Last week we started our countdown in our choice of the most significant fights in the UFC’s short but increasingly glorious history. This week’s second part lists the top five bouts which shaped the UFC.
By Stephen Barry
The last five remaining fights are responsible for the creation of some of the most dominant champions the UFC and the sport of MMA has to offer and this ability to attract the top talent in the world is what differentiates the UFC from other organisations.
5. Matt Hughes v Royce Gracie
Joyce Gracie and Matt Hughes faced off in January 2006 in a non-title catchweight fight at 175lbs in what would be Gracie’s first fight in the UFC in 11 years. In contrast to Gracie’s previous performances and his usual unwavering belief that his Jiu Jitsu was all he needed to win, he cross trained in Muay Thai for the first time in his career. However, the one trick pony was a little late in trying to learn some new skills and they played little part in the fight.
Hughes took Gracie down and controlled him after some initial exchanges on the feet and almost submitting him with an armbar except for Gracie’s refusal to tap. However, despite Gracie’s huge heart he was no match for Hughes who won the bout in the first round via TKO due to ground and pound!
The fight signified that MMA had evolved in a way that one-dimensional fighters, no matter how accomplished their style, no longer had a place in top tier competition and in order to be successful being well rounded in all the various styles was essential.
No video link could be found online
4. Anderson Silva v Rich Franklin 1 and 2
In what became known as Silva’s ballet of violence, Anderson Silva showed why he is considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world defeating a well regarded Rich Franklin in UFC 64 and UFC 77. Silva demonstrated a Thai clinch clinic and lethal striking in one of the sport’s most brutal knockouts that horrified and amazed in equal measure.
The victory for Silva served notice to the middleweight division that a new and dominant champion had taken his place on top of the division, and showed little sign of the slightly lacklustre performances he would demonstrate in during future bouts, with Demian Maia being the most recent.
Fight 1 + Preview of Fight 2:
Brief highlights of Fight 2:
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3. Matt Hughes v GSP trilogy
Matt Hughes was one of the sport’s most dominate champions having strung together six consecutive title defences including a victory over George St. Pierre in their first match. However, George St. Pierre avenged this loss in spectacular fashion in their second match and again in their third match. These series of fights mark the ascent of GSP, one of the sport’s most well rounded and evolved fighters and also set the bar for what other fighters should aim to emulate.
These series of fights marked a maturing of GSP from an overwhelmed contender into the dominate champion he is today. In their first fight, GSP was unable to meet Hughes’s eyes in the staredown and admitted afterwards that he considered Hughes a hero. However, Hughes had no such luck in the second and third bouts which saw GSP finish both fights decisively and marked the rise of GSP and the beginning of the end for Hughes.
2. GSP v BJ Penn 2
After a controversial first bout in UFC 53 that saw GSP narrowly defeat Penn on a decision, both fighters went on to become dominant champions in the welterweight and lightweight division respectively. Some time passed and as BJ Penn seemed close to clearing out his division, rumours of a rematch began to circulate. The much anticipated showdown was then slated for UFC 94 and media frenzy ensued over the coming weeks.
However the match turned out very differently than anyone expected. While most thought GSP had a size and wrestling advantage, Penn’s speed and BJJ were thought to be at a level to negate these advantages. However Penn was easily dominated with GSP’s wrestling and superior conditioning and was unable to continue, with his corner throwing in the towel between before the fifth round. This fight showed that cardio could be used as a tool to defeat your opponent with GSP’s workrate responsible for the victory as much as his wrestling skills. While certain fighters always used cardio to help defeat opponents it was now becoming a prerequisite for fighters.
1. Lyoto Machida v Rashad Evans
Machida debuted in the UFC at UFC 67 against Sam Hoger but also had previous victories over Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin and BJ Penn. However, despite these notable victories, Machida was met with a less than enthusiastic reception in the UFC but began receiving recognition after defeating Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in UFC 79, and then Tito Ortiz in UFC 84 and Thiago Silva in UFC 89 earning him a title shot against Rashad Evans in UFC 98. There, Machida knocked Evans out in the second round with a flurry of straight punches.
Machida’s style was based on the traditional martial art karate which is regularly seen as outdated and ineffective. With Machida’s reintroduction of this into the mainstream and his relative success (until his last fight), other fighters have begun looking at traditional martial arts to see if they can use any of the techniques to their advantage and with this reinvention of the traditional martial arts, an exciting new era in the UFC may be afoot as fighters step outside their comfort zones and experiment with some of these techniques. While it may end in disaster for these fighters, it will certainly be entertaining for the viewers at home.
Want more MMA? You can have a look back at last week’s first part of “Ten Fights That Shaped the UFC” here, while we also have a profile of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson ahead of his UFC 114 headline fight with Rashad Evans on 29 May.
