(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
History will be made on July 11, as the UFC will present a stacked fight card with UFC100. The UFC has evolved tremendously over the years. There was a time when everyone doubted the organization and claimed the sport would fail, but the UFC has proved the doubters wrong and is now going into their 100th pay-per-view event.
Now it’s time to look back on the events that helped the UFC get to where it is today. Let’s take a look at the ten most significant events in UFC history.
No. 10 UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 (Dec. 27, 2008)
UFC ended 2008 with a bang with UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008. The card was stacked from head to toe with a grudge match and two-title bouts.
The main event featured No. 1 contender Rashad Evans winning the UFC light heavyweight championship from Forrest Griffin. The referee stopped the fight due to a series of strikes from Evans in the third round.
The first co-main event saw former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir score a stunning second-round technical knockout of former PRIDE heavyweight champion and current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. With the victory, Mir claimed the interim championship and delivered a memorable speech in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
The other co-main event was a fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva. Jackson avenged two earlier losses to Silva by knocking Silva out in the first round.
No. 9 UFC 79: Nemesis (Dec. 29, 2007)
UFC 79 was the night the long-awaited mega-fight between former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva and former UFC champion Chuck Liddell finally took place. Even though it was a few years late, the fight was just as good as everyone had expected.
Liddell and Silva put on an exciting three-round war, with Liddell getting the better of the exchanges and winning the fight by unanimous decision.
The main event of the night featured the rubber match between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes for the interim welterweight championship. The fight was originally supposed to be a grudge match between TUF coaches Matt Hughes and the champion at the time Matt Serra, but Serra pulled out with a back injury.
St. Pierre stepped in as a late replacement and completely dominated Hughes, finishing him in the second round with an incredible judo throw followed by a bone-snapping armbar forcing Hughes to tap.
No. 8 UFC 13: The Ultimate Force (May 30, 1997)
UFC 13 featured two four man tournaments, a lightweight and a heavyweight tournament, as well as two alternate bouts and a Superfight between Vitor Belfort and Tank Abbott.
This event may seem average on paper, but it marked the debuts of three MMA legends and two future UFC champions: Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
A young Ortiz made it all the way to the lightweight (less than 200 pounds) finals, submitting to tournament winner Guy Mezger by way of guillotine choke. Couture won the heavyweight (over 200 pounds) tournament with victories over Tony Halme and Steven Graham.
Both Ortiz and Couture would go on to win UFC championships later on in their careers, and Rogan would become one of the greatest commentators in the sport alongside his partner Mike Goldberg.
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