We’ve broken well past that mid-way point in the MMA calendar year and in line with the strategy that the UFC has employed since signing the deal with FOX, we’ve had A LOT of events. Sure, with a lot events their are going to be a couple of “bathroom matches” in there – but, there have also been some fights thus far that could already be deemed “classic”.
Below is my list of what I think have been the best fights of 2013 to-date (so far):
5. Junior Dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt: Both these fighters come into the cage every fight with little regard for their own personal well-being, and this fight was a model example of that. A back-and-forth war, that Dos Santos dominated for the bulk of the fight, but showed how heart and resilience comes in packages of all sizes!
4. Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mien: Matt Brown is a beast, and you can usually expect fireworks whenever he enters the cage – regardless of whether or not his hand is raised. Mien was in no position to just rollover and let Brown’s intensity railroad over him. Mien hurt Brown to the point I had my hands up saying the fight was over. However, Brown showed us why he belongs in an episode of “The Walking Dead” and came back to take the win – against all odds at some points. This fight showed any novel fan what true heart in the sport is made of.
3. Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: Anyone who has read anything I write knows I am not a big fan of Frankie Edgar, but I can’t take away the fact that the kid has Rocky-Balboa-like heart! That being said, Frankie learned that heart can only take you halfway up the road to victory – especially when you have a crazy flying-off-the-cage-superman-punching Jose Aldo in your way. Aldo continued to prove to us that he is one of the best to set foot in the cage, leaving no open questions as to who the victor was at the end of the match.
2. Johny Hendricks vs. Carlos Condit: Yes, Condit gets two mentions on this list (now that you’re over that… keep reading!!!). I think this fight was really a coming out for Hendricks, from whom we had just started to expect the flashy one punch KO. However, in this fight Hendricks showed the true diversity in his game and fought on like a warrior ready to die on his shield against a “never say die” Condit. Hendricks won the match and earned his shot at GSP, giving all MMA fans an interesting match-up to sit and wait for.
1. Brian Stann vs. Wanderlei Silva: Who would’ve thought these two monsters of MMA still had such explosiveness left in them? Both fighters put their months of planning away and rumbled like they were playing for the last bit of food left of an nuclear scorched earth (maybe a little dramatic?) Either way these guys fought like it was their last, and in the case of Stann it actually was… albeit without his hand raised. While Silva would go on to earn the win, both men will go down as champions for this match… of course they won’t have any accreditation to that fact, but you know what I mean.
Honourable Mentions: Bermudex vs. Grice, Cat Zigano vs. Meisha Tate, Sarah Kaufman vs. Leslie Smith
These were just the fights that entertained me the most personally. Some were hyped, others were not… a true MMA war happens when both fighters step into the cage and decide that they’re ready to commit themselves to punishment – both on the giving and the receiving end.
With the rest of the fight year being announced, I think we have a number of great one’s still in the works… I personally have my money on Silva vs. Weidman II
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Photo Credit: Matthew Black via Photopin
