1. Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar
In April of 2005 the UFC was about to finish it’s first season of the Ultimate Fighter series, and to go out in style they decided to make the final matches part of their first ever live television broadcast of a UFC event. When the finals for the light heavyweight division began it looked to be a pretty good match between these two newcomers to the UFC Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. The great part about this fight is that both men were competing for the chance to fight in the UFC with the winner receiving a three-year contract in the UFC. With the final match of the inaugural season of the Ultimate Fighter show the fans were on edge and looking forward to the main event of the evening, which was Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin, but after this fight everyone in the crowd would forget about everything else that would take place that evening.
Both men came out to the center of the octagon and were looking to strike right away with each fighter throwing some soft jabs looking for their range. In the first minute it appeared that Bonnar would step in and Forrest was ready for a nice two to three hit counter which would be the feeling out period for the first couple minutes. Then with three minutes to go in the round both men let it fly and the punches would begin to reign down. The next forty seconds would be one punch after another from both men as Forrest continued to throw jabs and big haymakers while Bonnar stuck to his solid left-right combos that he would throw in flurries. With a minute left Forrest landed a nice knee to the body and good overhand right but as soon as he stepped back Bonnar came at him with four consecutive left-right combos and forced Griffin to lock up and take the fight to the ground. Bonnar would scramble out of a possible arm bar from Griffin at the end of the first round but the battle had just begun.
With the start of the second round the fans weren’t sure how much more punishment these men could take but they were here to fight and leave everything on the table. Shortly into the second round Forrest grabbed a hold of Bonnar and secured a takedown but he had sustained a cut during the tussle so they stopped the fight for a moment to check the cut. This is when Bonnar would begin to score some points, as Forrest looked a little punch tired at this point. With two minutes left Bonnar locked Griffin into a Muay Thai clench and landed a huge knee to the face but Griffin refused to go down. The last minute of the round is where Stephan would edge Forrest out on the judge’s scorecards as he continued to charge forward with his relentless left-right combos and push the pace of the fight.
With the second round in the books not one person in attendance was sitting down and no one thought that either fighter could give anymore than what they already had. A standing ovation from the crowd to start the third round and both men knew that this fight would be won in this final round of the evening. Even holding their arms up was a struggle at this point in the fight but with just over three minutes to go in the round the two warriors let the leather fly again in a flurry with neither man getting the upper hand. For every kick and punch Griffin would throw Bonnar would counter with a left-right combo which would continue for the next minute. With two minutes to go in the fight it appeared as though the fight was still up in the air but would both men be able to last until the bell? The next minute and a half each man looked worn down and was trying to catch their second wind for sixth time of the evening. With thirty seconds to go Bonnar somehow found the energy to throw a spinning wheel kick which he followed with another left-right combo but Forrest refusing to let this opportunity slip away countered with a good Thai clench and a couple of knees to the body. The bell would sound with both men throwing punches and nobody having a solid idea of who really won the fight. When the judges announced their decision Forrest Griffin would come out ahead with a unanimous decision but because of such an amazing performance the UFC awarded contracts to both men. This fight would push the UFC into a new era with new fans and a lot more publicity. The UFC and the Ultimate Fighter are stronger than ever today but no fan of mixed martial arts will forget the legendary performance by Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar on April, 9th 2005.
2. Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture
After having suffered two consecutive losses in the heavyweight division to Ricco Rodriguez and Josh Barnett, Randy Couture decided it was time to drop down in weight class to the light heavyweight division. His opponent would be the number one contender for the title, Chuck Liddell. A poll taken before the fight revealed that 95% of UFC fans thought that Liddell would win the fight between these two highly respected fighters.
