Greatest fights of all time

[jmt225]

So, the first thing any new fan of MMA is going to want to do is check out great fights, right? Well, this is the thread exactly for those people. In this thread, I want people to post videos of your favorite fights, and give brief descriptions of the background going into the fight, and why you like the fight as much as you do. But if you can't post a video, just recommend a fight for people to watch, while also describing what makes the fight so special.

To start this off, I’m going to post one of the greatest fights of all time, in Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2. Now, this fight was on Youtube for months (I had it favorited even though I own the DVD the fight is on, so that should tell you how awesome it is), but was deleted. However, for you all, I went out of my way and uploaded it myself on Youtube. So, watch it while you can kiddos; I PROMISE you will not regret it. Even Dana White has cited this fight as the greatest he’s ever seen.

To give you some background to this match, these two fought each other at UFC 45. At the time, Matt Hughes seemed unbeatable, but people thought Frank Trigg, with a record of 10-1 at the time, was the one guy who would put up a great fight against Hughes. Well, they were wrong. Hughes won the fight quickly and with dominance. However, Trigg would go on to win his next two fights in very impressive fashion, while at the same time constantly run his mouth about getting a rematch against Matt Hughes. Well, he wish was granted at UFC 52 and here’s what happened:

[youtube]mH4dKvJR3Ns[/youtube]​

First of all, the staredown by itself is epic. But man… the fight is just unbelievable. Without spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen it, let me just say that there’s a sequence in this fight that involves a HUGE slam that I guarantee you’ll never, ever forget. And it’s that sequence alone that makes the fight so awesome, and one of my all time favorites. I promise you’ll mark the fuck out just like I did when I first saw it.

When I come back on later, I’m going to post Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi. ‘Til then, watch Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2 over and over again; you’ll want to after watching it once, trust me. I look forward to seeing what fights other posts in the meantime.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Oh my god, you found it!? This is possibly the first time I've typed out "oh my god" in full. My icy demeanour has officially melted away. This better be the shit.

I'll probably come up with one of my favourite matches later. Beware though, it's probably gonna be from one of UFC's "Best Of" DVDs.

 

[Slyfox696]

This one comes from UFC 3, back when UFC was first going, there were only two rules (no biting and no eye gouging) and every UFC was a tournament with no weight limits. Hardcore.

This match has always been a favorite of mine for two reasons. 1) It's just an ass kicking of epic proportions and 2) Keith Hackney (the little white guy) trained in Kenpo karate, the same that I was training in at the time (although, he used a different variation than what I was...he was Parker Kenpo, and I was Tracy Kenpo). But, awesome fight.

[youtube]5zhQb_nkR0U[/youtube]

Sadly, the winner of the fight had to withdraw from the tournament because he broke his hand in the fight, and you'll see why in the video. But, truly epic.

 

[jmt225]

^^That fight is something else. I remember watching it on the first UFC Knockouts DVD and just being shocked. That big black dude got his ass kicked in the UFC's very first fight ever, so I was pretty positive it was going to happen again when that fight started, but never did I think it was going happen the way it did; basically with slaps to the head, lol. But yeah... you can feel his pain with the way Hackney was hitting him. I've broken my hand before that shit is not fun at all.

Anyway, on to two of my favorite fighters of all time duking it out, Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi.

First off, let me give you a little education on Takanori Gomi. Coming into this fight, he was considered Pound 4 Pound the absolute best fighter in the World, and also the best Lightweight in the World. He was a tremendous wrestler/grappler, but used that as a way to keep the fight standing rather than taking it to the ground, because he was one of the most technical, powerful strikers in his weight class at the time. He won most of his fights by knockout, and was able to garner a 27-3 record by the time his fight against Nick Diaz rolled around. Here's a tribute video to him, so you can get a glimpse at just how awesome he was/is:

[youtube]kJzKhhT8ww0[/youtube]​

Unfortunately, since his fight against Nick Diaz, he hasn't been the same. He lost two of his next four fights. However, it does look like now he's getting back into the shape of things. He had a very impressive victory over Takashi Nakakura at a Shooto event recently, and rumor is he's looking to go to the UFC or Affliction. So, you might be seeing a lot more of Takanori Gomi in the upcoming months. Let’s hope so!

