Over the past two weeks, UFC President Dana White has announced a myriad of exciting bouts for the remainder of the year. Fights like Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, and Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn are sure to b…
Over the past two weeks, UFC President Dana White has announced a myriad of exciting bouts for the remainder of the year. Fights like Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, and Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn are sure to be battles for the ages.
Looking back, the UFC has put on some of the most legendary fights in the entire history of combat sports—all in less than two decades.
Whether it’s brutal knockouts, amazing comebacks, or an intense back and forth battle, the entire spectrum of MMA excitement has been featured inside the confines of the famed Octagon.
With so many amazing matchups on the horizon for the UFC, let’s take a look back at the promotion’s past as we rank the 50 most exciting fights in UFC history.
As the Strikeforce roster continues to dwindle, one fighter has stepped up to show that the promotion still has some depth to it.At last night’s Strikeforce event in Cincinnati, Ohio, middleweight contender Luke Rockhold shocked the MMA world by d…
As the Strikeforce roster continues to dwindle, one fighter has stepped up to show that the promotion still has some depth to it.
At last night’s Strikeforce event in Cincinnati, Ohio, middleweight contender Luke Rockhold shocked the MMA world by defeating champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, taking the Strikeforce Middleweight title.
Throughout the fight, Rockhold showed that he had the better of Souza in the stand-up department, landing a variety of body and leg kicks while repeatedly landing his punching combinations.
With such an impressive performance, some fans are already looking to put this 26-year-old champion in the UFC. But is Rockhold ready for the big time?
This was obviously a huge win for the American Kickboxing Academy prodigy, who improves his Strikeforce record to a perfect 7-0 with the unanimous decision win over Souza. But considering his past competition and looking at certain parts of last night’s fight, Rockhold still has a few areas to improve before transitioning to the big time.
First, let’s analyze his skill set.
Prior to this bout, Rockhold never left the first round and took all but one of his bouts by submission. The emergence of this AKA striking only came about because both Souza and Rockhold’s grappling effectively neutralized the other’s, forcing them to strike.
Although quite impressive in the win, there were moments when Rockhold was rocked by Souza’s right hand, buckling the new champion. Against a higher-caliber striker, the punches would have done significantly more damage and may have ended his night.
Rockhold’s true bread and butter has been his grappling. Six of his eight career wins have come by submission, but his opponents have had a propensity to tap out losses.
For example, Rockhold choked out veteran Jesse Taylor in 2009, but six of Taylor’s seven losses have all been tap outs. In the UFC, the middleweight division has a plethora of well-rounded fighters, including many jiu-jitsu black belts who would not be so easily submitted.
Even against Souza, the Brazilian black belt scored numerous sweeps and near submissions even though he was unable to keep the fight on the ground.
The biggest issue Rockhold had was his mindset. After landing a ton of spinning kicks and crisp hand combinations, he began to lower his guard as he believed he was owning Souza.
This type of attitude is dangerous, especially against the better strikers at 185. If Souza did not gas in the later rounds, he could have capitalized on Rockhold’s lowered defenses and done more damage with the straight right.
Rockhold is on the right track though; this win catapults him into MMA stardom. He just needs to continue training hard and evolve certain aspects of his game.
The skill set is there, but it needs to be utilized more effectively. There is no doubt that he has champion-caliber stuff, but it is imperative for him to tighten up his game if he truly aspires to make it to the UFC.
When UFC President Dana White announced that he had something crazy up his sleeve for BJ Penn’s replacement opponent, the wildest option he had on his plate was booking the man who caused all the drama—Nick Diaz.After losing out on a title shot a…
When UFC President Dana White announced that he had something crazy up his sleeve for BJ Penn‘s replacement opponent, the wildest option he had on his plate was booking the man who caused all the drama—Nick Diaz.
After losing out on a title shot against UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, Diaz will now be featured as the co-main event opposite Penn, whose original opponent—Carlos Condit—will now face St. Pierre for the belt.
After not appearing at the required media conferences, White booted Diaz from the UFC 137 title fight, but did not cut the former Strikeforce champion. Because of this, fans speculated that Diaz would face Penn, although the option seemed unlikely due to the recent drama between Diaz and the UFC.
Now that both fights are set—hopefully for good—the matchup between Penn and Diaz looks to be an incredible bout.
Some analysts believe that Diaz is getting rewarded for his bad behavior and that this fight sends the wrong message to both fighters and fans. But I disagree and believe that this fight came about because of several factors that actually benefit both the UFC and its fans.
Realistically, every other viable welterweight other than Diaz is injured, booked, or just coming off a fight. In order to retain the same magnitude for the event without pitting Penn against St. Pierre, Diaz was the only choice.
Also, if the organization cut Diaz, another promotion could have scooped him up and taken away one of the best welterweights in the UFC, a division that is almost cleared out by the champion.
Some may think that Diaz will never get a title shot now, but other than Penn and Diaz, there really is no one left for St. Pierre at 170. In order to provide top contenders to face St. Pierre and keep the division viable, the UFC was forced to retain Diaz.
As for the fight itself, I think that it will be one of the most exciting fights of the year, possibly more exciting than St. Pierre versus Condit.
Both fighters are former champions with first class jiu-jitsu and boxing; the stylistic pairing alone will ensure fireworks.
When Penn is on his game, he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. His striking is so crisp and dynamic while his grappling is second to none.
Diaz, who is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and avid boxer, is known to bring it to his opponent. He stood and traded punches with Paul Daley in his last bout and beat the heavy-handed striker at his own game.
