50 Moments That Defined MMA
There are moments in MMA that made the sport into what it is today.
Even though MMA has only been around in the mainstream for a short time, it has no shortage of excellent moments that created a sport that's truly something else.
So what moments are simply a cut above the rest and are significant to MMA history? Read and find out, but keep in mind no mere mortal can rank these events in terms of importance and be 100 percent accurate. They are therefore in chronological order.
Gene Lebell vs. Milo Savage
1 of 50What Happened: Judo legend Gene Lebell fought boxer Milo Savage in the USA's first televised "mma" fight.
Date: December 2nd, 1963.
Why is it important?: Gene Lebell's victorious effort against Milo Savage proved the superiority of grappling thirty years before Royce Gracie and his clan did it at UFC 1. Lebell and other progressive-minded martial artists helped to pave the way for MMA and for well-rounded fighters.
Muhammad Ali Fights Antonio Inoki
2 of 50What happened: Muhammad Ali fought Antonio Inoki in a controversial "mma" bout in which Inoki was severely limited by the rules (Inoki couldn't kick unless he had one knee on the ground already, as well as other restrictions).
Date: June 26th, 1976.
Why is it important?: It was a precursor to modern MMA in Japan. Only nine years later, the Japanese Shooto organization would be founded, which has its own importance.
The Founding of Shooto
3 of 50What Happened: Japanese professional wrestlers who wanted something more than choreographed "works" started a promotion with "shoots," meaning the matches were real displays of wrestling with real submissions.
Date: 1985.
Why is it important?: Shooto helped to establish shoot-style wrestling/MMA in Japan, which eventually led to Pancrase and Pride Fighting Championships. Shooto still exists today, and the Shoot style is how fighters are classified (there are several letter-grade classes: A-class shootists are elite professional fighters such as Shinya Aoki and Takanori Gomi).
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The Founding of Pancrase
4 of 50What Happened: Another shoot-style wrestling/MMA promotion called Pancrase (after the Greek Pankration) was founded by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki.
Date: September 21st, 1993.
Why is it important?: It further helped to establish MMA in Japan, and it gave prominent fighters from the early days like Ken Shamrock, Guy Mezger, Frank Shamrock and Bas Rutten a place to hone their skills.
Gerard Gordeau vs. Teila Tuli
5 of 50What happened: Dutch Savate fighter Gerard Gordeau kicked sumo wrestler Teila Tuli in the face and knocked his tooth out.
Date: November 12th, 1993.
Why is it important: It was the first fight in UFC history, and it set the tone for the unpredictability and level of violence in the early days of the organization.
Royce Gracie vs. Art Jimmerson
6 of 50What Happened: Royce Gracie humiliated boxer Art Jimmerson.
Date: November 12th, 1993.
Why is it important?: It showed the world (not for the first time) that striking wasn't the be-all and end-all of martial arts. It showed that grappling was just as important, if not more so, as striking. Unlike when the martial arts world learned this in 1963, this time it actually stuck, and a martial arts revolution unfolded.
UFC 1 Finale
7 of 50What happened: Royce Gracie choked out Gerard Gordeau.
Date: November 12th, 1993.
Why is it important?: Gracie showed that technique could overcome sordid tactics such as biting, which Gordeau infamously did to Gracie during the fight.
Royce Gracie vs. Minoki Ichihara
8 of 50What Happened: Royce Gracie choked out highly regarded karate man Minoki Ichihara.
Date: March 11th, 1994.
Why is it important?: It disproved the myth of the invincible, "too deadly" karate black belt. Gracie made him look like a fool, proving that grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu was no fluke.
Emmanuel Yarborough vs. Keith Hackney
9 of 50What happened: Kenpo exponent Keith Hackney defeated a giant.
Date: September 9th, 1994.
Why is it important?: Like Teila Tuli vs. Gerard Gordeau, Hackney-Yarborough summed up the over-the-top and wild attitude of the no-holds-barred days of the UFC.
Kimo vs. Royce Gracie
10 of 50What Happened: Royce Gracie was made to look mortal for the first of several times.
Date: September 9th, 1994.
Why is it important?: For the first time, the MMA world was shown that your success isn't tied to your last name. Just because your last name is Gracie doesn't mean you're an invincible god among men.
Even though Gracie defeated the physically imposing Kimo, he couldn't continue on. The first chink appeared in the Gracie family armor.
Keith Hackney vs. Joe Son
11 of 50What Happened: The worst assault on manhood since John and Lorena Bobbitt.
Date: December 16th, 1994.
Why is it important?: It defined the type of sordid, NHB fighting of that era. It may have put off politicians and forced the sport underground, but that ultimately forced the sport to change for the better and grow.
