Quinton Jackson

With the UFC just days away from promoting its 100^th show there are several fights that define the leading mixed martial arts promotion. Looking back at the 16 year history of the UFC you can break it down into four distinct eras that chronicle the ups and downs of the MMA business.

From UFC 1 in November 1993 to UFC 25 you had the Wild West days of the UFC. The company’s original owners SEG began the process of transforming the UFC from its tournament style events into a more organized sports organization.

The set of shows UFC 26-50 saw the UFC being purchased by its current ownership group Zuffa LLC in January 2001. The New Jersey State and Nevada athletic commissions also approved regulation of mixed martial arts competitions during this time, which aided in the growth of UFC.

In January 2005 the UFC in conjunction with Spike TV premiered a new reality show called “The Ultimate Fighter”. The show was a rating success and the UFC events 51-75 reaped the rewards of a weekly MMA presence on TV through inflated pay per view numbers and bigger live gates.

2007 was a banner year for the UFC. The organization purchased its biggest competitor in March with the buyout of Pride Fighting Championships. The company also earned cover stories in both Sports Illustrated and ESPN the magazine in May 2007.

The last 25 pay per view shows promoted by the UFC have further established its dominance as the number one mixed martial arts organization. Below are the four best fights from the first 99 UFC events.

UFC 1-25 = UFC 22 September 24, 1999 Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz

UFC 22 was just the second show in UFC history to use the 10 point must system. In the main event Frank Shamrock defended his middleweight (now light heavyweight) title against a rising star named Tito Ortiz.

The 24 year old Ortiz jumped out to an early lead winning the first two rounds of the five round title fight with his repeated takedowns of the smaller Shamrock. In the third round Ortiz opened up a massive cut over the left eye of Shamrock leaving the champ bloodied and down three rounds to none.

In the championship rounds Shamrock took advantage of gassed Ortiz in the final minute of the fourth round. A flurry of strikes from Shamrock forced Ortiz to shoot for a takedown and in the process the challenger left his head exposed for a guillotine choke. Shamrock let the choke go in favor of strikes and finished off Ortiz with just 12 seconds remaining in the round.

UFC 26-50= UFC 43 June 6, 2003 Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell

In a fight for the interim light heavyweight belt at the age of 39 and coming off back to back defeats Randy Couture dominated the hottest 205 pound fighter on the planet at the time for three rounds.

Chuck Liddell came into the fight with a 12-1 record and was a heavy favorite to win his first UFC belt. In the classic wrestler vs. striker match-up it was Couture the, Division-1 wrestler, who peppered Liddell with strikes for the first 10 minutes of the fight. Up to this point in his career Liddell had never lost the stand up battle.

The third round saw Couture land a big takedown slam on the man with the best takedown defense in MMA history. The end came with Couture unleashing a brutal display of ground and pound to earn the TKO win. Couture became the first man in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes.

UFC 51-75= UFC 52 April 16, 2005 Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II

In combat sports there is no thrill like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Matt Hughes had no business beating Frank Trigg at UFC 52.

The bout was a rematch from the main event of UFC 45 in which Hughes submitted Trigg via rear naked choke in the first round. Two years later the result was the same, but only after a frantic four minutes in which Trigg gave Hughes one of the worse beatings of his career.

Working from the tie up Trigg went for a knee intended for Hughes’ thigh but placed it squarely on his groin. A hurt Hughes looked towards referee Mario Yamasaki to call a foul and in doing so left himself exposed to the punching a power of Trigg, who dropped the champion to floor.

Down but not out Hughes was able to a reverse a rear naked choke attempt by Trigg into top position. From there he proceeded to pick up Trigg, slam him and apply his own RNC for the submission victory.

UFC 76-99= UFC 86 July 5, 2008 Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson

On the timeline of the history of mixed martial arts and the UFC most experts point to one singular fight that changed the course of a dying sport. Forrest Griffin had his hand raised in that fight and became the winner of the first season of Spike TV’s “Ultimate Fighter”.

