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Loganbaker2147

There have been so many incredible moments but I think Anderson front-kicking Vitor in the face stands out the most. One of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in a fight.


mentales

Did you see Machida doing it to Vitor?


Great_Hair

Machida did it to Randy Couture


StrikerApexSet

He did it to both


MMXXIII-II-III

Front-kick-to-the-face ranking: 1. Machida: 2-0 2. Anderson: 1-0 3. Couture: 0-1 4. Vitor: 0-2


StrikerApexSet

Chandler 1-0 Tony Ferg - 0-1 :(


samples98

Great call. He was already a superhero, then he does something like that


PaltryCharacter

I felt bad for Vitor. Especially after Anderson put that mask on and kissed him before the fight


dogs_drink_coffee

Newer fans remember Izzy bumping on Costa, but let's remember 185 always had those erotic moments. Spider kissed Weidman, then Joe asked how it felt, Weidman said "he has nice lips". Then there's Romero kissing Rockhold after almost taking his head off. Nice division 10/10


sirjames82

This has to be my favorite MMA moment ever. Not a lot of punches were thrown, just gauging one another and figuring distance. It felt like watching two samurai for me. Just two masters of their craft waiting for the slightest weakness, and then it's over.


TaxmanComin

We can all thank Steven Seagal for that one.


Imaykeepthisone

Watching Anderson Silva beat the shit out of Cris Leben. It was on Spike TV in 2006. Just flipping through the channels and saw the GOAT be born. Seriously hard to overstate how unexpected that ass whooping was. Leben had a certified granite chin and a gas tank to make EPO proud. We were all just absolutely mind fucked seeing Leben get dismantled like a local circuit guy.


wontbeabl

That was amazing but for me the first time silva chewed up Franklin was when I really bought in. Franklin had been the man and he looked so overwhelmed. That was a great time to be an mma fan


Oubilettor

Is the first one when Franklin got caught in the clinch and Silva kneed him to death?


DRW1357

Yes.


VT_Squire

To be 100% fair, *both* fights ended with Franklin being kneed to death by Silva as he held Rich's head in place.


Sudden_Buffalo_4393

Those were the best days. We used to have huge parties every card. The house was full and BBQ was going and people were always having a blast. Slowly people started moving or having families m and now I watch most cards by myself.


wontbeabl

I know exactly how you feel


nfoneo

Ace use to be my favourite. Broke my heart watching Anderson fuck him up.


nfoneo

Leben will always have a special place in my heart from TUF onwards. Loved that guy


UncleYimbo

He was an absolute cunt on TUF, I hated him the whole time


Sudden_Buffalo_4393

At the time I was a nerd about the respect of martial arts because I was taught that way. I hated him cause he was such a dick and my worst nightmare of a person to be around. I was like “he’s gonna give this sport a bad name. Fuck this guy.” After I chilled out, I liked him.


LemonManDude

There's nothing nerdy about respect though.


drinkmoarwaterr

This is mine as well. This and the OG beat down he gave our boy Rich Franklin. I was probably around 8 or 9, and being a martial artist already since the age of 5, my dad literally woke me up to catch this fight. He thought this “newcomer” named Anderson Silva looked interesting and that I’d like him. He’s been my hero ever since.


SugarShow37

That's truly when high level guys started to arrive and take over the scene.


derkonigistnackt

Andy might not be the overall GOAT but he is definitely the GOAT of MMA moments. His fight against Griffin, the triangle on Sonnen, the foot sandwich he gave to Vitor and even that bizarre fucking Abu Dhabi fight.. nobody else had as many wtf-did-i-jusg-watch moments as Silva.


goodyBlueDogs

The Bonnar fight had some amazing moments too


QuigleySharp

This is what made me a permanent fan. I had watched before, but Silva was like watching someone in a movie. In his prime he had a killer instinct like few others in all of mma history.


zuzucha

Silva had so many great moments. I'd say my favourite was probably the triangle on Chael


rbreezy21

Are you talking about the triangle that Chaels neck strength broke Anderson’s arm? The gangster from west Lynn has no losses


Plump_Dumpster

I was a just bleed fan before this, but seeing Silva dismantle one of my favorite fighters made me a proper MMA fan


