Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Mark Kerr I

Before his fight with Vovchanchyn at Pride 7 in 1999, heavyweight Mark Kerr was undefeated and generally regarded as the most terrifying and dominant fighter in the sport. After Vovchanchyn finished Kerr with illegal knees in their first meeting, a fight that was eventually turned to a No Contest, Kerr never put together a significant winning streak again.

Prior to the fight, Kerr was a moderate favorite over his Ukrainian opponent, although Vovchanchyn was a respected striker known for his knockout power. The first round was a hotly-contested affair, with Vovchanchyn continuously getting the better of the stand-up exchanges while Kerr got takedown after takedown and opened up a cut over the right eye of his opponent. The second round was a different story, as Vovchanchyn defended an early takedown by Kerr to end up in the North-South position, where he fired off a series of illegal knees to the head that finished the American off at the 4:36 mark.

While Vovchanchyn would go on to find success during his run in the Pride Fighting Championships and beyond, including a Decision win over Kerr in a rematch one year later, Kerr would never be the same, as a serious addiction to opiates and personal problems prevented the fighter from achieving the same level of success as his early days. Following his first fight with Vovchanchyn, Kerr won only four more fights over the next ten years.