Greatest Rematches in MMA History

Between October 1942 and October 1945, legendary boxers Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake (Raging Bull) LaMotta waged war five times. Five times they stood face to face in the ring. Five times they exchanged furious blows. Only once did LaMotta pull off a win. It was enough to make him a sports immortal.

In the 1940's, a shared history made boxing matches more interesting for the fans. There was a built in storyline. And if the initial fights between two boxers were fun and fast paced? Well, fans clamored for more.

That's not the case with some MMA fans. Despite their amazing back and forth bout at UFC 144, there is an undercurrent of negativity greeting Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson's rematch later this year.

But why?

If the first fight was any indication, this one will be super. And, without rematches, we might have missed out on these five sensational bouts.

5. Brock Lesnar Versus Frank Mir

Brock Lesnar still had a lot to learn when he made his UFC debut against Frank Mir in 2008. He was like a beast unleashed, attacking with a fury rarely seen in the UFC cage. It led to openings, and despite being manhandled, Mir found the opportunity he needed to win the fight by kneebar in the first round.

The second fight was much more heated than the first. Mir talked enough trash for three Ochocincos, and Brock was in kill mode by the time the fight started. But an angry Brock, it turns out, is also a smart Brock.

The former NCAA champion maintained his composure and systematically, brutally, beat Mir into a stupor to establish himself as the top heavyweight in the sport.

4. Frankie Edgar Versus Gray Maynard

Frankie Edgar was overpowered and out-wrestled in his first fight with Gray Maynard in 2008. That's why, almost three years later, Maynard was favored in his title challenge against the smaller Edgar.

But a lot can change in three years. Hell, three years ago, Marley and Me was the top movie at the box office and we were meeting Lady Gaga for the first time. And Edgar didn't spend his time between fights watching dog movies and listening to dance music. He was working hard. And by the time he met Maynard again, he was a different fighter.

The two went to a thrilling draw last January. It took a third fight to finally settle the score. Edgar ended the trilogy definitively with a fourth-round knockout in October.

3. Quinton Jackson Versus Chuck Liddell

Sometimes a rematch doesn't yield a different result. Take for example the second bout between Rampage and the Iceman. Jackson had upset Liddell in their first fight, upsetting Dana White's grand plan for Liddell to beat Wanderlei Silva and secure the UFC's dominance of the light heavyweight division.

Instead, Jackson stopped Chuck, who would rebound to become the UFC's long-time champion at 205 pounds. But the loss rankled. Liddell wanted another shot at Jackson and got it when Quinton finally came to the UFC in 2007.

They say "be careful what you wish for." At least they do if they love trite cliches. But cliches are built on truth. And the truth is, Chuck Liddell should have been careful what he wished for. He got Rampage in a rematch, only to get knocked out in the first round.

(Bonus) Ken Shamrock Versus Dan Severn

Please allow me a moment to play devil's advocate. Yes, I realize I am arguing with myself here. No, I don't need any more professional help.

Sometimes rematches are great things. Two amazing fighters put on a heck of a show and the crowd goes wild. And sometimes? Sometimes you get Ken Shamrock versus Dan Severn II.

Often called "the dance in Detroit," the two men spent much of the fight circling the cage, neither daring to initiate contact. The frustrated crowd chanted, "Lets go Red Wings." The UFC brass was mortified.

Worst of all? These two UFC Hall of Famers gave critics a reason to decry rematches.

So please join me for a moment and give these two men the retroactive booing they deserve.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2. Chuck Liddell Versus Randy Couture

Can you imagine MMA history without a rematch between Chuck and Randy? Randy would have gone down as the greatest light heavyweight in history. Without Chuck's dynamic presence, the UFC may have lost a year in its push to the mainstream.

Worst of all? We would have never learned which man was the better fighter. Randy took the first fight, surprising Liddell by coming forward and meeting him punch for punch. In the subsequent fights, Liddell was ready. He adapted his strategy. Couture didn't. That can be all the difference in a battle of inches.

1. Matt Hughes Versus Georges St-Pierre

It's not often the two greatest fighters in a division's history meet in their physical primes. It's part of what made the three-fight series between Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre so special.

When the two met for the first time, St-Pierre admitted to being intimidated. Hughes was his hero, a fighter he had admired growing up in the sport. He didn't believe in his heart he could win, and Hughes took advantage to score an amazing armbar win.

Before their second bout, Hughes made a huge tactical mistake. He tried to get in St-Pierre's head during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter 4, talking trash and making St-Pierre uncomfortable.

It humanized Hughes. Not only did St-Pierre realize Hughes was just a man, he realized he was also kind of a jerk. It freed St-Pierre to unleash the hounds, and the young Canadian won the second and third fights with comparative ease.