8. Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
UFC Fight Night 14
July 19, 2008 | Broomfield, Colorado
Irvin was an exciting fighter with crushing knockout power, but he was never considered a serious threat in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. When it was announced that Silva, in the midst of a murderous title reign at 185 pounds, was moving up in weight to face Irvin, the MMA world reacted with a collective yawn.

The UFC promoted the fight with the angle of Silva jumping to 205 pounds to test his mettle against heavier opponents. Those who knew the sport understood Irvin had virtually no chance of succeeding against an elite striker in his prime.

The fight was over in 61 seconds. Silva caught one of Irvin’s kicks and unleashed a counter right hand to the face that sent “The Sandman” crashing to the canvas. A few follow-up shots brought it to a close and left Irvin with a horrendous gash underneath his eye, the scar a lasting reminder of his ill-fated encounter with one of MMA’s all-time greats.

Number 7 » Ortiz-Shamrock