With the start of the first round one wasn’t sure what to expect and both men were hesitant to start as they knew any mistake could be their last. They traded some soft jabs for the first thirty seconds and then Randy made his move as he charged in for a takedown he grabbed Liddell with a double leg takedown attempt and picked him and slammed him to the ground emphatically. This was the first time that Liddell had been man handled like this in a takedown but Liddell was on his feet within thirty seconds. The damage had been done at this point as it seemed as though Liddell was now a little hesitant to throw any kind of flurries or combos at the Natural. With minimal damage being done over the next couple of minutes Chuck came in with a big right hand that didn’t land very clearly and Randy took advantage as he charged after Liddell like a man possessed and forced him into the cage where he secure another takedown. The first round was in the books and it was clear that Couture had worked his way into the Iceman’s head as Liddell was visibly frustrated at the end of the first.
With the start of the second round many people expected to see Liddell come out and explode immediately but Couture continued to push the pace of the fight and locked up with Liddell against the cage. Liddell would work himself free of this hold but Randy continued to push the fight into his favor with perfectly timed strikes and great patience against one of the most feared strikers in mixed martial arts history. It was clear that Randy had succeeded in taking Chuck out of his game up to this point but would it be enough to stay out of Liddell’s power zone of punches. With just over a minute left in the second round Randy grabbed a hold of Liddell and scooped beneath him to secure yet another takedown in the fight and lock down the second round in the judges minds.
As the third round started the crowd had begun to realize that Couture actually had a shot at winning this fight and by dominating the first two rounds it was clear that Liddell was not happy and would need to do something drastic in order to take home the light heavyweight belt. After about thirty seconds of inactivity Couture and Liddell began to throw a little leather and it was clear that Randy was getting the better of the exchanges. Randy locked up Liddell against the cage again and tried to work some dirty boxing into the mix but it seemed it wouldn’t be enough to finish the Iceman. The two broke and moved around the octagon looking for the right time to strike and with just over three minutes to go in the round both men were up against the cage and looking tired. Randy saw an opportunity as Liddell looked weary and after a solid knee and a big over hand right that grazed the face of Liddell, Randy went for the shoot and secured another takedown. This time Randy would not let Liddell work his way back to a standing position and made his way to full mount instead. From here on out it would get ugly as Liddell could do nothing but suffer shots to the face and in no time he was bloody and on the verge of defeat. There would be no stopping the Natural this time around as Big Jon stepped in to put a stop to the punishment. With this victory Randy Couture would become the first person to win championships in two different weight classes and at the same time earned Couture the nickname Captain America as he had now reached the ripe old age of 40. By adding another legend to his list of victories Randy Couture moved himself into a category shared by few men in the sport as he continued to set new standards for the ever evolving sport mixed martial arts and athletes around the world.
3. Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia
When Randy Couture faced Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 for the third time he their was a lot on the line and when he fell to Liddell in the second round he felt like he had nothing left to give to the sport of MMA and announced his retirement immediately after the fight. In January of 2007 Couture announced that he would be coming back to the UFC to fight for the heavyweight title at UFC 68 against the champion Tim Sylvia. This would be the first heavyweight Randy would face in the octagon in the past five years.
When the first round started not many people knew exactly what to expect after having seen Couture get knocked out in his last two fights, both against Liddell. Randy made the first move as he threw a left leg kick to open the fight but in the same motion came with an over hand right that landed squarely on the chin of Sylvia and floored the champion. Couture wasted no time as he charged after Sylvia and began landing repeated blows to the head as he looked to finish the fight early in the first round. Sylvia tried to scramble back to his feet but Couture would not allow it and he quickly took his back as he looked for a rear naked choke with the first mistake that Tim would make. The fighters would remain in this stalemate for the rest of the round as neither man was able to make any more progress but the round had clearly been won by Couture and the message had been sent.
To start the second round Sylvia came out with a little more hesitancy and the two traded jabs for the first minute of the round with no real damage coming from them. Eventually Couture worked Sylvia over to the cage and had him locked in a Greco hold and after about thirty seconds of careful maneuvering Couture worked Sylvia away from the cage just enough so he could execute a beautiful single leg takedown. With the top position Couture had the advantage and for the rest of the second round he would remain in this position and landed some good shots but nothing that would finish the champion this round.
