Beating is Fundamental: The ten best fights of 2008
Fighting solves everything.
Unlike many of today’s mainstream sports, mixed martial arts (MMA) is all about the power of one. You can’t lose a fight because your receiver dropped a pass in the end zone, or the clean-up hitter struck out with the bases loaded.
Success in the fight game boils down to a couple of variables. Of course one cannot compete at a higher level of fighting without natural talent and a developed skill set, but one also cannot discount the influence of a fighter’s heart and determination.
And yes, sometimes a little bit of luck can help when everything else fails.
Most of the great fights in MMA history have a combination of those elements. In a year of ever-increasing visibility, fighters from around the globe in several different organizations left it all in the cage (or ring) for a chance to reach the summit in the world of combat sports.
Like the ten best knockouts of 2008, trying to find the year’s ten best fights was no easy task. I didn’t want to just bring you a list of big names with bone-shattering finishes or slick submissions, because there are a lot more than ten of them.
Instead I tried to look at each fight and its ability to not only entertain the fans, but also display a certain level of technical ability whether it be on the ground or on the feet.
In the absence of technical prowess, heart went a long way in narrowing the field.
With that said, I present to you my picks for the ten best fights of 2008.
Karma Chameleon: Randy Couture vs. Zuffa - January 2008-August 2008
While they never actually traded blows, Randy Couture spent most of 2008 slinging mud at the Zuffa brass after they called him out for stiffing the UFC (and the fans) with two fights. From January to August “The Natural” tried to sign with HDNet, balked at a fight with Nogueira, sued and got sued, flirted with Fedor, played in a few card tournaments and starred in the barely mediocre ‘Redbelt’ before eventually giving up and coming back to the promotion he should have never left. It was the topic of discussion at least twice a month until his unsettling return in early September.
Winner: Zuffa by TKO. Randy eventually threw in the towel after taking a beating in the court (and court of public opinion). Upon his return, he lost his heavyweight title to the 2-1 Brock Lesnar. Welcome back.
Cinematic equivalent: Frank Dux vs. The US Army (Bloodsport). Ol’ Belgium eyes wanted to fly overseas to fight a seemingly indestructible foreigner despite having a binding contract with the US Army. Uncle Sam wasn’t havin’ it. An AWOL Dux was relentlessly pursued across International borders (jurisdiction be damned) by some old guy in a cinereal suit and a presumably post-grad Charles Jefferson.
Wrongful Conviction: Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold - EliteXC ‘Heat’
Gina Carano put herself on the map with a TKO destruction of Kaitlin Young at EliteXC ‘Primetime’ back in May. That performance had a lot of people paying attention to something they never had before: Women’s MMA. “Conviction” once again lived up to expectations and looked insanely hot during her three round clinic on the very game Kelly Kobold when she returned to television this past October. Make no mistake about it: This was a real test for Carano because the 16-2-1 Kobold was not a plant. She was a well-rounded mixed martial artist with an impressive resume. Carano rose to the challenge, showing both technique and style, and for the first time in history the expression “Fights like a girl” was used as a compliment.
Winner: Gina Carano via unanimous decision. It was a masterful performance, and the thought of her not fighting again because Jared Shaw was given the keys to his father’s Caddy and wrecked it makes me sad on the inside.
Cinematic equivalent: Christie vs. Yamada (Ninja III: The Domination). I’m not suggesting that Kelly Kobold looks like Sho Kosugi, but that was the first time I can remember that I actually believed a woman could kick my ass. Watching Gina Carano was the second. Christie is possessed by a cop-killing ninja spirit that forces her to kiss hairy men and splash V-8 across her breasts. Like Carano, something about watching Lucinda Dickey fire off leg kicks had me stuttering and drooling like Simple Jack.
