Voting is now open for the 12th annual World MMA Awards. Head here to vote for your favourite fighters and MMA personalities.
Fighters Only has extended the nomination period from 12 months to 18 months (1st January 2019 – 30th June 2020) to best account for all global MMA action and performances.
The star-studded, black-tie 2020 World MMA Awards event will be held in October 2020 on a date and location to be announced.
In the lead-up to the big show, we are profiling each of the 12th annual World MMA Awards nominations.
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Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker is nominated for the Fight of the Year in the 12th annual World MMA Awards.
Even without a crowd, Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker put on one hell of a show for those fans watching from home during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The pace put on by these two exciting lightweights during his back-and-forth war was something to behold.
Hooker looked like he edged the first two rounds as Poirier was forced to weather the storm thrown his way from a Kiwi who has serious arsenal of strikes.
That’s not to say Poirier was ever at the point of being dominated, though. While Hooker landed the more dynamic shots, including hooks to the body and up top, knees and kicks, Poirier would fire back with body kicks and straight punches through the middle.
And it’s those punches and their accuracy which mounted up for Poirier and eventually wore “The Hangman” down. In fact, the Louisianan incredibly landed 76% of his strikes throughout the fight.
The latter three rounds saw Hooker seek the takedown and he was successful in a lot of his attempts, but Poirier was always on hand to either throw a submission attempt, defend well or scramble back to his feet to dole out more punishment.
Poirier was the fresher man come the end of the fight and it’s beyond comprehension how Hooker continued to battle on without ever relenting in trying to turn the fight in his favour despite the shots being sent his way.
Two of the judges scored the fight 48-47 for Poirier, while a third saw it 48-46 also for “The Diamond.”
This battle took place just three days before the cut-off point for the 12th annual World MMA Awards and is rightly a contender for Fight of the Year.
Is Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker your Fight of the Year?
Voting is now open for the 12th annual World MMA Awards.
Head here to vote for your favourite fighters and MMA personalities.