---

3. Jackson’s Power Bomb
Pride Critical Countdown 2004
June 20, 2004 | Saitama, Japan
Quinton Jackson accomplished a great deal in the UFC when he eventually transitioned to the American promotion. He won the light heavyweight strap by knocking out longtime champion Chuck Liddell, separated nemesis Wanderlei Silva from consciousness in their third meeting and challenged for the belt once again against wunderkind Jon Jones. Despite all of those sterling accomplishments in the UFC, however, the signature moment of Jackson’s career came during his long run in Pride.

In 2004, Jackson was just entering the prime of his career. A wrestle-boxer with tremendous athleticism, power and physical strength, he could win fights on the feet and on the ground, but his slams were the centerpiece of his game. He already held wins over Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante and Liddell, to name a few. He had fallen short once against Silva, but at that point, nobody was having much success against the Pride middleweight kingpin. Following the loss to Silva, Jackson rebounded with a knockout victory over Ikuhisa Minowa, which set up a matchup with Ricardo Arona, who was returning from a long hiatus after wins over Dan Henderson and Murilo Rua.

The two traded a few shots on the feet, but Arona looked to pull guard whenever possible. While Jackson landed a few shots from inside Arona’s guard, he was constantly forced to defend against triangle, armbar and sweep attempts, and he was nearly knocked out by upkicks and hammerfists from the bottom. Finally, Arona seemed to have a triangle-armbar sequence locked up after working a high guard and controlling posture, and Jackson appeared to be in serious trouble.

Jackson took advantage of the fact that Arona was hanging on tightly, stood up, reared back and slammed Arona to the canvas. It was a clean knockout and one of the most violent moments in the history of MMA. While Jackson would go on to establish himself as an all-time great, this is by far his most memorable moment and a must-watch when introducing any new fans to the sport as a whole.

Number 2 » ‘Showtime Kick’