Grapples to oranges: Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald – UFC 87
I tend to be a little hard on Jason MacDonald in my Nostradumbass predictions, but this is one fight that definitely has me singing his praises. Maia was coming into the bout with an undefeated record and MacDonald was last seen at UFC 83 where he finished off Joe Doerksen. It didn’t take long for them to get started and credit to “The Athlete” for fearlessly storming the jiu-jitsu black belt and giving him all he could handle, including a cut above Maia’s left eye. The Brazilian turned up the heat in round two and had MacDonald running scared. Still, the Canadian showed heart and a solid defense to keep himself from getting tapped until midway through the third, when he could no longer survive the relentless ground attack. Many fights that feature extensive grappling are greeted with silence from the crowd. This was no exception. It wasn’t because of boredom, it was because most fans were on the edge of their seats. Anyone else snap to attention when MacDonald escaped the triangle and sunk in a rear naked choke?
Winner: Demian Maia by submission (rear naked choke). Maia is a dangerous foe. I’m beginning to wonder who amongst the middleweight elite will be able to stop him. Somewhere down the road there has to be a jiu-jitsu bragging rights match between him and Rousimar Palhares.
Cinematic equivalent: Indiana Jones vs. the giant Sherpa (Raiders of the Lost Ark). Okay, so Jonesy and the giant airplane mechanic don’t have an ounce of grappling in their brawl, but this pretty much sums up the Maia vs. MacDonald fight: You knew who was going to win the entire time, but that didn’t make it any less fun to watch.
Sweep of faith: Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock - Strikeforce ‘Shamrock vs. Le’
Frank Shamrock was the face of the Strikeforce promotion and unfortunately the mouth of them as well. Imagine Jimmy Hart without the megaphone and a decent ground game and you have Lil’ Shammy. The up-and-coming Cung Le was 5-0 with five straight (T)KO stoppages. While his striking was highly rated, it was untested in the MMA world by anyone of any consequence. Enter Frank Shamrock. Tired of boring the crowds with his ongoing Gracie feud, Shambone stepped up to silence the Le hype machine. Not only did Frank agree to fight him, he promised to do it entirely on his feet. Many critics balked at his proclamation, knowing Shamrock’s ego and obvious advantage on the ground. Still, Shammy kept his word and the two let it fly for three rounds. What started fairly even began to sway towards Le, and Shamrock’s arm was broken at the end of the third round courtesy of repeated kicks by the relentless Sanshou disciple.
Winner: Le by TKO. The ground game was non-existent, but no one in attendance seemed to care. There was plenty of action and watching Shamrock get iced after two rounds of antics seemed like poetic justice.
Cinematic equivalent: Leroy Green vs. Sho ‘Nuff (The Last Dragon). Just direct-a yo feetsa, to Frank Shamrock’s arm. Leroy had the kind of skill that made him special, but got overlooked in favor of the loudmouth bully who likes to hear himself talk. We knew Sho ‘Nuff was a bad MOFO - he told us every fourth frame. Sound familiar? In the end he was bested by a fighter who kept his mouth shut, trained hard and got his skin to glow. That kind of stuff happens when you live that close to the Hudson River.
Scrumbags: Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor - UFC 89.
I don’t think it’s an insult to say that Chris Lytle will never be the UFC welterweight champion. But by that same token, he’ll never be unemployed either. “Lights Out’ is either fearless or hard-up for cash, because his go-for-broke gameplan is the same for every fight. That includes his three round war with Paul Taylor at UFC 89, a battle good enough to earn ‘Fight of the Night’ honors and a place on my list of ten best. “Relentless” was just that, sticking it to Lytle at every turn, and the two hammered away at each other from one side of the Octagon to the other. With plenty of bombs and some very impressive dirty boxing, Lytle and Taylor shamed the main event between Chris Leben and Michael Bisping with a dizzying display of striking. Lytle’s next fight is against Marcus Davis at UFC 93, and no question we can expect him to pick up right where he left off.
Winner: Chris Lytle by unanimous decision. This was another close fight, but the judges gave it to Lytle. Despite a 2-3 record, Taylor brings his fight to each event and should be back sooner rather than later.
