(above: Casey O’Day, “Photographer of the Year” and his family pose with the award)

JJ Aldrich

Cody "Donnybrook" Donovan

Thomas Denny

By Luke Henderson – –
The Colorado Irish fighting community was well represented at the 4th Annual Best in Colorado MMA Awards on Sunday, February 23. More than twenty awards were given out at the new Xtreme Action MMA Bar on the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver and of those a number went to Irish community members.
Casey O’ Day of CMO Photo, won Photographer of the Year for his ringside work on behalf of Shameless MMA. Legendary fighter Thomas Denny, coach of local gym-Team Wildman, took home individual honors as Coach of the Year as well as having his team win the Colorado MMA Cup and his gym win Fans’ Choice Gym of the Year. Fighter JJ Aldrich won Amateur Female Fighter of the Year for the second year in a row and for the third time in four years.
But the big story was the awarding of the first ever Colorado Celtic ‘Club’, honoring one Irish-American mixed martial artist based in Colorado. Nominees included Canaan Grigsby, Jason Clayton, Jason Lee and JJ Aldrich, but the inaugural winner was fan favorite UFC fighter, Cody ‘Donnybrook’ Donovan. He was awarded a shillelagh from Ireland on behalf of The Celtic Connection along with a sword from FusBoxe MMA.
The overall event saw more than two hundred attendees including UFC fighters Brandon Thatch, Chris Camozzi, Neil Magny, Drew Dober and Ed Herman, as well as 9News Anchor Corey Rose.
The awards are nominated by the Colorado MMA Press Club and voted on by the local community and fans.
(photos by CMO Photo, except for Cody’s ‘selfie’ (unable to attend)