The decade from 2000-2010 represented a monumental growth period for the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts as a whole. MMA evolved into a mainstream sport, whereas in the previous decade it was more of a spectacle. This week's column will look back at the extraordinary decade this sport has had. Like last week's 2009 review. it'll be in an awards format.

Fighter of the Decade: Fedor Emelianenko, PRIDE/Affliction/Strikeforce - This machine of a human being is an incredible 37-1. His fight record is perhaps the most impressive one will ever see as it stands as a tall column of W's.

Letters and numbers aside, Fedor Emelianenko is one of the most impressive athletes to watch in sport today. Pay attention to this man as we enter this new decade. He'll have more visibility with Strikeforce now being on CBS.

Honorable mentions for FOTD go to Wanderlei Silva, PRIDE/UFC; Chuck Liddell, UFC; and BJ Penn, UFC.

Most Influential Person of the Decade: Dana White, UFC President - White may get a lot of heat for his brash, non-CEO-like persona, but the sport has much to thank him for. As alluded to earlier, MMA is now a sport.

Using capital from his casino magnate partners, White pushed for state-by-state regulation and sanctioning, an area where the previous owners stopped short. Mid-decade he got the UFC on cable television and attracted national sponsors. Now the emphasis is on globalization.

Fight of the Decade: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, UFC 52, 2005 - Using the sole criteria of the "wow" factor, this fight takes it. This fight that was riveting from stare-down to tapout. During the bout, Hughes was inadvertently struck with an illegal knee to the groin but the referee wasn't assertive enough to stop the fight. Trigg pounced on his hobbled opponent and got Hughes in a rear-naked choke hold.

"Matt's face is turning red, he might have to tap!" yelled UFC color analyst, Joe Rogan.

That's when the magic happened. Hughes pulled himself out of the choke, put the spent Trigg over his shoulders, carried him to the opposite side of the Octagon and SLAMMED him on the mat! After some punches to Trigg, Hughes sealed the victory, and in effect, the Fight of the Decade, with his own rear-naked choke.

Side note: This fight and others can be downloaded for a small fee at the UFC's website, UFC.com. Also, video rental services such as Netflix have most UFC events available on DVD.

Most Influential Fight of the Decade: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I, The Ultimate Fighter I Finale, 2005.- In the UFC's first foray into live cable television, this event to crown The Ultimate Fighter I light heavyweight champion put the UFC on the mainstream map. This three-round non-stop action battle was so exciting, it prompted viewers to call their friends to tune in. At one point during the fight there were an estimated ten million tv viewers, many who have been hooked on the UFC ever since.

Knockout of the Decade: Shonie Carter over Matt Serra, UFC 31, 2001 - This was another spirited battle, ALMOST going the full three rounds. Shonie Carter launched and landed the prettiest strike in MMA - the spinning back-fist. Carter laid out Serra and won the bout with only nine seconds left on the clock.

Submission of the Decade: Shinya Aoki by Gogoplata over Joachim Hansen, PRIDE Shockwave 2006 - This was the first Gogoplata submission in professional MMA competition. Most submissions in MMA like the rear-naked choke are blood chokes that cut off blood flow to the brain. The Gogoplata is a wind-pipe choke using the shin on an opponent's neck to cut off airflow to the lungs. Aoki masterfully pulled it off over Hansen, forcing him to tap.

That concludes the 2000-2010 MMA Decade Awards. The new decade will certainly provide lots of excitement and intrigue in the world of MMA.

David Estrada Jr. is a Mixed Martial Arts columnist for the Port Arthur News. He can be e-mailed at

DavidEstrada@DavidEstrada.com