Ivo C.
04-03-2010, 16:02
10. Wanderlei Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Wanderlei_Silva) vs. Chuck Liddell (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Chuck_Liddell)
(UFC 79, 12/29/07)
Technically, these guys are in different weight classes now. We realize that. We know that Silva cut down to middleweight after ridding himself of fifteen pounds worth of facial scar tissue, and Liddell has slipped into the ‘old guy who can only fight other old guys’ division, right alongside Matt Hughes.
But other than that minor barrier, there’s no reason not to have these guys reprise their memorable 2007 battle just for the pure hell of it. Neither one of them wants to quit fighting, and neither is going to become a world champion again. The only suitable option left is to find interesting fights against competitive opponents who won’t murder them. In this sense, they are exactly what the other has been searching for.
9. Mark Coleman (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mark_Coleman) vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
(Pride GP, 5/1/00)
At first glance, this probably makes no sense to you. Why, you’re wondering, would we want to see a has-been and a never-was square off in a nursing home fight that probably wouldn’t be very exciting to watch, and would only result in both guys smelling like Icy Hot for the next three months? The answer is, because we feel like we deserve it.
These two originally “fought” in the semi-final round of the 2000 Pride Grand Prix. Only once they got in the ring together it was clear that Fujita didn’t have much left after his decision win over Mark Kerr. He tried to put on a brave, albeit bruised face, but his corner let him get just far enough into what was sure to be a failed takedown attempt against Coleman before they threw in the towel. Essentially, we were promised an ugly beatdown, and we didn’t get it. We don’t really want to see it any more now than we did back then, but it just feels right.
Honorable mention: Mark Coleman vs. Nobuhiko Takada. For similar, and yet very different reasons (http://www.cagepotato.com/videos-why-forrest-griffin-doesnt-use-condoms-what-fix-looks-more).
8. Vitor Belfort (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Vitor_Belfort) vs. Tito Ortiz (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Tito_Ortiz)
(UFC 51, 2/6/05)
Belfort is a middleweight now, and Ortiz is a robot designed by the government to confuse our enemies with nonsensical sentence constructions (http://www.cagepotato.com/tito-ortiz-great-commentator-or-igreatesti-commentator), but once upon a time they had a closely contested bout that ended in a split decision for the HBBB. That was back in 2005, which was not a great time in Belfort’s career but was close to a pinnacle in Ortiz’s. We’re not saying we lose sleep thinking about what would happen if they met in the present day, but the part of us that will forever be nostalgic for the mid-2000’s sure wouldn’t mind putting on a Kelly Clarkson CD and watching these two go for it again.
7. Alistair Overeem (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Alistair_Overeem) vs. Fabricio Werdum (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Fabricio_Werdum)
(Pride GP Opening Round, 5/5/06)
Of all the possible rematches in this list, none has as good a chance of actually happening as this one. Werdum’s submission victory in the opening round of the Pride 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix might even serve as sufficient motivation for Overeem to consent to a drug test (http://www.cagepotato.com/alistair-overeem-incredible-expanding-man) and fight a top ten opponent in an MMA bout – two things he’s been very hesitant to do of late. Maybe for those reasons alone, this is a fight that Strikeforce shouldn’t rule out.
6. Dan Henderson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Dan_Henderson) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Antonio_Rogerio_Nogueira)
(Pride Total Elimination, 4/23/05)
Back in the Pride days Hendo was up for fighting anyone with the last name Nogueira. Perhaps the most compelling of those bouts was his 2005 clash with Little Nog, which ended with a very tired Henderson tapping out to an armbar late in the first frame (and in Pride rules, late means eight minutes in).
Henderson’s conditioning and overall skill-set have vastly improved since then, and Nogueira’s recently shown himself to be a promising contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight class, so it would make a great clash for a UFC card in the need of a little more star power. And if only Dana White hadn’t let Hendo slip away to Strikeforce (http://www.cagepotato.com/dana-white-dan-henderson-not-worth-it), it could have become a reality. Yeah, we’re going to mention that blunder every chance we get.
5. Kenny Florian (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kenny_Florian) vs. Diego Sanchez (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Diego_Sanchez)
(TUF 1 Finale, 4/9/05)
The first meeting wasn’t at all competitive, and even Kenny Florian can’t tell you now why he spent the opening moments circling the cage (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ben_fowlkes/04/28/octagon.jitters/index.html) for no good reason. That said, there are few fighters who have changed so much for the better over the last half decade than Florian, and as long as Sanchez is still at the point in his career where he remembers what it’s like to weigh 155 pounds for one afternoon, there’s no reason they shouldn’t see how things would turn out if they went at it a second time. No, it won’t solve any top contender debates or propel the winner to new career heights. It’s more like drinking outside: if you can’t think of a reason not to do it, consider it a good idea.
