UFC 128 Fight Card: Jon Jones, Urijah Faber and the Most Creative Fighters

Let's face it: sometimes the same-old same-old just gets boring in mixed martial arts.

The same nostalgic routine happens in just about every single fight—people take down others, they stand and jab, they try to isolate a body part to no avail, and after a while, the routine gets monotonous.

We need something different—something lively and vibrant to view in the cage as two cage gladiators go to battle and let their all hang out in the cage.

That's where these guys come in.

They pull out things you've never seen or thought possible before—things you'd think are only possible with the aid of a Hollywood stunt crew and about four to six-plus wires.

They are responsible for almost every "HOLY S---, DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?!" moment in the sport—they make possible every moment that we as fans of the sport have thought to be impossible.

Like them, hate them, but recognize them and never forget them or the moves they've made happen in the cage.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are the most creative Mixed Martial Artists in the combat-sports-world.

Melvin Manhoef

If you're surprised to see Manhoef's name here on this list, then clearly your first time watching MMA must have been last week's Strikeforce event.

To everyone else, Manhoef is on this list because of what he does with his striking game—especially since that's his whole game.

It's not the fact of him throwing those punches and those kicks, but the fact that he will not hesitate to throw them from any angle, that makes his such a feared foe, and sometimes when he can't find an opening, he does what any crazy striker would do and creates his opening in the heat of an exchange.

It may not seem like it's very creative at all, but it does paint a violently beautiful picture when Manhoef is able to flat-line someone with his arsenal.

Georges St-Pierre

The wrestling, the ground prowess, the rhythm of his striking and the fact that his game plan for a Dan Hardy or a Thiago Alves differs from what he'd have in store for a Jon Fitch, a Josh Koscheck, a Karo Parisyan or even a Matt Serra.

What he'll do against a BJ Penn isn't what he'll do against a guy like a Matt Hughes or a Jake Shields—he's constantly showing his diversity as a fighter and he always leaves you wondering if you're really going to get a twenty-five minute wrestling match or if you're really going to get a jab-fest or if you're getting a grappling clinic.

Will Shields prove too much for him?

We'll find out come April 30 in Toronto.

Alistair Overeem

Never seen The Reem?

Check out the highlight reel, and see for yourself the reason why this hulk of a machine is considered creative.

Anderson "The Spider" Silva

Is there ever a "most-anything" list that doesn't have the UFC Middleweight Champ on it?

The fact that he's on here tell you that, no, there isn't...yet.

He's got the longest title reign in UFC history, he's one of the best strikers in the sport, and some consider him one of the people that you'd justifiably love to look at and say "I hate that douchebag".

Seriously, he's got his heel moments, and that's partially why some people order his fights.

The front kick that shocked the world (in a bout that I still don't feel Silva was supposed to win) is just one example of his creativity.

Let it be remembered that before and even after those shaky decision wins over Thales Leites and Demian Maia, it was all about the Muay Thai, Boxing, and BJJ game of the champ.

He choked out Dan Henderson, elbowed Lutter in the skull while locking in a Triangle choke, pulled off what had to be the "comeback of 2010" with the win over Chael Sonnen, and he back-step-jabbed Forrest Griffin at UFC 101—honestly the only event in recent memory where he wasn't the headliner.

There's no federal law saying that he has to be your favorite fighter, but you can't deny that when this guy pulls off something impressive, its difficult to forget.

Miguel Torres

The fight with Antonio Banuelos may not have shown it, but the lanky Torres has built his career on not only being a pioneer of sorts to the 135ers of the world, but also on being very unorthodox as a fighter.

Just by his stance, you can tell that Torres won't end his night without pulling something wild from out of his hat.

He's just the type of guy that likes keeping people on their toes, guessing and wondering about what he's going to do next, and nine times out of ten, he's been successful in taking one of his opponents' limbs with him along the way.

If his bout with Brad Pickett at UFC 130 is confirmed, perhaps we can expect more of the same from the former WEC Bantamweight Champion.

