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5. Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Dream 5
July 21, 2008

Before he became Bellator MMA’s first star, Alvarez fought all over the world, from Russia and Japan to the United States and everywhere in between. Some of the biggest wins of his early career came in Japan’s Dream promotion, where he defeated the likes of Andre Amado and Joachim Hansen before facing off with Kawajiri. The Japanese fighter had only lost to the division’s elite, including Gilbert Melendez and Takanori Gomi, which made this one of the highest-profile lightweight fights in recent memory.

Alvarez and Kawajiri went back and forth in a quick-paced barnburner that nevertheless highlighted great technical skill from both fighters. Alvarez cracked away with a sharp jab, low kicks and powerful combination punching, while Kawajiri stuffed takedowns, landed knees from the front headlock and dropped hard counters when the American got wild.

Both fighters scored knockdowns, first Alvarez from a punching combination and then Kawajiri with a counter uppercut. Alvarez survived, but Kawajiri passed to the mount and landed more hard shots. The American escaped back to his feet and immediately pressed the action, only to be dropped again. Alvarez again recovered, pushing Kawajiri into the corner behind yet more combinations and finally dropped him again with a right hook-right uppercut sequence that led to the finish.

Technical but insane ultra-violence from beginning to end sets apart Alvarez-Kawajiri from the sloppy brawls that often pass for great fights in MMA, and it is one of the finest representatives of the genre.

Number 4 » Arlovski vs. Browne