MMA Spotlight 4.24.08: Best of the Best

Posted by Reuel Mante on 04.24.2008

These are a few of my favorite things...

Now that UFC 83 is done and over with, I've had time to think about what dream fights I would like to see in the future.


Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

Recently, GSP stated that a move to the middleweight division is not out of the question. This could possibly give Anderson a reason to stay in the UFC for a champion vs. champion bout is both high profile and a guaranteed Fight of the Year candidate. Both champions are dynamic strikers with a solid ground game. When both men are in the groove, they are hard to stop. Based on those facts, it would be interesting to see who makes the first move. GSP would be facing a different opponent on several levels. Anderson is taller and longer than GSP. St. Pierre throughout his UFC career has enjoyed being the bigger man in the welterweight division. So to see him out sized would be interesting. Also, Silva would have the weight advantage. The wise start off point for GSP would be take The Spider to the ground. Anderson would be facing different problems himself. GSP is faster than any opponent he's faced in the UFC. St. Pierre's striking is comparable to Silva's. Imagine Kyuyoshin Karate vs. Muy Thai. What a fight to watch. I'd see another win for Anderson Silva if this fight were to ever happen.


Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko

If there was one hole in Fedor's game is his takedown defense. Wrestler's such as Mark Coleman, Matt Lindland and Kevin Randleman were able to take him down almost at will with sheer brute force, nullifying any of Fedor's strikes. But therein lies the problem, his submission game. Each of these men found themselves tapping within minutes of taking the Russian off his feet. However, none of these men are complete MMA fighters like Josh Barnett. Barnett's power is in the clinch and top position. He is fully capable of ground and pounding his opponents while looking for a submission opening. Not only is his grappling top notch, his striking is something to be feared. Barnett has been known to take a lot of strikes to give a lot of strikes. Like his bouts with Pedro Rizzo or Mirko Cro Cop, he is not afraid to engage on the feet. The weakness that could be exploited by Fedor is Josh's cardio. The Baby Faced Assassin has been susceptible to engaging in a war while losing steam as the fight goes on. But you can't deny his heart. Watching his return bout with Cro Cop after suffering a freak shoulder injury was nothing less than spectacular. Sure, he lost but it was moral victory that said that he will not be denied proving himself that he still belongs in the game. Fedor will need to ground and pound ala Nogueira and mix it up with diverse strikes when they're standing to outwork Barnett. I see a Fedor victory via unanimous decision.


Vitor Belfort vs. Forrest Griffin

This fight is for the nostalgia when it comes to Vitor Belfort. When Vitor came in to prominence, he was unstoppable. To see the Vitor of yesteryear fight the Forrest Griffin of today would be amazing.
If the fight were to happen today, the fight would probably be mirrored by Griffin's fight with Shogun. Dominating Belfort on the feet with his range, stuffing takedown after takedown, and out grappling him on the ground. I dare say that Forrest would have the same capability of tapping Belfort out as well. Vitor's game plan would to get off first with fast strikes on the feet, close the distance, and take Griffin down. From there, use his jiu jitsu to either tap Forrest or ground and pound out a decision. Forrest has the strength and size advantage in this one. Belfort would have the speed advantage. Another intangible to consider is that Griffin trains at Xtreme Couture. The game plan for defeating the "Phenom" is built in the institution. Forrest would win by TKO.

B.J. Penn vs. Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber will fight Jens Pulver in June. After he wins, he pretty much has done it all. I truly believe that if Pulver loses, Faber will find himself in the same predicament that GSP and Anderson Silva find themselves in currently. The only problem I have with the featherweight division in WEC is that there are very few fighters who fight at the level that Urijah fights at. To that end, I don't believe he has been tested a whole lot. B.J. Penn would give Faber a run for his money. As a matter of fact, Penn would probably win. There are not a lot of fighters in the welterweight division and below that can hang with "The Prodigy." This is a dream fight that would not happen ever due to Zuffa trying to run both UFC and WEC as separate entities.


Now that I have the dream fights out of the way, I'd like to share with you my favorite fights of all time.

5.Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture

Rocky Balboa had just opened up in theaters three months prior and quickly became the one movie in the series that equals the splendor and beauty of the original Rocky movie. Little did we know that "The Natural" would actually have a real life portrayal of the movie at UFC 68. I've been a Couture fan since he defeated Vitor Belfort in '97. So, needless to say, I was extremely nervous about how he would be able to handle a guy who was half a foot taller than him I sat in a crowded Hooters with two of my best friends and my fiance and for 25 minutes straight, my eyes never left the screen. Round by round I got to see my hero defy the odds and pick apart a giant with incredible striking and wrestling. Easily, the best feel good fight in all of MMA.

4.Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

"The Axe Murderer" was set to defend his Pride Middleweight Title against Jackson at Pride 28. After a disappointing Josh Barnett/Mirko Cro Cop fight, I was ready for a knockdown drag out war. Luckily they were, as well as the fans, blessed with good fortune. Silva and Rampage were looking to KILL each other for thirteen and half minutes. In the middle of the second round, Silva delivered a sick knee that rivals any knockout by Anderson Silva. A brutal yet beautiful fight that brought out the best in both men.

3. Mark Hunt vs. Wanderlei Silva

Yes, there are two Silva fights in my all time favorite list. Coming off an incredible victory over Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei was looking to have a fourth fight with Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride Shockwave 2004. Unfortunately, Sakuraba had to pull out of the fight at the last minute and Pride officials decided that Mark Hunt would be a good replacement. Wow, if anyone said that Hunt would have as good a fight as Sakuraba, I'd laugh at them. But Hunt was facing no slouch. An incredible stand-up battle with an impressive ground game by both men, I was thoroughly entertained. As much as I still believe that Silva was screwed in the decision, I can't argue that Hunt deserved to win as well.

2. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg

Trigg was hoping that the rematch against Hughes for the welterweight title would be more favorable at UFC 52. I'll be honest, this was the first fight I saw Hughes in action. I was not disappointed as Matt was able to overcome a low blow and rear naked choke to come back and destroy Frank Trigg. My friend Todd would tell me about Hughes and how unbelievable his strength and stamina was. What a way to see the future Hall of Famer at work.

1. Alexsander Emelianenko vs. James Thompson

Ah, my all time favorite fight. Eleven seconds long. That's it. Now it's not just the fight itself but the introductions, the face off, the fight, and the celebration combined. I laugh every time I see this fight because of the contrast between both fighters. Lesson to be learned: It pays to be calm before a fight. The Emelianenko's aren't known for smiling a whole lot and they couldn't even help themselves on this night. If you have never seen this fight, watch Pride 28: High Octane. You won't be disappointed with entertainment as a whole.

I hope you enjoyed the article this week. Obviously a change in format but I wanted to try something new. Let me know what are your favorite fights or the dream fights you'd like to see.