Promoter European Vale Tudo had built a reputation in the previous two years by bringing in established professionals like Guy Mezger (Pictures) and Travis Lutter (Pictures) from the United States and pitting them against Scandinavia's best.
The recipe for the fifth show, called "Phoenix," was a different one. EVT put on a quartet of four-man, one-night tournaments to find the best fighters in Europe at 154, 168, 183 and 201 pounds. The welterweight grand prix was particularly talent-laden with rising French star Mohamed Khacha (Pictures), Nova Uniao Italia representative Fabricio Nascimento (Pictures), German kickboxer Dennis Siver (Pictures) and local hero Mattias Awad filling the brackets.
Nascimento, a BJJ black belt under André Pederneiras, had dispatched of Siver in a mere 47 seconds by kimura and was well rested. Awad, however, had to fight for eight hard minutes and needed a controversial referee stoppage to move into the finals. There the athletic Swede controlled his Brazilian opponent on the ground while persistently breaking down his defense with hard strikes from the top position.
Then, in the second round, something happened that even the most diehard Awad supporters wouldn't have expected. With less than a minute to go, the 30-year-old shootfighter took the back of Nascimento and submitted the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt via rear-naked choke.
As the first and only European Vale Tudo welterweight grand prix winner, Awad put Sweden on the map as a fighting nation.
2. Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos on Feb. 4, 2006 -- London, England
Fans looking to get their buddies interested in the sport need to look no further than this fight -- one of the fiercest stand-up wars ever.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (Pictures) had been considered as a challenger for Manhoef's Cage Rage title. Luckily for the fans, "The Phenom" turned down the fight, citing that Manhoef was not up to standard to fight him.
Although title fights often fail to live up to expectations, this clash between Dutch and Brazilian muay Thai stylists far exceeded the anticipation. Both men stood in the middle of the ring and banged it out for almost two rounds before one of them went down.
Cyborg fought a smart fight early, avoiding a direct exchange of blows by clinching and even putting Manhoef on his back. In the second round, though, Santos punched himself out.
Totally out of gas, both men stood in the middle of the cage trading shots. With his hands hanging at waist level, Cyborg gave Manhoef the opening he needed to end the fight. A vicious three-punch combination followed, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
It was Manhoef's penultimate fight for Cage Rage before permanently moving to Japan to fight exclusively for FEG's Hero's brand. The rough Dutchman has gone on to take all of his wins in Japan by knockout. Cyborg has recently arrived in Japan as well, and a smart promoter should immediately book a rematch between these two warriors.
1. Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) vs. Matt Lindland (Pictures) on April 14, 2007 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
There isn't a superlative that hasn't been used for Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures).
That's why it was a major sensation for "The Last Emperor" to return to fight in his home country for the first time in six years. When Emelianenko left for his new sporting home in Japan in 2001, he was a solid samboist who also knew how to punch a bit. When he returned in April 2007 to take on Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland (Pictures) in Russia, he was celebrated as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and acknowledged even by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
While the sporting value of the bout is still debated today -- Fedor outweighed Lindland by 20 pounds and illegally grabbed the ropes to gain a decisive advantage at one point -- it gave fans a glimpse of what Russia could be as a host for the MMA industry in the future.
Emelianenko's return to St. Petersburg also had consequences for several fight promoters. A disagreement between Fedor's management team and upstart MMA league Bodog Fight, which had co-promoted the Lindland fight, contributed to Bodog's eventual demise. The event also put M-1 Mix-Fight, the series of events hosted by Emelianenko's manager Vadim Finkelstein, in an international spotlight after it had secured sponsors from the United States.
Those who have followed the seemingly endless saga about the Russian heavyweight know the outcome: The American and Russian branches of M-1 Global parted ways, making Fedor a virtual free agent again. He is now booked to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) on clothing company Affliction's July 19 debut show.
Whether it will take Fedor another six years to return to his homeland for a fight remains to be seen.