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The 25 Biggest Rivalries in MMA History

In advertising, sex sells. In MMA, rivalries sell. Looking back at some of the greatest fights in MMA history, one will notice that the majority of them involve some legitimate dislike between the fighters. Even if it is just pre-fight hype, the belief…

In advertising, sex sells. In MMA, rivalries sell.

Looking back at some of the greatest fights in MMA history, one will notice that the majority of them involve some legitimate dislike between the fighters. Even if it is just pre-fight hype, the belief that two fighters hate each other is a successful formula for gaining fan interest.

There are often two kinds of rivalries that emerge in the ultra-competitive sport of MMA; those that come about from mutual hatred and the competitive kind. The rivalries that evolve as a result of two guys not liking each other is pretty self explanatory.

The “competitive rivalry” is one that forms due to two guys being on a virtual collision course as a result of their performances inside the cage (or ring). These bouts don’t need bad blood for us to tune in as the competitive nature of two elite athletes tends to be more than enough to gain our interests.

No matter what drew you into these rivalries, there’s no denying that when the fighters finally got to settle their differences, we all tuned in.

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MMA: 25 Fights We Wish We Could Have Seen

Valentine’s Day 2012 is not a day that my wife wants to remember. Instead of roses and a box of chocolates on our kitchen counter, she found a Best Buy receipt for UFC Undisputed 3. Maybe I’m a terrible husband, but I simply couldn’t wait any longer than necessary to rip open my fresh copy of the game and start soccer kicking all of my friends on Xbox Live.

PRIDE mode with Bas Rutten and The Fight Professor on commentary was an awesome touch that made me feel warm and nostalgic all at once. Playing multi-player mode on my couch was a blast until my buddy Jeff asked “Who is Bas Rutten?”

I understand that MMA didn’t break into the mainstream until the inaugural Ultimate Fighter Finale, and by that point, guys like Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock and Don Frye were well out of the spotlight. However, thinking about Bas Rutten’s premature retirement has always made me wonder about the fights that we could have seen if the last generation of fighters stepped into the cage of current MMA elite.

With that, I decided to let the fantasy bookings run wild. Could you imagine if fighters like Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock could have avoided the sands of time, and competing in their physical primes against the best that MMA has to offer? What about fighters like Fedor Emelianenko and Wanderlei Silva, whose physical primes have passed them, but are still active?

Here is a look at 25 fights that the world will never see, but we wish we could.

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Brian Stann Hired as Analyst for Future UFC on FOX Events

Props: @BrianStann

If nothing else, at least the commentary will be much better for UFC on FOX 3 than the organization’s previous attempts on the network.

Those of you who tuned in for UFC on FUEL: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger more than likely left impressed by Brian Stann’s commentary throughout the evening. Already known for his ability to produce the most professional responses during interviews at will, Brian Stann seamlessly transitioned to the role of analyst. Stann was very confident while analyzing the fights, handling his first commentary gig like it was just another day at the office. Needless to say, the impressive showing granted him a role as an analyst for future UFC on FOX events.

The UFC’s attempts to give fighters active roles as commentators during UFC on FOX broadcasts have seen mixed results. The organization’s debut on FOX saw Brock Lesnar do a great job in both analyzing the fights and promoting his upcoming bout with Overeem. However, when Lesnar lost that fight and subsequently retired, the UFC could not continue to use him. It attempted to fill the void he left with UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

Props: @BrianStann

If nothing else, at least the commentary will be much better for UFC on FOX 3 than the organization’s previous attempts on the network.

Any momentum that Randy Couture built with his solid commentary during UFC on FOX 2 was completely destroyed by Jon Jones’ nightmarish performance. From blatantly reading his “analysis” (perhaps “his” analysis is more appropriate) of the fights to nervously laughing his way through questions about Rashad Evans, Jones couldn’t have done a worse job at earning new fans for both himself and the UFC if he choked out Curt Menefee and refused to check on him. At least Evans seemed to enjoy Jones’ performance, albeit for the wrong reasons.

Before Stann’s next commentary gig, he has a fight against Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL 2. That fight goes down on April 14th in Stockholm, Sweden.

Fedor Emelianenko: 8 Possible Opponents for His Next Fight

For a long time, Fedor Emelianenko was coveted as the sport’s premier heavyweight, and rightfully so.The stoic Russian had an air of invincibility surrounding him, after having gone undefeated for nearly a decade—an unprecedented run in his or an…

For a long time, Fedor Emelianenko was coveted as the sport’s premier heavyweight, and rightfully so.

The stoic Russian had an air of invincibility surrounding him, after having gone undefeated for nearly a decade—an unprecedented run in his or any other era.

After the former Pride champion had succumbed to a career-worst three fight-skid, Emelianenko came storming back with consecutive victories over former UFC title challenger Jeff Monson and Olympian Satoshi Ishii—knocking out the judoka inside of the first round.

Emelianenko has made every intention to get back into his “Last Emperor” form, and in doing so, the former heavyweight kingpin will look to regain what was once his. Here are some fighters who can help usher him back to prominence.

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Couture vs. Fedor, Lesnar vs. Mir and 5 Dream Fights I’d Still Love to See

For the past several days I’ve made it a mission of mine to bring a little positivity and excitement to an MMA landscape that seems to have a lot of negativity hovering around it lately.No matter what, I still think it’s an amazing time to …

For the past several days I’ve made it a mission of mine to bring a little positivity and excitement to an MMA landscape that seems to have a lot of negativity hovering around it lately.

No matter what, I still think it’s an amazing time to be an MMA fan. I love this sport very much, and I think that’s incredibly important to remember while we’re in the midst of another spat of fan flame wars.

So here’s my latest effort to sit back, relax and have some fun: these are the five “dream matches” I’d still love to see.

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10 Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Your Favorite Fighters

Most followers of MMA have a specific fighter that they take a liking to, maybe it was due to their combative style, personality or something out of the ordinary that got them hooked, nonetheless, from that day onwards, the fighter in question became t…

And for said fans, being privy to certain facts about their much-loved fighter is not only a need, but sometimes a necessity, however, some of those facts can be either inaccessible or may have gone straight off the MMA radar altogether.

Still, it’s even harder to keep up with all the information flying around especially if you have several or more fighters on your list of favorites.

That said, here’s a look at some of those facts.

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