Vitor has had a spectacular year - an almost unheard of 3 head kick KOs in a row over top 10 competition, including being the first fighter to ever finish Dan Henderson with strikes, which is a truly historic accomplishment. And he did it in only 77 seconds.
I'm having a tough time thinking of other fighters who would be good candidates for this. Maybe Weidman if he beats Anderson again? That's a big if though.
Cain and Barao have been dominant, but only two fights each. If Mighty Mouse beats Benevidez he'd have a case, but the lighter divisions usually get overlooked in FOTY discussions. If Mendes beats Lentz he'll be a very impressive 3-0, but Lentz and Elkins aren't really elite competition IMO.
So - do you think Vitor is FOTY material? And if not, who would you give it to?
No he is not.
Maybe Most improved of the year.
To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt.
No matter how many times he wins, 1 championship win is worth more.
I can't argue with Vitor, but there's a lot of Belfort haters here who will chime in with TRT jokes. There's still plenty of butthurt here for KOing Hendo.
Yes 
Yes, he is.
"To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt."
None of the champs have done enough this year to be fighter of the year.
shaqitup -Who deserves it more in your eyes? I'm not showing animosity, genuinely curious.
No he is not.
Maybe Most improved of the year.
To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt.
No matter how many times he wins, 1 championship win is worth more.
gokudamus stole my name iv - Yes, he is.
"To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt."
None of the champs have done enough this year to be fighter of the year.
.
If weidman beats andy again then its him for sure.
yeah but the assholes who vote will probably give it to jbj or gsp
ScottCL - If weidman beats andy again then its him for sure.
Yes most of the other fighters I discount because they only had 2 fights, or didn't fight elite competition.
Beating the UFC GOAT twice in a row though would be hard to argue against, even if he only had two fights. But like I said, that's a big if. Anderson/Weidman rematch is a toss-up IMO.
Made a thread on this myself a while ago 
Only if his doctor can accept the award with him
shaqitup -
No he is not.
Maybe Most improved of the year.
To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt.
No matter how many times he wins, 1 championship win is worth more.
I can't say I agree with the logic that only champions are eligible to be fighter of the year.
IMO fighter of the year has to do with the quality of opponents faced and the way they are dispatched.
While champions are more likely to be fighter of the year because they face the toughest competition, they also generally fight fewer times a year (2 times per year vs. the average non-champion's 3 times per year)
For this year I think it's down to three - Vitor is up there, so is Cain and depending on the December outcome - so is Weidman
And no. Winner of Johnson/Benavidez should get it. That would be 3 title defenses against very good flyweights for Johnson or 4 wins against tough flyweights and new champ for Benavidez.
OnlyTheStrongSurvive - And no. Winner of Johnson/Benavidez should get it. That would be 3 title defenses against very good flyweights for Johnson or 4 wins against tough flyweights and new champ for Benavidez.
Very good call on that.
Yeah but what kind of charity work did Belfort do?
Pettis has a very good case with a KO of Cerrone, sub of Bendo and being a new champion.
A nice win over Thompson could have really sealed it but I still think he probably deserves it...
Also, by World MMA Awards rules I think Cain would get credit for JDS II, Bigfoot and JDS III which is a pretty strong case
OnlyTheStrongSurvive - And no. Winner of Johnson/Benavidez should get it. That would be 3 title defenses against very good flyweights for Johnson or 4 wins against tough flyweights and new champ for Benavidez.This match decides it in my eyes. If I see weidman finish AS again, we have a hands down winner though.
I think so
IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap -shaqitup -No he is not.
Maybe Most improved of the year.
To be fighter of the year you should have to have a belt.
No matter how many times he wins, 1 championship win is worth more.
Who deserves it more in your eyes? I'm not showing animosity, genuinely curious. <img alt="Phone Post 3.0" border="0" src="/images/phone/droid.png" style="vertical-align:middle;" /></blockquote>
Anybody who is a champ and has won.
Yeah vitor has 3 KO wins, but who is his best win right now in terms of rankings, Bisping?
Renen barao has finished 2 title fights this year, one against a guy on an 8 fight win streak, probably the #2, maybe #3 guy in the division, and then an incredible kick against a guy on a hot streak.
Anthony pettis is 2-0 this year, with a TKO win over cowboy, and a submission win over the champion Benson Henderson.
Cain is 2-0 this year, beating the #2 guy, and destroying bigfoot again.
Then you have every other champ who has won a fight, including Jones who was also technically 2-0 this year.
Title fights mean more, and having the title means more than any number of wins could.