The Ten Greatest Moments in UFC History
posted by Ariel Helwani
Once upon time, I provided No Mas with my 23 greatest moments in Wrestlemania history. So with UFC 100 right around corner, I thought I would do the same kind of thing, only this time I’ll keep it at 10. I don’t think anyone wants to read about my top 100 moments. Let’s do this:
10. Randy Couture def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (punches) , RD 1, 8:16
UFC 15 – Collision Course
Date: October 17, 1997
Location: Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
I remember watching this fight thinking that there was no way this wrestler guy (Randy Couture) would defeat the terrifying Belfort. Well, he did, and it helped kick off one of the most storied careers in MMA history.
9. Matchup: Gabriel Gonzaga def. Mirko Cro Cop via KO , RD 1, 4:51
Event: UFC 70: Nations Collide
Date: April 21, 2007
Location: Manchester, England
Greatest. Knockout. In. UFC. History.
8. Matchup: Chuck Liddell def. Tito Oritz via TKO (punches) , RD 3, 3:59
Event: UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II
Date: December 30, 2006
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
This event was the first non-boxing pay-per-view to ever generate more than 1 million pay-per-view buys, and it was all due to this fight. Liddell vs. Ortiz may go down as one of the greatest feuds in UFC history, and after Ortiz complained that an eye poke led to him losing their first meeting at UFC 47, everyone was dying to see who would win in the rematch.
7. Royce Gracie def. Gerard Gordeau via submission (rear-naked choke) , RD 1, 1:45
Event: UFC 1 – The Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date: November 12, 1993
Location: Denver, Colorado
A lot of people have forgotten that this was actually the finals of UFC 1, and not Gracie vs. Shamrock. I just have to put in here for nostalgia sake.
6. Matchup: Matt Hughes def. Royce Gracie via TKO (punches) , RD 1, 4:39
Event: UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie
Date: May 27, 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
The man who helped put the UFC on map returned to the Octagon for one-night only to face arguably the greatest welterweight champion of all-time. This event felt like a big deal with a bunch of celebrities in the Staples Center crowd. Gracie’s return wasn’t a successful one, but it was a great fight nonetheless. Also pretty cool to see Gracie not wear a Gi for the first (and only time) in the UFC.
5. Randy Couture vs. Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision
Event: UFC 44 – Undisputed
Date: September 26, 2003
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
No one expected old man Couture to spank Ortiz en route to unifying the light heavyweight titles, but he did so , literally — when he dominated ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy†for five rounds, and even found time to tap Ortiz’s ass in the final moments.
4. Matchup: Quinton Jackson def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (punches) , RD 1, 1:53
UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson
Date: May 26, 2007
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Yeah, yeah, Jackson knocked out Liddell in vicious fashion to win the UFC light heavyweight title. But I will always remember this event for the fact that the day before on SporstCenter, Joe Rogan put a beatdown on Lou DiBella when discussing MMA vs. boxing. It was never even close.
3. Matchup: Randy Couture def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (punches) , RD 3, 2:40
Event: UFC 43 – Meltdown
Date: June 06, 2003
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Couture was coming off two straight losses, so he decided to reinvent himself (as he seems to do every few years) by dropping down to light heavyweight to face No.1 contender Chuck Liddell for the interim title. Few expected Couture to defeat the blazing hot Liddell, who had won his last 10 in a row, but he did, and in the process became the first man to win a title in two different weight classes.
2. Matchup: Forrest Griffin def. Stephen Bonnar via unanimous decision
Event: The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale
Date: April 09, 2005
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
The fight that may or may not have saved the UFC. The organization seemingly put everything on the line to when they produced the first season of TUF on Spike TV, and this fight validated not only the show, but that this crazy sport can produce amazing fights, moments and personalities. Few remember that World Wrestling Entertainment helped make TUF 1 a success, as it aired right after ‘Monday Night Raw,†exposing a ton of testosterone-filled gents to a whole new form of fighting. Thanks, Vince!
1. Matchup: Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes via TKO (punches) , RD 2, 1:25
Event: UFC 65 , Bad Intentions
Date: November 18, 2006
Location: Sacramento, California
Watched this one in a bar in Montreal, and when GSP defeated Hughes to win the title, I swear it felt like I was watching the Canadiens win another Stanley Cup. The place went ballistic.
