Las Vegas Weekly

December 31, 2009 · 10:32 AM

Photo Galleries: No punches are pulled at World MMA Awards

By Robin Leach

Tito Ortiz, Arianny Celeste and Wilmer Valderrama at the 2009 World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Dec. 30, 2009.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

It was a night when the only battle was over who would win a coveted award without raising a fist or throwing a competitor to the floor in a vicious hold.

It was a night of love at the first World Mixed Martial Arts Awards sponsored by Fighters Only magazine in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. Among the attendees: Wilmer Valderrama of That ’70s Show fame, world champion poker player Phil Hellmuth Jr., popular UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste, Rick Harrison of The History Channel’s Pawn Stars filmed here in Las Vegas and MMA hero Tito Ortiz.

Leading lens lady Denise Truscello was there along with our contributing photographer Scott Harrison and our loyal Vegas DeLuxe reader Richard Corey to capture the award winners and attendees (Richard’s videos are posted on his YouTube page).

Among the winners: Georges St. Pierre was named Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year went to Dan Henderson, Arianny was named Ring Girl of the Year and, as announced in advance of the awards show, our hometown hero and UFC President Dana White was hailed as Leading Man of the Year for the second year in a row.

The awards show was broadcast online at Versus, which will air the show Jan. 6, 7 and 9. I’m told the event was such a success that it will return to Las Vegas again next year and onward as a new annual event on our sports calendar.

Our colleagues writer Brett Okamoto and photographer Leila Navidi of the Las Vegas Sun provided a full report and photo gallery shortly after the awards last night.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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