Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest UFC Fights

2. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 | TUF 1 Finale

Griffin-Bonnar 1 is the fight praised by the UFC itself more than any other since it first occurred, so it's little surprise it ends up being the runner-up here. The fight was polarizing as it received four first-place votes, as many as the only fight ahead of it, but others, myself included, left it off entirely. I will try to present both perspectives. Firstly, it's either the least or most important fight of any on this list. What do I mean? Of the other nine fights discussed here, seven were for UFC titles and two were between elite contenders and all-time legends. Griffin vs. Bonnar, by contrast, was for the title of the first “Ultimate Fighter” and neither man was considered remotely close to a top 10 light heavyweight even by the standards of 2005. However, there is an argument that this fight vastly exceeds any fight discussed here in importance. As Dana White has repeatedly stated, “it saved the UFC,” leading to a massive boom for the company at a time when it was losing millions of dollars a year.

The degree to which this narrative is actually true could take up an entire article by itself. I would argue that the reality show itself, rather than one fight on its finale, was a bigger factor, not to mention Spike's deal with the UFC, exposing normal television viewers to MMA for the first time, or the subsequent popularity of knockout artist Chuck Liddell, then the face of the company. Still, Griffin-Bonnar definitely helped. As for the fight, there are two ways to look at it as well. On the one hand, it was a non-stop brawl for 15 minutes, with Griffin and Bonnar exchanging endless haymakers back-and-forth to the enthusiastic approval of the audience. Both were bloody messes by the end, and Griffin won a narrow split decision that should have been unanimous. On the other hand, I watched the fight live with my father back in 2005, having followed the UFC for over a decade at that point, and we were both unimpressed, considering it a sloppy kickboxing contest. Interestingly, the victor Forrest Griffin at least partially agreed. When asked about the fight over the next year, he would often demure and talk about how he cringed at all the mistakes when rewatching it. Indeed, when Griffin and Bonnar fought a rematch just 16 months later, it wasn't the toe-to-toe brawl that the original had been. Griffin's striking had improved a lot while Bonnar's hadn't, leading to Griffin easily sweeping all three rounds while taking a minimum of damage, winning 30-27 on every scorecard in the surprisingly drama-free affair. Regardless, the original was a seminal fight in UFC history.

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