Throughout the comparatively short history of mixed martial arts (MMA), there’ve expectedly been a host of fights that stand out as one-sided beatdowns from one man or woman to another. The bout’s referee stopped some of these fights mercifully, a participant’s corner stopped some, and some went to a decision, but ultimately they all featured
Throughout the comparatively short history of mixed martial arts (MMA), there’ve expectedly been a host of fights that stand out as one-sided beatdowns from one man or woman to another.
The bout’s referee stopped some of these fights mercifully, a participant’s corner stopped some, and some went to a decision, but ultimately they all featured one-sided results
To be clear, we aren’t talking about one-punch or kick knockouts; those are a defined subset of a different sort. These bouts are just the most devastatingly one-sided contests in MMA history regardless of if they ended with a single knockout blow or not, and the magnitude of the fight was taken into account for judging.
They also not surprisingly feature some of the greatest fighters who’ve truly helped shape thee polished MMA picture we enjoy today.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 10 worst beatdowns in MMA history.
Mark Hunt recently detailed his game plan for UFC Fight Night 84 to FOXSports.com. Hunt will be facing Frank Mir at the event, and says he’s not afraid of going to the ground with Mir during the fight.
“It’s going to be a great fight. I know his game plan and I know that he knows mine, you know. I know he knows I’m going to try and knock his lips off, and he knows that I know he’s going to try and break my sh-t up [laughs],” he predicted.
“Oh, I can get on the ground with anybody,” he boasted. “Like I said, you gotta be well versed in all areas to be playing around at this top end. You know what I mean? So I should’ve been a black belt already, I mean I’ve been training in jiu-jitsu for a long, long time. But yeah, I don’t mind going to the ground or wherever. If the party’s going there, then that’s where we’re going. That’s fine.”
“I think Frank Mir is gonna be trying to take me down, and I’m gonna be knocking him out,” he concluded.
UFN 84 takes place at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on Sunday, March 20, in Australia. Due to the time difference, the event will be airing on March 19 in North America on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQWCbpdD_vs
Mark Hunt recently detailed his game plan for UFC Fight Night 84 to FOXSports.com. Hunt will be facing Frank Mir at the event, and says he’s not afraid of going to the ground with Mir during the fight.
“It’s going to be a great fight. I know his game plan and I know that he knows mine, you know. I know he knows I’m going to try and knock his lips off, and he knows that I know he’s going to try and break my sh-t up [laughs],” he predicted.
“Oh, I can get on the ground with anybody,” he boasted. “Like I said, you gotta be well versed in all areas to be playing around at this top end. You know what I mean? So I should’ve been a black belt already, I mean I’ve been training in jiu-jitsu for a long, long time. But yeah, I don’t mind going to the ground or wherever. If the party’s going there, then that’s where we’re going. That’s fine.”
“I think Frank Mir is gonna be trying to take me down, and I’m gonna be knocking him out,” he concluded.
UFN 84 takes place at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on Sunday, March 20, in Australia. Due to the time difference, the event will be airing on March 19 in North America on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
(Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz returns from a lengthy injury layoff once again next weekend, so let’s celebrate by watching him beat the tar out of Takeya Mizugaki.)
(Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz returns from a lengthy injury layoff once again next weekend, so let’s celebrate by watching him beat the tar out of Takeya Mizugaki.)
(It was at that point that the once bloodthirsty Adelaide crowd, draped in tattered shawls and dirtied robes, began to cry out for mercy. via Getty)
We’ve had the discussion a million times over. Probably more. When a fighter loses the ability to protect himself — whether out of stubbornness, pride, stupidity, or some combination of the three — it falls upon the referee, or his cornerman, or the promotion, to do it for him. “A fighter is his own worst enemy,” we so often say, cheaply dismissing a much bigger issue that impacts all combat sports while doing next to nothing to ensure that these fighters can actually be saved from themselves.
Fight Night 65 was, if nothing else, a continuation of our cultural apathy for fighter safety, gently tucked beneath a guise of momentary outrage and Twitter rants. It was the kind of card that would’ve made Matt Saccaro dismiss us all as purveyors of a barbaric bloodsport wherein the costs highly outweigh the gains, were he still covering MMA. (Thankfully, a former governor surfaced to pick up his scraps.)
(It was at that point that the once bloodthirsty Adelaide crowd, draped in tattered shawls and dirtied robes, began to cry out for mercy. via Getty)
We’ve had the discussion a million times over. Probably more. When a fighter loses the ability to protect himself — whether out of stubbornness, pride, stupidity, or some combination of the three — it falls upon the referee, or his cornerman, or the promotion, to do it for him. “A fighter is his own worst enemy,” we so often say, cheaply dismissing a much bigger issue that impacts all combat sports while doing next to nothing to ensure that these fighters can actually be saved from themselves.
