Back in July, I asked the question whether this would be the most significant year in the history of mixed martial arts. 2009 certainly proved to be eventful, its place in history cemented forever.

"Greasegate"

UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 took place in January. During a dominating performance by Georges St. Pierre, members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission saw the welterweight champion being smeared with vaseline by one of his corner men. A slippery substance could help a fighter gain an advantage to avoid submissions and one of the biggest controversies that the sport has ever seen was born. BJ Penn's camp filed a formal complaint but a hearing held in March produced no suspensions, fines, or action against St. Pierre or his camp.

The European Invasion

2009 was also a huge year in the expansion of the European market. Four UFC events, two in England, one in Ireland, and one in Germany all made an impact on the growth of mma. The Ultimate Fighter 9 also featured a theme of United States vs. United Kingdom in which the UK fighters dominated, attracting even more attention across the pond.

The Fall of Affliction & The Rise of Fedor

Affliction: Trilogy was set to take place August 1 with a Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett main event. Ten days prior to the event it was announced that Barnett would be denied a license to fight because of a positive test for a banned substance. The card was canceled and Affliction announced that it would cease all promoting operations. Many Affliction fighters went on to sign with Strikeforce, including Fedor. Mainstream audiences would be introduced to him for the first time in November when the promotion aired a card on network television. Emelianenko knocked out previously undefeated Brett Rogers in the second round of the contest.

UFC 100

The UFC met a major milestone in July when it reached UFC 100. The event took place in July and it was reported that the stacked card attracted over one-million pay per view buys. Brock Lesnar unified the heavyweight title by beating Frank Mir via second round TKO. Georges St. Pierre retained his welterweight championship by beating Thiago Alves in a unanimous decision. Dan Henderson settled The Ultimate Fighter rivalry by knocking out Michael Bisping in a popular choice for knockout of the year.

R.I.P. Charles "Mask" Lewis

On March 11 of '09 tragedy struck the sport. Charles "Mask" Lewis, co-founder of the TapouT clothing line, was killed in a car accident in California. Mask and his TapouT crew could be seen at most major mma events and were known for giving opportunities to up and coming fighters who were yet to be recognized by larger promotions. Mask was quoted as saying, "through tenacity and patience anything can be achieved, if you simply believe". Achieve he did, touching and inspiring millions along the way. His contributions to the sport of mixed martial arts have earned him a place in the UFC Hall of Fame and the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award at the World MMA Awards. Charles "Mask" Lewis, dead at the age of 45, but still, and always will be, believed in.