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9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp
Pride “Shockwave”
Aug. 28, 2002 | Tokyo

There was a time when the monstrous Sapp was one of the most frightening fighters in the world. He had knocked out Ernesto Hoost in K-1 and burst into the Pride Fighting Championships ring with two destructive knockouts in less than three combined minutes. Nogueira was thought to be the man to put “The Beast” in his place. It did not work out that way initially.

Sapp wrecked Nogueira for more than 10 minutes before 91,000 fans at Tokyo National Stadium. He drove him head first into the canvas, slammed him repeatedly and pounded on him from top position. Observers seated at ringside grew concerned that Sapp was going to seriously injure or even kill “Minotauro,” and the fight was on the brink of being stopped on more than one occasion. Nevertheless, Nogueira was cut from a different cloth than 99 percent of the world’s population and somehow withstood the assault. The Brazilian waited for Sapp to wear down and looked for his opportunity. Nogueira snatched an arm late in the second round, scrambled to side control and pulled off a textbook armbar for the tapout 4:03 into round two.

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