6. Forrest Griffin def. Mauricio Rua
UFC 76 “Knockout”
Sept. 22, 2007 | Anaheim, California
Even though Forrest Griffin was one of the most popular fighters of his era, he was a crude, limited combatant. That’s why his fights were usually so entertaining, but in the grand scheme of things, he never looked like a great champion -- or so the world thought.

Rua had come over from Pride, where he was considered the second coming of Wanderlei Silva. He has already conquered the likes of Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, so Griffin was expected to be nothing more than a showcase opponent to display the destructive nature of “Shogun.” Pride fanboys were giddy as schoolgirls as they waited to for Rua to prove the superiority of Japan’s greatest fighting promotion.

As it turned out, Griffin put on the performance of his life and took the fight to the Brazilian. He went toe-to-toe when needed, took down his foe when he could and systematically broke down “Shogun” to a winded, beaten pulp. Finally, when the time was right, Griffin pounced and submitted Rua in the third with a rear-naked choke, setting up a title shot against Jackson.

Number 5 » Gonzaga-Filipovic