Modern Era: The 14 Best MMA and UFC Fights of the New Millenium

If there is a dividing line separating MMA into two eras, it likely belongs in the year 2001. The new millennium brought sweeping changes to the sport. 

The UFC, once banned throughout the land and forced into the Deep South or states with no athletic commissions, suddenly had a shiny new veneer. Though little had changed conceptually, approval from the influential state of New Jersey and the new ownership out of Las Vegas were enough to push a once broken brand back into the national spotlight.

Under Zuffa the much maligned sport had a fighting chance. The Fertitta brothers had the juice to get the sport regulated in Nevada and back on pay-per-view. The fighters, meanwhile, had spent nearly a decade figuring out what worked and what didn't in a real fight. They were ready for prime time.

The result was a series of spectacular fights, each year featuring numerous contests that put the barbaric and simple tussles of the early years to shame. In 1994 MMA supporters could claim the contests were much more than mere bar fights. In 2005, however, they could truly mean it.

What follows are my personal choice for best fight of each year of the past decade. This is, clearly, a subjective exercise. Fights, in a way, are like songs. Some, though not quite in tune, manage to say something meaningful nonetheless. Others, though professionally crafted, just don't reach all the way to your heart. 

These are the ones that reached mine. Have your own favorites? Let's talk about it in the comments.

2001: Pedro Rizzo vs. Randy Couture

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Fight: Pedro Rizzo vs. Randy Couture

Event: UFC 31

Date: May 5, 2001

Runner-Up: Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton (UFC 34)

By 2001 the once fluid sport was beginning to take shape, with wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay thai kickboxing reigning as the holy trinity of a new martial arts religion. But this fight was a throwback to an earlier era.

While Randy Couture and Pedro Rizzo were both well-rounded fighters, the bout boiled down to a classic trope—grappler versus striker. Rizzo clearly did the most damage. Couture, by his own admission, was limping for weeks after this fight. Couture, however, controlled more of the action, and the judges saw things his way, awarding the UFC heavyweight champion a unanimous-decision win after five brutal and unforgettable rounds.

2002: Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock

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Fight: Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock 

Event: Pride 19

Date: February 24, 2002

Runner-Up: Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (Pride 21)

Promoters in Japan, already sitting on a gold mine with the then-popular Pride Fighting Championships, were looking to expand into the North American market in 2002. Like everyone else in the sport, they saw the UFC's phoenix-like return to pay-per-view as an opportunity. And their deep roster featured the two men who were most likely to make dreams of conquest a reality.

Don Frye and Ken Shamrock were two of the most memorable stars from the UFC's formative years of roughly the same ability, age and stature in the sport. They also legitimately hated each other, a fortunate coincidence that lent the fight a strong promotional hook.

While it didn't take the world by storm at the box office, where even the UFC was struggling in those days, it did produce one of the most incredible fights of all time. Frye gutted out several leglock attempts to win a decision. He crippled himself in the process and lives in pain to this day. But he had his hand raised in the end.

For a true warrior, that's all that really matters.

2003: Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

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Fight: Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

Event: Pride Final Conflict 2003

Date: November 9, 2003

Runner-Up

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Yoshida, a retired Olympic judoka and former gold medalist, was old, crippled and fighting up in weight when he gave MMA a try for Pride. Despite that, for one glorious night, it looked like none of that was going to matter.

Against all odds, Yoshida was giving as good as he got in a standing exchange with the fearsome Wanderlei Silva, who was then in his face-smashing prime. The crowd was electric, hoping beyond hope that their hero would prevail.

He fell short by way of decision after 15 remarkable minutes. The bout has, in the years since it first wowed the fight world, kind of fallen through the cracks. Now a forgotten classic, this is one worth seeking out.

2004: Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson II

Fight: Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson II

Event: Pride 28

Date: October 31, 2004

Runner-Up: Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn (UFC 46)

Silva dominated the first fight between the two men, but Rampage came into the bout confident. That was part of a long tournament, he reasoned. Starting fresh, Jackson saw nothing stopping him from gaining his revenge on The Axe Murderer.

At the time it sounded like sour grapes—but there may have been something to it. Jackson nearly finished the fight in the first round, landing a heavy right hand, a knee on the ground and some significant ground-and-pound.