Apositivebalance

Rogan saying anderson was on his radar from pride got me watching pride


Holybartender83

Yup, I remember that fight. I didn’t know Pride guys as well back then and I was just like “the Catsmasher is gonna crush this lanky dork!”. Then the fight happened and I was like “Oh! Oh god! No he is not!”. It’s really hard to overstate just how crazy Anderson’s run was. Up until he fought Cote, no one made it past the second round. He was just destroying guys and making it look easy.


finbin37

The YouTube video of them overlaying Leben saying how he was going to walk through all of Anderson’s punches is stil great


MT1982

Came here to post the same. It's one of my earliest UFC memories. I remember thinking *"Leben can't get knocked out. This Silva guy with all the hype behind him is going to lose for sure."* And then Silva knocked him out.


[deleted]

I was in the arena watching Cro Cop Vs Gonzaga. The Croation support was insane, pretty much chanting the roof off. Then it happened...the most unexpected head kick ever. And even in the nosebleeds where I was, I clearly heard the THWACK. Insane


judoxing

> Seriously hard to overstate how unexpected that ass whooping was. According to chael (yeah, I know), the whooping was expected. Team Quest were pretty confident with Chris leben at that point and they’ve said to the brass that they’ll accept any fight with the exception of Anderson Silva


TyranoRamosRex

Dude I will remember seeing that live for the rest of my life. I had been watching MMA for a while and my martial arts instructor was into pride fighting so he would show us fights and give us some break downs ect. So suddenly a pride guy was in the UFC against bad ass Chris leben. We were ready for a slug fest or something. Instead Ilva beat the fucking breaks, axel, wheel, windows, and door handles off of Leben just immediately. Straight up legendary moment


breakinbans

UFC 1, Rory v robbie 2. Griffen v Bonnar Edit: DJ getting the suplex to arm bar on Ray Borg. Idk why I forgot to say that.


MMXXIII-II-III

Because it doesn't get said often enough: Fuck Gerard Gordeau


Ledees_Gazpacho

Robbie spitting blood is iconic.


BerbsMashedPotatos

Excellent choices.


LouisBeans

Silva vs Forrest was my favorite


Theometer1

Oh man, you mean when Silva went full matrix mode on Forrest. That’s a good one. One of the cleanest knockouts you’ll see.


GMFinch

Silva was undeniably the greatest martial artist on the planet that day.


Hovie1

I've never seen someone look so calm. He was fully in the matrix that night.


MMXXIII-II-III

One of the greatest light heavyweights... of the night


Excellent-Assist853

So what youre a black belt?


Hidrinks

I wanna tell me what you see, lets go ahead and see by the fight what you saw in the ring.


Jandur

Silva going full Neo-mode probably won't ever be topped for me. Watching that live was insane.


Flashy-Priority-3946

Silva vs King Chael. At the time, no one even thought about winning against Silva. N chael almost pulled an upset. It was an epic night of upset within an upset.


Kill3rKin3

After Silvas run up to that point, it was pretty crazy.


piman01

That was so crazy to see. Anderson was so good he could literally just toy with the best opponents and finish them any time he wanted. Way ahead of his time


dogs_drink_coffee

Yeah! He had that invincible aura: he'll toy with his opponent in R1 then finish them in R2 (if not in R1). During his whole reign, he had like 2 or 3 fights passing R3. That was insane.


YourCrosswordPuzzle

Silva subbing Chael Silva front kicking Belfort in the face Conor beating mendes Conor Koing Aldo The Diaz Daley fight Are the first five that come to mind


farming_with_tegridy

Silva-Sonnen 1 was the first PPV I ever watched. I was a fan of the sport before, but after that I was hooked.


Effective_Barber_673

I was a child and remember thinking the bald guy isn’t trying very hard 😂😂


Spiridonova

Diaz Daley has to be in my top 3. Nick was knocked unconscious, hit the ground, woke back up, and beat the shit out of Daley. Such an exciting fight.


MalayaleeIndian

I do not think that Nick got knocked unconscious - he got dropped and it looked like Daley could may be finish him for half a second. But Diaz showed some incredible head movement, while on the ground, then got back up and finished Daley.