4. Anderson Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Anderson_Silva) vs. Yushin Okami (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yushin_Okami)
(Rumble on the Rock 8, 1/20/06)
Take a step back and just appreciate this fact for a moment. This DQ loss to Okami at Rumble on the Rock 8 in January of 2006 was the last time Anderson Silva came out of a fight without the taste of sweet, sweet victory on his lips. That was a little over four years ago, and contrary to what Chael Sonnen says (http://www.cagepotato.com/does-chael-sonnen-have-your-attention-yet), it’s not as if he’s been fighting nothing but chumps since then. That’s damn impressive and deserves to be mentioned here. But on to the fight.
Right away things looked bad for Okami. He was outclassed on the feet and his takedown attempts were all telegraphed from way too far out. To his credit, he kept at it and eventually got the fight where he wanted it – him on top, Silva on his back. That’s when Silva unleashed a totally awesome and totally illegal heel kick that knocked Okami senseless. Just that quickly you can go from celebrating to angrily accusing your opponent of pretending to be more hurt than he is.
3. Renzo Gracie (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Renzo_Gracie) vs. Eugenio Tadeu
(Pentagon Combat, 9/27/97)
For those of you unfamiliar with one of the strangest results ever entered into the Sherdog FightFinder (http://www.cagepotato.com/15-strangest-results-sherdog-fightfinder), let us set the scene for you. It’s a hot September night in Rio de Janeiro. The year is 1997. Pentagon Combat has put together a card featuring such early MMA luminaries as Oleg Taktarov, Jerry Bohlander, and Murilo Bustamante. But the crowd has come to see one fight above all others, and it’s the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Luta Livre showdown between Renzo Gracie and Eugenio Tadeu.
What follows is a grueling fifteen-minute scrap in front of an intense, and at times unruly crowd. Some of that is to be expected in Brazil, but things really get bad when fans (many of them Tadeu supporters) ignore their seating assignments and climb up on the cage apron. Not only does this block the view of everyone behind them, it also gives them the chance to shout some probably not very nice things in Gracie’s face as they strain to reach through the fence and help their fighter out.
It’s a volatile situation, is what we’re saying. There’s only so long that can go on before the whole thing boils over into a riot, which is exactly what happened before the fight could ever reach its conclusion. What do you expect from an event like this? The ref was wearing jeans, for crying out loud.
2. Nick Diaz (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Nick_Diaz) vs. KJ Noons
Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons (http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/3/Nick-Diaz-vs-KJ-Noons-465779.html) - Watch more Funny Videos (http://www.break.com/)
On the books, it was Diaz’s last official loss. In our hearts, it was the unsatisfying result of the clash between a cut-prone Diaz and a surprisingly sharp Noons. Noons left that night with a victory that he didn’t get a chance to truly earn, and Diaz had to settle for giving the world an indignant double Stockton heybuddy (http://www.cagepotato.com/nick-diaz-ditches-csac-drug-tests-strikeforce-title-fight-against-jay-hieron-may-be-doomed) (not to be confused with the celebratory Stockton heybuddy (http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop/600/_images/pictures/20080728041423_IMG_3942.JPG), which looks more or less identical to the untrained eye).
In short, there was every reason to run this one back, but Noons fled to the world of boxing instead, while Diaz rose through the Strikeforce ranks. Now that they finally have the same employer again, this is one that we need to see again.
1. “Rampage” Jackson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Quinton_Jackson) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mauricio_Rua)
(Pride Total Elimination, 4/23/05)
(http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x7j649)
If you ask ‘Page now, he’ll probably tell you he only lost this fight because he was never really all that into MMA anyway (http://www.cagepotato.com/rampage-jackson-mad-hell-not-going-take-anymore). The truth is that Jackson found himself in against a “Shogun” who was at the height of his ferocity (http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/08/27/absolute-must-see-grand-theft-title-2) and “Rampage” couldn’t find any answer for the onslaught that didn’t involve getting kicked in the face. These days there’s no denying that Jackson has become a more technically sound fighter and Rua has had his ups and downs, mostly due to injuries. But assuming you could convince Jackson to stick around in this pro fighting mess for a little while longer – perhaps through pointing out his complete lack of acting skills – wouldn’t it be great to see them try it again?