Silva, however, was nothing if not resilient. He survived and came back to finish the bout in the second round with a sickening knee, leaving Jackson bloodied and unconscious, propelled through the ring ropes to the floor. It was a moment for the all-time highlight reel and arguably the greatest win of Silva's career.

2005: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

Fight: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

Event: The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Finale

Date: April 9, 2005

Runner-Up: Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pride Critical Countdown 2005)

No, it wasn't the most technical fight in the world. And, no, it didn't really send millions scrambling to their television sets like revisionist history now tells us. But it did set the tone and the stage for what MMA could be, impressing Spike TV executives and fans alike.

For many, The Ultimate Fighter was an introduction to a brave new world. Griffin and Bonnar showed those new fans exactly what kind of men made this sport their home. For that, if not for an actual classic, they will never be forgotten. Griffin was the winner in the history books, but Bonnar, too, was given a six-figure contract because UFC President Dana White was right—we were all winners that night.

2006: Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan

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Fight: Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan

Event: UFC Fight Night 6

Date: August 17, 2006

Runner Up: Georges St-Pierre vs. B.J. Penn I (UFC 58)

Cast members from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, like Sanchez, were greeted with some skepticism by longtime UFC fans and fighters. Could they really compete with the best in the world? Or were they merely creations of reality television?

Sanchez was one of the first to answer those questions. He beat Nick Diaz in an instant classic in 2005 and then took everything Parisyan had to offer. That included a hard judo throw that landed him right on his noggin—but Sanchez came back with a pace and intensity the established contender just couldn't match to earn the decision. 

2007: Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi

Fight: Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi

Event: Pride 33

Date: February 24, 2007

Runner-Up: Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta (The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale)

Gomi came into the fight dreaming of bouts with Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn and the sport's biggest American stars. He should have been thinking about his opponent, Nick Diaz, instead.

Diaz, riding a three-fight win streak, came into Pride from the UFC on fire, withstanding an early Gomi barrage to finish the fight with a rare gogoplata submission. The win was overturned when Diaz tested positive for marijuana. So, while the record books don't show this as a win for the bad boy from Stockton, all who witnessed it will never forget what really happened that wild night in Las Vegas.

2008: Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson

Fight: Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson

Event: UFC 86

Date: July 5, 2008

Runner-Up: Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen (Dream 3)

By 2008 Forrest Griffin had firmly established himself as a crowd favorite and box-office attraction. But a legitimately world-class fighter? No one was quite ready to go that far, even after an upset win over Pride refugee Mauricio Rua.

This fight changed everything. Griffin, though outmatched physically, simply outworked Jackson, overcoming a huge uppercut in the first round to come back and win the fight. It was a back-and-forth affair, but ultimately Griffin's hard leg kicks and superior work on the ground won over the judges—and earned him the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

2009: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture

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Fight: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture

Event: UFC 102

Date: August 29, 2009

Runner-Up: Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida (The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale)

After what can only be described as a lethargic fight week, Portland, Oregon, came alive for adopted son Randy Couture once the fighters hit the cage. The feeling was beyond compare—the energy so compelling that I remember abandoning my press-row seat for a spot in the crowd. 

This was the kind of fight that deserved the cheers that don't belong in the press box.

Neither man, if we're being perfectly honest, was what he once was. In this case, that worked out well. Rolling on the mat, engaging in the clinch, striking at distance—they were diminished together. And it was magic.

2010: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I

Fight: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I

Event: UFC 117

Date: August 7, 2010

Runner-Up: Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki II (Sengoku 14)

It's still hard to believe that Chael Sonnen, a journeyman on the streak of his life, took it to Anderson Silva in a way no one ever had. It's not just that Silva was the most successful fighter in UFC history. He was also the most dominant. 

Silva made tough men want to cry, dancing, smirking and decimating his way into the record books. No one had ever withstood his force of will in the Octagon.

No one but Sonnen.

For four rounds and change, Sonnen had his way with the champion. But, in the end, none of that mattered. A triangle choke, no friend of Chael's, proved his undoing. A failed drug test followed.

Sonnen was undaunted. A rematch would follow, one of the most successful fights, monetarily, in UFC history. But this is the fight that people will remember—the fight that turned two men into immortals.

