2012 HERO Awards

Editorial by Aj Nex

Well everyone, 2012 was the first year for HERO and I would have to say that it was a great success. A few weeks ago, I sent around nominations for the 2012 HERO awards. All award winners will receive $10,000. Thank you to everyone who cast votes. The results are in, so let's get to it.

2012 HERO Knockout of the Year:
Antero Wursty - Movember Spectacular: In this lightweight title fight, Wursty lost the first round to Zhijing Wang, but he came out in the second and landed a Superman Punch to the jaw that dropped the challenger.

2012 Submission of the Year:
Jacek Kowalski - HERO 44: In the first round of his bout with Matti Teitsi, Kowalski pulled off the rarest submission in MMA Tycoon: the triple decker pecker wrecker.

2012 Fight of the Year:
Tobias Larsson vs Boyko Borisov - HERO 31: Larsson had used a nice mix of boxing and ground and pound to lead the fight two rounds to one, but in the fourth, Borisov displayed the massive power that has won him 7 "of the night" awards. A three punch combo sent Larsson to the mat in a bloody heap and Borisov was the new heavyweight champion.

2012 Comeback of the Year:
Ah Puch Nacon - Fight Night 2: Throughout the entire fight; Gurgel was the only fighter who managed to land takedowns. He was far more active on the ground and controlled the position. He was cruising to an easy victory, stalling out the clock from top position when Nacon threw his legs up in desperation. He got the triangle nice and tight. Gurgel was fighting to hold on until the horn, but tapped out with just five seconds remaining in the fight.

2012 Bantamweight of the Year:
Shazaam McDaniels: The current champ started off 0-2 in HERO, but has gone 9-2 since, the most impressive being his two victories over Joonas Mustonen. He has two fight of the night and one KO of the night awards to his credit.

2012 Featherweight of the Year:
Antero Wursty: Wursty lost his HERO debut to Jason Rudd, but hasn't lost since. He is the current champion with a HERO record of 8-1. His last five fights have been against Pearson, Wang, Todorov (twice) and Van Der Moot, so he definitely isn't padding his record against cans. Three KO of the night awards and one fight of the night highlight his resume.

2012 Lightweight of the Year:
Wai Man Li: Li went 10-3 this year, including 3 wins in title fights. Two wins over Maarten Van Der Moot, and one each over Luttinen and Kasavanov are the highlights of his resume, along with his two fight of the night awards.

2012 Welterweight of the Year:
Rauta Naama: Naama had eleven HERO fights this year, going 8-2-1. He was the first ever welterweight champ and kept this title for an amazing five fights. His brown belt has won him four submission of the night awards and one fight of the night.

2012 Middleweight of the Year:
Christian Olson: Olson flew under the radar for much of the year, quietly picking up wins over contenders like Albert Fish and Eliod Bunkley Iii. He only lost once the entire year in a title fight to Eddie Torrez, but he avenged that loss to become our current champ. His record stands at 10-1 with a fight of the night, submission of the night, and KO of the night.

2012 Light Heavyweight of the Year:
Aleksi Vihtala: 10-0 as a light heavyweight. Six of those wins coming in title fights. One fight of the night. Two KO of the night. There isn't a lot more to be said for the undefeated 205 lb champion. This was our only award to be won unanimously.

2012 Heavyweight of the Year:
Tobias Larsson: Larsson has a 7-2 HERO record and has held the championship belt twice. Wins over James, Trzezwy, Hong, and Adams top his resume. He has two KO of the night, one sub of the night, and one fight of the night in HERO.

2012 Overall Fighter of the Year:
Aleksi Vihtala: With lots of great talent to choose from, it is quite an honor to be recognized as the top of your org. Vihtala was among a long list of contenders, but really separated himself from the pack when he moved up to heavyweight and knocked out former champion Boyko Borisov.

Thanks again for a great 2012. Best of luck to everyone in 2013!

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