Cinematic equivalent: John Matrix vs. Cooke (Commando). While the ending was a bit more definitive, nothing says “testosterone sandwich” like two men whaling on each other in front of screaming onlookers. Credit Cooke for a sensational upkick - long before Gegard Mousasi made it cool at DREAM 6.
Black & white (and red all over): Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson - UFC 86
Apparently disregarding everything Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder taught us in 1982, Forrest Griffin tried to keep a brother down with his ruthless leg kicks and frenetic pace when he faced fellow Ultimate Fighter 7 coach Quinton Jackson for the UFC light heavyweight championship. “Rampage” came out like a dominant champion, nearly stopping Griffin in the first round with a brutal uppercut. Griffin answered that round with one of his own, buckling the leg of Jackson and softening him up with a relentless ground and pound assault. Capturing a sort of grit and determination they were never able to achieve during the show, the two battled back-and-forth for an entire five rounds, with a very close decision going to Griffin. Forrest would eventually yield his title to Rashad Evans at UFC 92, but that hasn’t stopped Jackson - or the fans - from wanting a rematch.
Winner: Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision. It may have been unanimous for the judges, but plenty of fans were crying foul after this five round nail-biter. Forget instant replay. I vote for sudden death.
Cinematic equivalent: Nada vs. Frank (They Live). It’s not often you get a couple of guys bashing each others brains in over a pair of sunglasses not named Oakley. I suppose Nada could have just told Frank they would let him see through Holly Thompson’s clothes but then there would be no fisticuffs. Like the main event of UFC 86, They Live proved that people of all colors can beat the crap out of each other for twenty five minutes and still maintain a working relationship. God Bless America.
Cowboy Bebop: Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCoullogh - WEC 36
The now 9-0 Donald Cerrone was on an absolute tear coming into his fight against “Razor” Rob, and both men were using the WEC 36 contest as a springboard into a title fight with lightweight champion Jamie Varner. “Cowboy” was electric right out of the gate, dropping the venerable McCullough twice in the opening stanza and once in the second before nearly finishing him with an armbar. Credit to Razor, who was not only able to weather the storm, but for also keeping it competitive through pure heart and determination, sweeping Cerrone on two occasions to stay alive. Cerrone took the contest in dominant fashion, but watching McCullough’s composure and never-say-die attitude was a testament to the kind of talent they have in the WEC. Anyone still think Donald Cerrone isn’t ready for a crack at Varner?
Winner: Cerrone by unanimous decision. Like most great fights, there are no losers here. I still don’t like that the UFC chose to eliminate weight classes in the WEC, but we can at least be grateful it wasn’t this one.
Cinematic equivalent: Colonel Braddock vs. Colonel Yin (Missing in Action 2: The Beginning). Yin was running the place for a long time, but that’s only because Braddock was too busy babysitting the inept Mazzilli and his idiotic rooster. Things changed when the artist formerly known as “Colt” got his hands on his captor. Sure, Yin had skills, but Braddock was the better man and proved it with a solid helping of American whoop-ass.
Shooto first, ask questions later: Akitoshi Tamura vs. Rumina Sato - Shooto Tradition 01
Former Shooto lightweight champion Akitoshi Tamura rumbled with Shooto legend Rumina Sato on Shooto’s 20th anniversary card back in May - and for those of you who still snicker at the Japanese promotion out of a lack of understanding, well, you’d better ask somebody. Tamura lost the Shooto lightweight title to Hideki Kadowaki at Shooto “Back to our Roots 8” after a lackluster decision and came into this fight with a pretty sizable chip on his shoulder. Sato was also coming off a loss to Kadowaki when he choked (literally) at Shooto “Back to our Roots 5.” The action was underway early with both men exchanging until Tamura went to the ground and looked for the sub. Sato defended well and then went went bonkers in round two, throwing punches and knees sprinkled with some nasty ground and pound. Tamura survived only to eat a spinning side kick in round three. Tamura let a high kick fly and stunned the “Moon Wolf,” who countered with an inverse triangle choke. “Ironman” escaped and transitioned to North-South for the submission win.
