It seems hard to remember a time when the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the sport of mixed martial arts were not part of the greater public consciousness. If one were forced to choose a date on which is truly entered the mainstream, that date would have to be April 9, 2005. If one were forced to choose which fight was the one that really did it and changed things forever, that fight would have to be Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin.

After months spent sequestered in The Ultimate Fighter house filming season one of the then experimental Ultimate Fighter reality show, Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin were ready to show the world what they were capable of, and what the sport of mixed martial arts was really all about.

With the whole world watching, both fighters knew that it was their time to shine and that from the opening bell, they had to leave it all in the octagon. What the fight became was a blood and guts slobber knocker that left both men bloodied, swollen and exhausted, but also turned them both into stars overnight.

As the fight wore on, the television ratings increased as those flipping through the channels were unable to turn away, and as many watching called their friends and let them know, you gotta see this.

Now, over a decade later, the importance of the Bonner/Griffen fight at The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Finale is appreciated by all those with any involvement in MMA. And while Forrest Griffen may have been awarded the victor, it was an evening in which the entire sport had won.