Issue 179
June 2019
MMA celebrations come in all varieties - some good, many bad, a few just plain ugly. But in the era of social media, they stoke interest in the fighter and the sport, and these are 10 of the all-time greats,
10: JUSTIN GAETHJE AT TUF 25 FINALE.
When it comes to doing backflips from the top of the cage, one man has made this his signature celebration – UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje.
“The Highlight” became famous for the celebration when he was the World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, but things on UFC debut didn’t quite go to plan. After coming through a war with Michael Johnson where he was hurt and nearly finished multiple times, Gaethje scaled the cage to celebrate and perform the backflip.
Things didn’t quite go to plan though and he slipped backwards landing awkwardly on his back. It looked like a hard fall, but Gaethje wasn’t to be denied and he proceeded to climb the cage again and this time land a perfect backflip to the amazement of the crowd. It made for one of the most memorable debuts in UFC history.
9: TILO ORTIZ AT ORTIZ VS SHAMROCK III: THE FINAL CHAPTER
The rivalry between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock is widely regarded as one of the biggest feuds in MMA history and things came to a head at Ortiz vs. Shamrock III: The Final Chapter in October 2006.
The 42-year-old Shamrock was a huge underdog heading into the fight having lost the previous two and Ortiz was never afraid to let his rival know that his career was about to come to an end. The fight ended in predictable fashion when the younger lion, Ortiz forced referee John McCarthy to stop the contest in the first round.
Ortiz then proceeded to throw himself to the mat, bang his fists and perform his infamous “Gravedigger” celebration. It was an iconic moment in UFC history and it signalled the end of one the most intense feuds in the company’s history.
8: DARRION CALDWELL AT BELLATOR 143
The current Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell has long been known for his athleticism in the cage and at Bellator 143 he wanted to show the world his talents. In September 2015, Caldwell was running high off the back of seven wins with four of those coming inside the Bellator cage. Caldwell’s eighth fight came at Bellator 143 where he took on Shawn Bunch in Hidalgo, Texas and he dominated the fight winning via submission inside the first round.
Still wanting to give the crowd more of a show, Caldwell scaled the cage and proceeded to backflip towards the mat. Unfortunately, Caldwell hadn’t noticed the camerawoman who had positioned herself below, and landed directly on her knocking them both to the ground. Thankfully neither suffered major injuries, and Caldwell later apologised profusely.
7: MARK HUNT WALK-OFF KOs AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT 52
Subtlety is not often exercised in MMA celebrations, but heavyweight slugger Mark Hunt has it down to a tee. Hunt’s ability to render huge men unconscious with just a single swing of his fist has seen 10 of his 13 wins come via knockout. Victims of Hunt’s signature walk-off knockout include the likes of Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 52, Stefan Struve at UFC on Fuel TV 8, and perhaps most notably, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC Fight Night 85.
According to Hunt, the walk-off celebration is all about him paying respect to his opponents as he does not morally agree with hitting a man whilst he’s already down. It’s a unique approach within the sport and it’s also one of the coolest way to celebrate a win.
6: MUHAMMED LAWAL AT STRIKEFORCE: EVOLUTION
There have been bizarre fines handed out by athletic commissions down the years, but the one given to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal after he celebrated his win at Strikeforce: Evolution is up there with the best of them.
Lawal defeated Mike Whitehead via knockout after three minutes and eight seconds of the first round and then proceeded to celebrate in the ring with a can of energy drink in his hands. After guzzling the drink “Stone Cold” Steve Austin style and splattering the canvas with the sticky liquid, the California State Athletic Commission thought it only right that Lawal received a 10% fine of his purse. Lawal later claimed that the can had been shaken up by someone prior to him opening it, but his defence fell on deaf ears.
5: JOSE ALDO UFC 142
Jose Aldo is no stranger to wild celebrations but his reaction to knocking out Chad Mendes at UFC 142 was perhaps the wildest of them all. Aldo had gone nearly four and half years without fighting in front of his home fans but when the opportunity arrived, he delivered the crowd in Rio de Janeiro one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC featherweight title fight history.
Mendes was taking the fight to Aldo for much of the opening round but when a small window of opportunity opened for the champion, he made no mistake and ended the fight with a pinpoint knee to the face to get the KO victory. Aldo then jumped out of the cage and celebrated right in the middle of a rampant Brazilian crowd who erupted with euphoria at the sight of their man defending his featherweight title. It was a truly memorable moment.
4: PADDY PIMBLETT AT CAGE WARRIORS 78
Love him or hate him, no one can deny that when Cage Warriors go to Liverpool, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett always draws a crowd. Pimblett has a rabid Scouse following and they turned up in large numbers at Cage Warriors 78 to witness Pimblett claim the vacant CW featherweight title against Johnny Frachey. Pimblett finished the fight after just 95-seconds of the first round and then proceeded to dive headfirst over a barrier into his fans. History then repeated itself at Cage Warriors 90 when Pimblett pulled out a flying triangle submission to defeat Alexis Savvidis.
This time, however, the barrier didn’t hold up to the pressure of the fans who mobbed Pimblett after he jumped out the cage and a large section of the metal railings were flattened. Not ones to damage their own property, after the celebrations were finished the Scousers repaired the barrier and rest of the fight card was completed.
3: BJ PENN AT UFC 34
With a career like BJ Penn’s, it’s often easy to forget some of the smaller detail moments of his career, but his showdown with Caol Uno lives long in the memory not only for the way in which the fight finished but also because of the way in which Penn celebrated his victory.
The fight lasted just 11-seconds after the Hawaiian backed Uno up against the cage and landed a beautiful uppercut before finishing him on the mat with strikes. Such was Penn’s excitement with the win, he then ran back up the entrance ramp and into the locker room much to this astonishment of the crowd. Thankfully after recomposing himself, Penn made his way back to the Octagon for the official decision and to get his hand raised.
2: CONOR MCGREGOR AT UFC FN29
The feud between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo is one of the most memorable of the modern era and things reached fever pitch at UFC Fight Night 59 in January 2015. The Irishman took on Dennis Siver in the main event of the night in Boston and “The Notorious” didn’t leave the arena without the then champion, Jose Aldo, knowing that he was a marked man.
McGregor dominated Siver and after finishing him in the second round, the Irishman proceeded to scale the cage and shout, “Eire, Eire, Eire” like a man possessed in the face of the Brazilian. It was an iconic moment in the feud that was settled later that year when McGregor knocked out Aldo in just 13-seconds at UFC 194.
1: JOHNNY WALKER AT UFC 235
Recency bias can often be a factor when it comes to creating ‘Best of’ lists, but Johnny Walker recently played the key role in what can only be described as one of the more humorous moments to occur inside the UFC Octagon.
The Brazilian light heavyweight took little time dispensing of Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235 after landing an impressive flying knee and finishing him with ground and pound. Walker then thought it appropriate to celebrate by performing the popular dance move, ‘The Worm,’ and landed awkwardly on his shoulder suffering a dislocation.
Speaking post-fight Dana White admitted he was excited by Walker’s win, but far less impressed with his dance moves: ”This kid’s special, and I wish he would stop doing that s**t. There’s no upside to celebrating like that.”
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