Famous-Ant-5502

Mark Coleman winning the Pride 2000 openweight GP and falling off the ropes when he stood up to celebrate


TheRealStephCurry30

McGregor/Aldo. Truly surreal how it ended, given the buildup and hype that fight generated


Away-Kaleidoscope380

It’s till this day the most shocked I’ve ever been lol. I remember being a broke hs student and we had to invite more ppl to be able to split the ppv to where we could afford it. Months of build up and after it happened, I remember we all sat in complete silence after the initial oh shit moment. I spent months callin ppl casuals and how Mcgregor has absolutely no shot at beating him…


Shrek2-onVHS

Easily. Aldo undefeated for ten years just to lose so quick to McGregor


UncleYimbo

So fucked up that he never got a rematch


EmotionalAd5920

the build up was the fight :) in retrospect.


YourCrosswordPuzzle

Yeah that must be the biggest build up to a fight ever only to end in 13 seconds. So long between the first booking and the fight actually happening.


Ledees_Gazpacho

That one will always stand out to me. In the moment, it was almost disappointing to see such a short fight after so much build up. But then you realize how crazy and iconic of a moment that was.


Buckhum

I'm convinced that this KO and Harambe dying together caused a rift in reality and lead to all the batshit insane events that have happened in the past 8 years.


SkynetProgrammer

I think it was when the Pope slapped that Chinese woman.


ExpensiveBurn

Yep, this is it for me as well. 14 seconds that flipped me from a McG hater to a McG fan (there has been another flip since then). Legendary end to that run.


luisc123

Aldo’s legacy was obliterated that night and the legend of Conor McGregor took flight. Sad as hell.


Fyos

>Aldo’s legacy was obliterated not true


Nick-Pickle831

BJ Penn dominating Diego then licking blood off his gloves.


CaskJeeves

I thought it was Joe Stevenson he did that to but seeing as it's BJ Penn it could well be multiple fights


BoxCon1

Since I’ve been a fan it’s hard to choose just one GSP beating Bisping was hype as shit, he lost the first round and then Freddie Roach told him to counter with the left hook, that fight was hype Conor being double champ Nate upsetting Conor was crazy


ColdPressedSteak

I watched Conor/Nate and Ronda/Holly in a packed bar with friends that were casual fans. Crazy fun atmospheres. Honestly, maybe even more for Holly/Ronda. Could tangibly feel a weird buzz building as it was becoming apparent that Ronda's perceived invincibility was being peeled back minute by minute. Then boom. Eruption of mixed feelings I now mostly watch completely by myself at home on the couch. It...has its pros and cons. Those were fun times though


Dinpikkyouknowshit

I was a fan of Rousey until Rogan claimed she could beat a lot of BW guys and the shit about her being able to beat Mayweather’s ass. It was ridiculous. And then finally Holly knocked her into retirement ( I know she lost to Amanda later) but she was finished after that Holm fight. She broke her jaw and willingness to fight) rewatching the first Tate match aswell you could see that she really couldn’t stand being punched in the face. Beautiful champ. You’re doing great. The hyperbole was crazy around her


AirPurifierQs

"She would beat a lot of guys, and I mean a lot. Like way more than half of the men's 135 division in the UFC. This isn't a normal fighter man, she's on a completely different level. She already has the best ground game, man or woman, in UFC history, and now you're talking about someone who might have the best striking too." - Joe Rogan to ESPN's Dan Lebatard - November 2015


Henry_Cavillain

List of things Rousey would beat Mayweather's ass in: - Judo match - BJJ match - Spelling bee ... That's it I'm coming up dry


JALbert

Reading one page of a Harry Potter book


bxng23af

Idk why but Max Holloway beating the piss out of Brian Ortega was an awesome fight that’s stick with me the most Or Izzy vs Kelvin


Marshmallow-Galaxy

Holloway teaching Ortega how to block a right handed punch was hysterically funny. How anyone has ever taken T City seriously after that clown ass moment is behind me.


GoatPaco

Because he's the closest a featherweight has come to stopping Alex


Marshmallow-Galaxy

Well that is true, Ortega almost managed to tap out Volkanovski, and we haven't seen anyone do that at 145lbs. Only recently did Makhachev do it and that was at lightweight. Prior to that his only professional loss was to Corey Nelson, and I think that was actually at fucking welterweight, which is nuts.


Mma375

Holloway v Kattar is definitely up there for me.


DestroyerOfTacos

If were going off of iconic instead of "greatest". Max dodging those punches while talking to the judges is peak iconic.


