Matches that Changed Mixed Martial Arts history

[Mr. TM]

There have been many battles fought, in a ring, and in a cage. All of them have become extremely important in creating the relatively young history of Mixed Martial Arts. But what matches have been key in creating the present day in the MMA world? I will do three of them, one without a weight class and two heavyweight matchups. But feel free to put up any matches you want, from any company.

Royce Gracie vs. Gerard Gordeau
UFC 1: The Beginning
http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Royce_Gracie_vs_Gerard_Gordeau_UFC_1_The_Beginning?vid=10000456

This is the final match of the first UFC pay per view. In this match, Royce Gracie showed the world that two dimensional fighting is never going to cut and, and that ju-jitsu will dominate these two dimensional fighters each time. Soon after this, fighters who wanted to get into the sport began training against and with ju-jitsu.

Borck Lesnar vs Randy Couture
UFC 91
http://regretfulmorning.com/2008/11/randy-couture-vs-brock-lesnar/

Love him or hate him, Lesnar is bringing in the massive ratings right now for the UFC> This match showed that not all wrestlers are as weak as MMA fighters say they are as Lesnar defeated a legend in Randy Couture.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria
Pride 25

This match was their first of two matches (three counting their no contest) that they had in Pride. It was for the heavyweight championship of the world. At this time, Fedor had not been in Pride for too long, and Nogueria seemed dominant. When they went the full distance and Fedor dominated almost every minute of the match, people began to look at him as the greatest fighter on earth.


So post yours. Some other ones I thought about were Kimbo Slice's beatdown, showing that MMA is not for idiots who street fight. I also thought that the finale of the Ultimate Fighter 1, with both man putting on an impressive fight and proving the success of that show.

 

[xAsianRejectx]

When I think of MMA fights that changed history I think of, you may have guessed it, Forrest Griffin and Stefan Bonnars first encounter at the 1st Ultimate Fighter finale. This fight made these two MMA stars and some of the most respected and well liked fighters in MMA. Both these guys are genuinely nice and funny, but in a cage, they become animals. This fight is also UFC's most important fight ever. It elevated their rating and gained a massive following of loyal fans. This is definitely an important fight and one that changed MMA history.

I couldn't find the full fight and quite frankly I'm too tired to look for it.

 

[BaconBits]

Chuck Liddell v. Rashad Evans. It was the begining of the end for the Iceman, the guy who pretty much carried the UFC through it's darkest period. It showed that one dimensional fighters are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Brock Lesnar v. anybody. Love him or hate him, much of this major exposure MMA is getting these days is due in large prrt to him. Major media outlets like ESPN didn't really give a fuck about MMA until he came around. When he beat Randy, it was major sports news.

 

[jmt225]

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 is definitely the most important fight in history. That fight is why the UFC is where it's at today. Dana White will tell you that himself.

But that's well known at this point. What I don't think people realize now, but will in the years to come, is just how important the fight between Kimbo Slice and Seth Petruzelli is. Seriously, think about it... that fight and that fight alone killed the second biggest Mixed Martial Arts company in the World at that time. Plus, if Kimbo somehow becomes a success in the UFC and if Strikeforce stays a major player in the next few years... it will all be because of that fight. That fight changed the sport forever. If it hadn't happened or if Kimbo would've won, EliteXC would still be around today, Kimbo would not be in the UFC and would most likely still be a huge star in the sport, and Strikeforce would still be a lower company not making any noise. Hell, Fedor just might be in the UFC right now if that fight hadn't gone down, you never know.

Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli changed the sport forever, that's a guarantee. Just how much we'll be able to tell in the years to come as I said earlier, but you can not talk about the most important matches in history now and not put this into the discussion.

 

[INDYjon22]

I would have to say Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell/Randy Couture. Here was a guy who in the early days of UFC trying to get mainstream was marketed as one of the 3 faces of the UFC. He was expected to put on some good fights with Randy and Chuck but ended up getting his ass kicked. These loses reaffirmed Randys legacy and began Chucks awesome reign in the light heavyweight division which in turn made way for more major moments.

 

[TM Punk]

In my eye's its a toss up between Liddell vs Couture II and Bonnar vs Griffin.

Bonnar vs Griffin was so huge in part to it being televised on cable. People were curious and they tuned in to watch what was to become a history making even.

The fight that I think cemented the UFC's move into the mainstream is Couture vs Liddell II. There was so much hype going into this match. Liddell had lost to Couture a while back and battled all the way back in the rankings to get his seconds shot, and it was all coming to a head here.

Liddell's knockout blow not only cemented his legacy as a great fighter, but it also launched his career, and made him the poster boy of the UFC. When I think of who, or what brought UFC into the mainstream, I think of Chuck Liddell, and it all started after this fight.