Best Moments from UFC 70-80

Bleacher Report's "Best Moments" series continues with a look at some of the biggest moments in UFC history.

The time between UFC 70 and 80 continued to show the emergence of the UFC in mainstream outlets. Many of the biggest stars that we have come to know today were coming out of the shadows and giving fans a guy to root for.

Here are the best moments from that period.

Below are the previous installments of the series.

The Best Moments from UFC 1-10

The Best Moments from UFC 10-20

The Best Moments from UFC 20-30

The Best Moments from UFC 30-40

The Best Moments from UFC 40-50

The Best Moments from UFC 50-60

The Best Moments from UFC 60-70

Unknown Houston Alexander Blasts Keith Jardine at UFC 71

At UFC 71, Keith Jardine took on an unknown guy making his UFC debut named Houston Alexander.

Unfortunately for Jardine, that unknown guy built his name off of him. 

Early in the fight, Jardine clipped Alexander and got too over aggressive trying to finish him. Alexander recovered and landed some brutal knees and punches of his own.

Quickly, Jardine was out cold in a heap and Alexander stood over him yelling. It was pure brutality.

"Rampage" Avoids Vengeance, Takes UFC Title from Liddell at UFC 71

In Quinton Jackson's second UFC fight, he fought a rematch from Pride against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell. It was a fight Liddell wanted to avenge, but UFC 71 was not his night.

Early in the first round, Jackson nailed Liddell with a brutal right hook that put his lights out. Nothing else was necessary, as Jackson became the new champion at 205.

Stout and Fisher Put on Another Memorable Performance at Fight Night 10

The headlining fight for UFC Fight Night 10 was a rematch between Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout from UFC 58.

This rematch did not disappoint, as with the first fight, Stout and Fisher went balls-to-the-wall for 15 minutes. Fisher got the win, evening the series at one apiece and creating the opportunity for a future rubber match.

Clay Guida and Tyson Griffin Go to War at UFC 72

What happens when you put in two cardio machines with great wrestling and heart? The answer is an encounter seen between Clay Guida and Tyson Griffin, which instantaneously turned into a barn burner.

Both men threw hands on the feet and worked hard in the grappling department. Submission attempts were plenty, as well as the ground and pound. 

In the end, the judges were called on to make the tough decision. Griffin walked away with a close split decision, but Guida continued to gain fans in the process.

Maynard Forces Emerson to Submit While out Cold at TUF 5 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale saw castmates Gray Maynard and Rob Emerson battle it out to earn a spot on the UFC roster. Unfortunately, their fight was not very decisive.

Early in the second round, Maynard shot in on Emerson and landed a huge takedown. In the process, Maynard injured Emerson's ribs, causing him to tap out.

In the process, Maynard had spiked his head into the canvas and knocked himself out. Referee Steve Mazzagatti was forced to call this fight a no contest, much to the dismay of Gray Maynard.

"Babalu" Doesn't Release the Hold, Dana White Lays Down the Law at UFC 74

What Renato Sobral did at UFC 74 is not a "best moment," but what Dana White did in response was important and the right thing to do.

Sobral fought David Heath at UFC 74 and was none to pleased with the pre-fight comments Heath made about him. In response, Sobral caught Heath in an anaconda choke that earned a tapout in the fight.

Sobral punished Heath by refusing to let the hold go and letting Heath go to sleep.

Dana White was disgusted and immediately cut "Babalu" after the event, even though he was a top, popular star. It was the right thing to do and Sobral has not been back since.

"Rampage" and Henderson Unify Titles in Fun Fight at UFC 75

The main event of UFC 75 saw newly-minted UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson meet 93-kg. Pride champion Dan Henderson in a title unification bout.

Both men were familiar with one another, as they were friends outside the Octagon. They put their friendship aside and put on a great fight.

Henderson took Jackson down and Jackson took Henderson down. They nailed each other with huge punches and kept throwing in the pocket.

Jackson would walk away with the close win, but the real winners were the fans who saw the fight.

Zombie Leben Knocks out Terry Martin at UFC Fight Night 11

It is said that Chris Leben is most dangerous when he is rocked. UFC Fight Night 11 is definitely proof of that.

