Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 13 years, 3 months ago  |  All By minotauro11

1. 1

   

   Rua vs. Nogueira

   Maurício Rua | Decision

   2005 | Pride Critical Countdown 2005

   Total back and forth war, great fight. Both guys got dropped a few times, takedowns were exchanged, it was a very close decision. It was a war, great fight. Watch it. (by the way, this is closely contested for the #1 spot with Manhoef vs Cyborg, which can't be picked)
   

2. 2

   

   Couture vs. Nogueira

   Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision

   2009 | UFC 102

   Going into UFC 102, everybody thought these two were finished, then the fight started. The two went to war and showed all the young guys how it's done. Great grappling, great striking, blatant disregard for their own well-being, this fight has it all.
   

3. 3

   

   Garcia vs. Jung I

   Leonard Garcia | Decision

   2010 | WEC 48

   This fight seemed to really kick off the love for WEC. They got into some of the most exciting exchanges I have ever seen. After this, all the FWs and BWs of the WEC started fighting like these two did.
   

4. 4

   

   Frye vs. Takayama

   Don Frye | KO/TKO | Round 1

   2002 | Pride 21

   How can you not love Frye after this fight. Grab the dude by his head then just swing, great gameplan, led to a great fight.
   

5. 5

   

   Santiago vs. Misaki II

   Jorge Santiago | KO/TKO | Round 5

   2010 | Sengoku 14

   Amazing fight. Back and forth, both fighters put it all on the line. Going into the fifth, all hope seemed lost for Santiago, who (after losing the previous round 10-8 due to a questionable red card) was far behind on the scorecards. Well, he came back, and pounded Misaki for 90% of the 5th round, until Misaki's corner threw in the towel with 30 seconds left. Amazing comeback, and a great fight.
   

6. 6

   

   Henderson vs. Pettis

   Anthony Pettis | Decision

   2010 | WEC 53

   I love back and forth fights, and this fight definitely fit that bill. This is kind of a nostalgia pick because it marked the end of the awesome WEC, but it went out with a bang, coming in the form of the Showtime Kick.
   

7. 7

   

   Nogueira vs. Sapp

   Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Sub | RD 2

   2002 | Pride Shockwave

   Nogueira's breakthrough fight. He got tossed around for a while, but came back, and won by submission, classic Minotauro. (Hard for me not to pick this fight, really made me a fan of Big Nog)
   

8. 8

   

   Silva vs. Sonnen

   Anderson Silva | Submission | Round 5

   2010 | UFC 117

   Obviously I'm a Nogueira fan, and Sonnen trashed both brothers repeatedly, and the legitimacy of their black belts. Silva shut him up (for a few days) with a beautiful triangle-armbar, after being dominated for 4 and a half rounds, one of the best comebacks ever.
   

9. 9

   

   Henderson vs. Bisping

   Dan Henderson | KO/TKO | Round 2

   2009 | UFC 100

   Well it wasn't the 9th most exciting fight ever, but it still falls here for what happened. First of all, I can't stand Bisping. He talks an insane amount of trash, fights with a boring style, and has a blind army of followers who praise everything he does. Hendo did what he said he would do, he shut Bisping's mouth with his fist, in a brutal KO.
   

10. 10

    

    Griffin vs. Bonnar I

    Forrest Griffin | Decision

    2005 | The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale

    I'm a sucker for a sloppy slugfest. These two went to war like nobody had before them. This fight was probably the most important fight in MMA history, it grew the sport like no other fight can ever do.