(UFC 79, 12/29/07)
Technically, these guys are in different weight classes now. We realize that. We know that Silva cut down to middleweight after ridding himself of fifteen pounds worth of facial scar tissue, and Liddell has slipped into the ‘old guy who can only fight other old guys’ division, right alongside Matt Hughes.
But other than that minor barrier, there’s no reason not to have these guys reprise their memorable 2007 battle just for the pure hell of it. Neither one of them wants to quit fighting, and neither is going to become a world champion again. The only suitable option left is to find interesting fights against competitive opponents who won’t murder them. In this sense, they are exactly what the other has been searching for.
9. Mark Coleman (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mark_Coleman) vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
(Pride GP, 5/1/00)
At first glance, this probably makes no sense to you. Why, you’re wondering, would we want to see a has-been and a never-was square off in a nursing home fight that probably wouldn’t be very exciting to watch, and would only result in both guys smelling like Icy Hot for the next three months? The answer is, because we feel like we deserve it.
These two originally “fought” in the semi-final round of the 2000 Pride Grand Prix. Only once they got in the ring together it was clear that Fujita didn’t have much left after his decision win over Mark Kerr. He tried to put on a brave, albeit bruised face, but his corner let him get just far enough into what was sure to be a failed takedown attempt against Coleman before they threw in the towel. Essentially, we were promised an ugly beatdown, and we didn’t get it. We don’t really want to see it any more now than we did back then, but it just feels right.
Honorable mention: Mark Coleman vs. Nobuhiko Takada. For similar, and yet very different reasons (http://www.cagepotato.com/videos-why-forrest-griffin-doesnt-use-condoms-what-fix-looks-more).
8. Vitor Belfort (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Vitor_Belfort) vs. Tito Ortiz (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Tito_Ortiz)
(UFC 51, 2/6/05)
Belfort is a middleweight now, and Ortiz is a robot designed by the government to confuse our enemies with nonsensical sentence constructions (http://www.cagepotato.com/tito-ortiz-great-commentator-or-igreatesti-commentator), but once upon a time they had a closely contested bout that ended in a split decision for the HBBB. That was back in 2005, which was not a great time in Belfort’s career but was close to a pinnacle in Ortiz’s. We’re not saying we lose sleep thinking about what would happen if they met in the present day, but the part of us that will forever be nostalgic for the mid-2000’s sure wouldn’t mind putting on a Kelly Clarkson CD and watching these two go for it again.
7. Alistair Overeem (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Alistair_Overeem) vs. Fabricio Werdum (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Fabricio_Werdum)
(Pride GP Opening Round, 5/5/06)
Of all the possible rematches in this list, none has as good a chance of actually happening as this one. Werdum’s submission victory in the opening round of the Pride 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix might even serve as sufficient motivation for Overeem to consent to a drug test (http://www.cagepotato.com/alistair-overeem-incredible-expanding-man) and fight a top ten opponent in an MMA bout – two things he’s been very hesitant to do of late. Maybe for those reasons alone, this is a fight that Strikeforce shouldn’t rule out.
6. Dan Henderson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Dan_Henderson) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Antonio_Rogerio_Nogueira)
(Pride Total Elimination, 4/23/05)
Back in the Pride days Hendo was up for fighting anyone with the last name Nogueira. Perhaps the most compelling of those bouts was his 2005 clash with Little Nog, which ended with a very tired Henderson tapping out to an armbar late in the first frame (and in Pride rules, late means eight minutes in).
Henderson’s conditioning and overall skill-set have vastly improved since then, and Nogueira’s recently shown himself to be a promising contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight class, so it would make a great clash for a UFC card in the need of a little more star power. And if only Dana White hadn’t let Hendo slip away to Strikeforce (http://www.cagepotato.com/dana-white-dan-henderson-not-worth-it), it could have become a reality. Yeah, we’re going to mention that blunder every chance we get.
5. Kenny Florian (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kenny_Florian) vs. Diego Sanchez (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Diego_Sanchez)
(TUF 1 Finale, 4/9/05)
The first meeting wasn’t at all competitive, and even Kenny Florian can’t tell you now why he spent the opening moments circling the cage (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ben_fowlkes/04/28/octagon.jitters/index.html) for no good reason. That said, there are few fighters who have changed so much for the better over the last half decade than Florian, and as long as Sanchez is still at the point in his career where he remembers what it’s like to weigh 155 pounds for one afternoon, there’s no reason they shouldn’t see how things would turn out if they went at it a second time. No, it won’t solve any top contender debates or propel the winner to new career heights. It’s more like drinking outside: if you can’t think of a reason not to do it, consider it a good idea.
