Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a tough sport and a ruthless business.
It is also a huge international platform for the world’s best martial artists to display and test their skills against one another. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) being the world’s top MMA promotion as of today, boasts a respectable roster of such talented and hard-working MMA fighters.
However, contrary to popular perception of combat sports being dominated by brutes, several top UFC athletes have reminded us time-and-again about the amount of passion and love that they have for our beloved sport of MMA.
The amount of hard-work, blood, sweat and tears that goes into the preparation and performances that are delivered to MMA fans by the fighters, cannot be over-exaggerated. And, regardless of the pre-fight animosity and trash-talk between most UFC combatants, at the end of the day it’s all about respect.
The sport of MMA involves not only the exhibition of martial arts skills and near-superhuman athletic feats but also gives us a chance to witness the softer side of our insanely tough athletes. A few such instances involving the emotional side of our favourite athletes have made our list:
#5 Brock Lesnar’s miraculous comeback
Brock Lesnar (5-3-1) is a former UFC Heavyweight (HW/265-pound) Champion, who has a long list of accomplishments in the American amateur wrestling circuit including the NCAA- Div 1 Heavyweight championship. His MMA base is wrestling, and he utilises this to secure top position and finish his opponents with his vaunted ground-and-pound.
Shane Carwin (12-2) is a former Interim-UFC HW champion with an NCAA-Div 2 background and an MMA base of wrestling and boxing. Lesnar and Carwin are known to use the biggest gloves in the UFC, 4XL and 5XL respectively.
Lesnar won the UFC HW strap by knocking out MMA legend Randy Couture at UFC 91 in 2008 and unified the UFC HW title by knocking out Frank Mir at UFC 100 in 2009. His next title defence was scheduled to be against Carwin, however, in late-2009 it was revealed that Lesnar was suffering from mononucleosis.
Furthermore, doctors diagnosed that Lesnar was suffering from diverticulitis that resulted in the mononucleosis, which in turn endangered his future in the sport. Lesnar was out of action and in the meantime Carwin beat Mir in an interim-HW title matchup scheduled at UFC 111 in early 2010.
Lesnar would return to face Carwin at UFC 116 in July of 2010 in his career’s second title-unification bout and in a battle of giants, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ prevailed.
Carwin who was known for his brutal one-punch-KO power caught Lesnar with a huge right hand and knocked him down. Carwin, also successfully shucked off takedown attempts from Lesnar and continued to unleash violent flurries of heavy leather on his stunned opponent.
He knocked Lesnar to the mat and continued his assault with heavy ground-and-pound shots, almost finishing him in the first round. Lesnar survived and started off round 2 by smiling and winking at Carwin in an ominous manner.
He then proceeded to time an excellent double-leg takedown, taking Carwin to the mat and working step-by-step toward a beautiful arm-triangle submission. Lesnar submitted the-then undefeated Carwin and unified the UFC HW title yet again.
He went on to climb the Octagon fence and in what is now one of the most iconic pictures in MMA history, proceeded to mockingly punch himself on the chin. This peculiar post-fight celebration was a shot at his critics who had always stated Lesnar’s inability to take a shot.
By coming back from a life-threatening illness to reclaim his UFC HW title and shutting up critics who mocked his pro-wrestling (WWE) background, Lesnar etched his name in UFC history and cemented his status as one of MMA’s most improbable stories.
#4 The Preacher’s Daughter shocks the world
Holly ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ Holm (10-2) is a multiple-time boxing world champion, former-amateur kickboxer and a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight (BW/135-pound) champion. Her MMA base is boxing and kickboxing, but she has also developed decent grappling during her young MMA career.
‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey (12-2) is an Olympic Judo bronze medalist, former Strikeforce BW champion and a former longtime UFC BW champion with multiple title-defenses to her name.
