MMA's 15 Best Staredowns

The "staredown" before a bout can set the tone for the rest of the evening.

When two fighters can show their intensity through their mannerisms, fans can't help but get excited for what's to come.

The collection in this piece are some of the best in MMA history and certainly have a diverse array of traits that make them great.

Some are funny while others are extremely intense, but all make us want to see what is still to come: the actual fight.

Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone had an intense staredown in the days leading up to the event, with Diaz flipping Cerrone's hat off.

Diaz wouldn't stop there.

Prior to the beginning of Round 3, he decided to let you know just what he thought of Cerrone at the time.

The two would reconcile following the fight with Diaz giving Cerrone his beanie in an effort to "replace" the one he flipped off Cerrone's head.

Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc

Do I really need to dissect why this makes it to the list?

Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta

Although the two men had a fairly intense staredown at the weigh-ins, this is the staredown in question.

Roger Huerta was quickly becoming one of the true faces of MMA/UFC during his tenure in the company and Clay Guida was just beginning his ascension to fan favorite.

This bout showed why both men will always hear the roar of the fans. Their staredown before the final round remains one of the most memorable.

Quinton Jackson vs. Marvin Eastman

Looking to avenge an earlier loss on his record and make a good impression with UFC fans, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson took on Marvin Eastman at UFC 67.

The staredown is one of the most intense mean mug competitions we've seen in MMA.

Jackson would defeat Eastman and move onto bigger and better things.

Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II

Frank Trigg tried to do everything he could to get inside the head of Matt Hughes during their intense rivalry, which spilled over into their stare down in the rematch.

Trigg got in Hughes' face and was subsequently shoved as Hughes stepped back to his corner.

Fans were already excited for their rematch and this staredown only heightened the anticipation.

Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger

We all saw how much Gabe Ruediger loved cake while on The Ultimate Fighter, so he wanted to share the love with his opponent Joe Lauzon.

Ruediger made Lauzon a cake that read, "Sorry for your loss."

Let's hope Lauzon was a nice guy and gave back the cake to help Ruediger following their encounter at UFC 118.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

In one of the Zuffa's first mega-fights as owners of the UFC, Chuck Liddell battered Tito Ortiz in their first climatic fight.

Most fans figured the rematch figured would be like Liddell and Ortiz's first encounter—but they must've failed to send the memo to Ortiz.

Irony is the key word for this staredown. Ortiz is smiling as if he'd already beaten Liddell, only to be KO'd the next evening.

Don Frye vs. James Thompson

Owner of one of the best mean mugs in the sport, Don Frye turned it on full blast for his bout with James Thompson.

The referee was too busy trying to stop the two men from going at it and couldn't get the rules named off.

Frye would lose the match but easily won the stare-down competition.

Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva

When Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva finally met it was every MMA fan's dream match come to life. The two men didn't waste any time getting in the other's face at the weigh-ins.

Silva displayed his typical staredown and Liddell gazed back without any emotion. Silva tried to psych out Liddell by acting like he was going to hit him but Liddell refused to move.

As Liddell stepped away he decided to flip off Silva, which caused "The Axe Murderer" to charge at Liddell. Silva had to be restrained by nearly everyone on stage.

Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve

Who says you have to put your serious face on at the weigh-ins? Pat Barry and Stefan Struve didn't think so in anticipation of their bout.

The two men were joking back and forth for weeks leading up to the match. The weigh-in photo promised to provide some comical relief.

It didn't disappoint as the height disparity between the two made everyone laugh. Barry, in a stroke of comical genius, decided to stand on the scale to make things a little more even.

Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez

If there was ever a case of a staredown setting the tone for a bout, this is it.

Diego Sanchez is known for going a little over-the-top with his mean mug but Clay Guida had no problems matching his intensity.

This is not only one of the greatest fights in UFC history, but also one of the best staredowns.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson

You could honestly pick any of the staredowns in the rivalry between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, but there's nothing quite like the original.

These two were some of the premier fighters at the 205-pound division during their tenure in Pride. Their fights also happened to be some of the most violent in the sport's history—in one case Jackson was left motionless on the ropes with blood draining from his forehead.

Just a case of two great staredown artists going at it.

Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock

No, that isn't the epic staredown between Ken Shamrock and Don Frye, but here's a great gif of the staredown.

This is just a hilarious video that shows the rivalry between them.

Frye and Shamrock legitimately disliked each other. It showed in not only their bout but also in the staredown as both men met in the center of the Pride ring.

I don't think either man breathed, let alone blinked, during the entire staredown, although I'm pretty sure Frye's mustache twitched just a little.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

When Anderson Silva took on Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 there was a lot of history between the two. 

A great feature of this staredown was that both men were perfectly fine until Silva grabbed the mask and decided to get into Belfort's face.

Besides both men raising the intensity level, the staredown actually ends with Silva telling Belfort (in Portugese) something along the lines of "You're F******."

Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Wanderlei Silva

Arguably the best staredown in MMA history took place when Mirko "Cro Cop" took on Wanderlei Silva.

Besides the intensity level of both men, the more impressive thing is that neither man blinks.

"Cro Cop" is able to do this. "Cro Cop" moves his eyes to meet Silva's as Silva bounces back and forth.

As the caption for the YouTube video says, scary indeed.