Top 5 MMA Fights You Need to Drop What You're Doing and Watch Right Now

Everyone has seen the UFC classics, especially fights from the Zuffa era. We've marveled at the other worldly exploits of the great Anderson Silva, watched with slack jaws as Matt Hughes came from the brink of defeat to wallop Frank Trigg and witnessed Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua redefine courage.

But there is a whole new world of fights waiting for you to come and find them. Before the UFC took control of the industry, the fight game was spread all over the globe. Some of the best fighters on the planet were competing in Japan, Russia and even on Indian reservations around the United States.

These are the hidden gems that only the most hardcore of fans knew about—until now. Fasten your seat belt and strap in for a wild ride. These are fights that you have to watch to consider yourself a hardcore fan.

Ivan Menjivar vs. Hideo Tokoro (K-1 Hero's, 2006)

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Watch the Fight (Part 2)

The diminutive El Salvadoran scrapper Ivan Menjivar, an early star out of Canada's Tri Star gym (best known today as the home base of Georges St. Pierre), has had his fair share of exciting fights in a career that has spanned more than a decade.

Hideo Tokoro is a Japanese submission wizard and one of the most energetic fighters in MMA history.

Could there be any doubt that the two men would make magic together in the ring?

Tokoro and Menjivar rolled around the mat like two of those Cracker Barrel weasels chasing an elusive ball. The action was furious, with Tokoro trying practically every lock in Gene LeBell's book of holds. Menjivar, for his part, defended like a champ until the time was right. Who says grappling is boring?

Matt Hume vs. Erik Paulson (Battlecade: Extreme Fighting 3, 1996)

Matt Hume and Erik Paulson are best known today as two of the sport's top trainers, but in 1996 both men were still near the top of their game.

The fight is amazing for its time. You could take it and transport it directly to the present day and no one would blink. That was unusual in a era that typically featured more primitive fare.

"Erik Paulson was an incredible opponent, he was somewhat of a mirror image but larger, so it was a
very tough fight," Hume said. "I have always had a lot of respect for Erik as a fighter, teacher and friend. Erik and I are still good friends. I had no idea at the time that our fight would be considered a classic fight."

Chris Leben vs. Joe Doerksen (FFC 9, 2004)

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If you've followed my work at Bloody Elbow, you'll know how much I adore this fight. At the time, Leben was a virtual unknown, while Doerksen was considered a serious contender to make noise in the UFC.

It was a back-and-forth affair, with Leben showing he was someone to reckon with and Doerksen stamping his ticket into the big show.

Leben was, and is, a flawed fighter. But damn, isn't he fun to watch?

Caol Uno vs. Joachim Hansen (K-1 Heros, 2005)

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Forrest Griffin's slugfest with Stephan Bonnar was truly a transformative fight. It changed the way network executives at Spike thought of MMA and helped usher in a bright future for the sport. But I'll maintain to my dying day that it wasn't the best fight of 2005.

That honor goes to Joachim Hansen and Caol Uno, who slithered around the mat like two particularly slippery eels. While Griffin and Bonnar showed spunk, the lightweights in Japan were fighting at a different level than the UFC newcomers. I love this fight.

Frank Shamrock vs. Enson Inoue (Vale Tudo Japan, 1997)

Watch the Fight Here

After a tepid first round, things really picked up steam in the epic showdown between Frank Shamrock and Enson Inoue in Japan.

It was an important fight on many levels. The two men were representing their respective Japanese fight promotions (Shooto and Pancrase), so significant pride was on the line. More importantly, the winner would earn a place in the UFC, competing with Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson for the UFC light heavyweight title.

In the end, Shamrock dropped Inoue with a knee, knocking him cold. As the referee looked to sort things out, Inoue's brother Egan came crashing into the ring, knocking Shamrock off of Enson and leading to the official result—a disqualification.

"That was straight out of pro wrestling. I had never experienced anything like that or seen anything like that. I understand his position, he was scared for his brother and it happened," Shamrock said. "That was another eye opener. I was ready for a second fight. I thought it was going to keep going and I was going to keep fighting, because I was in that mode. Maurice came in and kind of settled it down and TK came in, Enson's team spilled in there, and I thought we're going to have us a good old fashioned melee. Luckily we didn't and everybody calmed down. There was so much energy in that fight and so much emotion I think everybody just sort of lost their mind for a minute."