With the third round coming up it was clear that Couture was dominating the fight but Sylvia has one punch knockout power and could end the fight at anytime. After two rounds this was still any mans fight and this would be a big round for both fighters. You could tell that Sylvia was frustrated at this point of the fight after having not landed any significant damage on Couture up to this point of the fight. During the third round Randy Couture would show why he is one of the greatest champions in mixed martial arts history as he would bob and weave his way through the third round landing hook after hook on the champion. It seemed as though Sylvia could only throw his long jab that Randy had figured out how to avoid and get in close enough to cause enough damage to slowly drain the will of the champion. As the third round came to an end it was clear who was in control and despite Sylvia’s ability to end the fight with one punch it was becoming clear that, that might be a fading dream at this point.
Entering the championship rounds both men had spent a lot of energy and the fight moved into a dangerous stage. Randy continued to stick to his game plan and took the champ down almost immediately to begin the round and would control the action for the next couple of minutes before Big Jon would stand them up halfway through the round. Randy wasted no time in pressing the action in the fourth round as he soon took down Sylvia again but this time randy would work his way into the side mount position which allowed him to cause a little more damage to the already worn down champion. With about forty seconds left in the fight Sylvia worked his way up from his back into a solid position on his knees where it looked as though he could finally start to cause some damage, but the round would end before he could push the pace much at all.
To start the fifth round it was obvious that Sylvia would need a knockout or submission to finish the fight but Couture was not about to give up right now. Within the first thirty seconds of the round Couture garnered enough energy to take Sylvia down again. Randy would soon work his way into side mount where he continued to punish Sylvia with knees to the body and elbows to the head. This would continue for the next few minutes as Sylvia appeared to be helpless. With one minute to go in the round Randy made his way to mount which Sylvia quickly worked his way out of and back to his feet but only for about ten seconds. This was the night of the Natural and Couture took Sylvia down yet again to show how truly dominate he was in this championship fight. After five rounds of punishing it was clear who the best heavyweight in the UFC was and Randy Couture would now be recognized as the greatest UFC champion in its history as he was now a five time champion across two different weight classes and the UFC had one of the greatest comeback stories ever told.
4. Matt Hughes vs Frank Trigg II
When UFC 52 was announced everybody was talking about the highly anticipated rematch between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. What most people didn’t expect to see was one of the best matches in UFC history in a rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg. Having met previously once before and with Hughes getting the better of Trigg in the first round, many people didn’t expect this fight to go any differently.
When the first round started both men came to the center of the octagon and pretty much moved into a standing lockup immediately as they each tried to establish their ring control over the other. During the stare down you could tell that both men were ready to brawl and it didn’t take long for the action to start. As the men moved over to the fence Trigg landed a couple of knees to the body and what appeared to be a low blow to Matt Hughes who was visibly stunned, but Mario Yamasaki did not see the shot so the action continued. Frank Trigg wasted no time and charged after Hughes landing repeated blows to the head and body as Hughes soon dropped to the ground. Trigg moved into the mount position on Hughes as he struggled to stay alive. From the mount Trigg continued to reign down blows on the champion and one wondered how much more he could take. The strikes quickly became too much for Hughes to handle as he turned over to his stomach at which point Trigg quickly moved in for the rear naked choke just how Hughes had finished him in their previous encounter. When it appeared the choke had been locked in Hughes then rolled into the fence and back the opposite way into Trigg’s guard and with an unrivaled feat of strength then picked up Trigg from the guard and carried him across the ring to his own corner where he slammed him to the ground. The crowd roared with excitement and with two minutes remaining in the round Hughes quickly moved into the mount position and began pounding away on the helpless Trigg. Hughes would land strikes for the next minute of the fight before Trigg was forced to turn away from the punishment and give Matt his back. Trigg was weakened enough at this point to where he had no defense and Hughes methodically locked in the rear naked choke that would finish this fight. Matt Hughes would walk away from this fight with a victory and at the same time sent a message to the welterweight division in the UFC. Matt Hughes would defend his title against anyone, anywhere, at anytime and you better be prepared to leave it all in the octagon just as Hughes did at UFC 52
5. Matt Hughes vs BJ Penn II
In UFC 46 BJ Penn stepped up from the lightweight division to challenge the reigning welterweight champion Matt Hughes for his belt. Almost like clockwork Hughes took offense to Penn’s bravado as if Penn hadn’t earned the right to fight someone like himself. In dominating fashion BJ Penn shocked the UFC and submitted Hughes four minutes into the first round to claim the welterweight championship and allowed his dreams to come true.