Holm faced Rousey for Rowdy’s BW strap at UFC 193 in November of 2015, in front of more than 56,000 MMA fans at Etihad stadium in Melbourne, Austrailia. Holm dominated the-then undefeated Rousey from bell to bell, en-route to a second round head-kick KO victory.
Holm not only beat the formerly-invincible Rousey, she dominated her in every aspect of the fight including the mat, where Rousey destroyed virtually every previous opponent. Holm went into the fight as a huge underdog and ended up dominating the ‘Rowdy’ judoka whilst giving the fans a striking-masterclass.
Holm’s post-fight celebration became a part of MMA folklore, where the usually calm and composed fighter, spread her hands in pure joy and relief as akin to a bird successfully setting flight for the first time. Holm celebrated with her corner, friends and family and also showed her appreciation and respect for her vanquished foe.
She had tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy; the result of year-and-years of hard work. She capped it off with her traditional post-fight backflip and exited the Octagon to a large round of applause from the pumped up Australian crowd.
#3 Dan Henderson announces his retirement (or so he thought!)
Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson (32-15) is a former Pride FC Welterweight (183-pound in Pride FC) and Middleweight (205-pound in Pride FC) Champion, Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight (LHW/205-pound) Champion and the UFC 17 Middleweight (MW/185-pound) tournament winner.
He also holds the distinction of being an Olympic wrestler and also the first MMA fighter to hold major MMA world titles in two different weight-classes at the same time. Yes, Hendo did it way before Conor McGregor!
Hector ‘Showweather’ Lombard (34-6-1-2) is a bodybuilder, Olympic Judoka and was the first ever Bellator MW Champion. Hendo and Lombard both being grapplers at heart, also boasted insane one-punch KO power.
On June 4th, 2016, at UFC 199, Hendo faced Lombard in what was advertised as his farewell-match win or lose. Both fighters engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest that saw them knocking each other down on multiple occasions throughout the first round.
In round 2 Hendo tagged the southpaw Lombard with a right roundhouse head kick that Lombard ate after which he hung on to Hendo’s leg. Hendo used a rare reverse-elbow to ding Lombard’s temple, successfully knocking him out with a few added ground strikes.
In front of his hometown crowd in Inglewood, California, Hendo gave an emotional farewell speech and revealed the fact that his entire family including his children had attended a fight of his for the first time in his lengthy career. Hendo also thanked the MMA fans for the support they have shown him over the years.
He then proceeded to pose for photographs with his family and team inside the Octagon.
Now, what makes this moment even more special is that Hendo unknowingly earned the last title-shot of his MMA career at UFC 199, since the main event that followed Hendo’s farewell fight saw Michael Bisping shock the world by knocking out Luke Rockhold for the UFC MW title.
Hendo would go on to fight Bisping at UFC 204, losing a close decision to ‘The Count’. Nevertheless, Hendo’s post-fight interview after his KO win over Lombard and his second-last Octagon appearance that took place in California is, without a doubt, one of the most touching moments in the history of our wonderful sport.
#2 Michael Bisping celebrates with his family
Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping (30-7) is the current UFC MW champion with an MMA base of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), boxing, karate and kickboxing. He enjoyed a short but successful career as a kickboxer before transitioning to MMA. Luke Rockhold (15-3) is a former Strikeforce and UFC MW champion with an MMA base of judo, wrestling and BJJ.
During his time at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Rockhold transformed himself into a well-rounded MMA fighter with a vaunted kickboxing game. After dethroning the previously-undefeated Chris Weidman at UFC 194, Rockhold was widely touted as the future of the MW division.
Rockhold was scheduled to rematch Weidman at UFC 199, however, after Weidman pulled out from the fight due to injury, Bisping stepped in to face Rockhold on 17 days notice. Rockhold had previously faced Bisping in Australia in 2014, submitting him with a one-armed guillotine choke after dropping him with a head-kick.
