5 Of The Greatest Moments In MMA History

The date is November 12th 1993. Myself and a few of my friends hear about this upcoming “event”… A no holds barred, anything goes tournament where two fighters are locked inside a cage until one of them wins. We were all very intrigued by this concept, so we decided to buy the PPV to see what it was like. The PPV was of course the first ever UFC event and the rest is history… I was instantly hooked and I’ve been a hardcore MMA fan ever since. MMA is such a special sport packed full of memorable moments. Over the years we’ve experienced so many great fights, so many great rivalries and incredible upsets. In MMA, you always have to expect the unexpected… Here are some of my favourite moments in MMA history… [divider]

5. CHEICK KONGO vs PAT BARRY – UFC ON VERSUS 4

UFC on Versus 4 was the only event that I ever attended live because it was taking place in my hometown. Pat Barry lost the fight after an incredible striking exchange with Cheick Kongo. Barry hurt Kongo bad and knocked him down twice and then out of nowhere Kongo returned fire and landed one huge punch on Pat Barry to knock him out cold. It was one of the craziest exchanges I’ve ever seen in all my years of watching MMA.

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4. CHAD MENDES vs JOSE ALDO – UFC 142

Chad Mendes vs Jose Aldo at UFC 142 was a great fight, but this match up makes my list because of what happened after the fight… Aldo was defending his UFC title in his home country of Brazil. Mendes was 11-0 at the time and was thought to be Aldo’s toughest test to date. Aldo ended up finishing Mendes with a knee with only 1 second left in the 1st round. He then immediately jumped the cage and ran into the crowd to celebrate with his fellow Brazilians. This was one of the greatest post fight celebrations I’ve ever seen!

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3. FEDOR EMELIANENKO vs KEVIN RANDLEMAN – PRIDE FC CRITICAL COUNTDOWN

When I first saw Kevin Randleman suplex Fedor on his head I thought he’d broken his neck. Fedor landed with such force that I didn’t see anyway in which he could have avoided serious injury. Then… In trademark Fedor style, he regained a dominant position with his stoic and emotionless demeanor before submitting Randleman with a Kimura.

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2. ANTHONY PETTIS vs BENSON HENDERSON – WEC 53

Anthony Pettis vs Benson Henderson was the very last fight in the WEC before they merged with the UFC. Henderson was defending his WEC Lightweight title in an incredible back and forth fight. The 5th and final round began with both fighters clearly winning 2 rounds each. The fight was tied at 2-2 and the winner of the final round would win the title. With just 1 minute left, Anthony Pettis runs up the side of the cage and catches Henderson with a crazy kick. The highlight reel “Showtime” kick helped secure a unanimous decision win for Pettis, making him the last WEC Champion in their history.

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1. MARK COLEMAN vs PETE WILLIAMS – UFC 17

Mark Coleman was devastating in his early stint with the UFC. He was 6-1 going into this fight with Pete Williams and hardly anyone gave Williams a chance of winning. Coleman was definitely winning the fight, but after 12 minutes it was clear that Mark was starting to gas out and he could barely holds his hands up anymore. Throughout the fight Williams had been landing kicks to Coleman’s body and legs, when all of a sudden he decided to go upstairs and throw a huge headkick. The kick landed clean on Coleman, knocking him out cold. This knockout actually became the first ever headkick knockout in the UFC…