411’s Countdown to UFC 100: Best UFC Main Events

Posted by Larry Csonka on 07.08.2009

From Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz I at UFC 47 and Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 to Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 and Karo Parisyan vs. Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 6, the 411 MMA staff thinks that these are some of the best UFC main events of all time! But what did 411 select as the best UFC main event ever? Continue the Countdown to UFC 100 to find out!



Welcome:
Welcome back to 411's Countdown to UFC 100! As previously mentioned, UFC 100 is this weekend, the 411 MMA staff thought that we should prepare for the event with a special countdown to the show. What we are going to is take a topic each day and all the writers here on 411 MMA will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these main events rank on people's list, we will create an overall Top 5 list.

Topic number three for the week is…





Bill Wannop

HONORABLE MENTIONS

UFC 22: Only One Can Be Champion – Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz - Good fight that saw Shamrock use a great strategy to allow Ortiz to take him down for three rounds, so that Ortiz would tire himself out, then unload on him in the fourth. It worked perfectly.

UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion – Dan Henderson vs. Rampage Jackson - This is another fight that was a good fight and gets bumped up due to the historical significance. This was right after the UFC's acquisition of PRIDE and was the first time we were given the UFC champ taking on the PRIDE champion

Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale – Diego Sanchez vs. Nick Diaz - This build up to this fight was great, with Diaz reportedly throwing a shoe at Sanchez in the dressing room, and the fight was all action all the time. Great back and forth battle.

5. UFC 31: Locked & Loaded – Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo - Wow, this was a great fight, and I am betting not a lot of people may remember it, but if you haven't seen it track it down! In round 1, Couture uses the takedown to pound Rizzo with elbows, cutting him open and almost finishing him until Rizzo is saved by the bell. Round 2 is the exact opposite as Rizzo lands kicks and punches to the body, beating Couture up, dropping him with a right and pounding on him as Couture covers up and is saved by the bell. The fight continues on like this for three more rounds! Awesome fight!

4. UFC 51: Super Saturday – Tito Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort - This fight I feel is often forgotten due to how both guys have somewhat disappeared (well Vitor may be coming back) but it was a great back and forth war. In the fight Belfort used his lightening quick hands to bloody up and knockdown Ortiz in the first round, only for Tito to show his heart and conditioning by coming back and delivering his own punishment in the form of ground and pound in the second and third. The only reason Tito won this fight is that Belfort began to tire at the end, but this fight is a keeper.

3. UFC Fight Night 6 – Karo Parisyan vs. Diego Sanchez - This fight had everything you could want in a fight, from stand-up, ground game, to judo throws, takedowns, and mad scrambles. As well it has the awesome image of Diego hitting Karo with a knee and actually witnessing his tooth come flying out of his mouth. Just an awesome fight from start to finish filled with pure action. It is surprising even with his cockiness that Sanchez does not have more fans as he constantly puts on stellar fights

2. UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin – Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin - This fight surprised everyone, in that it ended up being a classic. In the opening round Rampage was able to score a knockdown to Forrest and everyone thought it would be over quickly. But Griffin hung tough and was able to utilize a strong game plan to chop at Rampages legs and outwork him. The decision could have gone either way, and watching this fight makes will make you a fan of Forrest as he plays the underdog (Randy Couture) card nicely.

1. UFC 43: Meltdown - Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell - This was the first meeting between these two and was for the interim UFC light heavyweight championship. What makes this fight so great for me is the history involved in it. At the time Chuck Liddell was a wrecking machine just knocking everyone in the division out. Then here comes Randy Couture, who had a master game plan and utilized it perfectly, to finish Liddell and become the first fighter in UFC history to hold a belt in two different divisions. At the start of this fight nobody thought Randy had a chance, but he proved all the doubters wrong, and continues to do so.

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Jonathan Solomon

HONORABLE MENTIONS

UFC 71 - Liddell vs. Rampage - Sure the fight itself may have only lasted 113 seconds, but the pre-fight hype was ASTOUNDING. Mainstream coverage, Joe Rogan taking Lou Dibella to school on ESPN and overall anticipation for this remath made it an unbelievable weekend for the sport.

