What sets apart the sport of mixed martial arts from other sports is uncertainty. It is a repeated saying, but the ‘anything can happen in MMA’ mantra is true. MMA has delivered countless awe-inducing moments over the past two decades, yet a handful of them managed to thoroughly shock the fans. In order to re-live them, let me introduce you to the Top 5 craziest moments in MMA history!
5) Strikeforce event goes out of control
On April 17, 2010 Jake Shields defeated Dan Henderson. Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, who was fighting the same night and had been previously defeated by Shields, decided to crash his post-fight interview, demanding a rematch. The gesture didn’t really please Shield’s training partners who immediately swarmed at Miller. It was a horde of people beating up the poor Miller, right in the Strikeforce cage. Needless to say, the infamous ‘Strikeforce: Nashville melee’ is still one of the biggest sports brawl we have ever seen on national television.
4) Randleman Suplexes Fedor
The fight between Kevin Randleman and MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko featured the most well-executed suplex slam in MMA history. Randleman picked up the Russian, lifted him in the air, and pinned him right on his neck. The crazy thing? Fedor casually recovered, punched Randleman in the head 18 times and submitted him with a kimura. All of that in a 90-second span. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Fedor is a legend.
3) Matt Serra knocks out Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre was the undisputed UFC Welterweight champion and an 11-1 favorite going into his title bout against Matt Serra at UFC 69. Nobody thought Serra could dethrone GSP, yet the American knocked out the then-champ in what stays to this day one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
2) Anderson Silva breaks his leg
The title fight between Anderson Silva and challenger Chris Weidman at UFC 162 could have gone a million different ways, but nobody expected Weidman to dethrone the Brazilian legend. You want to know what is crazier? Weidman did so by checking one of Anderson’s kicks, thus breaking his leg and forcing the referee to stop the fight. The horrific sight of Silva’s shin breaking on Weidman’s leg is a memory that is very vivacious among MMA fans and stands at one of the most shocking moments in MMA history.
1) Fedor’s 10-year-streak comes to an end
There is a reason why many fans consider Fedor Emelianenko to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Among the numerous feats he has achieved in the sport, one stood above the rest. In fact, he had been undefeated for nearly 10 years before entering his 2010 bout against current UFC Heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. Fedor, logically, was a heavy favorite.
The fight started as expected: Fedor hit Werdum with a big overhand right that dropped the Brazilian. Fedor followed him to the ground and started laying some ground and pound on him. Thing is, it is always dangerous to go to the ground with a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu player… Werdum weathered the storm and actually managed to get a grip of Fedor’s hands.
He then proceeded to apply a textbook triangle choke on the Russian legend that forced him to tap, not even a minute into the very first round.
I am willing to assume all the MMA fans who witnessed Fedor’s defeat can still recall to this day what they were doing at the moment Werdum pulled off what might be the biggest upset in MMA history. It was a truly mind-blowing, shocking turn of events, and it is still considered to be the most awe-inspiring moment in MMA history!
