2021 was another interesting year in the world of mixed martial arts that saw some fan-favorites fall and unlikely champions rise. Behind these fighters, however, are a supporting cast of coaches who usually stay out of the spotlight. It is these roles that I, personally, find so intriguing given the amount of insight that a good, experienced coach can offer. For that reason, I decided to award perennial contender Trevor Wittman with MMA Junkie’s 2021 Coach of the Year. Though my honorable mentions will go to fighters-turned-coaches like Mike Brown, James Krause and Khabib Nurmagomedov (who quietly had a solid coaching year), I still believe that this is a fitting time to pay tribute to a coach like Wittman.