Griffin validated the credibility of the reality show by becoming the first contestant to win UFC gold in the main event of UFC 86.

The fight went the full 25 minutes. Griffin employed a great tactical game plan against Jackson, controlling the pace and whipping him with a constant barrage of leg kicks. All five rounds were close and you had the feeling that at any moment Jackson could end it with a one punch knockout.

The three judges at ringside awarded the fight to Griffin in one of the bigger upsets in UFC history.

Honorable Mention: UFC 4 Royce Gracie vs. Dan Severn I, UFC 10 Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye, UFC 31 Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo I, UFC 63 Matt Hughes vs. B.J Penn II, UFC 79 Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva

Tommy Messano covers mixed martial arts for phoenix.fanster.com submit a question and follow him at https://twitter.com/ultmma

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) celebrates its 100th show this Saturday July 11th at the Mandalay Center Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

With 100 shows in the books let’s take a look back at the best of the best from the first 99 UFC promoted events. The top 5 list is populated with rules changes that affected the sport of MMA, a reality show that increased the exposure of MMA and the UFC’s tradition of stacking its final year end pay per view.

UFC 31 May 4, 2001

UFC 31 was a landmark event for the promotion. Two titles were on the line and two of its biggest homegrown stars scored wins. UFC 31 was also the first event to adopt the five major weight classes (LW-HW) that promotion still uses today.

Carlos Newton upset champion Pat Miletich to win the welterweight title, using a bulldog/ school yard choke to force a tap out. Randy Couture and Pedro Rizzo dueled for five rounds for the heavyweight title with The Natural eventually prevailing.

Chuck Liddell ran his MMA record to 7-1 with a knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman. The heralded pro debut of B.J Penn lived up to the hype with Penn getting a TKO win over Joey Gilbert at 4:57 of the first round.

UFC 52 April 16, 2005

UFC 52 was the first company pay per view after the premier of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show on Spike TV. The card introduced the formula of pitting the coaches of the show against one another at the conclusion of the season.
Chuck Liddell got his second crack at Randy Couture and he needed just two minutes to seal the victory. The knockout win began Liddell’s two year reign as the UFC’s 205 lb champion. It also marked the first time Couture was KO’d in his career.

Fight of the night honors went to Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg. The welterweight title fight was rematch of a UFC 45 fight won by Hughes.

In the early going Trigg had Hughes on the ropes following an unintentional groin shot that went unnoticed by the referee. After two minutes of ground n’ pound and an attempted rear naked choke by Trigg, Hughes came back and provided the signature moment of his career. Reversing his position on the ground Hughes picked up Trigg and walked him across the Octagon for a slam that lead to a RNC submission win for Hughes.

UFC 66 December 30, 2006

Chuck vs. Tito II is all that needs to be said. Chuck Liddell versus Tito Ortiz, the rematch, was the biggest fight in UFC history. The hype and anticipation was two years in the making. Ortiz was riding a 5 fight winning streak and the champion Liddell had not lost in his last 6 fights. Both fighters were at their peak in popularity and fight drew a record setting live gate as well as pay per view numbers for the UFC.

The fight itself was nothing to write home about. Liddell showcased his superior takedown defense as he repeatedly stopped Ortiz attempts to take the fight to the mat. The end came at 3:59 of the third round after Liddell knocked Ortiz down than unloaded on him with strikes until referee Mario Yamasaki called the fight.

The undercard featured UFC stalwarts Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine, Chris Leben and Thiago Alves.

UFC 79 December 29, 2007

The main event of UFC 79 was the completion of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes trilogy. The buzz for the event however centered on the highly anticipated Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva meeting.

The Liddell against Silva dream fight had been teased to MMA fans since 2003. The two top 205 pound fighters of their era finally met inside the Octagon. Both strikers did not disappoint and came out guns blazing. After three rounds, Liddell took the unanimous decision victory and both men received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd for the instant classic.

Georges St. Pierre won the interim welterweight title with one of the most dominant performances of his stellar career. Stepping in on five weeks notice to replace Matt Serra, GSP took the fight to Matt Hughes in every aspect of MMA eventually winning via armbar with just 8 seconds left in the third round.

