The comeback is what makes MMA such a great sport. It keeps it unpredictable. It allows a fighter who has been dominated for every round of a match to still pull out a hail mary and claim victory. There have been many famous comebacks in MMA History.
After watching the main event between Martin Kampmann and Thiago Alves UFC in FX2 last night, Thiago Alves got a sound reminder of what the comeback is really all about, after Kampmann pulled of the submission win with only :48 left in the fight. So, I got to thinking, while this was great come from behind, does it fall into the best comebacks of all time category?
MMA History: The Comebacks
Here is my list as I see it:
1. Anderson Silva v. Chael Sonnen (UFC 117): Say what you will about this being my top pick. Anyone watching this fight got a double shot to the gut – first watching Chael Sonnen soundly dispatch the invincible Silva for 4.5 rounds, and then seeing Silva cinch in a last-minute triangle choke to win the fight. It made this match one of the best in UFC history, and solidified the Spider as the best.
2. Scott Smith v. Cung Le (Strikeforce: Evolution): This entire fight was a clinical demonstration of high level striking put on by Cung Le at the expense of Scott Smith. Few were surprised at the pace of the fight. However, Scott Smith proved he truly is the comeback kid turning around the fight at the very end to land the KO victory.
3. Matt Hughes v. Frank Trigg (UFC 52): Matt Hughes proved in this fight why he was the best in the world at the time. In this, their second fight, Frank Trigg landed a rear-naked choke that looked impossible for a mere mortal to escape. At this time, however, Hughes was no mortal; coming back to not only escape the choke, but land a rear-naked victory himself.
4. Nogueira v. Sylvia (UFC 81): For the interim heavyweight title, two titans and former champions in their own right, faced off in the classic striker v. grappler match-up. Sylvia dominated the fight for the first two rounds, turning Nogueira’s face to bloody pulp; however, all Big. Nog’ needed to do was get into his comfort zone on the ground. Once Nogeuria had Sylvia on the ground he planted a text-book guillotine, securing the victory and retiring Sylvia from the UFC.
5. Lesnar v. Carwin (UFC 116): In what was dubbed a true battle of gargantuan proportions two of the largest heavyweights in the world faced off for the title. Carwin came into the first round and battered Lesnar to near defeat – only solid refereeing saved Lesnar from losing via TKO after the first five-minutes. Unfortunately, Carwin blew his stamina in the first round, which left the door open for Lesnar to come back and lock in a victory via his trademark smothering technique.
Honourable Mention: Emelianenko v. Randleman: In a rarely mentioned match, Randleman landed a devastating suplex, in what I thought may have been the sport’s first fatality. Fedor came back reversed and finished the fight with a TKO via strikes.
While Kampann’s victory may not have made my list (which is by no means exhaustive), it’s important to reminder of what makes this sport so grand. It means that a fighter who is dominating a match the entire way always has to be on top of his game – any slip up, and all of his hard work can go for not. It also reminds us, as fans, why it’s so important to watch any fight to the end – you never know when it might come to an end!
… and that is the last word.
