UFC to debut Dana White, fan-led “UFC Honors” awards show at year’s end

In a press release Friday, the UFC announced that an inaugural UFC Honors awards show will take place at year’s end.

UFC Honors, which will be presented by Japanese tire company Toyo Tires, is a show aimed at recognizing the standout performances of fighters and fights throughout the year.

According to the release, UFC President Dana White will choose the winners of the “Performance of the Year” and “Fight of the Year,” with a fan vote used to determine the winners for “Knockout, Submission, Event, and Comeback of the Year”, respectively.

White, as quoted in the release, said, “Every year, there are so many great fights and so many unbelievable performances in UFC. It’s going to be almost impossible to pick the best, but I’m going to have fun trying. It’s also cool that the fans will get to vote in some categories, like ‘Knockout of the Year’ and ‘Event of the Year.’”

Nominees for the event will be announced in December on both the UFC’s website and social media channels, and voting for the four eligible categories will run through the entirety of the month. The release stated that “details on the voting process will be announced at a later date.”

Winners are set to be announced on December 31.

The release did not specify criteria for the categories, nor did the release announce any financial prizes and or compensation for year-end award winners as is custom for Fight and Performance of the Night winners at each UFC event. However, according to an FAQ posted on the UFC’s website, “All UFC Honors Award winners will receive a trophy celebrating their achievement, along with a set of tires from Toyo Tires.”

The press release has been included below:

“LAS VEGAS – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced that it is expanding its long-time partnership with Toyo Tires to launch a new annual end-of-year awards program that recognizes UFC’s top fighters, performances and moments.

UFC Honors, Presented by Toyo Tires, will comprise a variety of categories within two groups, including:

UFC Honors President’s Choice:

UFC Performance of the Year
UFC Fight of the Year

UFC Honors Fan Choice

Toyo Tires’ UFC Knockout of the Year
Toyo Tires’ UFC Submission of the Year
Toyo Tires’ UFC Event of the Year
Toyo Tires’ UFC Comeback of the Year

The winners of the ‘UFC Performance of the Year’ and ‘UFC Fight of the Year’ awards will be personally chosen by UFC President Dana White, while winners in the ‘UFC Honors Fan Choice’ group will be determined through social and online voting.

“Every year, there are so many great fights and so many unbelievable performances in UFC,” said UFC President Dana White. “It’s going to be almost impossible to pick the best, but I’m going to have fun trying. It’s also cool that the fans will get to vote in some categories, like ‘Knockout of the Year’ and ‘Event of the Year.’ Toyo Tires’ is a great partner and we’re looking forward to working with them on this.”

“We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of the first-ever UFC Honors program,” said Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “As a longtime sponsor of UFC, and as fans ourselves, we are deeply committed to the growth of the sport and look forward to being a part of the UFC’s exciting future.”

The nominees for UFC Honors, Presented by Toyo Tires will be announced in early December on UFC.com and across UFC’s social channels. Throughout December, UFC fans will have the opportunity to vote for their choices in four categories: Toyo Tires’ UFC Knockout of the Year; Toyo Tires’ UFC Submission of the Year; Toyo Tires’ UFC Event of the Year; and Toyo Tires’ UFC Comeback of the Year. Winners will be announced before December 31. Additional details on the voting process will be announced at a later date.”