Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva top 2012 MMA MVP list

Heading into the New Year is always a great time to look back. That habit is no different in Japan, where Nikkan Sports put out a survey to determine the 2012 MMA MVP. Somewhat surprisingly, former Heavyweight overlord Fedor Emelianenko topped the list. It's obvious that the Japanese fans are recalling Fedor's unstoppable reign atop the Pride Heavyweight division. Well, that or they just really loved his knock out of Pedro Rizzo in June.

Nikkan Sports MMA MVP award for 2012 (via Fight Opinion):

1. Fedor Emelianenko – 21%
2. Anderson Silva – 18%
3. Takanori Gomi – 17%
4. Junior dos Santos – 16%
5. Ben Henderson – 10%
6. Georges St. Pierre – 8%
7. Jon Jones – 7%

I can't be the only one surprised to see Gomi at #3 here. He is 2-0 in 2012, but he hasn't looked like "The Fireball Kid" for some time. But, like Emelianenko, Gomi was one of the top stars back in the heyday of Pride and got some nostalgic love.

What do the BElitists think? Any notable omissions? Who do you have at number 1?