Issue 140
April 2016
As ‘The Year of the Rematch’ hits its stride, what better way to get hyped than to look back at Fighters Only’s 19 favorite reruns in MMA history.
There’s nothing like a rematch to get the pulses racing. Sometimes the excitement builds because there’s unfinished business. In other cases there’s a lingering rivalry and beef needs to be squashed. And occasionally two warriors had such a phenomenal battle in the cage the first time around we just want to see the whole thing play out one more time.
With a deluge of high-profile second encounters set to play out in 2016, including: Jones-Cormier, Jendrzejczyk-Gadelha, Rockhold-Weidman and, hopefully, Lawler-Condit, it felt only right for FO to remember the most entertaining examples of two fighters meeting for the second time. From Hall of Fame fisticuffs to forgotten favorites, here are 19 that had us calling for a rubber match.
19. Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
UFC 136
No one’s going to give this any awards for flawless technique, but Phan’s triumphant tale of rip-off redemption is one of the most entertaining 15-minute fixes of Octagon adrenaline yet.
18. Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture
UFC 52
The match between TUF 1 coaches was a watershed moment for North American MMA. Couture shocked the world when he beat Liddell for the interim 205lb crown three years before, and then became the darling of the UFC thanks to his beatdown of Tito Ortiz to win the undisputed belt and be the first man to win titles in two divisions.
Anticipation was higher than it had been for any previous Octagon event. Hot on the heels of a phenomenal TUF finale, 280,000 people paid to watch the fight on pay-per-view – a then-record for Zuffa – and 14,562 in attendance created an unparalleled atmosphere in the MGM Grand. Though the fight was short, the action was phenomenal as Liddell hit a typically devastating KO and finally captured the 205lb championship.
17. Mirko Crop Cop vs. Wanderlei Silva
Pride Final Conflict Absolute
Call in the coroner. MMA’s chief Croatian cranium collector was in the mood to take another head, and he put an end to this bloody battle in the Pride Grand Prix semi-final by almost decapitating ‘The Axe Murderer’ with his patented left high kick.
16. Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn
UFC 63
Penn embarrassed Hughes when they first met, then beat him silly for the first 10 minutes when they danced for a second time. But Hughes fought back and completed a dramatic comeback TKO in the third.
15. Georges St Pierre vs. Matt Hughes
UFC 65
Redemption. GSP lost the first fight against his hero with stars in his eyes, but returned with a vengeance after criticizing Hughes’ victory over Penn. Showing him what a truly impressive performance looks like, he kicked his ass to claim 170lb gold.
14. Spencer Fisher vs. Sam Stout
UFC Fight Night 10
One of 2005’s best fights got the do-over treatment in a headlining slot. This time ‘The King’ walked through the ‘Hands of Stone’ to win a classic clash from a period of rebirth for the lightweight division.
13. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
UFC 66
The ultimate bad-blood battle was big business for the UFC as this grudge match generated the promotion’s first million-buy pay-per-view event. Tito came in hungry to avenge his most humiliating loss, but the contest ended just like the first: with another savage KO by ‘The Iceman’, whose superstardom soared to stratospheric levels as a result.
12. Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva
Pride 33
The underdog dominated and knocked Silva out cold to write his name into the MMA history books as a dual-weight world champion. He didn’t even need to use his trademark right-handed H-bomb either – his left did the job just fine.
11. Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua
UFC Fight Night 38
Shogun was putting a stamp on Henderson to even the score following their thrilling first meeting. But you count out the former Olympian and his explosive hands at your peril. The proof came 91 seconds into round three courtesy of a tight H-bomb.
10. Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
UFC 140
‘Big Nog’ had a score to settle. Despite a reputation as the most durable fighter in MMA, Mir became the first man to stop him courtesy of a UFC 92 lesson in punching power. The Brazilian almost got revenge by ending the rematch by strikes, but the former champ turned the tables. He got on top and broke ‘Minotauro’s arm. Unsurprisingly, that sickening snap forced a tap and completed a historic stoppage double.
9. Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler
Bellator 106
Nothing could match the insanity of these rivals’ first meeting, but they pushed that effort pretty close through 25 minutes of fighting ferocity. This time Alvarez got revenge by taking a razor-thin decision win.