Winner: Akitoshi Tamura by submission (North-South choke). Fights like this are the reason Shooto has been around in one form or another since 1985. Do yourself a favor and open your mind (and your browser for a google video search).
Cinematic equivalent: Chen Zhen vs. General Fujita (Fist of Legend). Sato may not be a supreme killer, but he was submitting hapless Americans right around the same time Royce Gracie was doing it at UFC 3. Fujita delivered his trademark beatdown on the younger warrior, but instead of Zhen waiting for the torch to be passed, he went it and took it away himself. Classic throwdown.
Burn after beating: Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda - WEC 34
You would think a guy who was 33-1 coming into a fight with 21 submissions would be lauded as one of the worlds best but alas, welcome to the plight of the bantamweight division. Despite being one of the last fighters to train under Carlson Gracie Jr. and holding the WEC bantamweight title, Torres was received with little fanfare. Then he faced Yoshihiro Maeda at WEC 34 and gave the mixed martial arts community a much needed wake-up call. Torres came out swinging but a very-game Maeda wasn’t going to roll over. The two exchanged evenly in the opening round and the second round saw similar action including an exchange of submission attempts. The champion found his range in the third, working his jab on the former Pancrase warrior until Maeda’s eye looked like a rotten grapefruit. Despite the Doctor’s interference, Torres proved that not only can he dish it out, he can take it too.
Winner: Torres by TKO. The fight was stopped after the third by the ringside physician, presumably to help WEC officials locate Maeda’s missing eye.
Cinematic equivalent: Billy Lo vs. Carl Miller (Game of Death). Miller was as tough-as-nails and gets his share of strikes in. Unfortunately it’s not enough against his quicker, more well-rounded opponent. Lo not only beats him down, he stuffs him in his own locker. You lose, Carl Miller.
DREAM Warriors: Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen - DREAM 3
Hansen came into the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix as one of the favorites to win it all. Alvarez had built an impressive 13-1 resume including ten (T)KO finishes, but was still seen as the underdog. That quickly changed when he dropped “Hellboy” twice in the opening frame of the GP quarterfinals. Hansen recovered and made it competitive heading deep into the first. After a grueling ten-minute opening round that saw more action than most three round fights, the two combatants do it all over again in round two. This round sees Hansen controlling, including two oh-so-close submission attempts that nearly finished Alvarez. The action flip-flops from one fighter to the other and Alvarez lands big at the bell. Clearly fight of the night and for my money fight of the year.
Winner: Eddie Alvarez. It was close, but the first round knockdowns probably gave Alvarez the edge. He would face Tatsuya Kawajiri at DREAM 5 but was denied the opportunity to fight in the finals after a Kawajiri elbow cut him open and finished his night. None other than Joachim Hansen would take his place after winning his reserve bout against Kultar Gill. As luck would have it, Hellboy upsets Shinya Aoki in the finals to win it all. Aoki would later face Alvarez and win the WAMMA lightweight championship at Fields Dynamite!!. Alvarez beats Hansen, Hansen beats Aoki, Aoki beats Alvarez. Oh what a tangled web we weave.
Cinematic Equivalent: Mick O’Brien vs. Paco Moreno (Bad Boys). Forget about that dreck with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Sean Penn was the real bad boy in this 1983 classic. Mick and Paco slug it out in the end to settle once and for all who is the worse criminal: The sadistic rapist or the accidental murderer. The crowd cheers their every move and Paco almost sinks in a rear naked choke. They beat each other bloody but the real highlight is watching Clancy Brown (pre-Mr. Krabs) eat his own boogers in the mess hall. Good stuff.
That my friends, has just about wrapped it up. 2008 was another banner year for the sport of MMA, and I can’t wait to see what 2009 has in store for us.
With fights like BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 just a few weeks away, I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start.
Be sure to sound off in the comments section about who you think belongs or doesn’t belong on the list of ten best fights of 2008 - and make sure you can back it up!
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