Sherdog’s Top 10: Fights to Show Someone Who Has Never Seen MMA

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MMA fiends have been in the situation countless times. At a party, bar or wherever the road has taken us, the subject of mixed martial arts comes up and someone in the room has either never seen the sport or seems only vaguely aware of it. How does one explain what the fuss is all about?

We can point to a number of epic battles that define what we love about MMA, entering into evidence legendary slugfests, brutal knockouts, sublime submissions and unbelievable come-from-behind victories. Plenty of people have been converted in such ways. The latest installment in the Sherdog Top 10 series examines the best fights to show someone who has never seen MMA before.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS: Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley (Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley”), Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195), Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano (UFC 184), Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson (WEC 48), Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (Dream 5), Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva (UFC 79), Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo (UFC 31), Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell (UFC 104), Joachim Hansen vs. Caol Uno (K-1 Hero’s 1), Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pride “Critical Countdown 2005”), Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva (UFC Fight Night 33), Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung (WEC 48), Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez (UFC 166), Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140), Hideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum (Dream 9), Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry (UFC Live 4), Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar (“The Ultimate Fighter 1” Finale), Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne (UFC 187), Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin (UFC 116), Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 165), Tony Ferguson vs. Edson Barboza (“The Ultimate Fighter 22” Finale), Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (Pride 21), Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua (UFC 139), Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez (“The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale), Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson (Pride 28)

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