Sherdog’s Top 10: Best MMA Fights of All-Time
Silva vs. Jackson 2
The debate never ceases, and with each passing event, the potential for one of the greatest fights of all-time continues to threaten everybody’s own top 10 lists. It’s good to revisit these types of debates every few years, because things often change on a dime and everybody’s own lists endure reshuffling.
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Honorable Mentions: Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone 1 (WEC 43); Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 2 (Bellator 106); Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 165); Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195); Don Frye vs. Gary Goodridge 2 (Ultimate Ultimate ’96)
10. Wanderlei
Silva vs. Quinton
Jackson 2
Pride 28
Silva had already stopped American powerhouse “Rampage” with knees a year earlier in one of 2003’s best overall scraps and fight fans waited with baited breath and foaming mouths for the rematch. The two 205-pounders didn’t disappoint as they picked up where they left off and tried killing each other for 13-plus minutes. But in the end, Silva was in better shape, landed the harder strikes and wore out Jackson before kneeing him to a pulp in the second round.
Jackson was battered and gasping for air when he walked into a flailing right hook. The punch buckled his knees, Silva went in for the kill and got him in a Thai plum. “The Axe Murderer” doled out five straight knees but “Rampage” was able to mostly block them all. He didn’t block the sixth one, though, and it blew up on his face. Jackson was kayoed instantly and flopped face-first into the ropes, where he bounced up and down like a Jell-O mold.
Silva’s rematch knockout of Jackson remains arguably Pride’s most popular knockout because of how huge both stars were at the time. One would be hard-pressed to find a more sinister knockout from a knee in all of MMA and there was never a better one in Pride.
Continue Reading » Griffin vs. Bonnar
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