2016 BluegrassMMA Awards: Event of the Year Nominees

This year the list of events nominated for Event of the Year was deep, with nominees from all five states in our coverage area.

Check out the nominees for 2016 BluegrassMMA Event of the Year below.

Absolute Action MMA 46

Absolute Action MMA celebrated their six year anniversary on April 23rd at the BB&T Bank Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and the event featured eight bouts. In the main event, Cody Gabelman topped Zakk Smith via submission in the first round. Jason Riley also submitted veteran Ron Fields with a forearm choke, and Helen Peralta earned a split decision over Melissa Bartel in the amateur main event. Check out the full results from the anniversary show here.

Caged Madness 43

Caged Madness 43 featured Explosive Fight Promotions’ debut at the famous Goodyear Hall in Akron, Ohio, and the event took place on June 11th. In the main event, Jerrell Hodge topped the returning Isaiah Chapman in a highly anticipated bout. Other pro bouts featured Tony Parker submitting Tony Sylvester, Andrew Law topping Brandon Suber, and Frankie Festa getting his first career with over Tony Dipiero. Ahmad Douglas also won the featherweight title in the amateur main event with a knockout over Mike Walters. Check out the full results from Caged Madness 43 here.

Colosseum Combat XXXVI

Colosseum Combat XXXVI took place on August 27th in the promotion’s hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. In the main event, Rocky France submitted Tyler Combs in the first round. The co-main event featured a Knockout of the Year candidate as Keith Smetana won the middleweight title with a 59-second finish of Tony Parker. Other pro winners were Joe Lile Jr., Terry House Jr., Aaron Highbaugh, and Dexter Wright. Janson Golightly also topped Justen Dowsett in an Amateur Fight of the Year candidate. Check out the full results & replay of Colosseum Combat XXXVI here.

Gladiators of the Cage 21

Gladiators of the Cage 21 took place on June 4th and featured a pair of UFC veterans, as well as a lightweight title bout in the main event. Joey Holt topped Mike Pope in that bout to claim the 155-pound title, while Adam Hunter earned a UFC contact by topping UFC veteran Chris Dempsey via TKO in the co-feature. UFC veteran Dan Spohn won the GOTC light heavyweight title with a TKO over Robert Morrow, and the pro portion of the card also featured Khama Worthy, Devonte Smith, and Ethan Goss. Check out the full results & replay of Gladiators of the Cage 21 here.

Hardrock MMA 81

Hardrock MMA 81 featured the promotion’s return to Turfway Park for the first time in years on July 16th. The main event featured Eric Moell submitting James London via triangle choke, while Billy “Mojo” Horne topped Anthony Trotter via submission in the co-feature. Marissa Caldwell topped Gina Begley in the third pro bout, while Jamal Mohamed topped Shawn Nickell in an Amateur Fight of the Year candidate in the amateur main event. Check out results from Hardrock MMA 81 here, and a replay of the event here.

IT Fight Series 48

IT Fight Series 48 closed out the year for the promotion on December 10th in Columbus, Ohio. Dan Spohn topped Jeff Hughes in a Pro Fight of the Year candidate, while Brandon Suber upset Chico Bays via knockout in the co-feature. Jan Finney also moved her record to 3-0 on the year in the third pro bout. In the amateur main event, Anthony Romero topped Sean Foster in an Amateur Fight of the Year candidate. Check out full results from IT Fight Series 48 here.

Pinnacle FC 15

Pinnacle FC 15 closed out the year for the promotion on December 17th in Pittsburgh. The fight card featured a huge grudge match between Mark Cherico and Antonio Castillo Jr., as well as Dominic Mazzotta defending his featherweight title. Jose Martinez and John Antanitis also picked up wins in their respective pro debuts on the night. Check out full results from Pinnacle FC 15 here, and catch a replay of the event on FloCombat here.

RFO: Big Guns 18

RFO’s premiere event of the year was Big Guns 18 on March 19th in Mansfield, Ohio. The main event featured a Pro Fight of the Year candidate between Jeff Hughes and John Hawk. The rest of the pro card was littered with familiar names, including George Comer, John Gunther, and Luka Strezoski. Check out full results from the event here, and watch the main event .

Valor Fights 36

Valor Fights 36 took place on August 13th in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the event featured a whopping ten pro bouts. In the main event, Gerald Meerschaert earned a UFC contract by submitting Valor middleweight champion Sid Wheeler in just over a minute. The card also featured a great fight between Dustin Long and Anthony Trotter for the light heavyweight title, as well as notables Tanner Saraceno, Nate Jolly, and Nick Baker. Check out results from the event here, and catch a replay on FloCombat here.

Warrior FC: Mountain Madness

Warrior FC headed to Happy, Kentucky on November 12th, as “Mountain Madness” highlighted a great year for the promotion. The main event featured Brandon Bell topping Brian Stevens via submission, while Nick Baker picked up his second pro win in the co-feature. Travis Pennington also landed a thunderous head kick that knocked out four of Jaron Singley’s teeth. Check out the full results from Warrior FC: Mountain Madness here.

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