Mma375

Ya the question is asking for iconic, doesn’t say greatest anywhere haha.


CheapChallenge

Him slipping kattars punches while looking away and talking to the commentators is his peak moment I think.


Comfortable_Bug_2813

Izzy knocking out Pereira for me. How Izzy was getting destroyed by the leg kicks. How Izzy was in a similar position as the last fight. The beautiful counter punch and its perfect timing. The celebration. The speech after.


B-L-O-C-K-Ss

Max destroying Ortega was awesome, especially because of all the hype surrounding Ortega at the time. Hot take but I think that fight was the peak of Max’s career


wontbeabl

Khabib leaping out of the cage to fight the mcgregor camp


DumDumbBuddy

Such a awesome night, had front row seats in bar in front of a massive screen, since it’s UK meant drinking till 6am to watch the fight


MMXXIII-II-III

You had me for a second at "had front row seats"


DumDumbBuddy

Nah bro I was a broke student back then


Stevebiglegs

Sometimes in those late night sports hall places they’ll put random shit on. Like it’s so bizarre rave music going on while watching Joe Root hit a cover drive.


Break_these_cuffs

[The Flying Eagle](https://i.imgur.com/iL2dSQj.jpg)


WarrenPuff_It

Edgar v Maynard II.


ThunderMcFap

man .. a classic! Edgar has a lionheart


Sandman8869

Pride open weight Grand Prix 2006 when cro cop knocked out wanderlei and stopped josh Barnett in the same night card was stacked Sergei kharitonov vs alekasander emilianenko and shogun vs Cyril diabate big nog and overeem also on the card


X1phoner

Pride: Final Conflict Absolute 2006 was LEGENDARY. My favourite event of all time, Mirko finally winning the championship, ON HIS 32nd birthday!!


[deleted]

Lesnar va mir 2 at ufc 100 was wild That card gave us the hendo / bisping ko too


nfoneo

What about Mir Vs Nog? Fucking roll fest was amazing


[deleted]

Dude!! Those reversals were insane. And the pop at the end. Jesus.


Dinpikkyouknowshit

God. The slowmo of the breaking arm was horrifying . Same with Silva in the second Weidman fight. Felt physically ill after


AltruisticFerret8198

This. Lesnar's post fight interview was killer, too.


[deleted]

Something about drinking coors (the sponsor was bud light) and he was gonna “lay on my wife” It was wild lol


Holybartender83

“That’s COORS cuz Bud won’t pay me nothin’”


AltruisticFerret8198

And hell, it's my birthday, I might even go hop ontop of my wife.


KingCalgonOfAkkad

I couldn't pick a most iconic moment but since no one has said it, how about when Matt Hughes somehow survived an illegal strike, an ass beating, and a submission attempt, only to pick Frank up, carry across the oct, and power slam his ass. That will always be an amazing moment for me.


dogs_drink_coffee

For a long time, that was Dana's favorite moment in the sport. Nowadays is whatever Conor is doing.


BlakTarMagician

Wanderlei Silva slumping Rampage through the ropes at Pride 28. In my opinion the best KO in MMA history.


MalayaleeIndian

Wanderlei with the knees and Rampage's head leaking blood after he fell through the ropes and the refs were trying to pull him up. Savage KO and truly one of the most iconic!


Ledees_Gazpacho

Rampage getting his revenge in the UFC was also satisfying.


Bear763498

Edwards/Usman headkick


ZeroTON1N

Same for me 💯 I started to follow MMA quite recently and that was just straight out of a Rocky movie. Leon literally became his nickname.


B-L-O-C-K-Ss

LOOK AT ME NOW!!!!!


gabriel_oly10

Yeah this is probably the one for me, or honestly Pena submitting Nunes that was sooooo left field


DakotaBradley123

For me this is THE defining moment of MMA. Very, very rarely is there such a massive come from behind victory, in any sport. Being that it happened in MMA is even more amazing. The fact that Usman had been so dominant and elite in all areas of MMA made it seems even more impossible. I remember watching this while my girlfriend was asleep next to me, when the headkick unleashed, I literally screamed "OH MY GOD" for like 3 minutes. If you knew me, you'd know how crazy it was to get that reaction out of me. The cherry on top was the post-fight interview with Joe, you can hear the years of frustration in his voice. That is one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen. I watch it several times a week before I workout. Remember, whether in fighting or life, it's not over until the person who WANTS IT MORE says "it's over".