In the third round of the fight, Terry Martin tagged Chris Leben and had him in another dimension. Leben, who was in survival mode, pushed forward and tagged Martin with a brutal punch that left Martin out cold on the ground and Leben with the victory.

Forrest Griffin Pulls off Upset of the Ages over "Shogun" at UFC 76

Fans adore Forrest Griffin, and when it was announced that he was meeting Pride star Mauricio Rua, fans were literally fuming at Dana White. They did not want to see their fighter taking a beating from Rua, who was considered in another league than Griffin.

Griffin not only held his own in the fight, but locked in a rear-naked choke with 15 seconds left in the fight. It is one of the biggest upsets in history and would earn Griffin a future title shot.

Silva Puts Away Franklin Again to Retain Title at UFC 77

Rich Franklin met Anderson Silva at UFC 77 in a rematch, looking to get his title back. Anderson Silva had different ideas.

As with the first fight, Franklin could not stop the dangerous Muay Thai clinch possessed by Silva. Silva ended up hitting a barrage of knees that hurt Franklin badly. 

It took two rounds, but Silva retained and Franklin has not seen a title bout since.

"War Machine" and Rollins Show Heart, Impress Fans at TUF 6 Finale

You may or may not remember either man, but Jared Rollins and the man known as War Machine put on an amazing fight at the TUF 6 Finale.

It was a back-and-forth fight with pints of blood being spilled and brutal strikes exchanged on the ground.

In the third round, it looked like Rollins was going to finish War Machine with punches from the mount, but War Machine hit a timely reversal that saw him get top position. From there, he nailed brutal ground strikes that left Rollins out cold and War Machine in an emotional state.

It was a crazy fight, though neither fought much more in the UFC.

Guida Dominates Huerta, Huerta Pulls off Comback at TUF 6 Finale

When people say Clay Guida is boring because of one questionable performance, I always feel obligated to shove almost every other of Guida's fights in their face. 

His fight with Roger Huerta was a very solid performance, easily winning the first two rounds. That was, until, Huerta came back in the third to win with a rear-naked choke.

It was a big win for Huerta and a brief speed bump in the road for Guida.

Clementi Chokes out Guillard in Grudge Match, Taunts Him at UFC 79

There was some bad blood going into this UFC 79 matchup between Louisiana natives Melvin Guillard and Rich Clementi. Craziness was expected when they faced off.

Clementi dominated the one-round fight, outgrappling the uncomfortable Guillard who had problems fighting off his back. Eventually, Clementi locked in a rear-naked choke that earned a tap from Guillard.

After the fight Clementi stood over his rival and taunted. As Clementi walked away, Guillard charged after him but was cut off by numerous officials.

It was crazy but a great story to the fight.

Chuck and Wanderlei Finally Meet, Put on Fight of the Year at UFC 79

Fans had been looking forward to a showdown between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva for years, and they finally got it in the co-main event of UFC 79. 

Although both men were definitely past their prime, they still came to play. In a fight dubbed "fight of the year," both men went to war for three exciting rounds.

Liddell ended up grabbing a unanimous decision, but both men earned mad props from the MMA community. 

GSP Takes Rubber Match with Armbar over Matt Hughes at UFC 79

In one of the biggest rubber matches in UFC history, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes threw down for the interim championship at 170 pounds.

St. Pierre looked to be dominant again and put an exclamation point on the rivalry. In response to his loss to Hughes earlier in his career, St. Pierre submitted that American wrestler with an armbar.

St. Pierre won the series two-to-one, earning a knockout and armbar of Hughes, while Hughes won with an armbar.

Penn Becomes Lightweight Champion in Bloodbath Against Stevenson at UFC 80

I look at this UFC 80 matchup as the beginning of the downfall of Joe Stevenson's career. He took such a bad beating, I feel like he was never the same after this.

BJ Penn and Stevenson fought for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 80, and Penn showed why he is one of the legends of the sport. 

Penn bloodied Stevenson bad. I mean, real bad. In the second round, Penn would mercifully finish off Stevenson with a rear-naked choke to win the title.

Then, Penn savagely licked the blood of his gloves. It was an iconic sight.