Top Ten MMA Rivalries- Part Two

Here’s Part Two of Fightmania’s Top Ten MMA Rivalries, as we count down from number five to the greatest rivalry of MMA history so far.  We’ve already seen some great rivalries in the first part of the countdown, but who will be at the top?  Hint: you haven’t seen the last of Tito Ortiz on the list!

5. Phil Baroni vs. Team Quest

This great rivalry is often forgotten by those who missed out on the early Zuffa days of the UFC.  For whatever reason, Baroni couldn’t get along with the straight-laced fighters of Team Quest, who claimed that Baroni once showed up to train with them and ended up getting embarrassed.  Baroni never quite got one over on Team Quest, losing twice to Evan Tanner and twice to Matt Lindland.  However, there were some memorable moments, such as when Baroni protested what he thought was an early stoppage against Tanner by throwing punches at a bewildered Larry Landless, the referee of the fight.

The Lindland rivalry was particularly entertaining, with Lindland needling Baroni with surprisingly hilarious insults on the internet, and finding strange footage of what appeared to be Phil Baroni working out on video wearing daisy duke shorts.  Lindland even tossed a pair of them at Baroni at the weigh-ins before one fight…Baroni was not amused.  Baroni still hasn’t dropped the feud, training with Michael Bisping for his upcoming bout against Team Quest’s Dan Henderson and saying he wants Bisping to beat Henderson because of Henderson’s team affiliation.  “F—k Dan,” says Baroni.  And the feud goes on.

4. Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock

This feud belongs on this list not because of the quality of the fights, which were dangerously close to public executions, but because of the entertainment value of the feud itself.  Tito, who always loves a good rivalry, rubbed Shamrock the wrong way when he beat Lion’s Den fighters back in the pre-Zuffa UFC days and then mocked them after the fights with disrespectful antics and t-shirts. 

Shamrock let him know what he thought, and they finally ended up fighting at UFC 40, where Ortiz dominated throughout (though Shamrock had his moments).  Still, the rivalry was far from over, as the two faced off twice more, as well as having a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” where Tito seemed to enjoy needling Shamrock throughout the entire show.

3. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. the Gracie Family

Kazushi Sakuraba is by all accounts a classy guy, and this rivalry makes the list purely based on the in-ring tension throughout it.  Think of it as the polar opposite of the Ortiz-Shamrock rivalry.  Sakuraba made a name for himself in Pride largely off of his submission win over Royler Gracie at Pride 8, who refused to submit to a kimura that would have led to serious injury had the fight not been stopped.

This led to three other fights versus Gracies, all of whom wanted to avenge the quickly mounting losses at the hands of the Japanese superstar.  Royce Gracie fought Sakuraba for an incredible 90 minutes before having to quit due to injury, and Renzo Gracie failed in his quest to beat Sakuraba at Pride 10, also refusing to submit to a painful-looking kimura.  Finally, Sakuraba defeated Ryan Gracie at Pride 12 by decision to become 4-0 against Gracies.  At the time, it was a huge accomplishment, and Saku is still known as “the Gracie Hunter”.  Royce did win a unanimous decision against a weary Sakuraba in 2007, but that fight is best left aside.  By then, the many fights against bigger, stronger opponents had taken its toll on Saku, and the fight itself was a disappointment.

2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva

The rivalry started off innocently enough- Rampage had won a number one contender’s match against Kevin Randleman, and announced his intention to take Silva’s title.  Silva did not take kindly to his, and entered the ring, shoving Rampage in the process…a rivalry was born.  Rampage had to really earn his first shot at Wanderlei, advancing to the final of the 2003 Pride Grand Prix, and fighting Silva on the same night that he had already beaten Chuck Liddell.  It did not go well, with Silva kneeing a tired Rampage over and over before the referee intervened for a TKO victory.

Afterwards, Rampage made it clear that the next time wouldn’t be different, and mocked Silva’s manner of speaking and appearance in videos on his website.  Meanwhile, Silva said he’d fight Rampage multiple times if possible and make him his “new Sakuraba”.  In the second fight, Rampage fought very well and had Silva in trouble at the end of round one, but still ended up knocked out on the ropes in round two, with a horribly broken nose to show for his efforts.

Finally, in the UFC, the two met again, and Rampage got his revenge, knocking out Silva and landing a few extra shots as referee Yves Lavigne struggled to push him away from the unconscious Brazilian.  Since then, both fighters have expressed a certain amount of respect for each other, but this is one rivalry that will never truly be over.

1. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

This is really the gold standard of MMA rivalries.  Ortiz and Liddell briefly trained together while Liddell worked his way towards a shot at the title that Ortiz held, only to find out that Ortiz wanted no part of a fight with Liddell.  Ortiz cited a friendship with “The Iceman”, which Liddell denied they ever really had.  The UFC was forced to create an interim title while Ortiz stalled, which Liddell failed to gain against a resurgent Randy Couture.  By the time Ortiz finally faced Liddell, Ortiz had also lost his share of the title to Couture, but the rivalry was stronger than ever.

When Liddell and Ortiz finally met in the octagon, it was truly the biggest fight in UFC history at the time.  Liddell and fans alike had been waiting years for the fight, and Liddell dispatched of his foe midway through the fight.  Of course, Ortiz still didn’t shut his mouth, and the trash talking only took a brief hiatus before starting right back up again.  In the second fight, Ortiz did much better but still failed to take the UFC Light Heavyweight Title from Liddell.  Liddell was once quoted as saying that he’d fight Ortiz again and again in an effort to shut his mouth for good.

Those are Fightmania’s top MMA rivalries of all-time.  Of course, there are a lot of great rivalries in mixed martial arts, and everyone has their favorites.  Have a different opinion?  Let us know via the e-mail link at the bottom of the column, or a comment on the bottom of the article.  We’ll post the best feedback in a future Fightmania Mailbag sometime soon. 

by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Evan Tanner, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz, UFC, Wanderlei Silva