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reddit mma streamsTHE 20 GREATEST UFC FIGHTS
The 20 Greatest UFC Fights At the moment, the UFC officially exists for 20 years. Therefore I have compiled this list of what I consider to be the 20 greatest UFC fights. These don't always have to be the most exciting or best; some are also included because of their significance in the MMA landscape. There will probably be a (large) number of fights that you think: "Isn't this one there?", but a list like this can never be complete, there have simply been too many fights. Enjoy! The list is randomly generated based on what came to mind. Royce Gracie versus Ken Shamrock I Actually the fight during UFC I, which should have been the final. Two fighters who were actually the only ones skilled in grappling that night. Royce in BJJ and Shamrock in catch wrestling. The fight itself was somewhat anti-climactic (Royce won fairly simply with a choke), but the first real MMA rivalry was born and the general public was introduced to that "weird ground fighting".Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar The finale of The Ultimate Fighter I, the reality show that put the UFC on the map financially and commercially and into the mainstream. The fight itself did not disappoint either; both Bonnar and Griffin went all-out in an admittedly not super technical, but very entertaining fight.Ken Shamrock versus Tito Ortiz I Before The Ultimate Fighter the fight that was the first UFC fight to have a mainstream feel. There was great interest from the press and the fight was hyped like no other. The return of Ken was already news after his time in the WWE and PRIDE. That combined with a (very real) rivalry and hatred between him and Tito made for explosive scenes and record-breaking Pay per Views. Tito won from an older and lesser Ken but the fight certainly had some spectacular moments. Ring announcer Bruce Buffer called the vibe from the crowd "The greatest energy I ever felt".Dan Henderson versus Maurico Rua A great brawl between two former PRIDE fighters. Hendo and Shogun left everything in the octagon and went at it like mad. Hendo controlled the first three rounds and almost finished Shogun in the second round with an uppercut. Shogun came back strong in rounds 4 and 5, so strong in fact that Hendo was unable to attend the post-fight presser. Stand-up, takedowns, submission attempts; this fight has it all.Pete Williams vs. Mark Coleman Mark Coleman, The Godfather of Ground & Pound, was ruler during a time when wrestlers dominated in the UFC. Pete Williams was a fighter from the Lions Den. The wrestler was expected to triumph once again, but things turned out a little differently. Williams kicked the gigantic and visibly tired Coleman hard KO. Significant because of his outcome and the implications it brought; wrestlers were no longer unbeatable.Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir II UFC 100 was a memorable UFC, if only because it was the 100th edition. On top of that, this was the event that finally established Brock Lesnar as a legitimate MMA fighter. He previously lost to Mir and won to Couture and Herring. Not undeserving but refutable by Couture's age and Herring's status as a middle-tier fighter. But in brutally defeating Mir, he showed he was "for real." His career didn't last long after that, but we knew Brock wasn't just another UFC fighter.Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos III The first fight between these two heavyweight giants ended spectacularly, but somewhat anticlimactically. Junior dos Santos hit Cain behind the ear and quickly finished the match. In game 2, Cain systematically broke JDS down, with JDS having little to say. So 1-1 was the score, and it came down to this rubber match to determine who was now the better of the two. That was Cain, unequivocally. He once again dominated all rounds and Junior cashed in unreal strikes, although he defended Cain's takedowns much better this time. This fight showed that both men are far above the heavyweight division, and Cain just a little more.Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz Unfortunately seen by few, as this bout took place during the UFC 'dark ages'. Frank Shamrock was the reigning lightheavyweight champion and Tito Ortiz the eager challenger. Shamrock had made a name for himself thus far with victories over Kevin Jackson and a spectacular slam over Igor Zinoviev, among others. (who incidentally ended the latter's career) Ortiz was coming up in the MMA world and was a physically strong wrestler. Shamrock's plan as the smaller fighter was clear; take advantage of his cardio and extensive cross-training and knock Ortiz out when the latter got tired. And that's exactly what happened. Shamrock neutralized Ortiz's benefits by moving well on the ground and good footwork standing and forced the tap-out ( by