The former Strikeforce Welterweight champion is a tricky fighter to prepare for and will certainly motivate Penn. If we do not see a vintage performance from the former two-time champion I will be surprised.
In hindsight, this match-up should have been set from the start.
Diaz is coming in off a lengthy title reign but has not faced the level of competition that the UFC provides. Pitting him against Penn is the best option to test his skills against a true champion.
If he can take out Penn, he definitely deserves to be the top contender for the winner of St. Pierre versus Condit regardless of the recent debacle.
All facts considered, this fight was by far the right one to make.
One of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division will occur at the end of this year.Today, the UFC announced that not only have they signed former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, but also that his first figh…
One of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division will occur at the end of this year.
Today, the UFC announced that not only have they signed former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, but also that his first fight will be against the promotion’s biggest buy—former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
Both fighters are coming off injuries and will look to prove themselves as one the top heavyweights in the world.
The fight will take place at UFC 141 on December 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Here’s how these two former champions match-up in a head-to-toe breakdown.
UFC president Dana White made an interesting announcement recently that piqued the interest of older fight fans.While discussing the new deal between FOX and the UFC on the Petros and Money radio show, White announced that the first FOX event…
UFC president Dana White made an interesting announcement recently that piqued the interest of older fight fans.
While discussing the new deal between FOX and the UFC on the Petros and Money radio show, White announced that the first FOX event on November 12 will be simulcast on the Fox Sports Radio Network.
For the first time ever, mixed martial arts will be broadcast live on the radio in a huge way.
“We’re going to put these fights live on the radio,” White said, “which really hasn’t been done since the old days before television when everyone would sit around and listen to the big fights from MSG. We’re going to bring that back.”
Although the tactic is an homage to the days of old when some of boxing biggest stars gained a majority of their following via the air waves, it is also a smart marketing move.
Even in this age of television and the Internet, many sports fans still enjoy listening to games or events on the radio. The novelty of it and the nostalgia it brings about has kept radio in the mainstream for almost a century.
The vivid images that an announcer creates with their words is a thing of beauty and will be interesting to hear when MMA is brought into the fold.
In the US and Canada, the Fox Sports Radio Network is comprised of almost 400 affiliates, furthering the UFC’s appeal to an audience that might still be unaware of the sport and giving fans who are on the road or unable to access a television a chance to hear the event.
This is a great addition for fans, but the UFC will also benefit immensely.
The goal of this whole deal with FOX was to legitimize the sport in the eyes of the mainstream media and the general public. All the big leagues, such as the NFL, MLB and NBA, have a radio presence with a long history.
Adding a radio outlet brings the sport up to par with the other leagues and makes the UFC one of the most highly marketable entities out there.
The UFC already has a strong social media and television presence that has grown the sport by leaps and bounds. Radio is just another thing checked off the list to make sure all there bases are covered.
Honestly, I can see no downside putting the UFC on the radio for either fans or the sport.
The UFC made a big splash today, announcing that the planned world heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and top contender Junior dos Santos will now headline the promotion’s first event on FOX.The announcement is an exciting one for …
The UFC made a big splash today, announcing that the planned world heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and top contender Junior dos Santos will now headline the promotion’s first event on FOX.
The announcement is an exciting one for fight fans who will now be able to see one of the biggest fights in UFC history happen on live, free television.
Although the magnitude is quite apparent with regards to the UFC, some are beginning to draw comparison between some of boxing’s legendary matches—specifically Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman.
Immediately I must say that this comparison is very premature.
There is no questioning each of these fighter’s abilities but to say that they are on par with these two legends is just too soon.
Let’s start off by comparing Foreman and Velasquez.
At the time of the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle”, Foreman was the reigning heavyweight champion taking on an older Ali that few people thought could win. Foreman was coming into the fight riding a perfect 40-0 win streak, with knockouts of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton (both men owning wins over Ali).
Foreman was the king at the time, and in that respect, Velasquez can compare. Velasquez is undefeated coming into the fight, but his resume only includes two big wins—knockouts of Brock Lesnar (a terrible striker) and Minotauro Nogueira.
Velasquez is also defending his belt for the first time, while Foreman defended his belts twice before facing Ali.
Skill-wise, Foreman was a more mature fighter in his bout with Ali than Velasquez will be entering his first title defense.
Comparing Ali and dos Santos, the first thing that comes to mind is knockout power.
True, both fighters carry heavy hands, but Ali was a much more experienced fighter coming in with some of the biggest boxing matches in history already to his credit.
At the time, Ali had already avenged both his losses to Ken Norton and Joe Frazier as well as owning wins over Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson. Dos Santos will enter the bout with a big wins over Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, but neither fighter was knocked out and his win over Mirko Cro Cop was a bit of a mismatch now that Cro Cop is in the twilight of his career.
Dos Santos is also more evenly matched with Velasquez where as everyone and their mother thought Ali would lose to Foreman.
The biggest difference between these two epic bouts is that Ali and Foreman already had numerous accomplishments and were seasoned veterans when they fought. Ali may have been the elder, but there was no denying Foreman’s accolades and past performances.
Velasquez and dos Santos, although clearly skilled, are still relatively young fighters in the sport.
Hindsight, though, may change my mind when I look back on this bout. If Velasquez and dos Santos put on a war and can arouse the passions of new viewers and old fans alike, then maybe the comparing them to these boxing legends isn’t so far fetched.
As the Strikeforce roster continues to dwindle, one fighter has stepped up to show that the promotion still has some depth to it.