Fred Ettish vs. Johnny Rhodes
12 of 50What happened: McDojo Karate was exposed by adept kickboxer Johnny Rhodes.
Date: March 11th, 1994.
Why is it important?: It helped bring to light the fact that a lot of karate is useless in a real fight; it helped to fight Bullshido and McDojos.
Dan Severn Wins UFC 5
13 of 50What happened: Dan Severn won the UFC 5 tournament.
Date: April 7th, 1995.
Why is it important?: Severn's victory in UFC 5 (as well as his performance in UFC 3) showed just exactly how amazing wrestling was when employed for mixed martial arts competitions. If you could wrestle, you could control your opponent and therefore the fight.
Weight Classes Enacted in the UFC
14 of 50What happened: Responding to negative media attention and political pressure, the UFC organized fights by individual weight classes.
Date: UFC 12, February 7th, 1997.
Why is it important?: It defined MMA by adopting the weight classes that are currently used in the UFC today, over a decade later.
Gloves Become Mandatory in the UFC
15 of 50What happened: Wearing MMA gloves was no longer optional.
Date: UFC 14, July 27th, 1997.
Why is it important?: Do you see any fighters NOT wearing gloves in the UFC today?
Five-Minute Rounds Introduced in the UFC
16 of 50What happened: Fights were finally given a proper structure: three five-minute rounds for regular fights and five five-minute rounds for title fights.
Date: UFC 21, July 16th, 1999.
Why is it important?: It determined the way fights would happen from then until the modern day and possibly for the rest of the sport's history. It defined the way fights were organized. Perhaps MMA will become so popular in the culture that people will no longer say they're ready to go "12 rounds" with someone and will say they're ready to go "five five-minute rounds" or "25 minutes" with someone.
The Founding of Pride Fighting Championships
17 of 50What happened: The legendary Pride Fighting Championships was founded in Japan.
Date: October 11th, 1997.
Why is it important: Pride was the biggest (and arguably best) stage for MMA during the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s. It proved the MMA world with legendary fighters and legendary fights.
Royce Gracie vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
18 of 50What happened: Kazushi Sakuraba defeated Royce Gracie in an epic 90-minute match in the Pride 2000 openweight grand prix.
Date: May 1st, 2000.
Why is it important: It showed that MMA had finally moved past the Gracies. BJJ was no longer the dominant force it once was because now everyone trained in it; there was nothing special about the methods of the Gracie clan anymore.
Pride 2000 Grand Prix
19 of 50What happened: One of the most notable and epic openweight tournaments in MMA history.
Date: January 30th, 2000-May 1st, 2000.
Why is it important: It saw the triumphant return of Mark Coleman, as well as the aforementioned defeat of Royce Gracie. It set the bar for future Pride tournaments and still remains arguably the most talent-laden openweight tournament in the history of MMA.
Zuffa Purchases the UFC
20 of 50What happened: Zuffa (a company owned by the Fertita brothers and Dana White) purchased the UFC from its cash-strapped owner, Bob Meyrowitz's SEG (Semaphore Entertainment Group).
Date: January 2001.
Why is it important?: Zuffa and Dana White revolutionized the way the UFC did things. They turned the company and the sport around for the better. It is so popular and well off today in large part thanks to them.
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva Trilogy
21 of 50What happened: Wanderlei Silva demolished Kazushi Sakuraba on three separate occasions in Pride.
Dates: March 25th, 2001; November 3rd, 2001; August 10th, 2003.
Why is it important?: It helped to establish the legend of Wanderlei Silva but also showed that Sakuraba was a legend in his own right; he never gave up despite being way overmatched.
Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock I
22 of 50What happened: Tito Ortiz pulverized Ken Shamrock so bad that the two rematches weren't really necessary.
Date: November 22nd, 2002.
Why is it important?: It was one of Tito Ortiz's finest fights, and it cemented him as a legend in the division. It also was one of the top fights in MMA history that showed that the old lions of the sport just weren't well-rounded enough to compete with the likes of then-modern MMA fighters.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Trilogy
23 of 50What happened: Fedor Emelianenko fought Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in three fights and beat him soundly twice (with one no contest due to an accidental head-butt).
Date: March 16th, 2003; August 15th, 2004; December 31, 2004.
Why is it important?: Emelianenko built a reputation—he was the world's greatest heavyweight. His amazing performances against the unrelenting Nogueira in his prime are arguably the finest moments of the Russian's career and are of the best examples of high-class MMA in the history of the sport.
The Pride 2003 Middleweight (Light Heavyweight) Grand Prix
24 of 50What Happened: The greatest middleweight (which actually corresponded to the light heavyweight division in the United States) tournament to ever take place in MMA.