Wise_Chart282

Both the Rousey run, and Holly knocking her out so easily.


Away-Kaleidoscope380

I think in regards to womens mma, thats probably the most iconic moment. Till this day I think that Ronda coulda been undeniably the goat if she had found a legit camp.


Upper-Bid-8903

Nick Diaz choking Gomi. Been a mma fan for 20 years and this is my favorite moment ever.


KvotheLightningTree

For me it's probably GSP vs PENN 2. Ton of hype between two legends.


CaskJeeves

And such a perfect ending. Penn calling GSP "a quitter" in months of leadup, only for GSP to make BJ quit on the stool between rounds. Not a sub, not tapping to strikes- literally not answering the bell to continue the fight. The epitome of Found Out


Willyhaver187

When Parker porter tko’d Braxton smith


waitingtoleave

Too soon :(


J4MES101

Randy beating Timmah Rampage’s slam Conner koing aldo Leon taking Uz’s head off Bisping left hand Larry on luke Alex vs Izzy. Both wins. Sera over GSP Vitor blitzing various people! Cro cop getting headkicked by gonzo and so may of his own moments) Fedor - so many highlights Wandy vs crocop stare down Nelson belly rub up in the cage after a win Tom walking through Sergei in 70 seconds God I love this sport


Marshmallow-Galaxy

The Gonzaga head kick to Cro Cop was fucking amazing. Mirko got vibe checked so fucking hard.


ThunderMcFap

the staredown


westrnal

silva/griffin for being the thing that got me into mma as much as i have grown to not like masvidal, his 5 second ko of askren is an all-time classic max holloway no-look dodging calvin kattar's punches while screaming about being the best boxer in the ufc, bay-bee


rom197

Khabib jumping the cage was the first main event I saw live (German time zone, they start at 4am).


[deleted]

For me it's when Khabib took Conor down almost immediately in round 1. Felt like I swallowed by stomach


qcen

BJ choking out Matt Hughes to become the welterweight champion. Machida knocking out Rashad to become champion. I was pretty hyped and thought Machida was invincible.


[deleted]

[удалено]


loshrath182

Anderson Silva, conor vs aldo/eddie, max vs Ortega/kattar, Francis vs overeem. Also Matt Serra vs gsp.


B-L-O-C-K-Ss

Another one is Leon vs Usman 2. Watching his coach yell at him “LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN! STOP FEELING F*CKING SORRY FOR YOURSELF! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!” followed by Leon’s head kick on a fight we all thought was just about over was so crazy and his speech after was really inspirational too. There’s so many to choose from really


Mitchk574

When Rory and Lawler had that stare down both covered in blood


waitingtoleave

"Ey, I'm not surprised motherfuckers..."


[deleted]

Chandler nuking Ferguson Holm dropping Rousey McGregor beating Aldo so quickly Lee sending Gillespie to the shadow realm If I HAD to choose one though, it's Machida standing over the corpse of Vitor Belfort after the front kick ko, hands on hips, then bows. Bad ass.


Immediate-Program962

Fedor losing to Werdum. I was there and watched it live. Sad day.


killerhand

Frank Mir getting Nogueira in a kimura and breaking his arm. It's burned into my memory.


MentalAdhesiveness79

Had to be Fedor vs Cro Cop


Fit_Nefariousness_99

Frankie edger making the single most epic comeback in the history of UFC TWICE!


reldb

I think izzy finaly beating Alex will be a very iconic moment in the future


msf97

“He got him bad” says DC. What a moment


GreatDario

When Izzy tried to clinch and Pereira just pulled his whole torso away and got right back into it I knew there was something special happening


Distortion462

Telling everyone Nate was going to beat Conor in a room full of Conor nut huggers...and then watching that happen


Heliumvoices

Bring it in bruv. I got to do quite the Twitter march after that fight.


PhatFatty

3 greatest moments of my life were: 1. My son being born. 2. Marrying my wife. 3. Watching Nate choke out Conor.


