UFC's 10 Best Fights

Do you want to know what the UFC's 10 best fights are? The UFC's ten best fights features some of the best cage fighters doing what they do best. The UFC's ten best fights still entertain fight fans who continue to watch these battles over and over again.

1. Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock UFC 1 showcased the Gracie brand of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the effectiveness of ground fighting in general. The diminutive Royce Gracie, looking like a typical pedestrian, completely frustrated his first opponent that he tapped out even before Gracie was able to mount an effective offense. His next match with the beefy Ken Shamrock looked like an impossible challenge for the slim Brazilian but using pure technique, the gi-clad Gracie slapped on a picture-perfect choke in less than a minute to force a tap from Shamrock.
2. Matt Serra vs Georges St. Pierre The champion St. Pierre was riding a six fight winning streak before UFC 69. Many had though that Serra had nothing to offer to mount an effective challenge. Instead, he whipped up a nasty punch, three minutes into the first round which dazed the champion. Serra followed up with several blows to earn a TKO victory.
3. BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes Unable to win a title at the lightweight division of the UFC, Penn tried his luck at welterweight at UFC 46. Against the defending champion, Penn was simply relentless. He controlled Hughes on the ground until he found an opening to secure a tight rear naked choke for the win.
4. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Leben. With an impressive fighting resume in Japan, Silva was paired against the tough Leben in his UFC debut. Performing in front of a rambunctious crowd, Silva wasn't just impressive, he was amazing. He landed 100% of his shots and finally dispatched Leben with a powerful knee strike.
5. Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, the former pro-wrestling superstar with solid collegiate wrestling credentials was out to prove he had what it takes to compete in the UFC. His first fight was against grapping ace, Frank Mir. As soon as the bell rang, Lesnar quickly blitzed Mir, took him down and landed several fierce hammer blows. The veteran, however, calmly used his legs to bring down Lesnar and ended the fight with with a knee bar.
6. Mauricio Rua vs. Lyoto Machida After a controversial loss to the champion Machida, “Shogun” was out for blood. Getting the better of most of their exchanges, Rua continued to pressure Machida. Three minues into the first round, he clipped the champion with an overhand right. The punch to the temple knocked Machida down and Rua capitalized by getting a full mount and punished his opponent with vicious punches to the head until the referee stopped the contest.
7. Marco Ruas vs Paul Varleans. Ruas, one of the earliest pioneers of the sport, was one of the first fighters to effectively blend an effective stand up game with a solid ground game. Against Varleans, he employed well-placed kicks to bring down his opponent and and quickly ended the fight soon after.
8. Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell. Smith was writhing in pain after absorbing a body shot from Sell. As Sell moved in for the kill, Smith countered with a well placed punch to the jaw that knocked his opponent out.
9. Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin After his demolition of Leben, Silva was given an immediate title shot against Franklin. Using classic Muay Thai, he knocked out “Ace” with his trademark knee strikes to win the championship belt.
10. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar Although not very technical, the fight was a pure slug fest. It was such an adrenalin rush that UFC honcho Dana White awarded both Griffin and Bonnar, who lost the fight, a six-figure UFC contract after their exciting three round battle.