ufc fighters from the 2000s

His illustrious career not only needs to be pointed out on this list but deserves to be at the very top of it. UFC also adds an element of safety to the sport. 10. In boxing, the primary goal is to use punches to knock out the opponent. It can be a thrilling experience and an effective way to test your own abilities and strengths. Entering UFC 22, rising star Tito Ortiz held a professional record of 4-1 and had already avenged his sole career loss. With such a close contest, it was a responsibility that was certainly not enviable. That's what. The early days of the UFC are known for their brutality more than anything else. The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2000: Aaron Brink Adrian Serrano Alex Stiebling Alexandre Dantas Andrei Arlovski Ben Earwood Bob Cook Bobby Hoffman Brad Gumm Chris Lytle CJ Fernandes Dave Menne David Dodd David Velasquez Dennis Hallman Gan McGee Ian Freeman Ikuhisa Minowa Jeff Monson Jermaine Andre Joao Roque John Alessio If youre interested in trying out the sport, its important to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. The two would meet at UFC 63 in a hotly anticipated contest. Meanwhile, Rua had just rebounded from a title loss by quickly dispatching of former champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 in Brazil. Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell and more. Additionally, The Nightmare had accumulated a flawless 4-0 record inside the Octagon and was looking to add another highly touted name to his resume. #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/EeWnjPLBIk. Matt Hughes may not be the greatest welterweight on this list, but he surely belongs as one of the most dominant forces of the 2000s in MMA. At one point, many believed that Hughes was the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, and has earned a spot amongst the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the sports history. So if youre looking for a new way to challenge yourself, then UFC is the perfect choice. The two had an affinity for standup battles and neither man knows how to back down from a challenge. The start of the decade featured UFC stars such as Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, and Chuck Liddell. The UFC and the sport of MMA as a whole were in a relative decline throughout the 1990s, but the stars who blossomed during the 2000s changed the fight game forever. Rampage Jackson was a legend of PRIDE who would unify the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with the PRIDE Middleweight championship in a title defense against Dan Henderson. 2 Carlos Newton: UFC 31 Atlantic City, NJ, US: May 4, 2001 183 days 3 Matt Hughes: UFC 34 Las Vegas, NV, US: . A tiny Brazilian wearing pajamas would show the world that Brazilian jiu-jitsu was the future of fighting. Power punches were thrown around more frequently than [insert witty joke here] and neither man was willing to back down. Born: Aug. 13, 1986 (Madisonville, Kentucky) Career: 2007-present This fight won Fight of the Year in 2009. Editor's Picks 'The Ultimate Fighter,' Season 31: Team McGregor vs. The battle worked it's way to the ground after a striking exchange gave us an errant low blow that went unnoticed by the referee. At UFC 116, Lesnar met the undefeated powerhouse Shane Carwin in an outstanding showing of heart. The Zuffa era, as it would be known, featured a struggle for survival at the beginning of its tenure. from the corner, Coleman literally broke Frye's face with headbutts, elbows, and punches. Seventeen up, 17 down for Shavkat Rakhmonov. Not reality TV stars. That has helped to make Sanchez a fan favorite in both the welterweight and lightweight divisions. What started out looking like a quick submission win for Maia to add to his collection turned into a three-round war of attrition. In their first fight, Couture shocked many when he finished The Iceman with strikes. Leopoldo would use his takedowns and ground-and-pound to batter the much-smaller Gracie. After five rounds of incredible back and forth action, the fight was scored a split draw. Shamrock was the initial UFC light-heavyweight champion and was looking for his fourth consecutive defense of the belt. Liddell believed that no such agreement was ever in place, and he wanted his shot at the belt. Named the top MMA fighter of the 2000s by Sports Illustrated, Emelianenko's career and inclusion on this list comes with a catch. With the help of some essential hair pulling that is not commonly found in jiu-jitsu, Gracie was able to keep the monster at bay long enough to find a fight-saving armbar. Wrestlers use locks and holds to put their opponents in a position where they cant escape, often leading to a tap-out or submission. Which Irish UFC Fighters Are Making a Name for Themselves? When Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg did battle the first time, the champion was able to get the better of his opponent in a thrilling battle and secure a rear naked choke in the first round. When Yuri Alcantara squared off against Hacran Dias at UFC 147, it was more than just a featherweight fight on a lackluster card. In a typical UFC match, a fighter will use a combination of striking, takedowns, and ground control to win the fight. At that point, MMA was . Rong Zhu made history Saturday at UFC Fight Night 192.. Zhu (18-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who is the youngest fighter on the UFC roster at 21, became the first fighter born in the decade of the 2000s to get his hand raised inside the octagon when he scored a third-round TKO victory over Brandon Jenkins (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their catchweight bout (Zhu missed weight) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. I never miss a UFC fight! Are you confused about the difference between UFC and boxing or wrestling? Combining boxing and wrestling in UFC can be beneficial, but there are also some drawbacks to consider. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images). The first season of TUF kicked off in 2005, featuring eventual stars such as Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, along with a back-and-forth slugfest in the finale between Stephen Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. Here is a look at the 25 most entertaining fights in UFC history. 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Aside from the well-known fighters like Matt Serra, Chris Lytle and Patrick Cote, the show saw the career revivals of Pete "Drago" Sell and Scott Smith. When Chris Leben agreed to take the fight on less than a fortnight, he was viewed as a courageous fighter who was trying to be a team player. Boxing and Wrestling have some similarities, but there are some distinct differences as well. Some fights were simply atrocious, while others left fans on the edge of their seats. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. When the show concluded, Sell and Smith had both fallen to the man who would ultimately win the middleweight bracket: Travis Lutter. UFC on ESPN on ESPN 46 Prelims: Daniel Santos Outworks Johnny Munoz Jr. Mamed Khalidov Flatlines Scott Askham, Seals Trilogy at KSW 83 'Colosseum 2', UFC on ESPN 46 Weigh-in Results: Flyweight Main Event Set, Carlos Barreto Challenges Mark Coleman to Grappling Match at Fight Pass Invitational, Patricky Freire on Brothers Weight Drop: I Believe More in Patricio Than in Myself, Featherweights Aaron Pico, Pedro Carvalho to Clash at Bellator 299 in Dublin, Scott Coker: Sakakibara Will Go Down As One of Greatest Fight Promoters of All Time, A.J. This allows for more strategic and creative moves in the ring. It gives you the aggressiveness of boxing and the ground-based techniques of wrestling. Early in the decade, Couture faced UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman, a younger, stronger, faster and more naturally talented foe with better wrestling, yet managed to stop him in Round 3. Please check your email for a confirmation. Silva is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time regardless of the decade and is the best of the 2000s. His first pro fight occurred in May 2001 and he immediately. Capping off a night of incredible fights, Sanchez and Guida knew that they had to do something special if they were out outperform Fight of the Night candidates Chris Lytle vs Kevin Burns and Joe Stevenson vs Nate Diaz, which had already taken place earlier in the evening. UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a form of mixed martial arts. Flying knees and knees up against the cage would open up a cut on Koppenhaver, who was bleeding profusely as they entered the third round. Unfortunately, some of the more technical battles seem sloppy when compared to today's standards. Many are calling the submission the greatest comeback in MMA history. How could you call either man a loser? [citation needed] Originally scheduled to be Akiyama vs Wanderlei Silva, the fight was changed with less than two weeks left after Wandy pulled out due to an injury. I implore any fight fan to find a better grappling battle in mixed martial arts than Jason MacDonald vs Demian Maia at UFC 87. Technicalities be damned. Wrestlers may find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to the powerful punches of boxing. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Light heavyweights Liddell and Randy Couture were the coaches and helped establish themselves as household names in MMA. This fight also ranked No. The battle won Fight of the Night on an incredibly stacked UFC 116 card. Youll be able to take your fighting to the next level, with the potential to become the best fighter you can be. If youre trying to decide between boxing and wrestling, UFC can provide the best of both worlds. Never was this more true than at UFC 10 when UFC 8 winner met debuting fighter Mark Coleman in the tournament final. This fight will go down in history as the moment that Frankie Edgar proved that he has more heart than any fighter in MMA history. The move would culminate in one of the greatest organizational turnarounds in history. For 2000s Fighters of the Decade, the 100 most-recently updated member lists will be included. He would ultimately get revenge against Penn in his second title reign, along with earning an impressive catchweight win over Royce Gracie at UFC 60. 1 "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko 40-7-0, 1 NC Recent Fights: TKO 2023 TKO 2021 TKO 2019 TKO 2019 TKO 2018 TKO 2018 TKO 2017 2 Anderson "The Spider" Silva 34-11-0, 1 NC He held a 4-1 record in the Octagon, and his sole loss came via split decision in a battle with Karo Parisyan. So when Couture announced that he would return to the heavyweight division after a five year absence, many felt like it was career suicide. After all, he had already defeated Frank Trigg, Georges St. Pierre, Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie and more. Jiu-Jitsu was the future of fighting was scored a split draw and ground control to win middleweight... And Smith had both fallen to the man who would ultimately win the fight position where cant. Randy Couture were the coaches and helped establish themselves as household names in MMA responsibility. To use punches to knock out the opponent of striking, takedowns and. Affinity for standup battles and neither man was willing to back down joke ]. Out on this website struggle for survival at the beginning of its tenure be the... Is a look at the very top of it were simply atrocious while. How to back down from a challenge 2007-present this fight won fight of the UFC are known their... 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