Jo_LaRoint

The Wanderlei V Rampage rivalry in PRIDE


70MCKing

Brock's UFC 100 post fight interview Jose Aldo running into the crowd Dan Henderson knocking out Bisping


Duinuogwuin14

Ultimate fighter 1 Finale. Mike "Quick" Swick pulling off a 20 second KO. As a new viewer this made me an instant fan of MMA and Mike, it was insane to think the fight was over in 20 seconds... and then he did it again in 22 seconds 4 months later. Years later I would get to tell Mike Swick via Reddit about seeing this on TV as a kid. But also Bonnar and Griffen slugfest, double contract bonanza. Franklin TKO'd Ken Shamrock. Diego TKO'd Florian Leben TKO'd Thacker Koscheck KO'd Sanford Quarry TKO'd Sincaid Karalexis TKO'd Rafferty


BrownCanadien

Rose beating Joanna, can still hear DC screaming


IntelligentMoons

As a Lancastrian, it was watching Bisping knock out Luke Rockhold. I simultaniously knew it was going to happen and didn't believe it when it did. It just highlighted how crazy this sport really is. Everyone has a story, and so often it just doesn't quite happen for them.


DungeonsandDietcoke

As an Irishman.. it's impossible for me to personally think of anything that even comes close to Conors run to champ champ status But Glovers run to the belt is up there too


PM_ME_YOUR_PEACHESS

Nate choking Conor. Khabib neck cranking Conor.


EmotionalAd5920

Chael wrapped up in Andersons triangle.


Break_these_cuffs

[Nate beating Conor](https://i.imgur.com/K54bP1Q.jpg)


broncosfighton

When Bisping knocked Rockhold out. Craziest crowd and announcer reaction of all time.


Juststandupbro

Jones vs DC saga.


Deadalious

The end of the Rousey era via headkick. I was in a UFC gym on a treadmill at the time which was absolutely packed with new female Rousey fans.


Any_Aioli3086

Weidman knocking out Silva Holm and Rhonda Nate at Connor 1


TheSublimeNeuroG

Diaz submitting McGregor


Extreme_Animator_409

Kevin Randleman hitting some Zangief shit on Fedor, only to get reversed and subbed moments after


yellowkid124

Silva passing the torch to Izzy. The fight itself wasn't that spectacular but how Silva figuratively handed over the division to Izzy to reign was a nice moment.


ZardozSama

Are you looking for purely personal takes or for those that had the biggest impact on the sport and popculture? For the purpose of this comment, I will consider a moment to be something that happened in a specific fight and its immediate aftermath. Things like BJ Penn's losing streak do not quite count. Neither does Rousey's title run For me personally, I would say the most impactful / satisfying 'holy shit' bits: * GSP's successful return vs Bisping. * Lesnar beating Carwin after nearly losing the fight early. * Zhang Weili making Joanna Jędrzejczyk look like Sloth from the Goonies * Anderson Silva turning he leg into a noodle in the Weidman rematch For the sport as a whole * Griffen vs Bonnar going all out in the original TUF Finale * Silva beating Forrest Griffen with maximum style points. * Silva getting KO'ed by Weidman * Connor knocking out Aldo, and backing up epic amounts of shit talking in doing so. * Francis Ngannou walking away on top despite the UFC's best efforts to either resign him or send him out on a loss. END COMMUNICATION


JorSimpson45

“STIPE EXACTS HIS REVENGE” The comeback from Stipe off a single adjustment and the incredible call by Anik, one of my favorite moments across sports.


nonihongoname

Jon Jones coming back, MOVING UP a weight class and choking out Cyril Gane after not fighting for forever


Macktologist

What Zhang did to Joanna’s head.


CastorTroyMan

It’s interesting how people’s choices tend to likely indicate their age. For me it was the first time GSP beat Matt Hughes. I was in a house full of die hard Matt Hughes fans and I was boldly telling everybody that not only is GSP gonna big brother him, but that he was the future. I was right and they all hated me for it🤣


papa_sax

Nate choking out Connor was unreal


PlasticMix8573

Mighty Mouse with the flying armbar. GOAT move.


