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10. Mark Coleman vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
Pride “Pride Grand Prix 2000: Finals”
May 1, 2000 | Tokyo

Coleman was at the time viewed as a washed-up bloke clinging to past glory as an early-days UFC champion. He had lost four fights in a row, including a head-kick knockout to Pete Williams and a heel hook submission to Nobuhiko Takada. He was supposedly finished as a legitimate contender, but he nevertheless entered Pride’s open weight grand prix in 2000. Coleman won the first fight in the tournament and never looked back.

“The Hammer” eventually met Vovchanchyn in the final, and he did not disappoint. After trapping the Ukrainian heavyweight in a corner and putting him on his back, Coleman had Vovchanchyn’s head in clear view of his knees. Since Pride allowed knees to the head of a downed fighter, Coleman did what any mauler would have done and started unloading knee after knee until the submission came and referee Yuji Shimada called for the stoppage.

It was an unlikely turn of events, as Coleman resurrected his career and won the grand prix in grand fashion. After a knee-induced technical knockout against Allan Goes in his next match, he went on to lose six of his 10 subsequent bouts. Coleman was inducted into the UFC hall of fame on March 1, 2008.

Number 9 » Kingly Finish