Date: August 10th, 2003; November 9th, 2003.
Why is it important?: It showed that Pride had the world's best talent, at least at middleweight/light heavyweight. It further established Wanderlei Silva as a legend. It also was responsible for one other very important fight...
Randy Couture vs. Tito Ortiz
25 of 50What happened: Randy Couture literally spanked Tito Ortiz and captured the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Date: September 26th, 2003.
Why is it important?: Great Randy Couture moments could take up a large portion of this slideshow. This particular instance is just so legendary because of his spanking of then-arrogant trash-talker Ortiz.
Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson I
26 of 50What happened: The world found out that Chuck Liddell wasn't the best 205-pound fighter in the world.
Date: November 9th, 2003.
Why is it important?: It defined the Pride era in MMA. The UFC's finest light heavyweight fighter of the time couldn't even make it to the finals.
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn I
27 of 50What happened: BJ Penn shockingly defeated Matt Hughes, then thought to be the best 170-pound fighter in the world.
Date: January 31st, 2004.
Why is it important?: It established BJ Penn as a legend in the sport rather than just a good fighter.
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz I
28 of 50What happened: The rivalry between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz was finally brought into the Octagon. Liddell knocked out Ortiz in the second round.
Date: April 2, 2004.
Why is it important?: It was the resolution of one of the great rivalries in the early history of the Zuffa-owned UFC. It also made Chuck Liddell a star and erased the memory of his defeat in Pride.
Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre I
29 of 50What Happened: Then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes defeated current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre via armbar.
Date: October 22, 2004.
Why is it important?: The victory helped to establish Hughes as one of the greatest welterweights of all time, and it also helped to make St. Pierre a better fighter. When Hughes and St. Pierre met a second time, things would be different.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Finale: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
30 of 50What happened: Arguably the most important fight in UFC history.
Date: April 9th, 2005.
Why is it important?: After a successful first season of The Ultimate Fighter, more fans than ever were watching the UFC in the form of the season finale, which concluded in a fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
Their fight was a back-and-forth slugfest that the casual fans simply ate up. Males ages 18-34 were drawn to the sport in droves.
Griffin vs. Bonnar's frantic pace and exciting action kindled an MMA flame that has yet to stop growing.
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II
31 of 50What happened: Matt Hughes beat Frank Trigg in an epic comeback on par with Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen and Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.
Date: April 16th, 2005.
Why is it important?: Aside from being an amazing fight, it further solidified Matt Hughes' legacy as one of the greatest welterweights in the history of MMA.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
32 of 50What happened: A highly anticipated duel between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic that saw the Russian's hand raised at the end of the bout.
Date: August 28th, 2005.
Why is it important?: There have been few times when the undisputed No. 1 and No. 2 heavyweights in the world actually got to fight one another in their primes. This was one such fight, and it didn't disappoint. This was the finest hour both for Emelianenko and Filipovic.
Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie
33 of 50What happened: The UFC basically ran out of opponents for Matt Hughes, so they gave him aged legend Royce Gracie. Hughes dominated the Brazilian.
Date: May 27th, 2006.
Why is it important?: Many UFC fans were ignorant of Gracie's defeat in Pride at the hands of Sakuraba. Seeing Gracie get dismantled so easily by Hughes alerted fans to the evolution of the sport, as well as the fact that the myth of the indomitable Gracie family wasn't exactly true.
Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin I and II
34 of 50What happened: Anderson Silva smashed Rich Franklin's face in, twice.
Dates: October 14th, 2006; October 20th, 2007.
Why is it important?: Anderson Silva was relatively unknown heading into his first middleweight championship bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 64. Silva completely outclassed Franklin en route to becoming the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
The second fight proved it was no fluke; Silva was really that good.
Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre II
35 of 50What happened: Georges St. Pierre smashed Matt Hughes in their rematch at UFC 65.
Date: November 18th, 2006.
Why is it important?: It was a massive steppingstone to fame and fortune for Georges St. Pierre (he did capture the UFC welterweight title with this fight, after all), and it showed that the sport was undergoing a second phase of evolution.
No longer was being an expert in one discipline and proficient in the others enough—you had to excel at everything.
Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia
36 of 50What happened: Randy Couture came out of retirement and embarrassed Tim Sylvia (before a lot of people had done it, back when it meant something).
Date: March 3rd, 2007.
Why is it important?: It revitalized the UFC heavyweight division and helped make Couture into a larger-than-life figure (before he took a negative hit when he got into a contract dispute with the UFC).
Zuffa Purchases Pride
37 of 50What happened: Zuffa purchased rival Pride FC in the wake of a scandal that damaged the financial shape of the Japanese behemoth.
Date: March 27, 2007.
