GamersMayhem

Jul 02, 2009
Top 50 MMA milestones, Part II: Tank, Frank, Dan and Don
05:03 PM
usatoday


Part II of our series of Top 50 mixed martial arts bouts takes us through 1995 and 1996, with the debuts of some of the sport's early stars.

6. David "Tank" Abbott def. John Matua, July 14, 1995; UFC 6

If the balance of power in UFC's early days tilted heavily toward the tactical ground game of Royce Gracie's jiu-jitsu, Abbott did his best to balance things out with his haymakers. A self-proclaimed "Pit Fighter" characterized by his scowl, thick goatee, black gloves and prodigious stomach, Abbott had no use for takedowns and submission holds — he simply threw his fists at opponents' heads to render them silly before they could do anything about it.

He quickly carved a place for himself in UFC lore by demolishing the 400-pound Matua in 18 seconds. Abbott rubbed it in by mocking the unconscious pose of Matua, whose arms stayed stiff and pointing forward momentarily after he was knocked out.

Abbott cemented his reputation with another rapid KO win that evening, against Paul Varelans in the tourney semifinals. Sambo expert Oleg Taktarov ended Abbott's night with a choke after 17 minutes in the final, but it hardly mattered — Abbott's thunderous punches provided a new kind of excitement for MMA.

Abbott, along with referee "Big John" McCarthy and announcer Bruce Buffer, gave MMA prime-time exposure with a guest appearance on the popular show Friends, on which he pummeled Pete Becker (Jon Favreau), leading to his breakup with Monica (Courteney Cox).

7. Marco Ruas def. Paul Varelens, Sept. 8, 1995; UFC 7

Ruas was also from the street-fighting mold, but his Luta Livre background made him more well-rounded. He wasn't quite the all-around mixed martial artist that many fighters are today, but he was successful with submissions and more successful with kicks, which he used to chop down Varelans over the course of 13 minutes in the UFC 7 final.Severn-blog


8. Dan Severn def. Oleg Taktarov, Dec. 16, 1995; Ultimate Ultimate '95

Ultimate Ultimate tournaments gathered UFC's equivalent of All-Stars, with lineups that included past UFC tournaments' winners, finalists and semifinalists. The inaugural edition ended with a 30-minute rematch between Severn and Taktarov, winners of the UFC 5 and 6 tourneys.

Severn used his wrestling to control Taktarov and sway the judges. In fact, UU '95 featured the first three decisions in UFC history, with the first two being Severn's and Taktarov's semifinal wins over Abbott and Ruas.

Photo of Severn in a dominant position over Ken Shamrock at UFC 9 by Joe Devera, Gannett

9. Don Frye def. Gary Goodridge, Feb. 16, 1996; UFC 8

Two early pillars of the sport made their debuts and won convincingly to reach the final. Frye was best known as a college and international wrestler but also had some boxing experience and had studied judo and shootfighting. He wasted little time showing his striking power, knocking out first-round opponent Thomas Ramirez in eight seconds. Goodridge also showed his power in the early bouts.

Frye beat Goodridge in this bout and "Ultimate Ultimate," a showdown of those who had excelled in the first couple of years of UFC competition, but Goodridge won a third bout by knockout on PRIDE's New Year's Eve card in 2003.

Both fighters remain active into their 40s, with Goodridge fighting on the first Affliction card in 2008 and continuing his kickboxing career.

10. Bas Rutten def. Frank Shamrock, May 16, 1996; Pancrase - Truth 5

As the first fighters to combine high levels of striking, grappling and fitness, Rutten and Frank Shamrock put the "mixed" in MMA long before "well-rounded" became a cliché. At their peak in the late '90s, they were unquestionably the sport's two best pound-for-pound competitors, with skills that improved largely because of their rivalry.

This fight, for the King of Pancrase title, was the best of an outstanding trilogy between them. At this point in their careers, Rutten had a much better stand-up game, but Shamrock was the superior grappler by a considerable margin, and their strengths showed: Rutten picked apart his opponent on the feet, but Shamrock pulled off several takedowns, including a belly-to-belly suplex, a spinebuster and a single-leg shot that carried both men through the ropes and down to the floor around the ring.


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9jyk_bas-rutten-vs-frank-shamrock_sport

Shamrock dominated positions on the mat and looked for several submissions, including at least two attempts at a north-south choke. But although Rutten wasn't a grappling specialist, he had improved his ground game to the point where he was a master of escapes and counters — at one point, they were simultaneously attempting toeholds on each other. During their grappling, Shamrock also attempted early versions of the psychological tricks that later became his hallmarks — he needles Rutten with occasional talk and makes faces to bait him into throwing an illegal punch that draws a red card.

Rutten eventually won via technical knockout after referees halted the cut because of a cut near Shamrock's left eye. Even without the blood, Shamrock looked exhausted and worn down by a steady diet of Rutten's open-hand strikes, kicks and knees.

We ran Part I of this series yesterday, and our partners at Bloody Elbow ran a follow-up with more detail. Keep checking over the weekend as we count toward UFC 100.

Cool list. Silva crushing Franklin and Lesnar beating Couture should be on this somewhere.