Now, Nick Diaz is Nick Diaz. I don't need to go into any detail on him, because I'm sure anyone who knows anything about MMA, knows about Nick Diaz. He's one of the most brash, confident fighters in all of MMA. And even though he was up against one of the most feared fighters in the sport at the time, Gomi did not intimidate him in the least bit, which led to one of the greatest fights I've ever seen when these two met each other at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas, Gomi's first (and so far, only) fight in the states. Here it is:

[youtube]MS_lMfbhq3M[/youtube]​

What an awesome fight, eh? The first round is a complete stand-up war, and Diaz makes such an unbelievable comeback. And that ending... I bet when you of you watch The Undertaker pull off Hell's Gate or whatever he calls it, you would've never thought that pulling that move off in real life would be possible? But it is and somebody proves it in that video. And you know what? I wouldn't be surprised that it was viewing that fight that made 'Taker want to add a gogo to his moveset.

 

[jmt225]

Up next is Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama from Pride 21.

I vividly remember Jake himself posting this fight when the MMA Forum first started, and that alone should tell you how epic this fight is. It's over six-years-old, but still got its own thread. Out of all the fights that has ever taken place, this is the only one to get its own thread here, and it’s because there's not another fight you'll ever see like it. These two guys really fuck each other up.

Yoshihiro Takayama never did anything significant in the World of MMA before this fight, and hasn't done so after. Before becoming a MMA fighter though, he was a professional wrestling and a pretty decent one at that. Not great, but the dude could hold his own. In fact, he's still a pro wrestler and currently the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. He's also won NOAH's GHC Championship and New Japan's IWGP Championship. So he's a pretty accomplished professional wrestler. As a fighter though, he was shit. But man did he leave his mark on the sport by having this fight against Don Frye. It’s going to be remembered forever.

Don Frye is one of the biggest legends in the sport’s history, and has a cult following like no other. People absolutely adore this man, and it's easy to see why. Not only is he a true class act, but as a fighter... he has done as much for the sport as ANYONE, and he has some of the most entertaining fights in the sport's history (can't wait to post his fight against Ken Shamrock later on). He's also a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, so that alone should tell you he's no joke.

But now that you have an idea who these guys are, let's get to the fight:

[youtube]aSL-wKaWDeY[/youtube]​

It's basically nothing more then just an extremely entertaining hockey fight that never gets broken up. These two just latched on to each other and banged away while never letting go. It's unbelievable, and a sight that if someone has the pleasure of beholding, will never forget.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

As I watch the Hughes vs Trigg fight (for the 4th time, mind you - when it happened, twice on Spike, and now) I am making notes.

1. Imagine if Mike McCarthy had been reffing instead of Yamasaki. The fight would have been stopped in the first round after Trigg hit Hughes with those punches.

2. How Hughes got up from that choke is a testament to the fact that he's the toughest sumbitch ever.

3. I love MMA, because all of that animosity that built up for months evaporated once the match ended. I love when guys who seemingly HATE each other end in a hug.

 

[jmt225]

As I watch the Hughes vs Trigg fight (for the 4th time, mind you - when it happened, twice on Spike, and now) I am making notes.

You're lucky to have watched that while it happened. I imagined the entire room went nuts after that slam, huh?

1. Imagine if Mike McCarthy had been reffing instead of Yamasaki. The fight would have been stopped in the first round after Trigg hit Hughes with those punches.

What a terrific point. And the thing is, Hughes pulled that low blow crap nearly every single fight he was in, and the ref always bought it up to that point. But I guess, you can't really blame them for that.

