Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) had just beaten Valentijn Overeem (Pictures) in the Rings King of Kings 2000 tournament final; Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons had come to Holland to win a decision over Martijn de Jong in Rotterdam; and Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira had submitted Bob Schrijber (Pictures) at the ninth edition of the World Vale Tudo Championship in the Caribbean. A Dutch fighter needed to break the spell if the Netherlands didn't want to sustain a permanent inferiority complex against the Brazilians.
In the main event of the second 2 Hot 2 Handle show, Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) was booked to face Carlos Barreto, a black belt in BJJ and a member of the newly established Brazilian Top Team. After being kicked in the groin by Barreto's compatriot Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) six months earlier, Yvel was ready to explode.
Barreto took down Yvel right off the bat, knowing well how dangerous it would be to stand toe to toe with the 25-year-old muay Thai specialist. He even had the "Hurricane" mounted, but Yvel knew enough submission defense to stay out of trouble. When the referee stood both men, Yvel seized the opportunity to connect with a short right hook that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
After a brief dispute between the referee and the panel of judges, the fight was allowed to continue. Yvel took a run and caught Barreto with a flying knee straight on the button. The Brazilian was out cold immediately, his legs twisted like a pretzel.
Holland had finally scored revenge against Brazil, and the knockout is still played in highlight clips today.
6. Ian Freeman (Pictures) vs. Frank Mir (Pictures) on July 13, 2002 -- London, England
In its 10th anniversary year, the UFC came to London for the first time.
Ian Freeman (Pictures), a 36-year-old stalwart of MMA in the United Kingdom, was set to clash with undefeated heavyweight prospect Frank Mir (Pictures). Although sporting a record of 2-1 in the Octagon, Freeman hadn't been invited back for the last 10 UFCs and had hit a rough spell, losing four straight fights at one point.
Mir, a BJJ specialist out of Las Vegas, had taken the heavyweight division by storm, submitting multiple-time BJJ world champion and ADCC winner Roberto Traven as well as Coleman-conqueror Pete Williams. Accordingly, Freeman rededicated himself to training in a way he had never done before. His camp for the Mir fight reportedly cost the man from Sunderland in northeast England in excess of 6,000 pounds.
It was money well invested.
Freeman established his presence in the Octagon right from the opening bell. The wily veteran resisted the submission attempts of his young and cocky challenger and put him through an absolute pounding on the mat. After 4:35 of vintage ground and pound, Mir, bloodied up and totally exhausted, could not continue.
Freeman made the U.K. proud that night and eventually retired when he was 38. After coming out of retirement for a second time, a now 41-year-old "Machine" defeated knockout artist Paul Cahoon (Pictures) in May for the Cage Rage British light heavyweight championship.
In addition to their similar styles, Freeman is now officially the English version of Randy Couture (Pictures).
5. Jose Landi-Jons (Pictures) vs. Lee Murray (Pictures) on July 13, 2003 -- London, England
A year later a bout took place that was even more important for the establishment of England as an MMA fighting nation.
Upstart promotion Extreme Force had the lofty ambition of becoming the United Kingdom's counterpart to the UFC. Blessed with wealthy backers, the London-based newcomers had signed top international talent like Jens Pulver (Pictures) and Renato "Babalu" Sobral for its debut show and also brought back Ian Freeman (Pictures).
After an almost unparalleled injury plight removed all three of the aforementioned fighters from the card, the bout between Brazilian vale tudo legend Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and breakout star Lee Murray (Pictures) suddenly became the main event. Even though Murray had gained notoriety for knocking out then UFC champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures) on the streets of London a year before, most experts figured that Pele was simply too skilled and too experienced for the young Londoner.
The opposite was the case.
Murray, a pupil of Dutch grappling master Remco Pardoel and local boxing coach Terry Coulter, did the unthinkable. He handed the Brazilian, who in his prime had been a role model for Anderson and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), his first knockout loss. Critics were quick to point out that Pele was already on the down slope of his career, but it was also a case of him meeting a rising star that night.
Two and a half years after this fantastic achievement, Murray was again in the news, this time in connection with the February 2006 £53-million Securitas raid -- Britain's biggest cash robbery.
Murray is currently held in custody in Morocco, where he was arrested for the possession of a large amount of cocaine. Morocco and England are negotiating his extradition, but the fact that Murray is also holding a Moroccan passport has delayed and complicated matters.
4. David Baron (Pictures) vs. Sauli Heilimo on March 12, 2005 -- Stockholm, Sweden
When David Baron (Pictures) challenged Sauli Heilimo for the Shooto European title in March 2005, big wins for French fighters over top international competition were a rare sight.
His opponent, Finland's Heilimo, had made a name for himself as an excellent and durable ground fighter. He had won two of the grueling FinnFight tournaments and competed both in Japan and the United States.
In the second Shooto sanctioned event in Sweden, the duo clashed for the welterweight belt. Both men put on a wrestling and submission fighting clinic with Baron surviving numerous choke attempts in the opening round. After the break the French judoka found his rhythm and stuffed Heilimo's takedown attempts, then punished the Finn with a series of leg kicks on the ground. Inside the guard of his opponent, Baron also scored with punches and knee strikes to the ribcage.
From side control, the Frenchman eventually risked losing dominant position and went for an inverted triangle choke, one of the most difficult submissions to pull off. Baron crossed his legs in front of Heilimo's face, and within seconds the Finn was forced to tap for only the second time in his career.
Baron went on to clean up most of the welterweight division in Europe and recently returned to Japan for a career-defining win over legendary Shooter Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.