UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva were both nominated for the “Best Fighter” category at this year’s ESPYS Awards show, which was taped yesterday at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.

However, neither Machida nor Silva were able to garner enough votes to win. Instead, the award went to pro boxer Manny Pacquiao.

This is the third year that MMA fighters have been nominated for the ESPYS “Best Fighter” category. Randy Couture and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson were the first to be nominated in 2007, followed by Georges St. Pierre in 2008. Neither of the three of fighters were able to win the award.

Both Machida and Silva were certainly deserving of the nomination. Machida is currently undefeated in MMA competition and holds notable wins over Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, and Tito Ortiz. Silva is on a record nine-fight win streak in the UFC and holds notable victories over Rich Franklin (twice), Dan Henderson, and Nate Marquardt.

The 17th annual ESPYS, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, will be televised this Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ESPN/ESPN HD.

Related posts:

1. Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva Nominated for 2009 ESPY "Best Fighter" Category
2. Lyoto Machida to Take On Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104
3. UFC 2009 Undisputed Complete Fighter List
4. Rampage Jackson on His New Website and Not Being Scared of Machida Video
5. UFC Confirms Fighters for Upcoming Fan Expo