Shortly after this fight BJ left the UFC to fight in K-1 and therefore vacated the welterweight championship much to his dismay, but he would get another chance to prove himself to the UFC and the rest of the world at UFC 63. Due to an injured George St. Pierre, Penn was allowed to step in and face the current welterweight champion, Matt Hughes for a second time in his career and this time both fighters would be ready.
The first round started and both men came out hesitant but yet aggressive at the same time. Hughes made the first move as he shot for a takedown against Penn but the balance of BJ is amazing and it’s almost impossible to take him down so early in a fight and BJ scrambled out of it. The first round was a stalemate for the majority of the round with Penn winning the minimal amount of standup that was exchanged, but nothing more than a few solid jabs and a couple of hooks. Toward the end of the first round Hughes shot in and looked for yet another takedown, but Hughes aggression would almost be his demise as it would allow Penn to take his back as he moved for a rear naked choke. Hughes would be saved by the bell and avoid losing to Penn in a repeat performance from their previous match at UFC 46, but BJ looked very solid in the first round and both men knew it would be a long match.
The second round started and Hughes came out strong as he looked to take Penn down to the ground and smash him with his patented ground and pound style. Again, BJ put up some major resistance to Hughes takedown attempts but after much struggling Hughes succeeded in taking down the BJJ expert. Hughes would control a good portion of the round from this top position but still was not causing any damage to Penn as BJ looked very good in his guard and was continually trying to lure the champion into various submission attempts. With just under two minutes to go in the round BJ made a move to get out from the bottom and after numerous transitions masterfully worked him into a position where he was looking at a triangle choke/arm bar combination. With ninety seconds left in the round it seemed as though the end was near for Hughes and only a matter of time before BJ would lock down one of these submissions. Unannounced to the audience BJ had injured his ribcage in the transition and he would be unable to submit Hughes before the second round came to an end.
With the start of the third round Hughes knew he would need to win the next three rounds as BJ had clearly dominated the first two and was within seconds of finishing the fight at the end of the first and second. When the two fighters stepped to the center of the octagon for the start of the third round Penn looked like he was completely gassed out and could barely hold his hands up. Hughes knew exactly what was going on and would waste little time as he began to dominate BJ in the standup game and started to pick him apart punch by punch. After setting up Penn with some solid combinations Hughes shot for the takedown and easily secured it and with minimal effort passed BJ’s guard and was in the side mount position. Shortly after and with BJ completely gassed out, Hughes would lock BJ into a half-crucifix position by locking his left arm with his legs and holding Penn’s right arm down with his left. After Hughes tightened this lock he began reigning blows down on BJ’s face with no restraint and it was just a matter of time before Big Jon would eventually stop the fight and declare Hughes the champion. In a rematch such as this their were many things at stake and for Matt Hughes his name and legacy were on the line which most people did not think he was able to defend against the talented Penn. Hughes proved to the UFC and the world once again that he was one of the greatest champions ever to grace the octagon and avenged his only title loss at the time but was enough to cement his legend as a UFC hall of famer and one of the greatest champions ever.
6. George St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes
In December of 2007 Matt Serra, the current welterweight champion suffered an injury in training and would be unable to defend his belt against Matt Hughes in their upcoming fight. On thirty days notice George St. Pierre accepted the fight and would fight Matt Hughes for the third time in his career to settle the score once and for all. With each man winning one of the previous two meetings this would be a test for the two previous welterweight champions and would decide who would take the place as interim champion until Matt Serra would return.