TUF5 Finale - Penn vs. Pulver - Sure, Pulver may not have been the same fighter he was years prior. However, I was anticipating this fight as if it were 2002 all over again. It didn't hurt matters their performances on that season's TUF were awesome.

UFC 79 - Liddell vs. Silva - The fight many waited years to see. UFC President Dana White was jonesing to see it more than anyone else. A rare case where the fight lived up to the hype as both slugged it out.


5. UFC 69 - GSP vs. Serra - One of the few UFC main events where the outcome left me shocked. I did not watch the show live so when I heard the result, my mouth was agape. How in the world could Matt friggin' Serra knock out the best fighter in the world? Who knows, but he did it. Sure GSP would go on to avenge the defeat but on this night, Serra's night, you could imagine anything happening.

4. UFC 91 - Couture vs. Lesnar - This main event was something out of fiction. The big bad outsider comes to town to fight the beloved, wise champion. Sadly, or perhaps, wonderfully, the MMA newcomer was able to defeat the legendary hall of famer. Brock Lesnar was just 2-1 heading into this fight but he was able to knock out Couture when it counted. To Randy's credit, he fought a good fight. Couture was not being outwrestled and was able to stay on his feet (until being knocked out) and hurt Brock at one point. Plus, Lesnar made history as the first man to ever hold the WWE Championship and UFC Championship (at different times), something even Dan Severn could not accomplish (although he was UFC Superfight Champion and NWA Champion in 1996).

3. UFC 22 - Shamrock vs. Ortiz - The first Shamrock/Ortiz battle was held in 1999 during the dark days of the UFC (pre-Zuffa). Then-middleweight champion Frank Shamrock was to fight his last UFC fight in this fight, knowledge those in the know had before the fight. Ortiz had a nearly 30 pounds weight advantage over his opponent. Ortiz may have been winning the fight on points up until the end of the third round but Shamrock was the fighter in better shape. Ortiz was blown up and ate several kicks from Shamrock who probably could have fought another four rounds. Arguably the greatest fight of the era in MMA, two of the best battled until one could not take it any longer (Ortiz tapped from Shamrock's ground and pound). After the fight, Shamrock "retired" from the sport and while he would return, he would never fight in the UFC again. And he still won't so don't hold your breath.

2. UFC 60 - Hughes vs. Gracie - Certainly most believed Matt Hughes would beat Royce Gracie in May 2006, but there was a small sliver of doubt. After all, this was Royce Gracie we're talking about. Hollywood was looking forward to this fight (shows you how far MMA has come) as much as any crowd as they treated Gracie like a man coming back home. To most, the fight ended as they thought. Hughes (almost easily) powered Gracie down and could have broken his arm, but decided to win by ground and pound out of respect. We will never see anything like it again but it should always be remembered. It was the defining moment to undeniably prove that modern athletes are better all-round fighters than the men who pioneered the sport in 1993.

1. UFC 66 - Liddell vs. Ortiz - Rarely does it happen that two of the best fighters are able to clash in what is thought to be their prime. At the end of 2006, the MMA world was abuzz at the scheduled fight between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Ortiz had just come off of the famous series of bouts with Ken Shamrock and was never more popular. He was on a five-fight winning streak after losing to Liddell in 2004. Liddell was on a six-fight win streak and made three successful title defenses after beating Randy Couture. This fight was huge. Both men had their game plans but ironically, Tito could not outwrestle the champion. It ended deep into the third round with Liddell pounding on the man people loved to hate. Business wise, this main event led to the first UFC PPV to do over one million PPV buys.

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Scott Kuczkowski

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, UFC 40 - Their first fight is the only one worth mentioning as it was a great clash of Old School versus New School.


5. Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 79 - I'd love to rank this higher on the list as this was a fight a lot of fans waited a long time for, but the truth is this fight would have been better fought 5 years prior. As it was, both guys put their all into this meeting and Chuck walked away with the decision victory. The fight itself was epic in that Chuck and Wanderlei were finally meeting, but even the UFC hedged its bets by making GSP vs. Hughes the co-main event just in case this bout didn't deliver as hoped.

4. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia, UFC 68 - Randy was coming out of retirement and fans for the most part were tired of seeing Sylvia with the belt. Everyone knew Randy had a difficult time when he fought huge guys as a heavyweight and the odds were definitely stacked against him this time. Sylvia was a boring fighter by this point whom fans openly despised. In a spectacular 5 round fight, Randy schooled Tim standing and on the ground, taking the heavyweight strap from him.

3. Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar, UFC 91 - Brock Lesnar was the next big thing and Randy was the old man who had just sat out for a year disputing his contract. Many folks questioned if Brock deserved this title shot and just as may wanted to see the old man put away another young buck. Lesnar brought it all and ended up putting Randy away via TKO in the second round.

2. Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture, UFCs 43, 52, and 57 - Their first meeting was for the interim Light Heavyweight Championship and many folks thought this would be an easy fight for Chuck, as Randy was coming off two losses as a Heavyweight. Instead Randy played the spoiler and stopped Chuck via TKO in the third round. Their second meeting ended quickly in the first round as Chuck knocked out Randy for the first time in his career. Their third meeting or "rubber match" ended dramatically in the second round as Chuck again knocked out Randy, this time in the second round. Randy announced his retirement afterwards.

1. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, UFCs 47 and 66 - The build-up for this was that Chuck and Tito were former training partners and that Tito didn't want to fight Chuck. Chuck, being the #1 contender for the title, eventually called out Tito enough that Tito was forced to face him. Though their first encounter was not for the title, it ended with Chuck knocking out Tito in the second round to the delight of fans everywhere. Their second meeting ended with Chuck again stopping Tito, this time by TKO, in the third round.

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Dan Plunkett

HONORABLE MENTIONS

UFC 40- Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock - The feud was great, the fight was very one sided.

UFC Fight Night 6 – Parisyan vs. Sanchez - Great fight that established Diego as a true contender and put Karo further way from his ever so elusive title shot.

UFC 31- Couture vs. Rizzo - Great, back and forth fight that ended in a close decision victory for Couture.


5. UFC 60- Hughes vs. Gracie - Even before it went down, the fight was a mismatch. Hughes was one of the top fighters not just in his division, but overall too. Gracie had been fighting every New Years Eve in Japan, but was nowhere near as dominant as he had been in the early days of the UFC. Despite this, just the thought of Gracie returning to the company he helped build to take on the welterweight champion was intriguing. The bout drew 620,000 buy, setting a new record.

4. UFC 86- Jackson vs. Griffin - Many thought Jackson would steamroll Forrest Griffin. They were wrong. Griffin controlled much of the first round, but Jackson knocked him down to take the round. The second was all Forrest, as he injured Jackson with leg kicks and had him mounted for much of the round. Those were the only rounds, which had clear winners to them, although two did inept judges, gave Griffin the first. I scored the fight for Griffin at first, but in subsequent viewings scored it a draw. Either way, this was a great fight.

3. UFC 57- Liddell vs. Couture - The last match of the legendary trilogy. Couture won the first fight, Liddell knocked Couture out in the second bout, and he ended up doing it again here. The bout set the UFC record for PPV buys at the time with 400,000. After this bout, UFC's PPV buys exploded, with a new record high being set in 3 of their next 4 PPV events.

2. UFC 22- Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz - Shamrock was undersized for the 200 pound division, while Ortiz was one it's biggest fighters. Frank had been on a great run, but many though the size and strength of Ortiz would lead to his downfall in this fight. For three rounds they were correct, as Ortiz took Shamrock down to win the rounds. In the third though, Shamrock had worked well from the bottom, thus tiring Ortiz. Late in the fourth round, Shamrock submitted Ortiz with strikes, ending the classic battle.

1. UFC 66- Liddell vs. Ortiz - The first fight ended in possibly my favorite flurry of all time, but this was 2 and 1/2 years later. After losing to Liddell, Ortiz won five consecutive fights, including two over Ken Shamrock, making him the biggest drawing card in the company. Even though I thought Liddell was simply a bad match-up for Ortiz, the pre-fight talk and hype had me as excited to see this fight as any before. Each man won a round before Liddell stopped Ortiz in the third round. The event marked the highest point in UFC history, with mainstream media coverage and drawing more than one million buys on PPV.

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Samer Kadi

HONORABLE MENTIONS

UFC 81- Tim Sylvia Vs Minotauro Nogueira Your typical Nogueira fight with him getting his ass kicked for two rounds before staging the great comeback.

