Sherdog’s Top 10: Pride Fights

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9. Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
Pride “Critical Countdown 2004”
June 20, 2004 | Saitama, Japan

The battle between “Rampage” and Arona was entertaining, but it goes down as one of the most memorable fights in Pride history because of how it ended. The two men traded some decent shots while on the feet, but the majority of the duel was fought with Jackson inside Arona’s guard. The Brazilian jockeyed for position, repeatedly searching for the armbar or a sweep. Jackson defended it all and was rocked by a pair of heel strikes to the face when he tried to pass to side control. Eventually, Arona came close to securing the American’s left arm for either the lock or a possible triangle.

Jackson lifted Arona over his head, fully extended his body and then slammed him down on the canvas as hard as he could, ending the match in an instant. Once Arona plummeted back to Earth, his circuits were scrambled. The impact was so frightening that many who watched Arona bounce off the canvas thought they might actually witness a live death inside the ring. To make matters worse for the submission ace, Jackson’s face also slammed into his forehead before “Rampage” smashed his skull with two follow-up right hammerfists.

Number 8 » Emelianenko vs. Filipovic