Many people felt it was only a matter of time before Hughes and Pierre would again meet for the title one day and that day would be at UFC 79. As the bell sounded both men moved to the center of the Octagon trying to establish their position. St. Pierre seemed to be gauging the distance to set up his strikes as Hughes made the first move trying to shoot in for a takedown but St. Pierre was all over it and forced Hughes off of him easily. About two minutes into the fight St. Pierre threw a knee at Hughes that missed and Matt quickly grabbed a hold of his body to try and secure a takedown but George was too strong and forced Hughes to his feet and then secured a takedown of his own. The fight would stay on the ground for the next couple minutes but with the round coming to an end George worked hard to break the body lock Hughes had on him in defense. With just a few seconds left in the round St. Pierre started to land some strikes from the mount position which forced Hughes to roll almost into an arm bar right before the round ended saving Matt just in time.
The second round started just how the first ended with St. Pierre securing a take down as he looked to strike on the ground against the wrestler. The match would stay on the ground for the next couple minutes with St. Pierre doing solid damage from the top position but nothing definitive. With two minutes left in the round George took Hughes back and looked for a choke but the former champ is almost impossible to submit and after some tussling Hughes was in a position to take George down with a double leg takedown. St. Pierre worked Hughes to his feet, began to move him towards the center of the octagon and in dominating fashion George took Hughes down with a beautiful standing sweep. This allowed George into top position as he looked for a kimura on the right arm but Hughes rolled away from it only to move into an arm bar which forced Hughes to verbally tap out which would allow St. Pierre to once again lay claim to the welterweight championship of the world.
7. Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida
For the ultimate fighter 6 finale that was on Spike TV most people were not expecting two lightweights to steal the show and put on one of the best fights of the year. However both of these men are not strangers to winning the “fight of the night” for the UFC as Guida had honors at UFC 72. Huerta had won his “fight of the night” at UFC 63 and was riding a winning streak that dates back to 2004, including a perfect 6-0 record in the UFC. There was a bit more behind this fight than many people realized as the winner of this fight would put himself in contention for the lightweight championship as well.
When the bell rang to start the fight both fighters rushed to the center of the ring to show their aggression and ring dominance, but it was Guida that took control of the fight early with two solid takedowns within the first two minutes. Going against a fighter who has a background in wrestling, but is known for his striking is difficult when trying to maintain control on the ground and Huerta would continually break free from the ground and bring the fight back to their feet. Guida would strike long enough until an opening to shoot would present itself and with fifty second left in the first round Guida took Huerta’s back and moved for a choke. Huerta would scramble out and the first round would end with Guida looking strong. Huerta looked to strike to open the second round and while on one knee landed a huge uppercut to Guida, but The Carpenter would recover quickly and continue his takedown onslaught. With just over two minutes to go in the round Huerta made it back to his feet and the two lightweights traded blows at a rapid pace. Guida landed as many as he took and then shot for another takedown. Clay held him down for only a few seconds, but as Huerta scrambled to his knees Guida landed a devastating uppercut that dropped Huerta back to the mat. Guida pounced on Huerta and unloaded with everything he had including a couple Mongolian chops, but it wasn’t enough before the round would end.
With the start of the third round Clay Guida was dominating the fight on the scorecards. Roger Huerta on the other hand was down two rounds and would need a knock out or submission to win. The two men marched to the center of the octagon and came out swinging. Guida continu8ued to land his jab as Huerta continued to move forward. After Guida lands a huge jab Roger counters with a huge left kick to the body and as he is in the process of throwing another one Guida shoots in catching a huge knee to the jaw instead. Stunned a bit he stepped back to recover, but Huerta smelled blood and charged across the ring throwing a flying knee that landed perfectly to the upper chest. Over the next thirty seconds Huerta would land repeated combinations with a huge uppercut, a left, and two right hands. Guida dropped to his knees as he was hurt badly and Huerta moved in for the kill taking his back and secured a rear naked choke for the victory. The audience approved with a standing ovation for both fighters and the UFC had another amazing fight in one of the greatest years in mixed martial arts history, 2007.
