Video: The 25 Most Badass Sports Moments of 2011 (So Far)

Facials, fails, and fights?! It's been a pretty crazy first half, check out the most epic plays of the year thus far.

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Complex Original

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Only six months in and we've already had a sports year unlike any other. We've had facials, epic fails, game-winners, trash-talking, fighting, records being broken and everything in between. If the first half is any indication, then the next six months should be dope. Well, that's if we even have any games to watch in the second half. Get your shit together Goodell, you too, Stern! From the NBA to racing to MMA, we're bringing you the most ridiculous moments of the year. So, as we enter the lull period on the sports calendar where player arrests and fuckery of all sorts baseball rules the headlines, let's take a look back at the 25 Most Badass Sports Moments of 2011 (So Far)...

25. Roy Jones Jr. Gets a Brutal Beatdown

DATE: 5/21/2011
EVENT: Roy Jones Jr. v. Denis Lebedev
COMPLEX SAYS: Why 42-year-old Roy Jones Jr. thought it was necessary to fight 31-year-old Denis Lebedev of Russia, we have no clue. Jones has an estimated worth of $45 million and has already held seven heavyweight belts at the same time. Hopefully this brutal knockout (smelling salts, really?) is his last. Hasn't he seen the sad career endings of Ali, Tyson, and nearly every other great boxer? Dude must've forgot...

24. Danny Barrett's Epic Rugby Tackle

DATE: 5/14/2011
EVENT: Cal Bears v. Utah Utes (College Premier Division Semifinals)
COMPLEX SAYS: How many of you actually tune into rugby? Well, if the NFL lockout doesn't end soon it's definitely a nice second option. In this clip, Cal's Danny Barrett absolutely destroys Utah's scrumhalf during the college premier division semifinals. Where else can players deliver brutal hits like this with no worry of catching a fat fine from Roger Goodell? Barrett did receive a yellow card and 10-minute penalty for the late hit, but for a spot on this list, it was worth it.

23. KD Calls Chris Bosh a "Fake Tough Guy"

DATE: 1/30/2011
EVENT: Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder
COMPLEX SAYS: Funny thing is, we've always seen Chris Bosh as one of the softest players in the league. Nothing proved this to be true quite like that dramatic scene he made after Miami lost in the NBA Finals. So, Durant's "fake tough guy" comments should be taken as a compliment of sorts for the same dude who's been called RuPaul earlier in his career.

22. Eric Hassli Scores the MLS Goal of the Year

DATE: 6/11/2011
EVENT: Vancouver Whitecaps @ Seattle Sounders
COMPLEX SAYS: It's appropriate that the best goal of the MLS season (so far) happened on "Soccer Night in America" (and that it was scored by a dude playing for Vancouver), because it pretty accurately sums up the best part of the American version of the game. No set pieces, no give-and-go, no dribbling wizardry, just a botched pass on defense and an insane, video-gamey shot from just outside the penalty area into the far post. Beautiful game our American ass!

21. Lyoto Machida KO's Randy Couture

DATE: 4/30/2011
EVENT: Lyoto Machida v. Randy Couture (UFC 129)
COMPLEX SAYS: At the age of 47, "The Natural" just couldn't retire from the Octagon. Dude needed some sort of sign to convince that it was the right time to hang it up. So, when he met Lyoto Machida in UFC 129, a damaging front kick to the dome may have been the sign he was looking for. Ughk, the foul (or sweet, word to Rex Ryan) taste of defeet

20. Le Mans Crash

DATE: 6/11/2011
EVENT: 24 Hours of Le Mans
COMPLEX SAYS: OK, we're not the biggest fans of watching cars race around an eight mile track for hours, much less an entire 24 hours. But seeing some of the world's best cars being blown to smithereens (with no serious injures of course), we're all about it! So, when Allan McNish sent his whip up and over the barrier after a collision with Anthony Boltoise's Ferrari within the first hour of the race, we knew there was no real reason to keep watching. Who won this race again? #noonecares

19. Ochocinco Rides a Bull

DATE: 5/14/2011
EVENT: NFL Lockout / Professional Bull Riders Event
COMPLEX SAYS: Hey, we all gotta make a living, right? After the NFL lockout threatened to leave all their players without jobs for an extended period of time, these guys got real creative with their temporary occupations. From Ochocinco riding a bull and trying out for an MLS soccer team to Ray Edwards taking up professional boxing, these dudes tried anything to avoid boredom and make paper. Real talk though, Goodell and the boys better work out a deal because more free time means more trouble for a lot of these dudes. Word to Kenny Britt.

18. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch Fight at Darlington

DATE: 5/7/2011
EVENT: Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
COMPLEX SAYS: In the latest edition of their long-standing feud, Kevin Harvick took a swing at Kyle Busch at the conclusion of the Showtime Southern 500. While both guys didn't make a big deal of the altercation after the race, let's not get it confused: It's called road rage. We've all been there...just not to that extent. Maybe. When's our next meeting with our P.O. and anger management group again?

17. Rajon Rondo's Elbow Game

DATE: 5/7/2011
EVENT: Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 3)
COMPLEX SAYS: How badass can you get? Homie dislocates his elbow then proceeds to make Miami look like a bunch of...well, all the reckless things we thought they were. Rajon Rondo dissected the Heat's defense with one arm and dropped 11 dimes while Willis Reed'ing his team to victory. One-armed Rondo >>> fully-functioning Bron Bron.

16. Adam Jones' Over-the-Shoulder Catch

DATE: 6/1/2011
EVENT: Baltimore Orioles @ Seattle Mariners
COMPLEX SAYS: You know what we love about baseball? The fact that 95% of its badass plays come on defense. You know what else we love about baseball? Tweaking old-timers who try to tell us the game was better back in the day. Remember Willie Mays' over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series? Of course you don't, you weren't born yet. But you've seen it, and we're here to tell you that Adam "Not Pacman" Jones' grab this year was better. As the announcer says, Willie didn't have to scale a fence at the end of his grab.

15. Lacrosse Hidden Ball Trick

DATE: 5/15/2011
EVENT: Maryland v. North Carolina
COMPLEX SAYS: Hold up, did that commentator really just say: "So smooth with the six-foot pole?" Alright, now that the epic pause-worthy commentary is out of the way, let's get to the real reason why this moment made the list: Maryland's Grant Catalino and Brian Farrell pulled the ultimate okie-doke that faked out the North Carolina defense, cameraman, announcers, and all the fans at home. So, six-foot poles, hidden balls, and turned tricks? Yup, gotta love lacrosse. Ayo!

14. Asdrubal Cabrera's Double Play

DATE: 5/19/2011
EVENT: Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Indians
COMPLEX SAYS: Barehanded grab of a deflected ball and an "I do this every day" behind-the-back toss? Badass. The insouciant suppressed smile afterward? Supremely badass.

13. Fedor vs. Silva

DATE: 2/12/2011
EVENT: Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix (Second Round, MMA 143)
COMPLEX SAYS: Known for a long time as one of the most brutal dudes in MMA, Fedor would take down his opponents and pound them out. Pause. During the second round of the Strikeforce Grand Prix, Antonio Silva beat him at his own game, and Fedor became a human punching bag until the ref decided to stop the fight. Since dude would dole out punishment this way throughout his whole career, we can't say that we feel bad for him. #justsayin'

12. Aaron "Jaws" Homoki's Ollie

vimeo.com

DATE: 6/1/2011
EVENT: N/A
COMPLEX SAYS: Generally speaking, you should be wary of things advertised as "the biggest ever." And quantifying skateboarding exploits kinda goes against the spirit of the sport. But we're not gonna quibble with Thrasher calling this ollie from their July cover the biggest ever. Now leave us alone while we try to perfect ankle replacement surgery.

11. J.R. Hildebrand Loses Indy 500 on Final Turn

DATE: 5/29/2011
EVENT: Indianapolis 500
COMPLEX SAYS: So, you're a rookie leading your sport's biggest race with a comfortable lead on the final lap. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything. J.R. Hildebrand went into the final turn with way too much speed crushing his whip and his dreams of taking the Indy 500 title into the wall. Damn, drive slow, homie. *Yeezy voice*

10. Epic Unicaja Malaga v. Real Madrid Ending & Call

DATE: 3/19/2011
EVENT: Unicaja Malaga v. Real Madrid
COMPLEX SAYS: Game-winning shots are always an epic affair. The victors are elated with joy and excitement, while the losers are depressed and saddened by the outcome. As for the announcers, we didn't expect a reaction that was somewhere in-between a heart attack and orgasm. One of the craziest foreign language sports calls of all time? You already know.

9. Kobe's "What Ankle?" Dunk on Emeka Okafor

DATE: 4/26/2011
EVENT: New Orleans Hornets @ Los Angeles Lakers (NBA Playoffs, 1st Round, Game 5)
COMPLEX SAYS: We were bamboozled. The ankle was supposed to be injured. The Hornets were supposed to give LA a real scare...Sike! Kobe Bryant shitted all over Emeka, proving once again why Okafor is grossly overpaid. Plus, who the fuck said Mambas need ankles anyway?