Honorable mention
Matchup: Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar submission (kneebar) , RD 1, 1:30
UFC 81: Breaking Point
Date: February 02, 2008
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
The history books will tell you that Brock Lesnar’s MMA debut was unsuccessful, but trust me, that’s not the case. Lesnar proved that he can hang with a former UFC champion, but all he needed to do was just learn some ground defense. Meanwhile, Mir didn’t look all that great in this fight, but thanks to Lesnar’s inexperience, he was able to capitalize on one mistake, which helped reinvigorate his struggling career. And wouldn’t you know it? Seventeen months later, these men will face off again to headline UFC 100. Not bad.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Joe Rogan’s arguement was weak. “MMA is the entire actual sport of fighting and boxing is one aspect of fighting?”…..really? Kicking in the balls, eye gouging, biting those are all elements of fighting. Hitting people with bricks, bottles, those are also elements of fighting. Rogan’s point that boxing “is a silly agreement, but MMA encompasses all aspect of fighting” is absurd. The elements it does embrace I was taught were wrong. “Never kick or hit a man when he’s down”…my Dad taught me that. It’s a great rule for any society. It’s wrong. Boxing honors this. MMA celebrates the opposite. Jump on a man who is down and elbow or kick him. It’s sad. “Never quit” in boxing quitting is a sin (ask Duran or Ortiz). In MMA it’s part of the show. Tap out, means I quit. In boxing, if a man is hurt, the ref gives him a chance to recover with a standing 8 count, because we want to see him have a fair shot, we want to see his skills displayed. In MMA there is a sad lack of respect for hurt combatants. Elbow them in the head when they hit the ground or kick them when they are down…it’s a sad sport. It represent a serious decline in our standards. Some day a hundred years from now, there will be a sport that opponents hit each with bricks and kick each other in the balls and bite each other without fear of penalty, and old MMA fans will be saying “that isn’t a sport.”
I hope the next time this is debated someone other than Lou DiBella is on my fading sports side.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Ah the battle rages on. I knew that video was going to be trouble.
Their argument was kind of lame on both sides, if you ask me. Although I agree with Ariel – Rogan kicked DiBella’s ass, mostly cause Lou was the stupider of two evils (it was so ridiculous when Rogan started talking about how great Pernell was and then Lou’s like, “you guys will never understand someone like Pernall Whitaker”… Lou are you fucking deaf or just retarded?). Lou was trying to be all snide and dismissive of MMA and Rogan tore him a new one. I’m not sure there even would have been an argument, actually, if Lou hadn’t been such a snot. It’s sort of a shame, cause my opinion is that both of these guys are a lot hipper than they came off in that segment.
But whatever. I sense another round of the MMA vs. boxing donnybrook heating up here at the Mas. My personal take… so much wasted breath. I know that Ariel is not a fan of these arguments either, although… well, he did bring it up, I guess. Scratched the itch. I should just let him take the conch on this one.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Brad. Great remark…never thought if it like that. Something to think about.
The Rooster loves both sports…yet, if he is to comment about one over the other he will leave it to those who battle in the ring:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/6/16/911618/ray-mercer-kos-tim-sylvia-post
Nuff said.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Large,
The Rooster wonders what you are listening to as of late when you write? The tales from the Fight Game…post Oritz fight was most excellent (you might have had your Bose headset on at this time to avoid hearing the cool jeans wearing crowed)…and the first paragraph from the AA was just awesome. Please continue to listen to these tunes….if it is the kids waking you up at night…well then it is working and your wife will be happy to know that you being woken up in the middle of the night is probably helping your writing and helping the $$$ roll into Chez De Large.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Well boxing is going to lose. I’m on the losing team. I know that. But I’m glad to be on that team. There are larger issues here. I talked about hitting or kicking a man when he’s down. In Boxing/MMA that literally happens or doesn’t happen. Choose your sport. In our society, we have totally gone tha MMA “kick or elbow a man when he’s down” route. It’s who we are today and MMA reflects this rather ugly side of us. Listen to any radio talk show, whether it’s about politics or sports and kicking the guy who is down is absolutely celebrated. We actually demand it. We have zero respect for decenting views. Watch O’Rielly, listen to LImbaugh, or Obermann. “Elbow and kick the man who is down” basically describes who and what we are about at this point in time. It only makes sense that MMA is popular because it reflects this sad side of us.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Brad – clearly, you aren’t a fan. I’m not offended. The only reason I brought that up was because it was so funny to see how badly Lou lost that argument on SC. That’s it. I thought Rogan said it best when he said that Lou (and much of the other old guard boxing guys) take this argument way too personal. They are apples and oranges even if the media wants to keep comparing both sports. When they do, more often than not, I find that boxing guys like Lou come off as whiners and desperate.
