Jon Jones and the Top 11 Worst Days for MMA

Although MMA is a young sport and does not have a history as storied as that of other sports, it certainly has its share of days that are infamous among its fans and fighters.

When one thinks of what the sport has had to go through, it seems only natural that there would be sad moments. After all, the sport was once nearly destroyed!

In addition, the bad public image the sport has amongst some groups of people (I'm looking at you, traditional sports fan) has produced some sad days as well.

So, from the embarrassing to the downright tragic, these are the top 11 saddest days for the sport of mixed martial arts.

11. June 29th, 1998, the Start of the Brawl for All Tournament.

WWF Brawl for All. Just the mention of it will make the blood of a professional wrestling fan cringe. It should do the same for any MMA fan as well.

WWF Brawl for All was their attempt at bringing pseudo-MMA into the squared circle. So, how well did it compare to real MMA? Watch the video and find out.

Even worse, the reputation of UFC great Dan Severn was soiled having been in this joke of a "tournament."

With such an awful display of fighting, it is no doubt that the beginning of Brawl for All was a date in which legitimate MMA fans were crying.

10. March 19th 2011, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's Legacy Ends.

Let us remember the old Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

The rise of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is being trumpeted as one of the most glorious in MMA history. He is, after all, the youngest fighter to be champion in the UFC at only 23 years old.

In the blinding limelight of Jones, one forgets about his opponent, former Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Rua was once a similar phenom, having won the Pride middleweight grand prix in 2005 at 23 years old; Afterwards, Rua was once the one of the most feared fighters on the planet.

Unfortunately, on March 19th 2011, Rua was simply outclassed by the younger Jones. How sad it was to see the once indomitable Rua thrown around like a child!

9. March 10th, 2000, Kevin Randelman Slips at UFC 24

Who would have thought that his kryptonite was concrete floors?

By the time UFC 24 came along, the promotion was struggling. SEG, the company that owned the UFC, was in dire financial straits.

Kevin Randleman had recently been crowned UFC heavyweight champion and was scheduled to make his first defense against Brazilian standout Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo. Hence the event's rather unimaginative title, UFC 24: First Defense.

As fate would have it, the two fighters would not meet at UFC 24. While Randleman was backstage, he slipped and fell on the concrete and was completely knocked out. He was rushed to the hospital, and the fans were left with Tedd Williams vs. Steve Judson as a main event...lucky them.

This is one of the worst days for the UFC and MMA, since this event is often thought to signal the beginning of the "dark ages" which lasted until the UFC was purchased by Zuffa in 2001.

8. April 11th, 2008, Yamma Pit Fighting Holds Yamma I

Bob Meyrowitz, the owner of the UFC before it was sold to Zuffa, decided to venture back into the MMA business after the Zuffa purchase. Unfortunately for the MMA world, the product of this was Yamma Pit Fighting.

The primary advertising gimmick employed by Yamma was their "revolutionary" cage, which was circular and had slanted edges—supposedly to prevent "lay and pray" and make the fights more exciting. Yamma also returned to the tournament structure.

The card was boring, since it was packed with heavyweight wrestlers with poor conditioning as well as two "masters super fights" in which fighters who had not been relevant in nearly a decade were marketed as though they were still stars.

Even worse, some of the announce team was kept from the original UFC days.

All of this helped to make Yamma Pit Fighting a blemish on the face of the sport that, thankfully, only lasted one event.

7. June 13th, 2009, Ray Mercer Crushes Tim Sylvia.

The most humiliating moment for MMA.

Boxing has been the subject of harsh criticism from MMA fans since the days of Art Jimmerson's lone boxing glove. However, on June 13th 2009, boxing had its revenge.

It took only nine seconds for a former boxing champion to knockout a former UFC champion in what was (and perhaps still is) the most humiliating moment for the sport of mixed martial arts.

Fortunately, Randy Couture eventually saved MMA by dominating and submitting James Toney at UFC 118.

6. March 8th, 2008, Ken Shamrock Loses to Robert "Buzz" Berry.

Ken Shamrock was one of the first superstars in the UFC and was a legend in his time. Sadly, Shamrock stayed in the cage for far too long and damaged not only his legacy, but likely his body as well.