4. Anderson Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Anderson_Silva) vs. Yushin Okami (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yushin_Okami)
(Rumble on the Rock 8, 1/20/06)
Take a step back and just appreciate this fact for a moment. This DQ loss to Okami at Rumble on the Rock 8 in January of 2006 was the last time Anderson Silva came out of a fight without the taste of sweet, sweet victory on his lips. That was a little over four years ago, and contrary to what Chael Sonnen says (http://www.cagepotato.com/does-chael-sonnen-have-your-attention-yet), it’s not as if he’s been fighting nothing but chumps since then. That’s damn impressive and deserves to be mentioned here. But on to the fight.
Right away things looked bad for Okami. He was outclassed on the feet and his takedown attempts were all telegraphed from way too far out. To his credit, he kept at it and eventually got the fight where he wanted it – him on top, Silva on his back. That’s when Silva unleashed a totally awesome and totally illegal heel kick that knocked Okami senseless. Just that quickly you can go from celebrating to angrily accusing your opponent of pretending to be more hurt than he is.
3. Renzo Gracie (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Renzo_Gracie) vs. Eugenio Tadeu
(Pentagon Combat, 9/27/97)
For those of you unfamiliar with one of the strangest results ever entered into the Sherdog FightFinder (http://www.cagepotato.com/15-strangest-results-sherdog-fightfinder), let us set the scene for you. It’s a hot September night in Rio de Janeiro. The year is 1997. Pentagon Combat has put together a card featuring such early MMA luminaries as Oleg Taktarov, Jerry Bohlander, and Murilo Bustamante. But the crowd has come to see one fight above all others, and it’s the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Luta Livre showdown between Renzo Gracie and Eugenio Tadeu.
What follows is a grueling fifteen-minute scrap in front of an intense, and at times unruly crowd. Some of that is to be expected in Brazil, but things really get bad when fans (many of them Tadeu supporters) ignore their seating assignments and climb up on the cage apron. Not only does this block the view of everyone behind them, it also gives them the chance to shout some probably not very nice things in Gracie’s face as they strain to reach through the fence and help their fighter out.
It’s a volatile situation, is what we’re saying. There’s only so long that can go on before the whole thing boils over into a riot, which is exactly what happened before the fight could ever reach its conclusion. What do you expect from an event like this? The ref was wearing jeans, for crying out loud.
2. Nick Diaz (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Nick_Diaz) vs. KJ Noons
Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons (http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/3/Nick-Diaz-vs-KJ-Noons-465779.html) - Watch more Funny Videos (http://www.break.com/)
On the books, it was Diaz’s last official loss. In our hearts, it was the unsatisfying result of the clash between a cut-prone Diaz and a surprisingly sharp Noons. Noons left that night with a victory that he didn’t get a chance to truly earn, and Diaz had to settle for giving the world an indignant double Stockton heybuddy (http://www.cagepotato.com/nick-diaz-ditches-csac-drug-tests-strikeforce-title-fight-against-jay-hieron-may-be-doomed) (not to be confused with the celebratory Stockton heybuddy (http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop/600/_images/pictures/20080728041423_IMG_3942.JPG), which looks more or less identical to the untrained eye).
In short, there was every reason to run this one back, but Noons fled to the world of boxing instead, while Diaz rose through the Strikeforce ranks. Now that they finally have the same employer again, this is one that we need to see again.
1. “Rampage” Jackson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Quinton_Jackson) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mauricio_Rua)
(Pride Total Elimination, 4/23/05)
(http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x7j649)
If you ask ‘Page now, he’ll probably tell you he only lost this fight because he was never really all that into MMA anyway (http://www.cagepotato.com/rampage-jackson-mad-hell-not-going-take-anymore). The truth is that Jackson found himself in against a “Shogun” who was at the height of his ferocity (http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/08/27/absolute-must-see-grand-theft-title-2) and “Rampage” couldn’t find any answer for the onslaught that didn’t involve getting kicked in the face. These days there’s no denying that Jackson has become a more technically sound fighter and Rua has had his ups and downs, mostly due to injuries. But assuming you could convince Jackson to stick around in this pro fighting mess for a little while longer – perhaps through pointing out his complete lack of acting skills – wouldn’t it be great to see them try it again?