strikes!) after Ortiz could go no further. After this, Frank retired (for a while) and Ortiz swore that cardio would never be an issue for him again. Fantastic and good technical fight where a lot was at stake and especially Frank was on top of his game. Matt Hughes versus Royce Gracie The fight itself, which took place in 2006, was not very spectacular. It was a one-sided fight where Hughes dominated with wrestling and also proved to be the better submission grappler that night. While no one really gave Royce a chance, it was still poignant to see the difference between the man who dominated the first UFC's and the welterweight champion of the time, who stopped him with ground and pound. A favorite not so much because of the action in the ring, but because of the implications and the "passing of the torch" idea that Hughes' victory exuded.Vitor Belfort vs. Dan Henderson A recent great match between two UFC and PRIDE veterans. Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Hendo with his iron chin that had never been stopped and Vitor with his speed and explosiveness. Belfort seemed (and seems) to have started his second MMA youth while Hendo's age finally started to have some impact, it seemed. Still, Hendo remains dangerous and if he hits you with that right, it's slapdash, or so was the consensus before the fight. Vitor, however, seems and seemed unstoppable and like Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping before him, Henderson went knockout to the canvas by a head kick. Not only great because of the stunning KO, but also a fantastic performance considering Henderson never went KO before. Anderson Silva versus Rich Franklin I The fight that would change the MMA world, or at least the middleweight division, for a long time. Rich Franklin was the All-American, likable and most importantly very capable middleweight champ, Anderson was fairly unknown to the general public and had previously fought in PRIDE and Cage Rage among others. Although considered a (very) good fighter he was not considered a world-beater. He had lost in somewhat strange fashion to lowly Daiju Takase and on flying scissor heel hook (!) to Ryo Chonan a few years prior. Before his match against Franklin, Anderson had already completely dismantled Chris Leben and given a hint of what was to come. What followed in the match against Franklin no one could have imagined. Rich had expected beforehand that he would make it in the clinch against Silva but the opposite proved true. Anderson Silva was better in every way. Especially in the clinch Franklin had to acknowledge his superiority and was completely demolished. After this match, we had a new middleweight king and a new era began.Jon Jones versus Mauricio Rua The fight in which Jon Jones finally made his entrance as a top MMA fighter and won his title. Former PRIDE topper Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was completely overpowered and had no chance. On the ground but especially while standing, Jones was by far the better fighter. Jones won the title and made it clear that he is not going to give it up for the time being.Gabriel Gonzaga versus Mirko CroCop Cro Cop got Cro-copped. That's what many MMA fans will think of when they see this match. Cro Cop just came over from PRIDE where he had won the openweight grandprix in impressive fashion. His first tune up fight in the UFC (against Eddie Sanchez), while not spectacular, he had won on his own. It was therefore expected that Cro Cop would easily roll up the heavyweight division in the UFC and be heavyweight champion for a long time. It turned out differently. Gonzaga was clearly the superior grappler and gave Cro Cop a couple of big punches on the ground. After both men stood the unthinkable happened: the predominantly Jiu Jitsu fighter Gonzaga delivered a bellow of a right head kick and virtually decapitated Cro Cop. Cro Cop went heavily KO, his title aspirations dashed and he would never be the same again. Spectacular both visually and for the implications this fight had at the time regarding the heavyweight picture.Randy Couture versus Tim Sylvia Another something completely unexpected. In 2006, Couture had lost to Chuck Liddell for the second time on KO. After many successes in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, Randy had had enough. He was 42 at the time, too, so not too surprising. He retired. After a year, however, it started to itch again. Dana suddenly allowed him to take on heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia. Many thought he had little chance; he was a lot older, smaller and lighter than Sylvia. Many were wrong, as they often are. Randy was superior from second one and liewith a thud of an overhand right immediately. The punch was so hard you could hear it and the crowd was completely disturbed. Randy then dominated Big Tim with good standup, clinching, takedowns and dirty boxing and he did it again: Randy became champion again at 43.Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva A fight that had been in the making for years. Both men were autocrats in their division, Wanderlei in PRIDE and Chuck in the UFC. Chuck had even been sent to Japan before with the idea of entering a tournament and eventually taking on Wanderlei. Chuck came far, but eventually had to give in to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. 4 years later, the time had come. Wanderlei was signed by the UFC and declared that he "want to fuck Chuck". What he meant was "fight Chuck" (at least I hope so for Chuck's sake) and "fight" is exactly what happened. Both men had lost their best by now and it was no longer about the title, but that didn't make the fight any less spectacular. Chuck won the decision but it went in all directions and it was a true stand-up war. Chuck even went for the takedown once to score points, we hadn't seen him do that in a long time. Perhaps the most important fight in the welterweight division to date. Back in 2004, GSP had lost to an armbar by then reigning welterweight champion and all-time powerhouse, Matt Hughes. GSP vowed to come back and get revenge, and he did. Prior to this bout at the end of 2006, he had won no less than 6 bouts in a row against not the best of the best; among others B.J. Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk. GSP declared after Hughes' victory over Penn that he was "not impressed" with his performance and as it turned out later, he was right. GSP was better on all fronts, even or maybe especially in wrestling, yet Hughes was his bread-and-butter. GSP dominated, finished beautifully in the second round with a head kick and follow up punches and was the new welterweight champion. Fat fight with very far-reaching consequences.Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jon Jones The first fight in which Jon Jones showed he is not unbeatable. It was mega close but Jones still won the decision, a decision many disagreed with and still do. The outcome, however, was not the most important thing: the equally tall Gustafsson showed that Jones' reach is certainly not an insurmountable obstacle. With footwork and good boxing he scored the necessary points and even won the fight in the eyes of some (unfortunately for Gustafsson not the judges). Entertaining fight that dented the unbeatable aura of Jones.Tank Abbott vs. John Matua Absolutely no high level technical MMA fight, but in my opinion a classic because of its shock value. John Matua was doing the mystical art of "Hawaiian Bone Crushing", whatever that is. David "Tank" Abbott was hyped as a power puncher at the time and that was all he could do, though very well. And that is exactly what he did in his first MMA fight: hit Matua very hard on the face. He KO'd him in an unbelievable way, and then Tank rubbed it in by mimicking and ridiculing his post-KO spasms. The original "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" of the UFC was born.Brock Lesnar verus Cain Velasquez Significant in my opinion because this fight made two things definitively clear: Lesnar was not an unstoppable wrestling monster and Cain would prove to be the future of the heavyweight division. Lesnar had become a feared opponent because of his size and wrestling skills, though one with little experience. No one thought anyone could stop his takedowns, not even Cain, a very deserving wrestler and MMA fighter. As it turned out; Cain really could. Brock didn't get the takedown and then panicked. He stumbled halfway through the cage in the now famous "disco dance" that was and sometimes still is ridiculed all over the internet. Cain followed relentlessly and showed he was by far the better stand-up fighter and actually overall fighter. He scored TKO and was able to put the belt around his waist. Shane Carwin already showed Brock was beatable (although Frank Mir did the same earlier), but Cain took it to the next level by far and announced himself as the new Heavyweight champ.Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt Junior dos Santos is, with the exception of Cain Velasquez, the best MMA heavyweight around right now. That's pretty much the consensus in MMA-land. Nevertheless, many thought that Mark Hunt had a good chance to win, because: both are standup fighters, Hunt is an ex K-1 champ who also has an iron chin. So, a threat to everyone. Although Hunt was never without a chance, Junior dos Santos showed a completely different class and overpowered Hunt during the fight. He finished it off with a beautiful spinning hook kick on which Hunt went KO. A phenomenal performance given that nobody had succeeded before, with the exception of Melvin Manhoef and Sem Schilt (on the body and in a K-1 pot, admittedly) Fantastic fight with a (unfortunately for Hunt) beautiful Knockout. |