Fight Night 65 was, if nothing else, a continuation of our cultural apathy for fighter safety, gently tucked beneath a guise of momentary outrage and Twitter rants. It was the kind of card that would’ve made Matt Saccaro dismiss us all as purveyors of a barbaric bloodsport wherein the costs highly outweigh the gains, were he still covering MMA. (Thankfully, a former governor surfaced to pick up his scraps.)
Four nearly five rounds, we watched in horror as a helpless and seemingly out of shape Mark Hunt was pulverized by Stipe Miocic in front of a moderately packed Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Despite the fact that Hunt was two steps and some 300 punches behind Miocic for the entirety of the fight, neither his cornerman nor referee John Sharp felt compelled to show him mercy, seemingly clinging to the hope that he would land a fight-ending shot that justified their pathetic lack of judgement. And to be perfectly honest, we probably would have praised Sharp for his restraint had Hunt ever landed that shot, as we have done in the past (*cough* Lesnar vs. Carwin *cough*).
But Hunt never landed that shot. In fact, he never even came close. He was outstruck, outmaneuvered, outgrappled, out-cardiod. It was by pure virtue of being Mark Hunt that his body was able to hold up for 4 and a half rounds before finally calling it quits, and when it was over, “The Super Samoan” showed every bit the wear and tear of a man who has perhaps been competing for a fight too many.
I’d like to think that we’d learn something from the straight up assault that took place last Saturday, that it would somehow lead us to rally for increased referee (and cornerman, for that matter) education regarding the safety of fighters. But who am I kidding?
We tuned in to Fight Night 65 expecting violence, and in a night filled with plenty of it, our humanity was somehow exposed, if ever so briefly. But today is a new day — one where we will dismiss the questions raised the night’s main event with a self-aware tweet. Nothing will change here. Mark Hunt will always be beaten within an inch of his life. Roan Carneiro will always be forced to do Jarin Valel’s job for him. Apollo Creed will always die before the towel is thrown.
The full results for Fight Night 65 are below.
Main card
Stipe Miocic def. Mark Hunt via fifth-round TKO (2:45)
Robert Whittaker def. Brad Tavares via first-round KO (0:44)
Sean O’Connell def. Anthony Perosh via first-round TKO (0:56)
James Vick def. Jake Matthews via submission (guillotine) (R1, 4:53)
Undercard
Dan Hooker def. Hatsu Hioki via KO (R2, 4:13).
Kyle Noke def. Jonavin Webb via split decision (27-30, 29-28 2x).
Sam Alvey def. Dan Kelly via KO (R1, 0:49).
Bec Rawlings def. Lisa Ellis via submission (rear-naked choke)(R1, 4:09).
Brad Scott def. Dylan Andrews via submission (guillotine choke) (R2, 4:54).
Alex Chambers def. Kailin Curran via submission (armbar) (R3, 3:15)
Brendan O’Reilly def. Vik Grujic via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ben Nguyen def. Alptekin Ozkilic via first-round TKO (4:59)
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who had a card built entirely around him for the promotion’s first trip to the country with support from Diego Sanchez and Erik Perez, had to bow out of a title fight against Fabricio Werdum a few weeks removed from the championship encounter. This was after both Perez and Sanchez were already out with of their respective scraps with wounds.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show must go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show had to go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
Mark Hunt, the main event replacement fighter who lost his UFC debut to Sean McCorkle and presumably left Zuffa brass doing the triple facepalm after agreeing to serve him his owed fights, had the possibility of sending every UG alumnus into an ejaculation frenzy by winning a UFC belt in 2014.
Werdum, on the other hand, would solidify his status as a well-deserved second best heavyweight in the world by winning, really flourishing in his second UFC stint.
Right off the bat, the battle was on. Hunt dropped Werdum, and consistently blasted “Vai Cavalo” every time the latter would try to close the distance. It was looking like the former Pride and K-1 slugger was going to achieve the impossible.
Then, he died by the gun.
Werdum clocked Hunt with a flying knee, following up with punches and left Herb Dean no choice but to call it a night for the “Super Samoan.” It was the perfect conclusion to a surprisingly great night of fights. The result was a disappointing one for Hunt, however, at least he got his chance. It’s nice to see a veteran like him acquire a shot at glory when opportunities like that are so limited in today’s MMA game. It’s not like he’s one to talk his way into things.
Now, Werdum’s chin isn’t great, but he could take a bomb of a shot. This also solidifies Werdum as something pretty significant in terms of the greatest heavyweights of all-time in MMA, but it’s hard to say what. He’s not Muhammed Ali by any stretch of the imagination, yet in the world of MMA, you’ve got to give this guy a boatload of praise. He’s a decorated, multi-time world jiu-jitsu champion, he more or less sent Fedor Emelianenko into a downward spiral back in 2010 by doing something unheard of at the time, and since losing a lackluster bout in Strikeforce to Alistair Overeem in 2011, he’s on an impressive five-fight winning streak in the UFC, with finishes over Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and lopsided decision wins against Travis Browne and Roy Nelson. Obviously, we have to wait for Velasquez to come back in order to see where the Brazilian fits in the grand scheme of things. Truthfully, he’s best active heavyweight in MMA right now, after a lengthy career competing for the top organizations in the world.
