch)
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar (FUFC on ESPN+ 42 via flying knee)
- Shane Burgos vs. Edson Barboza (UFC 262 via punch)
- Mamed Khalidov vs. Scott Askham (KSW 55 via flying switch kick)
Submission of the Year
- AJ McKee vs. Darrion Caldwell (Bellator 253 via neck crank)
- Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill (UFC 264 via armbar/triangle)
- Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden (UFC on ESPN+ 41 via flying triangle)
- Anthony Hernandez vs. Rodolfo Vieira (UFC 258 via guillotine)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje (UFC 254 via triangle)
Comeback of the Year
- Paul Daley vs. Sabah Homasi (Bellator 257)
- Thanh le vs. Martin Nguyen (ONE: Inside the Matrix)
- Sean Strickland (Career)
- Rose Namajunas (Career)
- Charles Oliviera vs. Michael Chandler (UFC 262)
Upset of the Year
- Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson (ONE on TNT 1)
- Shana Dobson vs. Mariya Agapova (UFC on ESPN 15)
- Clay Collard vs. Anthony Pettis (PFL 2021 #1)
- Ok Rae Yoon vs. Eddie Alvarez (ONE on TNT 4)
- Anthony Hernandez vs. Rodolfo Vieira (UFC 258)
Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year
- Eric Nicksick
- Henri Hooft
- Mike Brown
- Trevor Wittman
- Jason Parillo
Trainer of the Year
- Phil Daru
- Sam Calavitta
- Jordan Sullivan
- Chase Cichos
- Bo Sandoval
Gym of the Year
- American Top Team
- City Kickboxing
- Elevation Fight Team
- RVCA
- Sanford MMA
Referee of the Year
- Herb Dean
- Dan Miragliotta
- Mark Smith
- Jason Herzog
- Marc Goddard
Ringcard Girl of the Year
- Arianny Celeste
- Luciana Andrade
- Brookliyn Wren
- Brittney Palmer
- Kasia Motloch Kejsi
Leading Man of the Year
- Dana White
- Ed Soares
- Mohammed Shahid
- Densign White
- Scott Coker
Best Promotion of the Year
- Bellator MMA
- LFA
- Brave Combat Federation
- UAE Warriors
- UFC
Personality of the Year
- Jon Anik
- Daniel Cormier
- Joe Rogan
- Laura Sanko
- Chael Sonnen
Analyst of the Year
- Robin Black
- Michael Bisping
- Paul Felder
- Dan Hardy
- John McCarthy
Best MMA Programming
- Morning Kombat
- Dana White’s Contender Series
- DC & Helwani
- JRE MMA Show
- UFC Embedded
MMA Media Source of the Year
- The Mac Life
- BT Sport
- ESPN MMA
- MMA Fighting
- MMA Junkie
MMA Journalist of the Year
- John Morgan
- Shaheen Al-Shatti
- Brett Okamoto
- Ariel Helwani
- Oscar Willis
Fighting Spirit of the Year
- Compassion: Khabib Nurmagomedov (Switched to triangle from an arm bar to avoid distressing Justin Gaethje’s parents)
- Recovery: Terrance McKinney (Overcame drug addiction and near death and made a winning debut)
- Perseverance: Brandon Moreno (Fought back after being cut and became the first Mexican UFC champion)
- Charity: Dustin Poirier (Contribution to the local community in Louisiana and The Good Fight Foundation)
- Leadership: Dana White (Made Fight Island real when all sports were down and out due to Covid-19)
ALSO READ: UFC 265 Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane Payout Purse And Prize Money