UFC 51- Tito Ortiz Vs Vitor Belfort Good back and forth battle between the two veterans with both fighters having their moments in the fight. Ortiz ended up taking the split decision.


5. UFC 22- Frank Samrock Vs Tito Ortiz Frank Shamrock showed why he was head and shoulders above his peers. Few gave him a chance against the bigger, stronger Ortiz but Frank used his experience and had a brilliant game plan in store. For three rounds he was outwrestled by Ortiz but he worked just enough from the bottom to tire the future champion out. During the fourth round, he was able to sweep and finish Ortiz with strikes.

4. UFC 86- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Vs Forrest Griffin Both fighters served as coaches on season 7 of the Ultimate Fighter leading up to this fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship. Griffin was a huge underdog in this fight but just like he did against Shogun Rua, Forrest proved his doubters wrong. Griffin took out Rampage's legs with ferocious leg kicks, and looked to have sealed the deal in the second round. Amazingly, Jackson recovered and made a fight out of it. Eventually, Griffin got the decision to become the new champion after a really close fight that still brings controversy to this day.

3. UFC 31- Randy Couture Vs Pedro Rizzo Another epic back and forth five rounder. Couture looked to have things under control early and almost finished Rizzo in the first round. However Randy ended up punching himself out and for the next couple of rounds, looked like he didn't have too much left in the tank as Rizzo continuously took out his legs with one leg kick after the other. Amazingly, Randy seemed to have found a new gear and came back in the fight. He ended up retaining his heavyweight title with a close decision victory.

2. UFC Fight Night 6 - Karo Parisyan Vs Diego Sanchez One of the greatest grappling battles in MMA history. Words can't do this fight justice so in case you haven't seen it, do it now! The highlight of the fight saw Diego knocking out Karo's tooth with a knee.

1. UFC 63- Matt Hughes Vs BJ Penn At the time this very well may have been the most anticipated rematch in UFC history. Two years earlier, BJ Penn put an end to Hughes' long time welterweight reign in a stunning upset with first round submission. After leaving the company due to a contract dispute, Penn made his return and claimed to have been the rightful welterweight champion (we'll ignore the split decision loss to GSP for time's sake). Penn came out looking like a man on a mission, peppering Hughes with multiple jabs and stuffing all of his takedown attempts. Hughes finally managed to get fight to the ground in the second round, but BJ swept, took his back, and sunk in a triangle (!). Hughes survived till the end of the round. Unfortunately, that was everything Penn had as his cardio (and a rib injury sustained in that second round) meant he had nothing left in the tank. Hughes took Penn down and stopped him due to strikes to retain his belt.

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Jeremy Lambert

5. UFC 98: Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans - Two undefeated fighters battling for the most popular UFC title. One fighter was coming off impressive victories over two of the biggest stars in MMA history and the other fighter had never lost a round in his UFC career. The result was Lyoto Machida continuing his undefeated run and ushering in the Karate era to the world of MMA with a destruction of Rashad Evans. GOHEAD!

4. UFC 22: Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz - Tito Ortiz was the young gun who everyone thought would go on to super stardom while Frank Shamrock was competing for the last time in the UFC. Ortiz was younger, faster, bigger, and stronger than Shamrock and for three rounds all of those factors came into play. Then in the fourth round, experience and conditioning were the biggest factor as Ortiz gassed out for the last time in his career and tapped due to strikes.

3. UFC 63: Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn - BJ Penn never lost the UFC Welterweight title after defeating Matt Hughes at UFC 46. Hughes was the champion when Penn returned to the UFC and lost to Georges St. Pierre but many still wondered if Hughes could beat Penn. Through two rounds of their UFC 63 rematch, it didn't seem that way. Penn was able to stuff the takedowns of Hughes, out strike him on the feet, and out grapple him on the ground. Then a rib injury and possibly a lack of cardio turned things around for Matt Hughes as he was able to out strike Penn in the third round, get the takedown, and rain down blows from side control en route to the stoppage.

2. UFC 68: Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia - Inside leg kick, overhand right. That's the opening combo that sent Tim Sylvia flying backwards and the start of a 25-minute domination by Randy Couture. It wasn't a great back and forth fight but the crowd reactions combined with Couture coming out of retirement at the age of 43, going back to Heavyweight, and fighting a bigger and stronger fighter made this fight what it was.

