As the year in cage fighting reaches its halfway point, theScore's MMA staff looks back at a time of chaos, controversy, and lots of people getting clobbered in the face.
2017's best of MMA so far:
In the final part of our series, we focus on two encounters that could be in the running for Fight of the Year when all is said and done. What these bouts lack in star power, they more than make up for in raw excitement:
Tim Elliott vs. Louis Smolka (UFC on FOX 24)
Themistoklis Alexis: Chalk it up to the UFC's halfhearted investment or the casual fan's inexplicable aversion to seeing diminutive men sock each other in the face, but the flyweight division has flown under the radar throughout its five-year existence in the promotion.
True to their weight class' reputation, Tim Elliott and Louis Smolka produced a cult classic in the former's adopted home state.
From first to final horn, the flyweights regaled the Sprint Center crowd with mind-boggling scrambles and first-rate transitional grappling at the frenetic pace that's become Elliott's calling card over his pair of stints in the UFC.
The "TUF 24" winner met a worthy match in Smolka, another wild man whose two-fight skid spawned the most mature performance of a promotional run spanning nine bouts and over three years.
Elliott took the fight to the ground at will and feverishly worked to lock in guillotine and rear-naked chokes on his foe, only for Smolka to show he was no slouch on the mat himself, trading dominant positions with the former divisional title challenger time and again when he wasn't fighting his way back to his feet.
The 30-year-old Elliott's takedowns and submission attempts ultimately proved to be the difference in the judges' eyes, as all three of them gave him the nod by a 30-27 score after three chaotic rounds for his first victory in the Octagon since he bested Louis Gaudinot on points back in August 2013.
It's not often a fighter raises his stock in his third straight loss, but Smolka did just that in the spirited grappler's ball, and went home with $50,000 of consolation, as he and Elliott took Fight of the Night honors on a top-heavy card.
With indomitable flyweight king Demetrious Johnson's longstanding grievances having since put the division on thin ice with UFC brass, Elliott and Smolka have themselves an airtight argument to keep it alive.
Chase Sherman vs. Rashad Coulter (UFC 211)
Alexander K. Lee: 11 days. That's how long Rashad Coulter had to prepare for his UFC debut, which he accepted as an injury replacement against Chase Sherman.
Eleven days for a 35-year-old single father of two children who had recently been let go from his job as a mortgage collector to figure out how to pull off a win and hopefully grab a check in the low five figures.
Even though Coulter was a product of the respected Legacy Fighting Alliance promotion with a reputation for fast knockouts, there wasn't much expected of him when he walked into American Airlines Center in Dallas on May 13. Five minutes into that fight, it looked like Coulter was cooked, as a steady stream of leg kicks left him limping into Round 2.
"Coulter has to just go crazy here," UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said on commentary, though he may as well have implanted the suggestion directly in Coulter's head.
The proud Texan came out swinging in the second frame, only to be hit by a knee and another leg kick that resulted in him slipping to the mat. Sherman pounded away, but somehow Coulter willed himself back to his feet.
Taking advantage of a tiring Sherman, Coulter hurled haymakers that jarred the taller Sherman's chin. Sherman fired back and it looked like either man would collapse at any moment.
Eventually, Coulter did. A hellacious elbow upside his head sent him crashing down in a heap, while at the same time bringing an appreciative audience to their feet.
Coulter wouldn't pick up his first UFC win, but he did gain an entirely new following, and a $50,000 bonus check for being one half of the Fight of the Night.
Not bad for 11 days and nine minutes of work.