Here’s how you know Saturday’s clash between Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was something special: I’m still talking about it four days later, and so too are plenty of people in the MMA industry.
While we’re usually Jay Z and Swizz Beats by Tuesday morning, the UFC 139 main event is still standing as the jumping off point for discussions and article ideas, and not just because guys like me are stretching to find stories and things to talk about either.
This fight was a classic, earning “all-time great” mentions from myriad people including UFC President Dana White.
Both Saturday night after it concluded and Sunday morning after having a little bit longer to think about it, I too put it on my list of the best fights in MMA history.
Here’s what the top 5 of that list looks like…
5. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, TUF 1 Finale
I’m not going to lie: this fight lands here more because of the historical significance of the bout than the actual efforts of the two fighters in the cage.
Yes, Bonnar and Griffin laid it all on the line for 15 minutes in their quest to become The Ultimate Fighter — back when becoming The Ultimate Fighter actually meant something — but it too devolved into a tired battle of arm punches and exhausted attempts to knock the other man out and end the damn fight already.
That being said, I can’t think of this fight without thinking of what it means for the UFC and ultimately the sport, so as much as there are probably fights that are more deserving of a place on this list based on technique and skill, Griffin-Bonnar I still ends up at #5 on my personal list of the all-time best fights in MMA history.
4. Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, UFC 139
I enjoyed the fight, but contrary to what my friend and colleague Ben Fowlkes tried to tell me in his MMA Wrap-Up video for UFC 139, I can expect technique and skill in the later rounds.
Had I seen them here, I would have placed this fight higher up on my list, as there aren’t many fights that can match this fight in the dramatic shift in momentum category. Since the latter rounds were more a battle of who was less exhausted and not a continued display of crisp striking or cardiovascular endurance, Saturday’s UFC light heavyweight contest lands in the #4 position on my personal top 5 list.
3. Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler, Bellator 58
The same night that Henderson and Rua were beating the bejesus out of each other in San Jose, these two lightweights were putting on a classic in Hollywood, Florida, making Saturday one of the best nights in the history of MMA.
Alvarez entered as the Bellator lightweight champion, widely considered the best 155-pound fighter competing outside of the UFC. Chandler was 8-0 and earned his title shot by winning the Season 4 lightweight tournament back in May.
They delivered an incredible performance, with Chandler emerging victorious. I’ve embedded it here for your enjoyment.
2. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I, Pride 25
No, I’m not a Fedor “nuthugger” who refuses to accept his star has faded and that Pride is dead.
Yes, this was an epic fight — the best heavyweight fight in the history of the sport for my money; Fedor vs. Cro Cop was pretty bad ass too.
This was a meeting of the two best heavyweights in the world as they entered their primes, battling for the Pride heavyweight championship, and this upset win for Fedor turned out to be the beginning of his incredible reign at the top of the heavyweight division.
1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II, UFC 125
We got the best fight of the year on the first day of the year this year, and it’s my choice for the best fight in the history of the sport as well.
Edgar’s survival of the first round and subsequent comeback trumps Rua’s performance in the fourth and fifth rounds on Saturday night. Not only did the current lightweight champ take a more savage beating from Maynard in the opening frame, but he came out fresh in the second and took the fight to Maynard, reversing the momentum right away.
This wasn’t a fight where one guy dominated early and the other poured it on late; this was a back-and-forth-and-back-again struggle that could have been scored three or four different ways where a case could be made for each possible total.
While both fighters obviously tired and the crispness of their technique waned a little in the latter rounds, they were both fresher and more active in the final round than either Henderson or Rua was in the fourth.
I use the “Watch It Again” factor when determining the greatness of a fight — how frequently could I watch it without turning it off, skipping a round or leaving to do something else while it plays in the background.
I’ve already watched Henderson-Rua a couple more times, but I think I’m done with it for a while.
This fight? I could watch this fight every day for the rest of the year and not get tired of it.
It’s the best fight ever, at least to me.