1. UFC 47: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz - After all the hype and the reported ducking from Ortiz, these two finally met at UFC 47 and the fight was something that most fans will likely never forget. The first round was rather slow until the very end where Liddell poured it on and ended the round with a head kick, which caused the crowd to go so crazy that Joe Rogan thought the fight was being stopped as the ref came between the fighters as he wasn't able to hear the horn. Liddell finished Ortiz in the second round with one of the fastest and most accurate flurry of punches in UFC history. The commentary by Randy Couture is also excellent during this fight, especially his line about not getting hit by Liddell or Ortiz in previous fights.

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Patrick Mullin

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira UFC 81 - Trademark Nogueira as when all his seemingly lost he pulls off the submission for the win.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz I UFC 47 - Years in the making, these two traded blows with Liddell coming out on top.

Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz UFC 22 - Rope-A-Dope MMA version.


5. Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo I UFC 31 - All out war. The striker vs. the grappler. For five rounds Rizzo kicked away at Randy's legs and punched him with his trademark heavy hands. Couture slammed Rizzo to the mat and pounded away as is his nature. With the fight up for grabs, it was a late surge from Couture that made the difference as Randy won a close decision in what has to rank as his toughest victory.

4. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia 68 - Sometimes there are things that override action or finishes in a fight. Sometimes its just an electric feeling when you witness something historically significant due to one of the principles(Couture), what's at stake(the heavyweight championship), and the unexpected unfolding(44 year old and much smaller Couture dominating the much younger and bigger Tim Sylvia). Monumental is the best word I can come up with to describe the greatest triumph in the career of Randy Couture, and in my mind the definition of a "feel good moment" in the UFC.

3. Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin UFC 86 - Even more than his victory over Shogun Rua, this fight showed that Forrest Griffin was the real deal. Griffin utilized great kickboxing chopping Rampage with leg kicks throughout 5 brutal rounds, while he also set up some effective boxing by immobilizing Rampage. Rampage to his credit used his heavy hands effectively inside, and even broke out his wrestling when he was able to making this fight come down to the last round, and Forrest fought his way to victory with technique in this great, great fight.

2. Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan UFN 6 - Karo was on the verge of a title shot, Diego was looking to legitimize himself after his TUF stint. What resulted was an all out war. Karo used his judo throws, takedowns, and some effective hand striking. Diego utilized his great top game on the ground and all angle striking, and in the end just had more left when it counted as he outlasted Karo in this war of attrition.

1. Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva UFC 79 - Would it have been better five years prior? Of course. Does that mean it wasn't great? Of course not. These guys pulled out all the stops, playing possum, taking it to the ground, emptying their respective clips to try to not only win, but also win big. What resulted was one of the greatest fights you could ever hope to see between two bonafied legends giving you everything they had, with Chuck giving the last great performance of his career, and Wanderlei continuing his legacy as the most exciting fighter in MMA history.

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Todd Bergman

5. UFC 22: Only One Can Be Champion – Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz
- This was the equivalent of watching Tyson fight Ali. Ortiz dominated early in the fight but ultimately played in Frank's game plan of trial by fire. Ortiz tired out and tapped out due to exhaustion. This is important because Ortiz completely changed up his game plan after this as he promised always to be in the best shape possible. This is truly the beauty of MMA on display.

4. UFC Fight Night 6 – Karo Parisyan vs. Diego Sanchez -This fight was back and forth with blood and teeth flying everywhere. The best way to describe this fight would be as "controlled mayhem." Sanchez earned the decision win, much to Karo's displeasure, but in the end, Karo didn't do enough when it mattered.

3. UFC 71 - Liddell vs. Rampage - The pre-fight hype was great. The UFC was banking on the rematch concept, and I believed in a Liddell victory here, but that didn't happen. Rampage destroyed Liddell and claimed the Light Heavyweight Title in the process. I remember being shocked that ESPN News actually spent the time to cover this event and featured the fight's result in their breaking news flash on the bottom line.

2. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia, UFC 68 - "Not bad for an old man," were the words that Couture spoke after shocking the world in Columbus, Ohio that night. The fight, outside of the 1st round, was pretty boring, but the significance of the fight still lives with us as fight fans to this day. Sylvia went down hill fast and has, for the most part, disappeared from MMA while Couture made news with his contract dispute and match up with Brock Lesnar.

1. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, UFCs 47 and 66 - Being a huge Tito Ortiz fan, I always thought that he would be able to take Chuck down and pound him out. Man, what the hell was I thinking? These match ups have been two of the best in UFC history, and they both deserve the top spot. When they matched up, both guys were at the top of their games, which is a rarity in MMA or any other sport. Like any Ortiz fight, the pre-fight hype was tremendous and the fights were exciting. The eye poke in the first fight and the questionable stoppage in the second fight hurt each a little bit, but there is no other fight that could top this list.

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Adam Tool

HONORABLE MENTIONS

UFC 70: Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga - A shocking upset, and a vicious knockout to cap off the evening.

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell - If we were voting for trilogies of fights, these guys would be number one.

UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - The beginning of the end for Chuck, and a whole new beginning for "Rampage."


5. UFC 69: St. Pierre vs. Serra - In the weeks leading up to UFC 69, this main event didn't seem like anything special. Fans assumed that GSP would dominate the smaller Serra, leading to one-sided title defense. The fight was one-sided, just not the side that everyone figured it would be. For reminding fans that anything can happen in this sport, this fight has to go down as one of the greatest main events in history.

4. UFC 82: Silva vs. Henderson - While Anderson Silva had been dominant in his run as UFC Middleweight Champion, most people figured that Henderson was the guy that could finally beat "The Spider." For the first round it appeared as though that might just happen, as Henderson was able to control Silva and win the round decisively. The second round saw the champion turn things around quickly though, and Henderson became just another victim on Anderson Silva's hit list.

3. UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - At the start of 2008, this is a fight that nobody would've thought could happen. After all, Lesnar was an MMA rookie that had just signed with the company and Couture was on the outs with the UFC after trying to resign from his contract. When the fight was made it was hyped as the biggest in UFC history. Luckily for us the actual product lived up to the hype, as the cagey veteran Couture did everything in his power to overcome the tremendous size, strength, and speed advantages Lesnar possessed.

2. UFC 44: Couture vs. Ortiz - Randy Couture sure is showing up a lot on these lists, isn't he? That might be due in part to the fact that guy has had more UFC title matches than any other fighter in history. His bout with Tito Ortiz once again saw "The Natural" play the role of underdog, but he defied expectations to put on a wrestling clinic against the once dominant UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. The image of Couture spanking Ortiz in the closing minutes is one of the most iconic moments in UFC history.

1. UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II - Arguably the two biggest stars in the company's history, facing off for a second time to settle a long-standing rivalry. Chuck had the belt, Tito wanted it back. At the time it was the biggest fight ever to headline a UFC event, and the show set a new company record for PPV buys. Fans weren't disappointed, as the two superstars battled back and forth for two full rounds before Chuck finally put Tito away in the third. A must-see fight for anyone that calls themselves an MMA fan.

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And 411's Top 5 UFC MAIN EVENTS are…


5. UFC 22 - Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz - Considered the "Tyson vs. Ali" of MMA by many, this was a simple case of conditioning winning out.


4. UFC 68 - Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia - Randy Couture's return to the Octagon delivered a dominating performance over the bigger, stronger and younger UFC Heavyweight Champion. 44-year-old men aren't supposed to dominant combat sports, but on this night, he did.


3. UFC Fight Night 6 - Karo Parisyan vs. Diego Sanchez - Karo Parisyan vs. Diego Sanchez did enough to take the number three spot, but with all of the hype over the Guida vs. Sanchez fight from not long ago, this comes as a surprise.


2. UFC 47 – Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz I - The fight was years in the making, and delivered. But the first one wasn't the best…


1. UFC 66 – Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz II - Sometimes sequels fail to deliver, but in this case the sequel was even better. Plus, this fight delivered the company's biggest buy rate of all time.

Come back tomorrow when the 411 staff counts down the WORST UFC Events!


Remember to join 411 for our LIVE UFC 100 coverage, starting at 9:30 PM ET Saturday night!