Forgotten Stories of the UFC - Pre-Zuffa Snoozers

diemos · 01-13-2008

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The great fights live on forever. The wars are remembered in bars and at water coolers for years. The stunning knock-outs get seen repeatedly on highlight reels. Then, there are the other fights. I’m not talking about the run of the mill, middle of the road affairs. I’m talking about the “what the hell was that,” “Why aren’t they fighting?” affairs. While we can all admit that there have been many uhh…. less than entertaining… fights under Zuffa’s control of the UFC, this particular list focuses on the lackluster fights promoted by SEG.

Number 10. Randy Couture def. Maurice Smith At the UFC’s first journey to the land of the rising sun, the Heavyweight belt would change hands. Future legend, Randy Couture, would dominate using his wrestling skills against kickboxer Maurice Smith. The problem for the fans, was that Couture used little other than his wrestling to smother Smith en route to the decision victory.

Number 9. Pat Militech def. Mikey Burnett This is the fight that established the UFC’s 170lb belt that Militech would hold until Zuffa bought the promotion. As is often the case when the stakes are high, the fight lacked action. Militech would become known for putting on these boring hug-fests, but this one was by far his worst.

Number 8. Oleg Taktarov def. Tank Abbott The culmination of one of the UFC’s most action packed tournaments was a battle between two fan favorites. While there were periods of excitement during the fight, it also produced more than a few yawns. At times during the fight, it appeared the Taktarov was waiting for Abbott to move, while the Tank looked like he had fallen asleep in the Russian’s guard. It was fights like this that urged SEG to begin instituting more referee stand-ups.

Number 7. Jerry Bohlander def. Fabio Gurgel Gurgel came to the UFC with a fair amount of hype surrounding his BJJ skill. His first round opponent at UFC 11 was the durable and crafty Bohlander. Coming to the Octagon with a game plan, Bohlander took the Brazilian to the mat. After maneuvering to the cage, Bohlander held Gurgel to the mat, using the fence (which was legal) at times. The fight stayed in one spot throughout with little notable action. This would be another fight that would help institute rule changes.

Number 6. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka def. Pete Williams Both of these fighters were involved in action-packed fights at other points during their careers. On this night, however, a notorious “gentleman’s agreement” put an end to fans hopes of an interesting contest. With both men willing to avoid throwing strikes on the ground, a submission wrestling match broke out. Even at that, it was neither fast-paced nor extraordinarily technical.

Number 5. Tito Ortiz def. Wanderlei Silva This fight would be extraordinarily important in writing the history of MMA. It would not, however, feature any significant amount of action. Notwithstanding a Silva flurry late in the fight, a pattern of: Takedown, Smother, Bell would define this unmemorable battle.

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