ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1 of 2): Who is your favorite fighter to watch in 2010? Hansen, Lee, Hyden, Hobaugh, Perez and Carter

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Who is your favorite MMA fighter to watch in 2010 and why? 

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Carlos Condit is as money as it gets.  The dude can grapple, finish on the ground, possesses one-punch KO power, is impossible to break, and absolutely will not quit.

ERIC LEE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

My favorite fighter of 2010 and probably my favorite fighter overall has got to be Junior Dos Santos. He's been tearing right through all the competition he's had all year long and the whole way up to his title shot. He's torn right through the top striker's in the heavyweight division and even Cain Velasquez has declared him the best in the weight class. But he's not all stand up. He currently has a brown belt under the Nogueira brothers, who we all know have some of the best BJJ skills in MMA. I'm very excited to see him fight for the belt and looking forward to his long future at the top of the division.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I've got to go with Brock Lesnar for this one. He was in two of the most exciting fights of the year, and Brock's fights with Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez were must-see events. A close second would be Shane Carwin. I remember watching as Shane took Frank Mir apart. I also remember when Shane almost beat Brock for the title. Those were great moments. I also want to give kudos to Jon Jones. The guy keeps getting better and better with each fight. I'm excited to see how far he can go.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

Cain Velasquez restored my faith in the heavyweight division.  He is a great and humble champion who is good for the sport.  He deserved his shot and took down Brock with respect and honor.  I was always excited to see him fight and now I can not wait for him to defend his title against Junior Dos Santos.  These fighters know how to act and honor the sport each time they fight.  I believe Cain will have the longest reign as the UFC Heavyweight Champion in history. He is my favorite fighter of 2010.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Plain and simple Brock Lesnar is my favorite to watch.  Is he my favorite fighter? No.  But, he elicits such emotion, either pro or con, and you can just feel the excitement for the fight.  Either with his return against Shane Carwin or his defeat at the hands of Cain Velasquez, it was something that you had to watch.  He makes a fight (the entire card really) that much more exciting to watch and be a part of.

ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

My favorite fighter of 2010 is Maurico "Shogun" Rua.  He was robbed of the title after his first showdown with the then unbeaten Lyoto Machida in October of last year. Then he came back and stopped "The Dragon" with a big KO.  That might have been the biggest KO of the year until Cain Velasquez bested Brock Lesnar via TKO.  I have to give an honorable mention to Jon "Bones" Jones for really building this year.  He is obviously ready for even bigger things, and I think this year will be looked back on as a proving ground year for him (even though he might not have needed it).

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/roundtables/article_7515.shtml

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