2. How Hughes got up from that choke is a testament to the fact that he's the toughest sumbitch ever.

What was funny, in the hype video, Hughes criticizes Frank Trigg for not being able to defend the choke (for those who don't know, Hughes defeated Trigg with a rear naked choke in their first fight), so while you're watching that, you're thinking, "Shit, Hughes is about to eat his words." But man... he did show his toughness by getting out of that.

3. I love MMA, because all of that animosity that built up for months evaporated once the match ended. I love when guys who seemingly HATE each other end in a hug.

Exactly.

Anyway, up next is to me, what was 2008's Fight of the Year, Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le.

This fight had everything: A back-story, a great setting, drama, and most importantly... unbelievable action.

The back-story was that these two use to be training partners and that Le was the one person who could consistently get the best of Frank in training; of course Frank would deny it, but there was a history there. The setting was in San Jose California, both Le and Shamrock's hometown... so the crowd was split right down the middle. The drama came with the crowd's back and forth chants, and Shamrock's antics throughout the entire fight. And the action... what can you say? It was one of the greatest stand-up battles to ever take place in MMA. It was truly unbelievable. It's probably the best fight I ever watched live. It was that amazing.

[youtube]dt_40wHVvow[/youtube]

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[Minor League Brian]

Not going to lie, few of these fights really interest me. They just don't seem that...entertaining to me, not sure why.

If you could, jmt, try and find Yoshiro Maeda Vs. Miguel Angel Torres. It'd be on the Faber Pulver 1 card, I'm sure of it. Now THAT was a fight, a very shady ending, but that was the fight that got me into UFC, and my friend had me over to watch Faber fight just afterward. I can't claim its one of the greatest fights of all time, but its just...insane, I honestly think if Torres was in a higher weight class he could be considered the P4P best in the world, if not whatever class he'd be in.

I was also under the impression that Griffin/Bonner 1 was the greatest fight ever, or have I been led astray?

 

[jmt225]

Not going to lie, few of these fights really interest me. They just don't seem that...entertaining to me, not sure why.

Sorry to hear that, man. Hopefully as the thread goes on, I'll find more fights that'll cater to your taste.

If you could, jmt, try and find Yoshiro Maeda Vs. Miguel Angel Torres.

I was also under the impression that Griffin/Bonner 1 was the greatest fight ever, or have I been led astray?

Both of those fights are on my list. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to upload them myself, so it might take a while to get around to it (downloading and then uploading Trigg vs. Hughes 2 took nearly 2 hours, and that's only a damn 5 minute video). So give me a few days and I'll have those up (Bonner vs. Griffin would've been the 2nd or 3rd video I posted were I able to find it on Youtube or Dailymotion).

In the meantime, time for a new fight, and it's Pete Sell vs. Scott Smith.

Now for this, I'm not going to post the entire fight, because while it's entertaining, it's the ending that makes this fight what it is. It's truly unbelievable and a fucking sight to behold. It's from the undercard of The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale. These two guys were great friends on the show, but for the fight... they went all out and delivered one of the greatest finishes in UFC History:

[youtube]ZCd0tsr0mD4[/youtube]​

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

jmt225, I've been looking for hours and hours to find Jeff Curran vs Joseph Benavidez, but all videos have been removed from the internet. I've tried Youtube, Dailymotion, and a horde of smaller sites. I'm not sure if you have any access to WEC fight videos, but this is one of the greatest fights I've ever seen. The action was non-stop, back and forth, and just incredible. It really drew my interest.

 

[Minor League Brian]

Sorry to hear that, man. Hopefully as the thread goes on, I'll find more fights that'll cater to your taste.

I wouldn't be. I like fast paced fights, I've never been one for real technical wars. Though, like Torres, I do find entertainment in such fights. Like your Shamrock/Le fight, I just couldn't get into it. It did have the action, but it was just missin' something for me. Then again, it may have to do with the not seeing the history/hype packages leading up to it. Those do alot to make a fight intense.