UFC 92 December 27, 2008

The UFC put together the UFC 92 fight card knowing that any one of three match-ups headlining the card could stand alone as its own pay per view main event.

The triple header kicked off with a rivalry imported from Pride Fighting Championships as Quinton Jackson looked to finally topple Wanderlei Silva. After going 0-2 versus Silva in Pride, Jackson needed just one punch at the 3:21 mark to earn the W.

Frank Mir became the first man to ever finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a battle for the interim heavyweight title. Mir, one of the best comeback stories in the sport, showed a newfound striking capability as he picked apart Nogueira on the feet. The end came with Mir raining down punches on Nogueira at the 1:54 mark of the second round.

The final fight of the night saw “Ultimate Fighter” season two winner Rashad Evans defeat “Ultimate Fighter” season one winner Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight title. In Griffin’s first title defense round one went to the champ with round two scored as a tossup round. In the third and what became the final round the undefeated Evans showed is all around ability.

Evans set up a takedown after winning the striking battle and secured the victory following a combination of vicious elbows and punches from the top position that left Griffin unconscious.

Tommy Messano covers mixed martial arts for phoenix.fanster.com submit a question and follow him at https://twitter.com/ultmma

Let’s take a look at Saturday’s UFC 96 pay per view fight card and make some picks.

Quinton Jackson (-325) vs. Keith Jardine (+250)

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one win away from a date with Light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. Standing in his way is perennial top 10 LHW Keith Jardine, who oh by the way is Evans training partner.

Jackson’s strategy will be to push the pace and force Jardine to back pedal and counter. Jardine will have to employ the game plan he used to upset Chuck Liddell in September of 2007. Work the legs kicks and grind out a decision while frustrating Jackson into maybe making a mistake.

Expect the fight to remain of the feet for the entire 15 minutes. A focused Jackson takes home the victory with a 1st round KO.

Gabriel Gonzaga (-170) vs. Shane Carwin (+140)

Gabriel Gonzaga is the gate keeper blocking 10-0 Shane Carwin from the upper echelon of UFC big men.

Gonzaga is best known for one of the most shocking KO’s in UFC history when he head kicked Mirko Cro Cop out cold. Carwin is a physical specimen with All American accolades in both wrestling and football at the division II level.

The X factor in this fight is the fact that Carwin is now training with Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico one of the best MMA camps this side of the Mississippi. A quick peek at Carwin’s record shows more fat than meat. In this instance I go with the seasoned Gonzaga with a submission win sometime in the second round.

Matt Hamill (-170) vs. Mark Munoz (+140)

If, you like collegiate wrestling than Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz is right up your alley. Hamill gained notoriety from his stint on season 3 of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter and due to the fact he is the first legally deaf fighter to step into the Octagon.

This is the first time in Hamill’s 7 fight MMA career that he is facing a better pure wrestler. Munoz competed for Big 12 contender Oklahoma State and is 5-0 in his 17 month MMA career.

Munoz will be able to put Hamill on his back and control the fight from top position. Hamill is tough as nails so don’t look for an early finish, but for Munoz to grind out a 3 round decision.

Gray Maynard (-200) vs. Jim Miller (+160)

A lightweight battle highlights the undercard as wrestler Gray Maynard takes on submission specialist. The fight won’t be won on the feet as both men use their strikes to set up their take downs.

The momentum of this contest will turn on whoever ends up top when the fight goes to the ground. Maynard wins when he is on top pounding away at his opponent, here he can utilize his wrestling for positioning and his power to wear down his foe.

Miller will win if he puts Maynard on his back. Wrestlers don’t like to be on their back and Maynard is no expectation. If, Miller can neutralize Maynard’s strength advantage with his jiu-jitsu than he will win a 3 round decision.

Look for Miller to have his hand raised and if people are taking action on Fight of the Night honors it wouldn’t hurt to pay close attention to this one.