8. Tim Thomas-Alex Burrows Fight

DATE: 6/8/2011
EVENT: Vancouver Canucks @ Boston Bruins (Stanley Cup Finals, Game 4)
COMPLEX SAYS: Hockey is quite possibly the most badass major pro sport of them all. In an epic Stanley Cup Final that went seven games, you had biting, rioting, and, as you can see here, leg chopping . Bruins goaltender, Tim Thomas, didn't take kindly to Alexandre Burrows knocking his stick out of his hand and quickly regulated the situation. Thomas, 37, is the oldest Stanley Cups Playoffs MVP in NHL history. SMH, young'ns better come correct before trying to check their elders.

7. Bart Scott's "Can't Wait!" Postgame Interview

DATE: 1/16/2011
EVENT: New York Jets v. New England Patriots (Divisional Playoffs)
COMPLEX SAYS: After defeating the New England Patriots in the 2010 Divisional Playoffs, the most awesome postgame interview in the history of mankind happened. Bart pulled out all the stops: the Jet, the pose, and the utter disgust of haters. Too bad the non-believers ended up being right the following week, early celebration anyone?

6. Buster Posey Gets Trucked

DATE: 5/25/2011
EVENT: Florida Marlins @ San Francisco Giants
COMPLEX SAYS: Here's the hit that called into question the rules of the game, got GM Brian Sabean talking tough, and may have ruined the Giants chances at a repeat title. Yeah, Scott Cousins barrelling into Buster Posey is an ugly scene, but it's one of the most exciting plays in a sport that's been lacking such since the end of the steroid era. And to whiny Giants fans: Just be glad it didn't happen during the All-Star game. Word to Ray Fosse.

5. Taj Gibson Posterizes Dwyane Wade

DATE: 5/15/2011
EVENT: Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1)
COMPLEX SAYS: Remember back in May, before hating the Heat became a national pastime, and Miami had that air of excellence and inevitability? Seems like a long time ago now, but back then err'body and their moms and Delonte West figured the Heat were going to win it all, and this emasculation by Taj Gibson seemed like a great slingshot moment in a David and Goliath battle. Then Goliath turned out to be, well, Goliath (Taj Gibson still gets to keep the 20K Twitter followers he picked up in the wake of this slam).

4. Wayne Rooney's Bicycle Kick

DATE: 2/12/2011
EVENT: Manchester City @ Manchester United
COMPLEX SAYS: During the 78th minute, Rooney delivered one of his most glorious goals; and what turned out to be the game winner, against crosstown rival Manchester City. Old Trafford went absolutely nuts when Nani hit Wayne with the sick assist for the ill bicycle kick finish. Fuck what you heard, after this play, dude is allowed to curse at the camera whenever he wants.

3. Jon "Bones" Jones Beats Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

DATE: 3/19/2011
EVENT: Jon "Bones" Jones v. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (UFC 128)
COMPLEX SAYS: Jon "Bones" Jones became the youngest UFC Champion in history at 23 after destroying Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in three rounds. Rua couldn't keep up with Jones who just kept showing no mercy until a TKO was finally called. No jokes here, Rua lost badly but dude can still kick our ass.

2. Kemba Walker Game Winner v. Pitt

DATE: 3/10/2011
EVENT: UCONN v. Pitt (Big East Quarterfinals)
COMPLEX SAYS: "Got a mismatch!" Oh yes we do. The entire month of March belonged to the Bronx's Kemba Walker, and it all started with this incredible dagger thrown in the Big East Tournament. It's hardly fair to make fun of Gary McGhee (since, yes, it pretty clearly was a mismatch), but fuck it, we'll do it anyway: Yo dude, we haven't seen a body hit the floor that fast since Marlo and Snoop were up in them buildings.

1. Jason Terry Sons LeBron James

DATE: 6/9/2011
EVENT: Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks (NBA Finals, Game 5)
COMPLEX SAYS: This was the moment the NBA Finals officially went from King James' coronation to LeChoke's ultimate nightmare. It actually wasn't terrible D by LBJ, he and the Heat just happened to run into one all-time Teutonic great surrounded by a bunch of role players (call 'em the Not So Big 7 or 8) playing their lights out. And you know what badass plays in the championship round bring? Badass party photos.

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