2011: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II

Fight: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II

Event: UFC 125

Date: January 1, 2011

Runner-Up: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua I (UFC 139)

First of all, let's dispense with the elephant in the room. No, I didn't name the transcendent slugfest between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua the best fight of the year. Yes, I feel bad about that.

Rua and Henderson put on a show for the ages, a display of guts and gumption beyond anything we had ever seen. It's one of the five best fights of all time.

It just happened to come in the same year Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard re-invented what fighting could be. This was Henderson vs. Rua on fast forward—a dizzying display of prowess and courage.

The champion, Edgar, managed to come back from a sustained first-round drubbing to take things the distance. This was a rally like no other—a return from the dead that has to be seen to be believed. What followed after that was a tooth-and-nail war, with momentum sliding back and forth between the two men as neither was able to impose his will.

When the judges deliberated and decided it was foolish to choose a winner, the draw just felt right. No one deserved to be a loser that night.

2012: Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner

Fight: Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner

Event: UFC on Fox 4

Date: August 4, 2012

Runner-Up: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC on Fuel 3)

Military metaphors in sport always annoy me. It's not combat; it's just a proxy. Diminishing the real sacrifices of soldiers just doesn't seem right.

Some fights, though, are hard to describe any other way, as the physical courage and bravery are truly reminiscent of our fighting men and women. Jamie Varner's fight with Joe Lauzon, for example, was a three-round battle that it isn't embarrassing to call "a war."

After being exiled from the UFC, Varner had returned earlier in the year on short notice, as supposedly just another victim for highly touted prospect Edson Barboza. Varner dispatched the young Brazilian in short order, earning a dubious reward—a bout with violence machine Lauzon.

Back and forth the two went, with Varner shoving his clear exhaustion into the background, determined to do whatever it took to win. Lauzon, however, is the king of fight-night bonuses for a reason. He looks to finish from every conceivable position and, after three incredible rounds, finally succeeded. 

Varner succumbed to a triangle choke but not before making Lauzon pay a horrible price. Neither of these men will ever be a UFC champion. But neither will be forgotten either. Because these kinds of fights, just as much as transcendent title tilts, are what make MMA one of the most compelling shows in all of professional athletics.

2013: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Fight: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Event: UFC 165

Date: September 21, 2013

Runner-Up: Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva (UFC Fight Night 33)

Jon Jones made everything look easy on his rise to the top of the light heavyweight division. His combination of razor-sharp elbows and a razor-sharp mind overwhelmed a collection of the sport's very best, including Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, "Shogun" Rua and Lyoto Machida. 

The knock on Jones, if you can call it a knock, is that he'd never truly been tested. When pushed to his limits, how would he respond? Would he fold under the pressure? Or rise to the occasion? That was the mark of a man. Remarkably, despite his Hall of Fame resume, it was a question no one could really answer about Jones.

Until Gustafsson.

The lanky and unheralded Swede forced the champion past his comfort zone and into the deepest of waters. It was there we learned that Jones could truly swim, as he rallied past adversity and won the fight with a final-round flurry that pushed him ahead on the judges' scorecards. 

Jones remains a polarizing figure, a constant target for criticism and scorn. But no one can question his resolve—not anymore. Whether you love him or hate him, no one could possibly claim he was anything but amazing that night—truly the best fighter to ever step into the UFC Octagon.

2014: Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida

Fight: Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida 

Event: UFC 175

Date: July 5, 2014

Runner-Up: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes II (UFC 179)

This was another hard decision as Aldo and Mendes eschewed their basic humanity to become living, breathing rock-em, sock-em robots. And, yet, the middleweight bout resonated with me on a different level.

Maybe the differing vantage points swayed my choice, but while sitting on press row for this fight, it was clear that I was in the presence of greatness. Lyoto Machida was on the business end of a beating. You could, at times, see the hurt, confusion and desperation in his eyes. 

But he never quit. 

In the fourth round, several hard lefts rocked the champion. Suddenly, there was doubt in the air. In the fifth round, Weidman who showed his mettle, firing back in a thrilling finale. Machida threw all caution into the Las Vegas night in the last 10 seconds, risking all on a final roll of the dice. Snake eyes.

Weidman survived, erasing any lingering doubt that his wins over the great Anderson Silva had been figments of our collective imagination. The Machida era, once so promising, faded further into hazy memory.