8. Royce Gracie vs Dan Severn
In UFC 4 two of the world’s best grapplers met each other in a matchup that many people consider to be Royce Gracie’s first true test inside the octagon. Dan “The Beast” Severn was a highly respected wrestler after having been a four time all American at Arizona State and an alternate on the ’80 & ’84 Olympic teams. Severn actually held the collegiate record for pins from 1976 until it was finally surpassed in 1992. With international wrestling experience and claiming more than 100 titles in his professional career Severn actually had the clout and respect that most people felt the first three UFC tournaments lacked.
Many people figured that this would be the end of the line for Gracie and his impressive Octagon record, not to mention that Severn had a 90-pound weight advantage on the Brazilian. The match started slowly as each man sized one another up both looking for the right time to strike. Severn made the first move and charged at Gracie, grabbing hold of him and taking him down to the mat with a double leg takedown. This is where the match would stay for the remainder of the fight and would become at the time, the longest fight in UFC history. With Severn being new to mixed martial arts competition and Gracie being versed almost solely in Jiu-Jitsu there would be minimal strikes throughout the match. Gracie would try to annoy Severn with his patented heel strikes to the Severn’s kidneys but aside from that Gracie weighted patiently for the right opportunity if it should ever present itself. Dan Severn however had a huge weight advantage, the top position and a storied history of winning wrestling and grappling tournaments all over the world.
In this match the first person to make a mistake would most likely turn out to be the loser and after sixteen grueling minutes of maneuvering, Royce Gracie made his move. With his head being backed up against the cage Gracie pulled his legs from his guard up Severn’s body into a perfect triangle choke. After Gracie locked the triangle in deep in was just a matter of time before Severn would be out and with no where to go Dan Severn was forced to tap out, allowing Gracie to secure the UFC 4 championship and keeping his record perfect in the octagon. Dan Severn would return after learning from his mistakes against Gracie and would win the UFC 5 championship in dominating fashion. Royce Gracie would only fight in the UFC two more times but after defeating Dan Severn for his third UFC title Gracie’s legend was secure in UFC and mixed martial arts history.
9. Mark Coleman vs Maurice Smith
When Mark Coleman walked into the octagon at UFC 14 he was along with Royce Gracie, the most famous fighter in the UFC’s short history. Coleman won back to back UFC tournament titles in UFC 10 and 11, and defended his heavyweight title against Dan Severn in UFC 12. At this point in his career he looked unstoppable as the “ground and pound” style became the dominant style in the UFC posing a threat to all strikers. Maurice Smith was a well known striker in the martial arts scene, after winning his first world title in 1983 Smith would then go undefeated in kickboxing for the next ten years, a remarkable feat in any sport.
When the bell rang to start the heavyweight championship at UFC 14 the people knew exactly what they were getting with two experienced champions, or did they? The fight started with patience and hesitancy on both sides as each man sized up the other hoping to see a flaw in the others armor. Coleman made the first move as he shot in for a takedown and to surprise of many watched as Smith went easily to his back and into the Gracie guard (as it was known at the time). It seemed as though it would be a short and brutal night for Smith as this was Coleman’s bread and butter and he would surely pound out the striker from his dominant top position. This was not the case as Smith began throwing short elbow strikes to the top of Coleman’s head which seemed to have a strong and annoying affect on the Hammer, which after a couple of minutes forced Coleman to move into the side mount position to move away from the strikes of Smith. At the same time Coleman moved to the side mount, Smith made a play to get to his feet but the Hammer was all over it and went for his back but Smith’s training with Frank Shamrock would pay off as Maurice remained calm and forced Coleman back into his guard. The fight would continue this way for the first nine minutes of the match, which by UFC standards at the time was an extremely long and grueling match. The pace of Coleman would soon start to wither as it seemed no matter what he did Maurice would not go away and at about the nine minute mark of the match after a short tussle, Smith finally made it back to his feet. When Maurice Smith stood up at the nine minute mark of the match most people in attendance including Coleman could not believe what they were seeing, a striker who was ground and pounded for nine straight minutes by the UFC heavyweight champion and yet still standing. This is when the emotional tide took over and the crowd went with it as they cheered with enthusiasm for this UFC newcomer, Maurice Smith.