MMA pundits and fans alike looked at this as Bisping’s lifetime achievement award and touted it as ‘The Count’s’ farewell fight. Bisping was filming for a Hollywood movie when he got the call for the fight and entered the Octagon as a huge underdog.
When the Octagon door slammed shut Bisping found his range and dropped Rockhold with a huge left hook. He followed up with another left hook on his stunned opponent knocking Rockhold out and winning the MW strap.
Bisping went berserk for a while pointing to his downed opponent, who had constantly berated him in the brief lead-up to their fight. Bisping then proceeded to celebrate his victory and pose for photographs with his family and team, hugging his wife Rebecca and their three children.
He went on to deliver an excellent post-fight speech inside the Octagon, explaining how an average guy like himself made it to the top in such a tough and dangerous sport. Bisping proved that hard-work, commitment and perseverance pay off.
A true underdog story featuring a middling veteran fighter achieving his life-long dream after more than a decade in the UFC, has landed ‘The Count’ the second spot on our list.
#1 Cat Zingano creates UFC history
‘Alpha’ Cat Zingano (9-2) is a former Ring of Fire Flyweight (FLW/125-pound) Champion and Bantamweight (BW/135-pound) Champion. She has also held titles at 125 and 135-pounds in the Fight to Win organisation.
Zingano is a four-time All-American National wrestling Champion and has excellent BJJ. Her MMA base is wrestling, BJJ and Muay Thai. Miesha ‘Cupcake’ Tate (19-7) is a former UFC and Strikeforce BW champion with an MMA base of wrestling, primarily relying on her submission grappling.
Zingano faced Tate in a three-round BW matchup at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 finale event on April 13th, 2013. This fight carries a lot of historical significance not only in the UFC but in MMA as a whole.
The build-up to the fight was ugly with Tate’s boyfriend and UFC fighter Bryan Caraway allegedly elbowing Zingano to the back of her head at a UFC promotional event, and the fight itself was a tense back-and-forth affair. The pre-fight bad-blood showed during the match when Tate used Zingano’s face as support to get up after the second round ended.
In spite of this blatant disregard for the rules, in-fight referee Kim Winslow didn’t warn Tate and instructed a visibly angry Zingano to go to her corner. Zingano came out like a woman possessed in the third and final round and utilised her lethal Muay Thai striking to back Tate up against the fence.
She fired off a relentless volley of knees and a precise elbow to Tate’s head and body, downing her and forcing the referee to stop the fight.
This fight was one of the all-time classics in Women’s MMA (WMMA) and earned Zingano the distinction of becoming the first mother to compete inside the Octagon. Zingano also became the first female fighter to win a UFC fight by way of knockout/technical knockout.
In her post-fight Octagon interview, Zingano remained classy as usual showing appreciation for her opponent, doing her part to bury the hatchet with Tate and Caraway. Her post-fight celebration also included a primal scream (Well, she is a Cat!) that went viral on the internet.
Now what makes this moment even more touching is that it was the last time that Cat and her estranged husband Mauricio Zingano would indulge in their traditional post-fight celebration where Mauricio would lift her on his shoulders celebrating her win.
Mauricio and Cat would go their separate ways after Cat suffered a career-threatening knee injury and on January 13th 2014 Mauricio Zingano was found dead in what was apparently a suicide. Cat and Mauricio have a son named Brayden, who is often seen in the UFC promo videos in the lead-up to Cat’s UFC fights.
Zingano-Tate was a special fight, not only for the sport of MMA but also for the Zingano family. Here’s wishing Cat Zingano and her son the best of luck moving forward.
From ‘The Beast Incarnate’ to the ‘Alpha’ Cat, UFC fighters are highly skilled and are characterised by their tough personas; but make no mistake about it they are as human as you and me.
A few moments of sheer passion and emotion have made our list. As always, I’d like you, the reader, to chime in with examples that you feel could have made the list. Till then keep training and remember- MMA involves passion, just as much as it does the fisticuffs.
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