As some of you know, I love boxing just as much as anyone on this site. I was just so surprised to see MMA get the big-time treatment from ESPN a day before a big fight two years ago. Amazingly, it hasn’t really happened since then. Hopefully UFC 100 gets the coverage it deserves next weekend. If it does, I’ll let you know, Brad, so you aren’t reminded at how much our society has declined.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Ariel,
Like I said, I enjoy all the debates here on NOMAS and they are done with great taste. Thus, I hope the site never goes into the gutter when it comes to discussing topics. I like reading both posts to be honest.
By the way, I loved that top 23 Wrestlemania matches of all time. So this is my question…hate to switch gears…who wins…in their prime…The Hulk or The Rock?
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Maybe its just about watching 2 dudes stradling each other in biker shorts that I don’t like.
I watch it, and appreicatate the skill. It just like the sport of boxing alot more.
I think most UFC fights are like the heavy weights in boxing. Boring too much clutching and sloppy boxing.
I also think the weight classes suck. Martial Arts is not about size it is about skill.
St Pierre and Anderson Silva should fight each other. Case closed.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Rooster…IMO Hulk beats the Rock easily in his prime. The man picked up Andre.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Ariel, you can embrace the change in society or hate it. It makes senses to embrace it. You can’t change it, why not embrace it? I hate it. But I’m an old idiot, so what differnce does it make? MMA is a sad sport and we’re living in sad times. Listen to the radio, watch tv, read internet chat rooms for evidence. MMA reflects all that’s going the wrong way with us. Boxing actually went the opposite route 100 years ago: gloving up combantants, giving standing 8 counts/neutral corners, etc….it was a show of progress, that we were getting better, treating each other in a fair fashion even in a violent sport. Today….forget it. Fans want elbows to the face of guys who freshly hit the canvas and cannot defend themselves. What does that say?….to me it says “I’m old”…and this is no country for old men (my appologies to Cormac McCarthy)
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Yeah, gotta go with the Hulkster (you know it’s fake, right?).
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Try telling that to Doctor D Dave Schultz, Franchise…
LOL
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Ah yes, good point. I think about this all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Are you kidding me. When the Rock would come off the top turnbuckle…that had to be real. Did you see the movie, The Wrestler….fantastic…it is not all fake…Mickey really cut himself for that movie.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
what kills me is this: boxing is a beautiful sport. its my favorite sport. and fights become novels, not short stories. MMA is just stupid, random violence (i fully understand the hypocrisy of that statement). but boxing is just so much more mentally interesting than MMA.. anytime i watch UFC it just looks like two frat guys tussling
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Sorry you feel that way. But if you ask me, MMA is the true sweet science. Blending all those forms of fighting together? That’s a beautiful thing.
People need to get over their “bar room brawl” thoughts when watching MMA. These are black belts, Olympic wrestlers, collegiate wrestlers … The days of the fatsos are long gone. You may not like it, but to say MMA looks like two frat guys tussling baffles the mind.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Ariel,
I think the only point I have with MMA and I love the sport. Can you say, Kimo? Yes, I’m old school like that…know them all even up till this day. MMAJunkie.com Holla!
In any case, this is my point. It is sad when Nick Diaz fights that he can’t even hit a basic wrestling sit-out. He is not explosive with his punches what so ever and he throws only with his arms. O.K. he is tough and can take a shot, but his one strong point is being taken down and getting someone in a judo submission. Thus, in my opinion (remember, I boxed, wrestled and did judo at a high level), what is so mixed about him?
I mean throw a fighter out there and I will point out how he is just so damn weak in more than one area that we can’t call him MMA…for in reality he has one attack.
Do I love MMA? I like it a lot…but what also hurts the sport is that it is controlled by one person, Dana White. We can go on and on about this. In the end, I think Rey Mercer is the face of MMA. Either that or Canseco. LOL! I’m just playing…but in many ways that hurts MMA also…in my humble opinion.