His fight against England's Robert "Buzz" Berry was supposed to be a cake walk for him; Berry was a can who was only 11-7.

Much to everyone's surprise, Berry knocked Shamrock out in the second round in a fight that signaled that the once great fighter was well and truly finished.

5. May 27th, 2006, Royce Gracie Humiliated at UFC 60

When "Gracie" was THE name in combat sports.

Whatever problems some may have against the Gracies, none can say that Royce Gracie was not the first legend in the UFC. Gracie achieved a record of 11-0-1 in his initial UFC run—a record for consecutive wins in the UFC until 2010. He also opened the world's eyes to ground fighting and in doing so helped to catalyze the creation of modern MMA.

His undefeated run would end unceremoniously and embarrassingly at the hands of then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 60—55 events and 11 years after Gracie's last Octagon appearance.

Hughes dominated Gracie from the opening bell and could have even broken the Brazilian's arm if he'd chosen to. Instead, Hughes opted to lay down some ground and pound from backmount until the fight was called at the 4:39 mark in the very first round.

The sport's first legend finally fell.

Although sad, there was some silver lining in the fact that the sport itself had grown and matured since Gracie's days of fighting guys who couldn't tell an omoplata from an oompa-loompa.

4. February 12th, 2011, Fedor Emelianenko Outclassed by Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

The sad fate of the "Last Emperor."

Former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko was perhaps the most revered fighter of all time. He dominated opponents like no other and had a devoted cult following amongst many a keyboard warrior.

When Pride was finally purchased by the UFC, many had hoped to see him in the organization but it was not meant to be. Instead, Emelianenko fought for Affliction—where he defeated former UFC champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski before the promotion's closure in 2009—and then Strikeforce, an organization considered to be minor league.

Emelianenko would suffer the first true loss of his storied career against Fabricio Werdum via a simultaneous triangle choke/arm-bar only one minute and nine seconds into the first round. Many fans thought this was a fluke and eagerly awaited the Russian's return to form at his next fight.

This "return to form" never came. Emelianenko, as some predicted would happen, was outmatched in every aspect by his opponent Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. The fight was stopped in Emelianenko's corner before the third round began.

The man who was once unstoppable was made to look like a journeyman; The "Last Emperor" was finally dethroned.

3. March 11th, 2009, the Death of Charles "Mask" Lewis.

While some may look down on people who wear TapouT, the truth of the matter is that TapouT was one of the first dedicated MMA sponsors as well as one of the original MMA-inspired clothing lines. The man behind it all was none other than Charles "Mask" Lewis.

Lewis believed in the sport before all of the glamor and glitz of today's MMA, back when it was underground and there was little fame and even less money. Under his guidance, TapouT became the premier "lifestyle" brand for mixed martial arts and one of the more recognizable clothing brands in general.

His name on the top of the octagon fence is a constant reminder of his devotion to the sport. His colorful personality was one never duplicated in MMA and was taken from us too soon.

Rest in peace, "Mask."

2. December 29th 2010, the Retirement of Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell

Vintage Chuck Liddell.

Chuck Liddell was the first superstar in modern MMA and one of the most dominant light heavyweight champions the UFC has ever seen. He was an icon in the sport and his image was exactly what came to mind when one thought of "ultimate fighting."

His battles in the cage were legendary, as were his fists and his chin. That was why it was so sad to finally see him retire at a press conference on December 29th, 2010, shortly after his loss to Rich "Ace" Franklin at UFC 115.

By the time he retired he had lost so much of what made him great; the sport had passed him by. He had come off of three devastating knockouts, each more brutal than the last.

His retirement signaled the end of an era for mixed martial arts and for the UFC.

1. January 3rd, 1987, John McCain Takes Office as a Senator.

A video about the issue of McCain and "human cockfighting."

This date as the worst day for MMA may seem controversial, but John McCain was the single biggest enemy the sport has ever had—mixed martial arts almost died by his hands!

His coming to office, while not immediately disastrous since the UFC wasn't in existence yet, would ultimately be the most dangerous thing to happen to MMA in its short history.

Now that we have seen the worst days for MMA, make your case for agreements or disagreements in the comments below.