8. José Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
UFC 179
The toughest title defense of the Brazilian’s reign. Mendes came to take the often-cautious champ’s head off, but was met in the center of the Octagon by a man ready to fight fire with fire, toe-to-toe to prove his championship mettle and secure 2014’s ‘Fight of the Year’ honors.
7. Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown
WEC 41
You can always count on ‘The California Kid’ to deliver, especially when he’s fighting in his hometown of Sacramento. Then add the fact he was fighting to win his 145lb belt back from the man that took it from him via stunning KO and you’ve got a serious high-stakes scenario that was set to supply something sensational.
Brown and Faber went at it. No need for carefully-constructed game plans here. Just scrap. But the challenger found the chips stacked against him once the first round was over and he realized he’d shattered his right hand. He also later dislocated his left thumb. Yet despite debilitating injuries, Faber showed heart to fight on with the weapons he had left: kicks, knees and elbows that he threw with everything he could muster. Unfortunately for him, ‘MTB’ had full use of his extremities and picked Faber apart to seal another victory, though not without facing persistent pressure for 25 minutes.
6. Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson
Strikeforce: Evolution
Three fights between these Strikeforce stars – three stone-cold classics. Their second effort was the best of the bunch as ‘El Nino’ settled the score and set up a trilogy fight by coming out on top after a frenetic five rounds.
5, Bas Rutten vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show
Long before ‘El Guapo’ sat behind the Inside MMA desk, he was a killer in the ring. The best fight of his career – and the history of Pancrase – was 17 minutes of hell, in which he crushed his former mentor and the co-founder of the organization.
4. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
UFC 125
Battered into a 10-8 deficit and almost finished four times in round one, Edgar looked like he was done, but he had ‘The Answer’ for Maynard. The courageous 155lb champion somehow battled back to clinch an unlikely draw and cling on to his belt.
3. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg
UFC 52
The pound-for-pound king didn’t like Trigg before they faced off. He liked him even less after the staredown, during which ‘Twinkle Toes’ got a little too close and blew his opponent a little kiss across the cage. We’d bet Hughes’ hostility heightened 50 seconds later when he was kneed square in the nuts and referee Mario Yamasaki missed the foul. The champ’s face went purple as his nemesis tried to choke him.
But as his walkout song says, A Country Boy Can Survive! Hillsboro, Illinois’ finest lifted his foe over his shoulder, ran across the Octagon, dumped him on his back and made 14,562 people inside the MGM Grand lose their minds. Now it was time for revenge and he rained down shots before choking him out. No wonder UFC president Dana White says this is his favorite fight.
2. Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald
UFC 189
What more can we say about last year’s greatest showdown? Twists, turns and heavy leather highlighted the first four frames of this blood-and-guts battle before Lawler pulled out a dramatic come-from-behind KO in the fifth.
1. Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki
World Victory Road: Sengoku Raiden Championships 14
You might never have come across this Asian classic before. If that’s the case: fire up YouTube and thank us later. You’ll struggle to find five rounds of more thrilling, pulsating action – ever. It’ll leave you breathless. The previous year, ‘The Sandman’ came from behind from a two-round deficit to put his Japanese foe to sleep and win the inaugural Sengoku middleweight title. A repeat of that incredible encounter was asking a lot, but unbelievably, expectations were exceeded.
Misaki had the edge after two competitive rounds thanks to a tight guillotine that his opponent only just escaped from. Then things got crazy. Santiago leveled the challenger with a kick and followed up with cataclysmic ground ‘n’ pound. Yet before anyone could pen ‘The Hitman’s eulogy, he was fighting back with leg locks. The pendulum swung back the other way in the fourth as Misaki beat Santago so badly, he climbed through the ropes to escape. Chalk up a 10-7 round for the Japanese star.
Santiago needed a 10-8 round just to tie up the scorecards in the final five minutes. Remarkably, he was on his way there after landing a knockdown six seconds in. But running on fumes, Misaki battled back yet again. This time, however, his fire was eventually extinguished and his corner was forced to throw in the towel after he was persistently punished by strikes on the mat. He was 29 seconds from the final bell, but had nothing left to give and needed to be rescued. Later, Misaki revealed he had no memory of the fight, while promotion president Toru Mukai admitted he was afraid someone might actually die in the ring. Absolutely incredible.