Both of those fights are on my list. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to upload them myself, so it might take a while to get around to it (downloading and then uploading Trigg vs. Hughes 2 took nearly 2 hours, and that's only a damn 5 minute video). So give me a few days and I'll have those up (Bonner vs. Griffin would've been the 2nd or 3rd video I posted were I able to find it on Youtube or Dailymotion).

Really now? I never would have guessed Torres' fight would have been "Greatest of all time" material, even though the man is just insane. His cool in the ring is unrivaled in my opinion.

I've never actually seen Bonner/Griffin; I'd love to see it as I do have a tendency to favor Griffin, but even I don't know why.

 

[jmt225]

jmt225, I've been looking for hours and hours to find Jeff Curran vs Joseph Benavidez, but all videos have been removed from the internet. I've tried Youtube, Dailymotion, and a horde of smaller sites. I'm not sure if you have any access to WEC fight videos, but this is one of the greatest fights I've ever seen. The action was non-stop, back and forth, and just incredible. It really drew my interest.

Thanks for the recommendation, I haven't seen that one myself. I'll find it and upload it to Youtube or Dailymotion on my on one of my accounts and post it here.

Really now? I never would have guessed Torres' fight would have been "Greatest of all time" material, even though the man is just insane. His cool in the ring is unrivaled in my opinion.

Well, I want to post as many fights as I can. They're not necessarily the “greatest”; just fights I find really entertaining and fights I think will entertain new fans of the sport.

I've never actually seen Bonner/Griffin; I'd love to see it as I do have a tendency to favor Griffin, but even I don't know why.

I'll try and have this up for you tomorrow. I'll send you a PM after I post it.

 

[Marquis]

When i think of greatest fights its hard to narrow it down, but i managed to select three after much thought.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Vs. Nogueira Antônio Rogério Nogueira​

One of my all time favorite fighters in Shogun against the twin brother of another one my all time favorite fighters in one of the longest matches i have ever seen that actually kept me at the edge of my seat. No matter where the fight went from the ground or to the feet there were quite a few close calls for each fighter. Don't want to spoil anything for anyone who has yet to see the fight, but i will say this fight is quite long. Though i guarantee it will hold your interest from start to finish. This fight has a little bit of everything for everyone i like to think, so whether you like a good stand up fight, or enjoy a good ground fight, this bout has it.

Eddie Alvarez Vs Joachim Hansen​

[YOUTUBE]1kEl-I_iUZQ[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]VRs_YEKxWtU&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

It really doesn't get much better then this in the lightweight division. Two top 5 ranked Lightweights in the world going at. The fight is mainly on the feet, but there's a little bit of everything in this fight. Even some nice takedown's for our wrestling fans here. Yet another great match from start to finish, this is a must watch for any true fan. Alvarez is only 25 and is already considered one of the best LW's out there today. This fight will show you why.

Spoiler: for winner of the fight

The video doesn't show it but Alvarez ends up winning the fight via unanimous decision

My third choice is Takanori Gomi Vs. Nick Diaz. A great slugfest from start to finish, with a beautifully executed finish to it by Diaz's gogoplata. A sad fact about this fight is, while Diaz did win the fight was ruled a no contest thanks to Diaz testing positive for marijuana.

Takanori Gomi vs Jens Pulver
[youtube]r9OX2IUdDTI[/youtube]

This one is basically for the o so many fans that enjoy a good stand up fight. This one is short, but sweet. As expected when you have two of the greatest LW strikers in history going at it.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

In the meantime, time for a new fight, and it's Pete Sell vs. Scott Smith.

