
The year is half over, and we're recognizing the best in MMA in the first six months of 2009. Up first is our Fighter of the Half Year, Lyoto Machida.

Since his April 2005 slugfest with Forrest Griffin, a fight which helped launch the UFC to its current place in the sports landscape, Stephan Bonnar has been a consistent crowd favorite.
In January, Bonnar returned from a serious knee injury, but dropped a decision to top prospect Jon Jones. Now, he looks to get back into the win column at July's UFC 100, and will have to do so against UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman.
Bonnar recently took some time to speak to FanHouse about his "lifetime contract" with UFC, what Coleman has left in the tank at age 44, and how he plans to beat "the Hammer."


Now that Lyoto Machida has won the UFC light heavyweight title, there's a growing sense that we're headed into -- in the words of Joe Rogan -- a Machida Era: A time when Machida simply dominates the light heavyweight division and defends the belt several times in a row.
The light heavyweight division is the most talented weight class in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but after watching Lyoto Machida dominate Rashad Evans for the title Saturday night at UFC 98, I'm having a very hard time seeing how anyone is going to beat him any time soon.
We're back this week with another MMA podcast, and I'm joined again by Ariel Helwani. The big topic of conversation, of course, is the disappointing performance of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 97, and who we think might give Silva a tough test.
My new list of the Top 10 light heavyweights in mixed martial arts reflects the changing landscape after UFC 97, with Shogun Rua moving up and Chuck Liddell moving out.
Coming out of UFC 97, two stories will dominate the discussions: Anderson Silva looking unimpressive and needing to go the distance to win his ninth straight fight, and Chuck Liddell probably walking out of the Octagon for the final time. I agree that those are the two big stories of the night, but I'd urge mixed martial arts fans not to forget a third: Shogun Rua is back.Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua shake hands before their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Chuck Liddell, right, punches Shogun Rua during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Chuck Liddell, right, punches Shogun Rua during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Chuck Liddell, left, punches Shogun Rua during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Shogun Rua, right, attempts to punch Chuck Liddell during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Shogun Rua takes down Chuck Liddell during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua battle during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua battle during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Shogun Rua pounds Chuck Liddell during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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Shogun Rua pounds Chuck Liddell during their match at UFC 97 on Saturday, April 19, 2009 in Montreal, Canada.
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