A proven ability to finish fights is undoubtedly one of the most desirable attributes any fighter could ever wish to possess to become a success in mixed martial arts (MMA). Whether it’s by knockout or submission, fans want to see fights being finished, and so fighters who repeatedly demonstrate that killer instinct in the cage
A proven ability to finish fights is undoubtedly one of the most desirable attributes any fighter could ever wish to possess to become a success in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Whether it’s by knockout or submission, fans want to see fights being finished, and so fighters who repeatedly demonstrate that killer instinct in the cage can quickly become valuable assets to a major organization like the UFC, and are more likely to become stars than their counterparts who leave their fate in the hands of the judges.
In this article we’ll seek to establish who the best of all-time are at finishing fights in the UFC, but before we begin, let’s quickly explain the methodology behind our rankings. First up, to provide somewhat of an even playing field we’re only taking into consideration fights that took place in the UFC, since some fighters records are padded out with finishes against low-level competition on the regional circuit.
The most important criteria is simply the number of finishes the fighter has aquired in the Octagon, but if there’s a tie, then we’ll separate them by comparing the number of finishes they have to their overall winning record in the UFC. If there’s still a deadlock, then we’ll move on to establishing who finishes their fights the quickest.
With that in mind, honorable mentions go out to four fan favorites: Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski, Nate Diaz and Matt Brown, who all have 11 finishes on their records and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the Top 10 based on our criteria.
The obstacles facing any fighter hoping to achieve fame and fortune in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) are truly daunting. Compiling a consistent winning record and steering clear of serious injuries while waiting for a shot at the big leagues that may never come is hard enough, but with there being almost no
The obstacles facing any fighter hoping to achieve fame and fortune in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) are truly daunting.
Compiling a consistent winning record and steering clear of serious injuries while waiting for a shot at the big leagues that may never come is hard enough, but with there being almost no money in the sport at the regional level, just keeping a roof over their heads can be a constant struggle for any up-and-coming fighter.
With that in mind it’s little wonder that many prospects have given up long before they ever got close to fulfilling their dreams.
Even some of MMA’s biggest stars have found themselves at that same crossroad in their career, and as you’ll read in the pages that follow, in many cases they came alarmingly close to throwing in the towel for good, unaware that success was waiting just around the corner.
In the sport of mixed martial arts, fight fans understandably want to see their beloved fighters and former champions attempt to achieve glory late in their careers or after an extended period of time away from the sport. But as we’ve seen time and time again, the fight game, especially the UFC, is often unforgiving, and
In the sport of mixed martial arts, fight fans understandably want to see their beloved fighters and former champions attempt to achieve glory late in their careers or after an extended period of time away from the sport.
But as we’ve seen time and time again, the fight game, especially the UFC, is often unforgiving, and rarely does it offer fighters the storybook ending they had hoped for.
That was recently the case with 38-year-old BJ Penn, a former lightweight and welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer who returned to action for the first time since July 2014 in the main event of this past weekend’s (Jan. 15, 2017) UFC Fight Night 103 from Phoenix, Arizona.
Penn, who hasn’t won a fight since 2010, was matched up with surging 24-year-old prospect Yair Rodriguez, an explosive kicker with lightning speed. At this stage of Penn’s career, the fight was clearly a bad match-up for him, but that didn’t stop the excitement building inside of fans as the event approached.
“The Prodigy” had brought in the help of legendary trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn to prepare for the bout. He had also reunited with longtime boxing coach Jason Parillo. Leading up to the fight, Penn seemed motivated, saying that he was returning because he could and that fighting was his life.
It was this aura surrounding the former two-division world champion that ignited hope into the minds and hearts of his faithful fan base. While it seemed like a daunting task for Penn to take out Rodriguez, deep down, fans of the Hawaiian were hoping that we would see a resurrection of Penn from his prime; a crisp and powerful boxer who possessed some of the best jiu-jitsu in the world.
He was a savage who licked the blood off of his gloves after dispatching an opponent with the type of finishing ability that embodied the sprit of a warrior, which Penn was and always will be.
But perhaps we should’ve known better. Did Penn, at this stage of his career, really have what it took to topple Rodriguez?
It turned out he didn’t, as the Hawaiian was rocked and battered throughout the first round of the fight before being finished early in the second. His toughness was on full display as usual, but in the end, that just wasn’t even close to enough in today’s fast-paced, cutthroat MMA world.
“The Prodigy’s” fighting future is currently unclear. In the aftermath of the bout, many had called for his retirement, but only he can decide when to hang up the gloves for good. If this is the end for Penn, however, the harsh realities of the fight game were once again on full display.
Looking to erase the memories of his recent losing skid, Penn was only met with the unforgiving nature of the sport he had once ruled. Rather then deliver Penn the storybook ending he was likely hoping for, the fight game smacked Penn in the face with the fact that time waits for no man.
This isn’t the first time this has been seen either, as many of the legends from Penn’s era were met with the same reality.
Revered former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell lost five of his last six bouts with his last three losses coming by way of stoppage before he retired in 2010. Former longtime welterweight champion Matt Hughes was also knocked out twice in a row before calling it quits in 2011.
Former 170-pound king Georges St. Pierre is one of the few fighters to leave the game on his own terms, and even he has been contemplating a return to action over the last year.
As far as Penn’s career goes, nothing can be taken away from him. His demolitions of Joe Stevenson and Diego Sanchez were brutal and iconic and his stoppages over Hughes, Sean Sherk, Jens Pulver, and Kenny Florian were legendary.