Now for this, I'm not going to post the entire fight, because while it's entertaining, it's the ending that makes this fight what it is. It's truly unbelievable and a fucking sight to behold. It's from the undercard of The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale. These two guys were great friends on the show, but for the fight... they went all out and delivered one of the greatest finishes in UFC History:

[youtube]ZCd0tsr0mD4[/youtube]​

It's hard to see in real time. It hardly looks like they are hitting each other, but when they slow it down, those are two brutal shots. I don't know if the guy was acting out of instinct, but that was an awesome shot to the jaw. It was as close to a WWE match as you'll ever see. The man who was punched in the ribs played possum and knocked the other guy out. Heel tactics should be used more in MMA, I think.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I don't think he was playing possum. Looked to me as if instinct took over and he just lashed out out of sheer desperation. That shot landed pretty square on his ribs and ends up lying on the floor in agony after the fight.

If he was playing possum though, that just makes it all the more hilarious.

 

[Slyfox696]

Another one of my favorite fights. I remember the first time I saw this and I just rolled with laughter. This is true brutality...and true idiocy. Don't blink, you might miss it.

[youtube]1UlRG5VDP6I[/youtube]

 

[jmt225]

Brian, I uploaded the Bonnar/Griffin fight on Youtube and Part 1 got deleted immediately, so that sucks. But I'm going to upload it on Dailymotion whenever I get off the computer and when I get back... hopefully it'll be ready and won't get deleted for at least a couple of days.

In the meantime, those are some GREAT fight choices, Marquis. Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen was my second choice for FOTY in 2008. It sucks that EliteXC never put on that final show, because I'm positive Eddie Alvarez vs. Nick Diaz would've made this thread if it happened.

And of course, you know I'm down for anything that shows Gomi kicking some ass. Loved that fight against Pulver. And that was back at a time when people still thought Lil’ Evil was good.

Another one of my favorite fights. I remember the first time I saw this and I just rolled with laughter. This is true brutality...and true idiocy. Don't blink, you might miss it.

Lol... I'm glad you posted that. I've never seen that before.

 

[jmt225]

Yay... Dailymotion's not being a bunch of *****. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar is now up for viewing below.

But before we get to it, I guess I should share the significance of this fight. Many people believe this is the greatest fight in MMA history, and that'll be hard as shit to argue against. Dana White himself gives full credit to this fight as the reason the UFC is still in business today and as successful as it is. Apparently, while this fight was happening at the first Ultimate Fighter Season Finale, over 4 million people got calls from friends and family to change the channel to Spike Tv and watch this fight. That's how incredible it was. And since this fight... the Ultimate Fighting Championship has done business they never dreamt of doing. It's truly unbelievable how this very one fight has changed the sport forever. And if you haven't seen it yet, now's your chance. Sit back, and enjoy this shit, because you'll never see anything like it again.

Spoiler: Winner

Forrest Griffin

 

[INDYjon22]

This is my first time posting in this section so idk if im gonna take any heat for this but one of my favorite fights ever was Arlovski vs. Sylvia 1. I loke how everyone was hyping it up to be a brawlers wet dream (which it somewhat was), yet it ends with Sylvia getting his fat leg trapped in a leg lock and tapping. That fight had so much hype and as far as I was concerned it lived up to it. On a side note that happens to be my favorite rivalry as well.

 

[Minor League Brian]

I really don't think Griffin should have won that fight. Stephan was SO much better up until the end. Though, I guess it can show that Griffin has come some ways from there, or Bonner lost somethin' along the way. ~_~

 

[jmt225]

I really don't think Griffin should have won that fight. Stephan was SO much better up until the end. Though, I guess it can show that Griffin has come some ways from there, or Bonner lost somethin' along the way. ~_~

The first time I watched it, I also thought Stephan Bonnar won. But upon my second viewing, my opinion changed. I thought Forrest landed way more strikes than Bonnar, and that his takedowns counted for something. Bonnar's shots were just cleaner and more devastating, but overall.... I thought Forrest deserved the win.

Besides, when these two met again months later... Forrest CLEARLY won that fight, so for any injustice one feels about the TUF Finale fight, just watch the second fight between those two and you'll feel better about this decision.