Marlon Sandro

If you hadn't ever heard of Marlon Sandro up until this slideshow, you likely must have a few screws loosened in your head for deciding not to check him out on Youtube.

The truth is that Sandro is as much a beast as any other fighter on this list, and it comes as no surprise since he does represent Team Black House affiliate Nova Uniao Jiu-Jitsu.

There's not a lot about Sandro's game that's "predictable" other than the fact that you're not going to catch a nap during his fights—and that's regardless of whether or not he loses his fights.

Really speaking, he only lost two fights—one of which is to current Sengoku Featherweight Champion Hatsu Hioki in what was a rather close yet still dominating performance for the current champ--and both came by decision, so apart from a solid wrestling game and a tame striking regiment, Sandro's only flaw is that he's seemed to run out of time to get the job done.

Then again, the reckless striking is partially why he's on here—after all, being a methodical striker that hits and runs wasn't even a requirement.

Besides, you can't ever truly expect Sandro to come at you with a pure fisticuffs striking game--especially knowing that the former SRC Featherweight kingpin can and will attack from any angle with anything from a right uppercut to a flying right knee, all the way down to a standing arm triangle that leaves his opponent unconscious to the point of nearly being knocked out.

Sandro has been widely considered one of the best Featherweight fighters not named Jose Aldo for a reason, and it's only a matter of time before Joe Warren, Georgi Karakhanyan, Wilson Reis, and the rest of the Bellator Featherweight division find out why.

"The California Kid" Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber is psychotic sometimes, even for a guy that looks like your stereotypical surfer dude.

It's crazy enough that he looked like a phenomenal all around fighter when he first arrived in the WEC, but after two losses to Mike Brown and a WEC 48 loss to Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber reinvented Urijah Faber and took his creativity to another level.

With good timing, a strong will, discipline, and California Voodoo children in the front row of the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Faber managed to find a way to knock out Takeya Mizugaki and still earn himself a submission win against a fighter with a solid ground game.

At least when Matt Hughes did it to Frank Trigg, nobody thought Trigg had died.

Turns out Urijah has KO Power in his biceps nowadays, and that's good considering his hands haven't been the same since the rematch with Mike Brown.

On deck for The Fighting Pride of Sacramento, California is inaugural WEC Bantamweight kingpin Eddie Wineland in almost one week at UFC 128

Jose "Scarface" Aldo

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis

Believe it or not, but Anthony Pettis's "Showtime Kick", which I tried coining "The Show-Stopper" in my head, isn't the only creative move that Pettis has pulled off.

The man is known for one other element of his game besides his technically-beautiful submissions and that kick, and that element is just his overall stand-up game.

Pettis is more unorthodox than even your favorite unorthodox fighter for sure.

If you watch his bout with Shane Roller, you might get a glimpse of the Capoeira game that this man knows—how many MMA fighters do you know that actually do use Capoeira moves in their fights?

Trust me, Brian Ebersole isn't the first guy to throw something like that.

Few can bring it in a weird way quite like Anthony Pettis can, and few will be able to bring it like Pettis even after he's gone from the sport.

Keep that in mind when you face him at the TUF 13 Finale on my b-day in Vegas, okay, Clay Guida?

"Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis

The undefeated prospect who headlines for the first time opposite Rogerio Nogueira, Phil Davis carries his own creative blend of Wrestling, improving stand-up, and a submission game that is unbelievably good for a blue belt.

If you're talking about the striking-heavy 205-lb. division of the UFC, you'd have to say that the style of Mr. Wonderful does qualify as creative, considering that not many Light-Heavyweights in the UFC stray far away from either their Wrestling (in Ryan Bader's case) or their striking (in the case of pretty much half of the division).

Not only is Davis willing to mix it up, but he also has built a reputation of being a standout wrestler who just so happens to be one of the most sound submission specialists in the game right now.

He has a mean arsenal of submissions--including his bread-and-butter move, the Anaconda Choke, and the North-South Kimura, which he basically invented on the spot at UFC 123 against Tim Boetsch.

