10. Takanori Gomi vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri | Bushido 9 (Sept. 25, 2005)
Gomi vs. Kawajiri in September 2005 was not only a battle to decide the best lightweight in the world at a time when the Ultimate Fighting Championship had shuttered its division, but a grudge match between two similar fighters who—naturally—hated one another. On the one hand was 27-year-old Shooto king Kawajiri, who had avenged a loss to the great Vitor Ribeiro “Shaolin” by knocking him out in December 2004 to stake his claim as the supreme lightweight. He had easily won his first two Pride fights to face fellow 27-year-old Gomi, who had also been successful in Shooto but had never attained the fame of Kawajiri. Gomi's only decisive loss was being choked out by B.J. Penn in 2003, then one of the best pound-for-pound talents in the sport, who had subsequently moved up to 170 pounds and choked out UFC welterweight king Matt Hughes. Adding to the intrigue, not only were both Gomi and Kawajiri the same age, with similar backgrounds, but both had started out as big, powerful wrestlers who developed skilled striking.
Early on, it was Kawajiri who looked in control, firing big overhand rights that barely missed, trying to take Gomi down, and punishing him with fast, hard leg kicks. However, Gomi back then had some of the very best boxing in the sport, throwing beautiful combinations years ahead of his time with crisp technique and good hand speed. He had some success with a right hook and uppercut from a southpaw stance and after Kawajiri partially connected with a head kick, Gomi threw a series of punches, with a nifty right hook smacking his nemesis on the jaw. They continued trading blows, with Kawajiri scoring with leg kicks and Gomi punches, including a lovely left cross. In a brilliant tactical move, Gomi switched from southpaw to orthodox, delivering a huge left hook to the body and then an overhand right to the head. He then followed that up with a wicked right hook from the southpaw stance and after Kawajiri shot for a takedown, he stuffed it and punished him with a knee to the head. As Kawajiri got up, Gomi continued abusing him with a series of punches as the crowd roared its approval. Kawajiri was game though, nailing Gomi with an overhand right. Undeterred, Gomi kept advancing forward as Kawajiri began to get tired, going to the body and then the head with his signature right hook. Kawajiri clinched but Gomi hit him with several hard knees, one to the head. As Kawajiri crumpled, Gomi immediately took his back, raining down punishment. As Kawajiri looked to survive, Gomi suddenly locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap 7:42 into the first round. A supreme victory for Gomi, likely the best of his great career, after which he was unanimously considered the world's best 155 pounder. This was also an incredible lightweight clash for its time, showcasing a level of striking and uncompromising battle in every arena of fighting that wouldn't become the norm for the division until years later.
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