Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Moments in UFC History

10. UFC 40

Code-named “Vendetta,” UFC 40 was not only one of the promotion’s most exciting events from top to bottom but ranks among its most significant.

The show kicked off with an absolute war between Mark Weir and Phillip Miller, one of the greatest brawls in the organization’s history to that point and one only those in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas were fortunate enough to witness. From there, Andrei Arlovski knocked out Ian Freeman; Robbie Lawler flattened Tiki Ghosn; and Chuck Liddell head kicked Renato Sobral. Not a single fight went to the scorecards.

The main attraction was the grudge match between light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and old-school favorite Ken Shamrock. Unlike most prizefighting rivalries, they genuinely hated each other. Months of trash talk created a groundswell of excitement, and the card was a massive success. When it was over, Ortiz had handed out a hellacious beating and UFC 40 had become the promotion’s first event to draw more than 100,000 pay-per-view buys.

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