If you want my take on the most complete fighter out there…I would have to say it is me, The Rooster…holla!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
well on paper mma is better than boxing.
to me mma is a place where people can take all different combat sports and square off to see what style is superior.
you know why i dont watch boxing anymore for the most part, its too expensive, never any good fights on free tv, i dont mean hbo i mean howard cossel on abc sports kind of free.
too many belts also, why are there about 5 different champs for one weight class and some of them are held by club level fighters.
so make boxing more organized with less belts, put good fights on network tv, and give me a few million dollars.
oh yeah 2 things, i feel like dana white is like Eric Bischoff.
probably the best thing and worst to ever happen to the mma, hes got the brains but also too much of meglomaniac.
and second.
why is there no post about superstars on abc, i know it stinks but snap cant we get a revival post about the good ol days, smoking joe almost drowning, mike powell jmuping over the world, willie gault embarassing the field.
if you like no mas, you def have to like the old Jeep Superstars.
and thats a fact jack.
ps ariel your entry into in non striking sports is strikingly hilarious. with you, not at you.
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 am
Why can’t the two sports coexist? They obviously offer two different aspects of entertainment and enjoyment for the viewer. I love both sports.
I think an entire MMA card is far more of an enjoyable watch as each fight on the card is usually entertaining and you get on average 5-7 fights per card. Where as in boxing you wait around for the main event and you get 2-3 under card fights. I don’t think there was a single MMA fight from 2008 that could match up with any of the three Best Fights from boxing in 2008.
But thats why I love both. I get completely different levels of enjoyment from each of them. When there is a break in boxing there is always an MMA card to fill the gap and vice versa. Enjoying both gives me entertainment all year long and I fucking love it.
Can’t we all just get along?
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 am
Hear hear, Matteo. “I try to tell my people there should not be any hatred / For a brother and a sister whose sports are so closely related…”
Brad, I love your passion man, but as for MMA and the decline of Western Civ, I have to refer to Randall Jarrell’s line on Allen Tate (going way old school Large here) when he wrote (I paraphrase from memory), “For Tate and his ilk, it’s been later than we think for about 3000 years now.”
July 5th, 2009 at 11:52 am
This doesn’t fit in here, but the planed Showtime Super-Middle-Tournament is effing fantastic.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Where else could you find the “MMA better than boxing?” and the “Wrestling isn’t fake” argument on one website?
July 6th, 2009 at 10:51 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmnRF4shbug
pretty awesome ufc history video.
July 6th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I agree that the Boxing vs. MMA argument is really tired. I prefer to watch boxing because I’m a bigger fan of hand striking than kicking or grappling (though I’ll still watch some K-1 fighting and BJJ competitions on occasion) – but I definitely follow MMA as a casual fan. I also recognize that MMA is in its infancy. I’ve said it a million times on No Mas but yes, in 20 years or so, what passes for MMA now will be laughed at and thought of as primitive.
I completely agree with The Rooster on this thread. The one salient point that my man Lou D made in his beatdown at the hands of Joe Rogen was that the quality of the fighting wasn’t that good in MMA. The Rooster astutely points out that most mixed-martial artists aren’t that complete in their artistry. Most are former grapplers who had no other choice but to turn to MMA to make some money doing what they love professionally. But that meant also trying to pick up two to three other disciplines on the fly that they were completely unfamiliar with. What you get is a fighter who has complete command of one discipline and has many weaknesses in the others. It makes for interesting fights because each fighter has so many weaknesses to exploit but the all-around MMA skill-level just isn’t there yet.
I think the next generation of kids, who cross-train in these disciplines for years, comes up – you’ll see some true MMA. Boxing may have already peaked, but it’s still a great sport. MMA is just a baby.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Ariel – no Kimbo Slice
– you could make the argument that his CBS prime time appearance was a great moment for MMA. The fact that he sucks shouldn’t have anything to do with that :O)
July 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwechampionship/30445414032
I think this guy now has a belt in the UFC. See…I told you the WWE was real. Do you smell what The Rooster gots’ cooking? LOL!
June 12th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
The information here is truly amazing. I look forward to seeing more articles like this in the future. i like the UFC!