 

[Minor League Brian]

The first time I watched it, I also thought Stephan Bonnar won. But upon my second viewing, my opinion changed. I thought Forrest landed way more strikes than Bonnar, and that his takedowns counted for something. Bonnar's shots were just cleaner and more devastating, but overall.... I thought Forrest deserved the win.

Besides, when these two met again months later... Forrest CLEARLY won that fight, so for any injustice one feels about the TUF Finale fight, just watch the second fight between those two and you'll feel better about this decision.

Oh, that I know. But at the time, it seemed like Bonnar had the upperhand. It just shows how much he's grown. Griffin now is a whole nother monster compared to what he was there. Its amazing looking at who's great now, and what they used to be, and how much they change and how much you forget over just a few months.

 

[jmt225]

48.7, I've found Jeff Curran vs Joseph Benavidez and am currently downloading it. I'll have it up for you either tomorrow or Sunday, once I cut it up and upload it to Dailymotion. I’ll send you a PM when it’s ready.

But for now, here's a short, but sweet ass fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Bob Sapp.

Now, at this point in time, Sapp wasn't the joke he is today. Sure, he was charismatic still and did all the goofy ass antics, but when he stepped into the ring against Big Nog, he had a 2-0 MMA record and an impressive Kickboxing record. People thought he was going to dominate PRIDE. However, Nog had different plans.

What you're about to witness is perhaps the greatest comeback in MMA history. I don't want to spoil it for you, but trust me when I say you're going to see a human being nearly get killed, just to come back and kick some fucking ass. It is AWESOME.

 

[Marquis]

Rampage Jackson Vs. Ricardo Arona
[YOUTUBE]578RjRcxFzI[/youtube]

I'm sure everyone here will love this fight. Its one of the of the most memorable fights in MMA, thanks to its finish. As wrestling fans I'm sure this one will be a treat. Not as exciting as some other fights posted, but still quite good, what really makes this fight shine is its finish. This fight is one of the reasons why Rampage is a known name in the sport.

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Takanori Gomi ​

Another great lightweight bout featuring non other then the fireball kid, Takanori Gomi. In his day, well he still fights, but in his prime, Gomi had lots of memorable match ups. From his fight with Diaz that Jmt posted, to his fight Pulver, he has quite a few gems out there. This was another Gomi fight i felt stood out from his collection. Most of the fight is on the feet, so I'm sure a lot of you will enjoy it. Prepare to see two of the finest LW's go at it in quite the slugfest.

 

[jmt225]

Rampage Jackson Vs. Ricardo Arona

I'm sure everyone here will love this fight. Its one of the of the most memorable fights in MMA, thanks to its finish. As wrestling fans I'm sure this one will be a treat. Not as exciting as some other fights posted, but still quite good, what really makes this fight shine is its finish. This fight is one of the reasons why Rampage is a known name in the sport.

Yes... the finish to this fight is unbelievably awesome. It's a must see, especially for wrestling fans who'll get a kick out of seeing a wrestling finisher used as something in MMA to beat someone.

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Takanori Gomi ​

Another great lightweight bout featuring non other then the fireball kid, Takanori Gomi. In his day, well he still fights, but in his prime, Gomi had lots of memorable match ups. From his fight with Diaz that Jmt posted, to his fight Pulver, he has quite a few gems out there. This was another Gomi fight i felt stood out from his collection. Most of the fight is on the feet, so I'm sure a lot of you will enjoy it. Prepare to see two of the finest LW's go at it in quite the slugfest.

So happy to see you're also a Gomi fanatic.

And you know, I think Gomi's still in his prime. At least, age wise he definitely is. It's just ever since he opened up his school, he hasn't been himself. But hopefully, after his last fight, things are starting to look up for him and we'll get back to seeing the Takanori Gomi we all know and love.

And here's Jeff Curran vs. Joseph Benavidez. It's a really, really good fight. I don't have a backstory or anything like that, but it's fun and I'm sure all of you will enjoy it.