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The UFC’s old tagline was “as real as it gets,” meaning that, unlike video games or old martial arts movies, flashy moves and low-percentage strikes didn’t tend to work. Over the years, however, that has changed.
The UFC’s best fighters now regularly perform moves that would once have only been seen in video games. Wild combinations, flying strikes and other flashy attacks becoming more commonplace.
Of course, it goes without saying that pulling off these kind of moves takes a ton of skill from the UFC fighter performing them, as well as the nerve and poise to even attempt them in the first place.
So with this in mind, here are five UFC stars who made their fights look like a video game.
#5. Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC 218
Mortal Kombat is arguably the most popular fighting video game series of all time. In its earlier iterations, there were few more satisfying moves than the uppercut.
Sure, boxers had been using the uppercut to great effect for years, but Mortal Kombat’s fighters utilized the move far more effectively. When a fighter on the game hit an opponent with an uppercut, they would be sent flying into the air in devastating fashion, often ending the fight.
The UFC has seen numerous memorable uppercut knockouts over the years, but it always seemed impossible that fans would be treated to one that looked like it’d been lifted directly from Mortal Kombat. However, at UFC 218, Francis Ngannou changed all that.
Already known as the most devastating power puncher in the UFC heavyweight division, Ngannou faced his toughest challenge to date in the form of fearsome veteran Alistair Overeem. Fans expected a striking battle, but nobody could’ve anticipated quite what ‘The Predator’ would pull off.
After a brief feeling out period, the two fighters met in the center of the octagon. After avoiding a shot from Overeem, Ngannou hit him with an uppercut that practically lifted him off his feet, just like in Mortal Kombat.
The fight was naturally over, as ‘The Reem’ was left unconscious in a truly scary scene. Thankfully, unlike in the video games, there was no fatality here, but the knockout cemented Ngannou as the most deadly striker in the UFC.
#4. Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia – UFC 95
The UFC 95 event saw another video game-esque contest.
One common feature of fighting video games will often see a character unleash a multi-strike combination on their opponent, landing kicks, punches and knees with stunning accuracy without missing a beat.
Naturally, these kind of combinations are less likely to happen in the world of the UFC. For starters, one shot can send a fighter down in the octagon, meaning multi-strike combinations aren’t often needed.
More importantly, though, most UFC fighters simply aren’t capable of chaining combinations together like video game characters. That’s no slight on them, pulling such things off is a tough ask, after all.
However, the combination delivered by former UFC middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt to opponent Wilson Gouveia at UFC 95 appeared to have come straight out of a video game. It was so wild that it almost didn’t seem real.
The fight had gone into the third round. While it was clear that Marquardt had an advantage standing, he couldn’t quite find the right shot to put his Brazilian foe away.
With just under two minutes remaining, that changed. Gouveia walked into a flying knee from ‘Nate the Great’, who then went into overdrive, somehow landing two left head kicks, a right head kick directly into a spinning backfist, a pair of right hands and finally a pair of knees to put his opponent away.
The combination was absolutely ridiculous, as Marquardt literally landed nine clean strikes in a row, all chained together beautifully. Despite ‘Nate the Great’ picking up a total of nine finishes in his UFC career, this one was easily the best.
#3. Uriah Hall vs. Gegard Mousasi – UFC Fight Night 75
Prior to his UFC debut in 2013, Uriah Hall admitted in various interviews that his fighting style was somewhat inspired by the famous video game Tekken. According to ‘Prime Time’, he’d play the game for hours and then attempt to replicate the moves he’d seen in his real-life training.
This style meant that Hall made an impact even before his official UFC debut, knocking out the unfortunate Adam Cella during his run on TUF 17 with a wicked spinning back kick that left Cella completely unconscious. However, ‘Prime Time’ was never able to replicate his Tekken-style moves in the UFC proper, instead largely flattering to deceive.
That changed when he faced perennial UFC middleweight title contender Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 75 in 2015. Coming into the fight as a major underdog, Hall found himself being dominated during the first round of the clash, fighting off a variety of submissions rather than utilizing his own offense.
He clearly knew something needed to change in the second round and so before Mousasi could even attempt an attack, ‘Prime Time’ flew out of his corner and landed a jumping spinning back kick to the face.
The shot staggered Mousasi badly, making him an open target for Hall’s next strike, a picture-perfect flying knee. The shot was enough to drop ‘The Dreamcatcher’. From there, Hall pounced on him to finish him off.
‘Prime Time’ would never quite live up to his athletic potential following this clash, but it remains his best highlight reel moment in the UFC. As he’d probably hoped, it felt like a Tekken game coming to life.
#2. Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson – WEC 53
Okay, so Anthony Pettis’ fight with Benson Henderson didn’t technically take place in the UFC, instead going down in its sister promotion WEC. However, there are few better examples of a fighter using offense from a video game in MMA, meaning it’s impossible not to mention it here.
Pettis, a flashy striker known as ‘Showtime’, had gone back-and-forth with WEC lightweight champion Henderson for the best part of five rounds. With neither man really looking ahead on the scorecards, it was still anyone’s fight as the final frame ticked away.
Incredibly, Pettis edged the win with a move that not only looked like it’d come from a video game, but has never been completely repeated in MMA since. This was a move so crazy that it probably inspired video games, in fact.
Essentially, ‘Showtime’ charged at Henderson and when ‘Smooth’ looked to dodge him, he ran up the side of the octagon fence before springing off it to deliver a flying kick to the champion’s face.
Henderson went crashing down and while he did recover, lasting until the final buzzer, it was clear that Pettis had earned the win due to the strike.
The move was immediately christened as the ‘Showtime kick’. Pettis became a viral superstar overnight and the WEC signed off on its final show with the ultimate video game highlight reel moment.
#1. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone vs. Rick Story – UFC 202
Donald Cerrone is one of the few UFC fighters whose whole persona could’ve come directly from a video game. In fact, the ‘Cowboy’ character has been a staple in fighting games for years.
Much to the delight of his fans, Cerrone has proven himself capable of fighting in the octagon like he’s stepped right out of a video game, too. His highlight reel is up there with the UFC’s all-time greats. He holds the records for the most wins in UFC history (23) and the most post-fight bonus awards (18), too.
However, it’s Cerrone’s 2016 finish of Rick Story that really stands out when it comes to a UFC fight ending in video game fashion. ‘Cowboy’ had already used his striking skills to win the first round of the fight, but nobod, Story in particular, expected what he’d pull off in the second round.
With ‘The Horror’ looking to push forward, Cerrone caught him with a left hand and then chained together a truly insane combination, landing a body shot, another left, a head kick and finally a wild flurry to put Story away for good.
The combination was instantly labeled the best in UFC history and immediately went viral. Clips of Cerrone’s win were spliced together with footage from the famous video game Dragonball Z, essentially suggesting ‘Cowboy’ had gone ‘Super Saiyan’ to put his opponent away.