For the next twelve minutes of the fight Maurice Smith would prove why he is a world class striker and mixed martial artist as he would remain relatively untouched and yet continue to pepper Coleman with leg kicks and quick jabs. After the fifteen minute mark of the fight the regulation period came to an end and would be followed by two three minute overtime periods and would then go to a judges decision if both men were still standing. At this point in the match Mark Coleman looked like he was a dead man walking and was running on primarily instinct alone. In one final attempt to maintain control Coleman shot for a takedown and secured it but for a very short amount of time as Maurice Smith was now catching his second wind and was soon able to scramble to his feet and continue his strikes from a safe distance. By the time the third round started it seemed as though Mark Coleman wished he was anywhere but inside the octagon as Maurice Smith literally beat the fight and will out of his opponent. It seemed as though we were watching a real live Rocky Balboa fight as Smith took everything the champ had only to remain standing and continued to press the action until his opponent wanted nothing more to do with him. In a strange turn of events the lights in the arena actually went out halfway through the final overtime period. At this point Coleman looked to Jon McCarthy in hopes that he would stop the fight or at least pause until the lighting was restored, but Big Jon would have none of it and told both fighters to continue fighting, lights or no lights. In a match that had everything this was one of the best UFC fights of the time and in his unanimous decision victory Smith proved that a striker with the right training could sustain the deadly ground and pound. With this victory Maurice Smith became the UFC heavy weight champion and showed that the evolution of MMA had just begun.
#10: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell 1
This matchup was probably one of the most talked about fights in the history of MMA as people had brought up the idea of the fight for years before it actually happened. In the 2003 Pride Grand Prix we came very close to seeing a matchup of Liddell vs Silva but Rampage stopped Chuck from making it to the final fight against Wanderlei, so we had to wait until December, 2007. In a fight between two of the greatest light heavyweights of all time the fans were not disappointed and were treated to a three round standup war with some of the best strikers this sport has ever seen. With 35 combined knockouts in their professional careers one would think that it would only be a matter of time before we saw one of these combatants hit the ground cold, but it was not to be. Instead we witnessed the fighters go toe to toe for fifteen minutes of heart testing and courage questioning war.
Throughout the first round it looked as though Chuck would walk right through the Axe Murderer. But Silva is known for his amazing ring recovery and even played possum after taking a huge right hand from Liddell that appeared to rock him. He was just trying to lure Liddell in for one of his patented flurries. Through the first round and a half of the fight it seemed as though the reach of Liddell was going to be the difference maker in the fight and Wanderlei would fall at any moment, but Silva would refuse to shy away in the face of defeat. With the second round coming to a brutal end, Wanderlei showed that he still had some life in him and hurt the Iceman badly during multiple exchanges and brought the crowd to a maddening frenzy as each fighter struggled to stay on their feet.
By the time the third round started it was anybody’s fight and the crowd knew it as they remained standing and cheering throughout the final round. Most men would have fallen far earlier but for two of the greatest MMA fighters of all time they both knew that a legacy was at stake and suffering a knockout was not an option. Liddell and Silva continued to throw everything they had at each other for the full five minutes of the final round. After such a brutal pace each man was nearing exhaustion and having trouble standing as Wanderlei continued to use the cage as a brace while he patiently waited for Liddell to come just a little too close as he looked to finish the fight, but Liddell had come very close to punching himself out towards the end of the second round and start of the third. Liddell fought a very smart third and final round as he repeatedly checked the clock while he stayed a safe distance from the ever dangerous Silva for the majority of the last couple minutes. With only a few seconds remaining Liddell spent the last of his energy and shot for a takedown and with it secured his unanimous decision over the Axe Murderer. The fact that both men finished the fight is a testament to their will and should never be questioned. Liddell got the win he had wanted for the past four years and both men secured their legacies in the world of MMA after leaving their hearts and souls in the octagon at UFC 79.