Your average submission artist?

That's not Phil Davis. Phil Davis qualifies for the step right on the line of "extraordinary" as far as MMA fighters go.

Toby Imada

Leave it to a judoka like Toby Imada to make a list just based off of the fact that he uses some rather brutal submissions in order to earn his victories, namely his "Imada Triangle", the upside-down triangle-choke which sent him to the finals of the inaugural Bellator Lightweight tournament at Jorge Masvidal's expense.

The truth of the matter, however, is that while he is known for his suba few strikes missions, he also does have a devastating kickboxing game that is often overlooked.

Though Imada is another example of a fighter who can sometimes be too aggressive offensively, he also is a crafty vet who can be aggressive while at the same time pushing a pace that doesn't require a Wanderlei SIlva-like style of offense.

Stand with him, and he will show no fear when it comes time to mix up his arsenal—whether it's inside or on the outside, and he has what is necessary to consistently land his strikes.

As far as the submission attempts and transitions go, few come as smooth, quick, and as uniquely as those of Imada.

There's a reason why people want to see him year in and year out in Bellator, regardless of how much of a chance the odds-makers believe he truly has of making the semi-finals.

The man never puts on a predictable showcase—his style is the polar opposite of predictable.

Nick Pace

It was tough to decide which video to use when addressing Nick Pace and the creativity he shows in the cage when he has to throw down.

After a bit of battling over his Bellator win by one hell of a flying knee and this win over Will Campuzano in an unaired catchweight bout at last season's Ultimate Fighter Finale, I decided that you can check out the Pace Choke for yourself and ogle the flying knee on your own time.

Much like the Showtime Kick, this armless triangle-necktie-type maneuver is one that Pace himself has perfected this choke to where he knows when he has it locked on properly enough to force the tap.

Here, he'll even show you.

You talk about guys that will hit you with anything and everything, why not talk about a guy who's explosive as Nick Pace?

Few come as unorthodox on the feet and on the ground as this young Bantamweight upstart, and it shows when he gets in the cage.

It wouldn't be surprising if the Pace Choke (aka The Pacemaker) makes a return when we do see Pace fight next.

Jon "Bones" Jones

Do you really need to know what Bones is doing here?

If you've seen him fight, then you know about his whole game, and it's not just his Greco-Roman Wrestling ability.

He's also one of the most dangerous strikers in the Light-Heavyweight division, and in the minds of many, he's the most dangerous striker not named Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Shogun is a devastating striker, but the most creative thing we've seen Shogun do since PRIDE folded was the flying knee he gave Chuck Liddell and the cold hook that ended Lyoto Machida's title reign.

Jones is the type of guy that'll throw any move flying—knees, kicks, and sometimes he'll leap just to see if you get thrown off-guard—as well as various variations of the takedown from the Greco-Roman "German" suplex to the belly-to-belly suplex.

Not only the striking game, but Jones also carries a pretty good submission game—complete with a sick guillotine choke—and even the Superman Elbow, which he debuted against Ryan Bader.

People often compare his style to that of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, but when you put their performances side by side, there's a slew of noticeable differences.

Anderson Silva is extraordinary, but Jones is a style and a class all his own.

He's a style that Shogun may need to pay special attention to as his UFC 128 bout with Jones draws nearer.

Lyoto Machida

"Predictable" may be how one could define Lyoto Machida, but the stuff that the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion has pulled off is definitely a testament to how creative this man is.

Then again, you never see too many fighters pull off a fully-functional Karate exhibition while cementing their status as an elusive striker the way Machida has.

Couple that with a background in Sumo, a history of taking a few fights at Heavyweight, and the way he works his counter-striking, and maybe the argument can be made that Randy Couture's only shot to beat him at UFC 129 is a scorecard robbery.

Then again, Couture's made a career out of shutting guys down at their own game.

Maybe he does the same to Machida, and maybe he doesn't.