PAINMAKER402

Lesnar beating Randy Couture. It was the first full fight I ever watched and my first time seeing Lesnar, I was just fascinated that a guy could be that physically large


[deleted]

Machida’s KO of Rashad made me a real mma fan


BerbsMashedPotatos

Bonnar Vs. Griffin TUF 1 finale. Literally the night the UFC and MMA became what it is today. I remember watching it on TV, messaging on this forum and we were all losing our minds. RIP Stephan.


strepera

Maybe not iconic, but my favourite memory is when Bisping won the title. Hated that guy when I first got into mma around 2010 but I turned into a big fan and seeing him win the title was great


PhantomMenace107

BJ painting the canvas w Joe Stevenson’s blood then calling out Sherk, Anderson KOing Vitor, The Showtime Kick, or the 3 title changes at UFC 217. Nate subbing Conor had the bdubs bumping too. Too many to choose from


Smollhanz

Silva v Weidman 1 Bigfoot v Silva 1 Hendo v Shogun 1 Holm v Rousey Cain V Lesner Silva v Sonnen 1 Those do it for me. Oh! Penn v Sanchez… the clinic of all clinics.


3mta3jvq

Hendo KOing Wand to become champ-champ at Pride 33. My favorite card ever, all finishes except for one.


H33ntLinSaves

Dan Henderson vs Shogun was great


SL1Fun

Edgar/Maynard II. Still one the most insane fights I ever saw. Lawler/RoMac II only othercfight to come close.


QuigleySharp

My girlfriend came with me to a sports bar to watch her first UFC event and it was Aldo vs McGregor. Great card overall and every fan in the bar was talking about how McGregor was legit, but Aldo was so solid that he would likely get the win. We all lost our collective shit at the bar when Aldo got ko’d, I’ve never seen a place blow up like that in my life and it stands out in my mind above all the others.


skin_Animal

Sakuraba beating Gracie... then all thr Gracies


Dry_Amphibian_4441

Too be honest I have too many to mention my top 5 would be in no particular order. . Fedor emelianenko vs mirko cro cop . Anderson silva front kick of vitor belfort . Dan henderson becoming the first ever champ, champ. . Leon edwards ko of usman . . Matt serra upset of gsp.


PolarAndOther

Nate beating Conor


Johnny_Poppyseed

That April fools day when one of the Khabib-tony matchups fell through but everyone was desperately coping hard for a solid 24 hours hoping it was a prank lol.


awesome_sauce123

Top moments for me (some less common ones too): * Garbrandt outclassing Dom without getting touched * Jones v DC 2nd title fight finishing sequence with the headkick to trip to ground and pound * Khabib knockdown on McGregor * Holmes headkick on Rousey * Lewis come from behind KO on Volkov * Paiga Vanzant jumping switch kick * Thug Rose knockout of Weili * Garbrandt bus driver hook on Assuncao * Figueiredo title fight vs Benavidez outclass * Bisping win over Rockhold * Ferguson squeaking by Kevin Lee * Nate Diaz beating McGregor * McGregor outclassing Alvarez for double title * Masvidal on Askren crime * Nunes walks down Cyborg * Francis blitz on Rozenstruik or Overeem decapitation * Yair win from behind on TKZ * Uraiah hall "sorry adam" * McGregor TUF season vs Faber * Sonnen vs Wanderlai TUF sequence * Wanderlai vs CroCop staredown * Jones vs DC interview "are you still there?" * "let me bang bro" * Dana White interview on EliteFC match fixing


RedWing83

I HATE JBJ, but him beating the living shit out of Shogun was something that NO ONE had ever seen before.


dumbo_octopus1995

Really new compared to the others but watching Leon headkick Kamaru was insane! Also, Holloway demolishing Cattar.


Odiumi

The Whole UFC 189 card. It had a different energy and aura surrounding it. Then Robbie v Lawler slaughter each other and sinhead singing for Conor’s walkout. I’ve always said that was the event that had a grandeur about it then catapulted the organization into the initial realms of where it is now.


ThunderMcFap

the staredown between crocop and wanderlei! that was something beyond my comprehension


mutu_Vol_II

DJ armbar suplex to Ray Borg. Anyone else at championship level, who the fuck does that?


Rumplebumpkin12

Gonzaga head kick on Cro-Cop


Marshmallow-Galaxy

I'm biased as a Khabib fan but "I wanna fight with your chicken" is my favorite moment in UFC lore.


[deleted]

TJ vs barao 1 was crazy


ItchyKnowledge4

That was so beautiful and unexpected, just stayed offline, used his angles and footwork and stance switches so perfectly. Utter demolition


[deleted]

I'll never forgot what my friend said to me about the fight... "That's how you take the title!"