Ronda Rousey made waves when she was named UFC's first women's champion. (REUTERS)
There’s no sugar-coating it — 2012 will be remembered as the year of the injury.
It wasn’t just that a few high-profile bouts had to be altered. Entire cards were either flipped on their heads, or — in the case of UFC 151 and two Strikeforce events — cancelled entirely.
Top fighters like Georges St. Pierre and Daniel Cormier were only able to squeeze one fight in, while both Jon Jones and Anderson Silva entertained opponents from outside their weight classes.
It goes without saying the past 12 months haven’t exactly been the most fruitful for mixed martial arts. Despite the injury epidemic, the bouts continued to deliver and three competitors set themselves apart from the pack.
Here are the top MMA fighters of 2012.
3. MIGHTY MOUSE
For Demetrious (Mighty Mouse) Johnson, 2012 got off to a bumpy start.
