Over the next few days, Bloody Elbow is going to ask for your opinion on some of the best things that have happened in the MMA world over the course of 2016. There will be a total of eight different categories you’ll be asked to vote on. For the sake of simplicity we’re going to stick with high-level and relevant MMA stuff in these posts. While I’m sure there was a ludicrous knockout in an unscheduled MMA event at The Lumberyard strip club in Des Moines, or an insane pancreas lock submission on an obscure ZST! card in Japan, let’s just stick to stuff a lot of us have seen, okay? (If that spiel looked familiar, it’s because I’ve used the same one for six years in a row. Originality? What originality?)

It’s pretty simple. I’ll post 5-10 options in a category, you vote for what you think was the best. If you think I left something really important off my list, post it in the comments and we can add it to the poll if it’s deemed worthy. I can almost guarantee you won’t like all my suggestions, but narrowing down these lists is tough.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get onto the fourth poll – the newcomer of the year. 2016 was thin on breakout rookie stars, but there were a few. The rule for this is simple – a fighter has to enter a major organization for the first time in 2016 (I’m slightly breaking my own rule with a couple of these, but you’ll soon see why) and do well. That’s it.

Before that though, if you haven’t yet, go back and vote on the first three categories – Best Submission, Biggest Robbery, and Biggest Upset.

Kron Gracie – Okay, he technically made his major promotion (RIZIN) debut on New Year’s Eve in 2015. I’m giving him a pass on that because one day doesn’t mean anything. The grappling savant picked up three wins, all by submission, over increasingly good talent. His dominating win over Tatsuya Kawajiri (boo) showed that he can already hang with a featherweight that just gave Cub Swanson a hell of a fight. He’s a future star.

Brandon Moreno – He didn’t stand out on TUF, but was given a short-notice fight in the UFC anyway and pulled off a huge upset over Louis Smolka. He then backed it up with a close win over Ryan Benoit. Not a bad year for the 23-year-old.

Gabi Garcia – Another fighter that made her debut on NYE 2015 technically. Four wins, usually over much smaller or less skilled opponents in Japan. But she’s a force and could be quite an attraction for RIZIN.

Lando Vannata – If you just look at his 1-1 record, you’d wonder why he’s here. If you saw his fights though, you definitely understand. He gave top contender Tony Ferguson all he could handle on short notice, then landed one of the KOs of the year (a clean spinning hook kick) on John Makdessi. He’s destined to be a top-ranked lightweight.

Mickey Gall – You can get on his case for the lack of competition – a writer, a pro wrestler, and a kid – but Gall made the most of his opportunities. He finished all three of his fights, made a big impression with his interviews, and ended up in a UFC on Fox co-main event. That’s pretty impressive.

Marc Diakiese – The undefeated flashy striker showed off a well-rounded game in his first two UFC fights, finishing one with his hands and using grappling to grind out a decision.