Have Your Say: Greatest Moment In MMA History
Everyone has a moment in MMA that stands out above all others in their memory, a time when they felt connected to the sport. Whether it is through a moment of unwavering courage, heartbreaking defeat or just an amazing fight; we’ve all got one.
As always, I like to give the esteemed ladies and gentlemen (mostly gentlemen) a chance to get involved and have their say on such matters. If you want to have your say heard, simply leave your argument in the comments section and I will whip up a cool article with some video footage of your favorite moment in MMA. As usual, the stronger/funnier/unique you make your argument, the more likely I am to notice it.
My all time favorite moment in MMA goes way back to UFC Brazil in 1998 where a young Vitor Belfort squared off against the Chute Box product Wanderlei Silva. This was before the days of The Axe Murderer running the Pride MW division and both Belfort and Silva were 5-1 in their budding careers.
The match itself was merely 44 seconds long, not even enough time to boil a kettle; yet what I witnessed that day likely got me hooked on the sport of MMA. I had watched UFC events before that night, and enjoyed them, but the power of that moment really drew me in.
The round started cautiously, both men circling with Wandy waiting for the opportunity to counter punch. Silva would soon learn that Belfort is the last guy that you want to let land the first punch.
Belfort started with a flush left straight, followed by about 20 more lightning fast straight punches to the head. Silva seemed to float backwards across the cage, as Belfort continued his vicious assault.
At the time, I remember thinking back to the greatest boxing knockouts that I had ever witnessed. I also remember thinking that this Vitor Belfort kid just topped most of those, his hand speed was awe inspiring.
The finish came as the referee stepped in to mercifully halt the punishment, Silva’s protesting just added to the moment; it was testament to the size of Silva’s heart. Hard to believe that less than a minute of fighting, in Brazil, with two Brazilians going at it would start my life consuming addiction to the sport of MMA.
Just in case you forgot what the fight looked like, here is a Killer Instict remix of their famous bout, courtesy of BarokObamama’s youtube feed:
