My Five Favorite Fights to Watch

Bryan Levick by Contributor Written on November 13, 2009
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 28: UFC heavyweight fighter Randy Couture weighs in at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira Weigh-In at the Rose Garden Arena on August 28, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Last night I was watching one of the many hours of UFC programming that Spike TV runs weekly. This time it was an episode of Unleashed that featured my favorite fight to watch of all time. When I say my favorite fight to watch, I mean a fight that I can watch over, and over again without getting bored, or losing interest. So I thought to myself, why not put together a list of my favorite fights and to ask everyone else, what are the five fights that you can't get enough of.

1) Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia: UFC 68 March 3, 2007

Not only was I really excited about seeing "The Natural" back in action, I was just as excited about seeing Sylvia lose. For reasons beyond me, I could never stand Sylvia, even when he actually put some effort into his fights.

The story of this fight was the return of Couture from a one year self imposed exile. Not only was he returning from a long layoff, he was moving up in weight to challenge a fighter who outweighed him by at least 50lbs.

We all know what happened, Couture dropped the big lug in the first seven seconds, and went on to dominate Sylvia for 25 minutes, and once again captured the UFC heavyweight championship. This is a fight I have watched a few dozen times, and will watch at any moments notice.

http://www.flicklife.com/4ee3524ccf035d35b284/UFC_Randy_Couture_vs_Tim_Sylvia_Part_1.html

http://www.flicklife.com/0537357c67bb3f408684/UFC_Randy_Couture_vs_Tim_Sylvia_Part_2.html

 

2) Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar: The Ultimate Fighter Finale 1 April 9, 2005

Not much can be said about this bout that hasn't already been said. Two fighters battling it out for the right to be The Ultimate Fighter. This was the fight that got me into mixed martial arts. I was one of those people who were calling my friends and telling them to turn to Spike because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was hooked from that moment on, and have been a huge Forrest Griffin fan ever since.

The decision went to Griffin, and a new star was born. Make that two stars were born, as both the sport and Griffin have gone to heights no one thought possible. With his self deprecating humor, and penchant for putting on great fights, Griffin went on to capture the light heavyweight championship. Bonnar has battled injuries and a steroid suspension, but will forever be a part of history.

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=JVALJEFB

 

3) Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva: UFC 79 December 29, 2007

The buildup to this fight had been brewing for years. Just like Joe Rogan said during the broadcast, these guys were like two vicious dogs staring at each other through the cage. The two best light heavyweights to ever compete in mixed martial arts put on a three round war that made all the wait worthwhile.

The UFC was reintroduced to "The Axe Murderer", and Liddell was back in the win column after suffering two straight defeats. For 15 minutes these two went toe to toe, neither man backing down, or giving an inch. In the end, the fans were the real winners as they witnessed a fight that truly lived up to the hype.

http://mmavideolinks.to/fighter-videos/37/530-chuck-liddell-vs-wanderlei-silva.html

 

4) Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping: UFC 100 July 11, 2009

I don't know about you, but I could watch this fight over, and over again. I can still feel the anticipation mounting as it gets closer, and closer to the knockout. Unless you have been living in a cave you know that these two were opposing coaches on the first ever Ultimate Fighter that had one team consisting of British fighters against another team comprised of Americans. Bisping tried to get inside Henderson's head throughout the whole show, but just like he promised, Henderson let his actions do his talking, and put a stop to Bisping for the time being.

The fight itself wasn't all that exciting, but knowing what was in store in the second round is what makes me watch this fight as many times as I have. There is nothing better than paying back an opponent who has been disrespectful than with a highlight reel knockout. Henderson got his payback, and then some.

http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Dan_Henderson_vs_Michael_Bisping_UFC_100?vid=10005554

 

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written on November 13, 2009 Opinion

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