UFC’s Top Ten Cards
One of the consistencies of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been the frequency of matching top fighters. After Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the UFC in 2001, the popularity of mixed martial arts and the UFC began to grow as more fights cards were offered — sometimes as many as 13 pay-per-view cards in one year (2008). Las Vegas Review-Journal MMA reporter Adam Hill ranks his Top 10 UFC pay-per-view cards. Hill’s rankings are based on the action in the Octagon, along with the historical significance of each card.
NO. 1 — UFC 52
SPORT’S TOP STARS FILL MEGACARD
April 16, 2005, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas
This card stood apart from the rest as the best in UFC history. The star-studded main event ended when Chuck Liddell avenged a prior defeat and knocked out Randy Couture just 2 minutes, 6 seconds into the rematch to take the light heavyweight championship for the first time. The card also featured one of the best comebacks in recent memory. Frank Trigg took advantage of a low blow to welterweight champion Matt Hughes that the referee missed to sink in a choke on the weakened champion. But Hughes displayed his mental toughness by rebounding to slam Trigg into the mat in a highlight that is still part of almost every video the UFC puts together. The card still wasn’t complete, as a bloody battle between Georges St. Pierre and Jason “Mayhem” Miller also took place, with St. Pierre earning the decision.
NO. 2 — UFC 22
SHAMROCK-ORTIZ CARD NETS BIG RATING
Sept. 24, 1999, Lake Charles Civic Center, Lake Charles, La.
The main event is what got this card a lofty rating. The battle between Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz was one of the best fights in the history of mixed martial arts. Each fighter flashed moments of brilliance, but in the end, Shamrock pounded out the victory and retained his middleweight title when Ortiz submitted due to strikes late in the fourth round. It would be the end of Shamrock’s reign, however, as he announced he was leaving the UFC. He never returned. Also, Chuck Liddell got a first-round stoppage of Paul Jones, and Matt Hughes made his first appearance in the UFC, a unanimous decision win over Valeri Ignatov.
NO. 3 — UFC 79
LIDDELL WINS BRUISING BATTLE WITH SILVA
Dec. 29, 2007, Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Hardcore mixed martial arts fans finally got the matchup they had waited years for when Chuck Liddell met up with longtime Pride champion Wanderlei Silva. The two stood and traded punches for three rounds. When all was said and done, Liddell won a decision at the end of the epic slugfest. And it wasn’t even the main event on the card. Georges St. Pierre reclaimed a share of the welterweight title, albeit the interim belt, by defeating another former champ in the division, Matt Hughes. St. Pierre made Hughes tap out with just eight seconds remaining in the second round. The card was also a coming-out party for current light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. The Brazilian was 3-0 in the organization going into the fight, with each victory coming by decision. Machida proved he could win by submission when he spoiled the UFC debut of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in the second round. The card also is remembered for when Melvin Guillard snapped after losing to Louisiana rival Rich Clementi by choke. The two exchanged words after the fight, and Guillard confronted Clementi.
NO. 4 — UFC 40
MAINSTREAM MEDIA TAKE NOTICE OF UFC
Nov. 22, 2002, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas
In one of the first cards to receive mainstream media attention, Tito Ortiz retained the light heavyweight title when he stopped Ken Shamrock in the first of three fights between the rivals. Ortiz won by stoppage all three times, but UFC 40 was the last time Ortiz left the cage with a belt. He lost the strap to Randy Couture in his next fight and never was able to regain the title.
Also on the card, Chuck Liddell knocked out Renato “Babalu” Sobral with a head kick less than three minutes into their fight. Matt Hughes beat Gil Castillo in the first round. All eight bouts on the card ended by stoppage, including six in the first round.
