UFC's Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva among 2009 ESPY nominees for "Best Fighter"
UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva are among the four nominees for the "Best Fighter" category for the 2009 ESPY Awards.
An ESPN spokesperson today alerted MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the list of nominees.
Silva and Machida are up against boxers Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao in the "Best Fighter" category, which the ESPY Awards added in 2007.
The ESPY Awards, founded in 1993, honor the best achievements, moments and leading athletes of the previous year. Fan voting for the 37 award categories runs through July 11, and the awards ceremony takes place July 15 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The show airs on delay July 19 on ESPN with Samuel L. Jackson as host.
No MMA athletes were nominated for any awards outside the "Best Fighter" category.
Machida and Silva were nominated for the first time. Last year, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was the only MMA fighter nominated in the "Best Fighter" category.
Machida's resume since May 2008 includes a 3-0 record with wins over Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, and most recently, Rashad Evans to win the UFC's light-heavyweight title. Machida (15-0 MMA, 7-0) has now won 15 consecutive fights with stoppages in three of his past four. The Japanese-Brazilian karate expert won Knockout of the Night honors for the wins over Silva and Evans, who were both undefeated prior to the losses.
Silva, meanwhile, is 3-0 over the past year with a non-title win over James Irvin and title defenses over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, all in main event fights. Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remains undefeated in the UFC, though his latest victory drew some criticism. Although Silva thoroughly dominated the bout, some criticized the Brazilian for not finishing Leites; it was the first time Silva went to decision in nine career UFC fights. The fight headlined UFC 97, the most-attended MMA event in North American history.
The two MMA fighters face stiff competition from Mosley, who won the WBA welterweight title from Antonio Margarito, and Pacquiao, who defeated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton to pick up titles in a record six different weight classes.
Leading the list of this year's ESPY nominees was Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He is a finalist for best male athlete, best championship performance, best record-breaking performance and best U.S. male Olympian.
UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva are among the four nominees for the "Best Fighter" category for the 2009 ESPY Awards.
An ESPN spokesperson today alerted MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the list of nominees.
Silva and Machida are up against boxers Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao in the "Best Fighter" category, which the ESPY Awards added in 2007.
The ESPY Awards, founded in 1993, honor the best achievements, moments and leading athletes of the previous year. Fan voting for the 37 award categories runs through July 11, and the awards ceremony takes place July 15 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The show airs on delay July 19 on ESPN with Samuel L. Jackson as host.
No MMA athletes were nominated for any awards outside the "Best Fighter" category.
Machida and Silva were nominated for the first time. Last year, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was the only MMA fighter nominated in the "Best Fighter" category.
Machida's resume since May 2008 includes a 3-0 record with wins over Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, and most recently, Rashad Evans to win the UFC's light-heavyweight title. Machida (15-0 MMA, 7-0) has now won 15 consecutive fights with stoppages in three of his past four. The Japanese-Brazilian karate expert won Knockout of the Night honors for the wins over Silva and Evans, who were both undefeated prior to the losses.
Silva, meanwhile, is 3-0 over the past year with a non-title win over James Irvin and title defenses over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, all in main event fights. Silva (24-4 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remains undefeated in the UFC, though his latest victory drew some criticism. Although Silva thoroughly dominated the bout, some criticized the Brazilian for not finishing Leites; it was the first time Silva went to decision in nine career UFC fights. The fight headlined UFC 97, the most-attended MMA event in North American history.
The two MMA fighters face stiff competition from Mosley, who won the WBA welterweight title from Antonio Margarito, and Pacquiao, who defeated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton to pick up titles in a record six different weight classes.
Leading the list of this year's ESPY nominees was Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He is a finalist for best male athlete, best championship performance, best record-breaking performance and best U.S. male Olympian.