Gastelum finished off Jake Ellenberger by rear naked choke in the co-main event, sending the latter into a downward spiral of his own. The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner is looking like one of the better prospects to emerge from the exhaustive and overdone reality show in recent memory, and it’s time for the old “step up in competition” treatment, which means a top five foe. As for the “Juggernaut,” he’s still good enough to beat anyone you could think of that lives on a Fight Pass prelim, but he’s in some hot water, suffering his third consecutive defeat. Then again, you try beating Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler, and a 23-year-old stud.
It’s nice to see the UFC mention Conor McGregor every time there’s a featherweight contest, and last night was no different. Before Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez engaged in warfare, the broadcast team talked about how these two heavy-hitters had to talk trash to generate interest, since the savior of Ireland does that. It certainly can’t be because they choose to fight for a living and maybe a psychological edge would be to get inside each other’s heads?
In the end, Lamas prevailed, choking out Bermudez with a guillotine, and proved he’s still a force in the 145-pound division — even if the champion Jose Aldo outclassed him at the beginning of the year at UFC 169.
With four first-round finishes and an exciting main event rounding up the main card, you could make the complaint that UFC 180 wasn’t worth the price tag after so many injuries. However, it really served its purpose. With the risk of lot of eyeballs being drawn to that free Spike TV broadcast, it was the best case scenario for the Las Vegas-based organization we have grown to love and (sometimes) hate.
Even those fights that opened up the card, featuring four fighters the average fan is probably unfamiliar with, were both over in the first round and proved to be appropriate fights setting the pace for the night’s flow. The live crowd should be acknowledged, too, as they soaked up every moment, and gave the impression that they were unaware of any sort of unfortunate occurrences, whether it be dealing with UFC 180 or otherwise.
Also, maybe competition helps in the long run, since everyone is talking about the ironically placed counter-promoted shows all at once. Bellator offered the fans a season 11 finale full of violence, nurses as valets to the fighters, and a freaking WCW circa 1992 ramp, while WSOF had an appealing yet darkened fight card, that saw an exiled UFC “gatekeeper” stopped in the main event at WSOF 15. But like you’d expect, UFC was the big winner last night, and they didn’t even win by default; its fighters deserve the praise for salvaging what looked like another average PPV offering. Hell, even the prelims were great. Quick and slick finishes, two TUF: Latin America finale bouts you probably overlooked, an ear explosion complete with a burst of bloodshed, and someone shitting his pants. Come on…we can’t possibly complain here.
And in retrospect, it was hard not to feel bad for Zuffa with the UFC 180 setbacks, even though it’s been more of a benefit of the doubt relationship at this point. But certain events went down the way they did, proving it was the best-case scenario for the brass. The UFC was dealt an ace with this one.
(“Great news, everybody! Fabricio and I worked out our differences backstage, and we’ve decided not to fight. So…yeah. Take care and enjoy the fajitas.” / Photo via Getty)
Our goiAlex Giardini will be hustling out round-by-round UFC 180 results from the PPV main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. ¡Gracias, amigos! (That’s all I got.)
(“Great news, everybody! Fabricio and I worked out our differences backstage, and we’ve decided not to fight. So…yeah. Take care and enjoy the fajitas.” / Photo via Getty)
Our goiAlex Giardini will be hustling out round-by-round UFC 180 results from the PPV main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. ¡Gracias, amigos! (That’s all I got.)
UFC 180 Preliminary Card Results
– Yair Rodriguez def. Leonardo Morales via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
– Alejandro Perez def. Jose Quinonez via unanimous decision (29-26×2, 28-27)
– Jessica Eye def. Leslie Smith via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 1:30 of R2
– Gabriel Benitez def. Humberto Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:30 of R3
– Henry Briones def. Guido Canneti via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:44 of R2
– Marco Beltran def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Round one: Urbina opens up with a wild right hand that misses. He lands a right shortly after. Urbina lands a leg kick, but takes a solid punch from Garcia. Urbina throws a kick to the body, but it’s caught by Garcia, who brings him down and takes his back. Garcia has the hooks in, softening him up to the dome. He flattens him, and decks Urbina with some solid shots. Urbina is trying to fight him off, and ends up on top after his opponent lost his positioning. Urbina scrambles and gets a hold of Garcia’s neck for an anaconda choke. Garcia pushes through, getting back to his feet. Some clinch work near the fence, and Urbina slaps the anaconda choke out after his foe went for the takedown. It’s a real tight grip, and Garcia taps out.
Hector Urbina def. Edgar Garcia via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:38 of R1