NO. 5 — UFC 1
GRACIE NOTCHES HISTORIC WIN IN UFC’S DEBUT
Nov. 12, 1993, McNichols Sports Arena, Denver
The historical significance of this card is obvious. This is where it all began. The event featured almost no rules, bare-knuckled fighters and competitors facing opponents of different sizes. UFC 1 was an eight-man tournament, plus one alternate bout in case one of the victorious fighters from the tournament could not go on. It was essentially a coronation ceremony for Royce Gracie, who used his jiu-jistu skills to steamroll three opponents and win the first tournament title. He submitted Art Jimmerson in 2 minutes, 18 seconds, Ken Shamrock in 57 seconds and Gerard Gordeau in 1:45, notching three victories in a total of just five minutes. Gracie would go on to win UFC 2 and UFC 4, as well.
NO. 6 — UFC 92
KNOCKOUTS CARRY DAY ON MAIN CARD
Dec. 27, 2008, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas
Two belts changed hands as Frank Mir knocked out heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Rashad Evans stunned light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin with a third-round knockout. All five fights on the main card ended by knockout, with three KOs occurring in the first round.
NO. 7 — UFC 66
LIDDELL-ORTIZ LEADS TO HUGE GATE
Dec. 30, 2006, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas
This was by far the most successful card the UFC organized up to that point. The live gate of $5,397,300 broke the North American record for mixed martial arts at the time by more than $2 million. It was also the first UFC event to record more than 1 million buys on pay per view. Despite coming into the fight with a torn medial collateral ligament, Chuck Liddell knocked out Tito Ortiz in a rematch of a previous bout that had a similar outcome. Keith Jardine knocked out rising star Forrest Griffin in the first round, and Andrei Arlovski scored a first-round knockout of Marcio Cruz.
NO. 8 — UFC 34
HUGHES’ DOMINANT RUN BEGINS
Nov. 2, 2001, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas
Matt Hughes won the welterweight title for the first time with a victory over Carlos Newton in the main event. Hughes was caught in a triangle choke but lifted Newton in the air and slammed him to the mat. The move knocked Newton unconscious — after Hughes appeared on the verge of being unconscious from the triangle choke. Hughes was awarded the title and went on to be one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. He successfully defended his title five consecutive times before finally ceding the crown, then regained the belt in his next fight and held it for two more years. Also on the card, Randy Couture beat Pedro Rizzo for the second time, on a third-round knockout. B.J. Penn showed flashes of what was to come with an 11 second knockout of Caol Uno. Frank Mir debuted in the organization with a quick submission of Roberto Traven.
NO. 9 — UFC 43
GRUESOME CUT STEALS SHOW FROM COUTURE-LIDDELL
June 6, 2003, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
The only UFC event ever held at the Thomas & Mack Center drew an estimated crowd of 9,800. Randy Couture won the first of his three fights with Chuck Liddell, though Liddell would win the next two. Though the main event was memorable, the card was more noteworthy for what happened earlier in the night. Tra Telligman suffered a gruesome cut at the hands of Pedro Rizzo. The cut was so deep that Telligman’s skull was partially exposed. The fight was stopped late in the second round. Also, Wes Sims was disqualified for repeatedly stomping on the head of a downed Frank Mir. After committing the obvious fouls, Sims appeared stunned by the disqualification, as he might have been unaware that the maneuver was illegal in the UFC.
NO. 10 — UFC 33
LAS VEGAS HOSTSITS FIRST UFC CARD
Sept. 28, 2001, Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
This card is certainly not on the list for its exciting finishes. Three championship bouts were contested and all three went to a decision. Even notorious knockout artist Chuck Liddell was pushed the full 15 minutes in earning a decision over Murilo Bustamante in a nontitle fight. This card makes the list for its significance. It was the first UFC event in Las Vegas, setting the stage for a partnership between the sport and the city that continues to grow stronger. The card is also remembered as the “Heidi Game” of the UFC. Because so many fights went the distance, many pay-per-view outlets cut off the broadcast midway through the main event as the show ran over its allotted time. Matt Serra got his first UFC win with a split decision over Yves Edwards. Serra went on to take the welterweight title from Georges St. Pierre in 2007, in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.