Penn’s accomplishments will always speak for themselves, and the memories he has left fight fans with will live on forever, but the storybook ending he was longing for seems nowhere to be found. His return to action in 2017 reminded fight fans of some brutal truths that we often like to dismiss in the presence of a heart-warming and nostalgic story.
Time catches up to all in MMA, however, and the fight game once again left its mark on another revered legend last weekend.
UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes got canned last week, but apparently there’s more to the story… Since taking over the UFC earlier this year for a whopping $4.2 billion, new owners WME-IMG have promised big change. Coming in the form of initially trimming down many departments, inevitable sackings have been going on. Numerous
UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes got canned last week, but apparently there’s more to the story…
Since taking over the UFC earlier this year for a whopping $4.2 billion, new owners WME-IMG have promised big change. Coming in the form of initially trimming down many departments, inevitable sackings have been going on. Numerous departments were liquidated, and thus far approximately 100 employees have been laid off. After enjoying years in their post-retirement UFC jobs, fighting legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes were given their marching orders.
The decision to can ‘The Iceman’ and Hughes was not exactly a popular one. Fans questioned why the new owners would do such a thing, especially considering how much each man had given during their time as fighters. Liddell was the former light-heavyweight champion, and Hughes is the two-time former welterweight champion.
“Fake Jobs”
According to Chael Sonnen, both Liddell and Hughes had fake jobs at the UFC. He also claims the reason Forrest Griffin hasn’t been fired is that he actually shows up to work. Hughes was the exec put in charge of government relations, and Liddell was the VP of business development. Here’s what ‘The American Gangster’ said during his latest You’re Welcome podcast:
“They just fired Liddell and Hughes. In fairness, if I’m buying a company I’m gonna look and see where the waste is. If I’m letting Marshall Zelaznik go, I’m letting these two knuckleheads who are on $30K a month, but don’t even live in the state go. Do you know why (Forrest Griffin) kept his job?”
“Forrest Contributed”
“He was the only one of the three who took his job seriously. What was supposed to happen, from a UFC standpoint, they looked after some of their boys who looked after them. The UFC was getting some bad PR for not looking after their fighters, and they also wanted to give the guys who did carry lifting early on some jobs that last forever. Chuck got the first one, and it’s $30K a month, and he doesn’t have to do anything. This is before the police ran him out of San Luis Obispo, so he wasn’t even in the state. Matt Hughes still isn’t in the state, he lives on the farm in Illinois. These are literally fake jobs.”
“They give a job to Forrest, and he takes one look at it and decides to take the job seriously. He shows up at 9AM on Monday morning and they don’t even have an office for him because it wasn’t a real job. He just kept coming in, and then he started sitting in on meetings. If anyone was gonna keep the job it’s Forrest because he has contributed.”
In terms of pioneering the new generation of the UFC, few gave more in blood and sweat than Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes. When Zuffa took over controlling ownership of the UFC in 2001, they were faced with a huge task. Needing to change the image of mixed martial arts from ‘human cock fighting’ to
In terms of pioneering the new generation of the UFC, few gave more in blood and sweat than Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes. When Zuffa took over controlling ownership of the UFC in 2001, they were faced with a huge task. Needing to change the image of mixed martial arts from ‘human cock fighting’ to a legitimate sport, the promotion chipped away over many years to become mainstream. In November of 2001 Matt Hughes became the UFC welterweight champion with an iconic slam KO against Carlos Newton.
Going on to defend the title five times in his first reign, Hughes also faced Frank Trigg in one of the greatest 170-pound bouts ever. Regaining the belt in 2004, the Miletich Systems product defeated the greatest welterweight ever in Georges St-Pierre with a submission by armbar. Hughes has the second most welterweight title defenses in the promotion’s history with seven.
Hughes With The UFC Welterweight Title
Chuck Liddell won the UFC light-heavyweight championship in 2005. Thrilling fans with a trilogy of fights against Randy Couture, a duo of huge knockouts against Tito Ortiz and a classic encounter in Japan against Alistair Overeem, ‘The Iceman’ was renowned for his ungodly KO power. Having defeated many of his fellow legends, Liddell decided to hang up the gloves in 2010. After calling it quits on his fighting career, Liddell was hired as UFC executive vice president of business development.
Hughes went on a few more years, eventually retiring in 2013 after back-to-back knockout losses. He took a job as vice president of athlete development and government relations. Given the fact the UFC finally made it to New York City during Hughes’ reign in his exec position, he clearly did a great job. Apparently there’s no room for either Liddell or Hughes under the new ownership, though.
Liddell & Hughes Laid Off
Tallying approximately 100 lay offs since the $4.2 billion WME-IMG takeover, MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes are the latest to get the boot.
“The UFC has been great to me,” Hughes told MMA Fighting Friday night. “Times change, and I understand the decision that was made. I will move on. My family and I are fine.
“I do love adventure, and who knows what’s next for me.”
After hearing about two of the most well known champions in UFC history getting canned, it’s safe to say nobody is safe. Where will the axe land next?
UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes were laid off by the organization’s new owners Friday, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
WME-IMG, which bought the UFC in July, has reportedly laid off 10 to 15 employees this week. In October, …
UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes were laid off by the organization’s new owners Friday, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
WME-IMG, which bought the UFC in July, has reportedly laid off 10 to 15 employees this week. In October, Helwani reported “approximately 60-80 employees would be fired.”
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