Why is it important?: Many of the dream matchups that fans had always wanted could finally come true. It also hearkened back to the NFL-AFL merger back in the 1960s. Zuffa's acquisition of Pride also meant that the UFC's authority over all things MMA was practically total.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra I
38 of 50What happened: The greatest upset in UFC history.
Date: April 7th, 2007.
Why is it important?: It created the modern-day GSP (for better or worse) by making the Canadian realize that he must always train for each opponent as hard as he can, no matter what the odds may dictate.
The fight also gave Matt Serra a significant amount of fame. Who knows—if Serra had not beaten GSP, prospects like Constantinos Philippou and Chris Weidman might have never trained at team Serra-Longo.
Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
39 of 50What happened: One of the most anticipated fights of MMA history, and it didn't disappoint. Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva gave it their all, and Liddell was awarded with a decision victory.
Date: December 29th, 2007.
Why is it important?: It didn't do anything for the light heavyweight division since both men were past their prime, but it fulfilled the dreams of many MMA fans and gave two old warriors one last time to be the talk of the town.
EliteXC: Primetime
40 of 50What happened: EliteXC held the first ever prime-time MMA event on major network television in the United States.
Date: May 31st, 2008.
Why is it important?: It was important not for what happened on the fight card but for the milestone of getting to network television. If nothing else, EliteXC will always be remembered for that.
Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
41 of 50What happened: Forrest Griffin upset Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Date: July 5th, 2008.
Why is it important?: Forrest Griffin, one of the "people's champions" in MMA, finally became a champion. This validated The Ultimate Fighter as a legitimate source of talent recruitment, and it made Griffin into an even bigger star. He was an elite fighter, not just a brawler.
Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos
42 of 50What happened: In the most talked-about fight in the history of women's MMA, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos beat down Gina Carano so bad that she has yet to return to MMA.
Date: August 15th, 2009.
Why is it important?: It put women's MMA on the map.
Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn I and II
43 of 50What happened: Frankie Edgar shocked the world and outclassed BJ Penn on the feet on two consecutive occasions.
Dates: April 10th, 2010; August 28th, 2010.
Why is it important?: It signaled the passing of the torch at lightweight, as well as the creation of a new star in Frankie Edgar.
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
44 of 50What happened: Chael Sonnen transitioned his verbal beatdown of Anderson Silva into a physical one but then was caught in a last-minute triangle choke.
Date: August 7th, 2010.
Why is it important?: It saved Anderson Silva's career.
Silva was a hated man before the fight with Sonnen due to horrific performances against Demian Maia, Thales Leites and Patrick Cote. Sonnen brought the fight to Silva, and Silva's perseverance showed fans that he still had the heart of a champion.
Furthermore, Sonnen's antics against Silva the first time were so successful that he's become a star at middleweight, and a Sonnen-Silva rematch is being talked about as if it were one of the biggest fights that the UFC could muster (because it is).
UFC-WEC Merger
45 of 50What happened: The UFC merged with the WEC, absorbing its lighter weight classes featherweight and bantamweight.
Date: December 16th, 2010 (last WEC event).
Why is it important?: It gave the UFC a crop of much-needed new stars as well as two weight classes that almost always fail to disappoint fans.
Miesha Tate vs. Marloes Coenen
46 of 50What happened: Miesha Tate survived tough situations in the beginning of the fight and submitted Dutch grappling ace Marloes Coenen.
Date: July 30th, 2011.
Why is it important?: It showed that women's MMA could be important, viable and exciting outside of Gina Carano and the women's featherweight division.
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II and III
47 of 50What happened: Frankie Edgar survived an incredible beatdown the second fight to get a draw and survived an identical beatdown the third time, but that time he knocked Gray Maynard out!
Dates: January 1st, 2011; October 8th, 2011.
Why is it important?: It made Frankie Edgar into a modern-day Rocky Balboa as well as a fan favorite.
Zuffa Purchases Strikeforce
48 of 50What happened: In an unexpected twist of events, Zuffa purchased the Strikeforce organization.
Date: March 12, 2011.
Why is it important?: It made Zuffa's hegemony over MMA a fact rather than just the company line.
UFC on FOX
49 of 50What happened: The UFC signed a deal with FOX and put on an event where Junior dos Santos beat Cain Velasquez in slightly over a minute.
Date: November 12th, 2011.
Why is it important?: It truly took the UFC into the mainstream like no other event in the history of the company did.
The Rise of Jon Jones
50 of 50What happened: Jon Jones dominated every opponent that was put in front of him.
Dates: Too numerous to list.
Why is it important?: If there's one thing that's going on during modern-day MMA that will be talked about for years to come, it'll be the rise of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
He has walked through every opponent that he's faced so far and is the most promising athlete in the UFC.
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