2. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop - UFC 70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrGrA3nJpCk In 2006, Mirko Cro Cop signed with the UFC. It was one of the biggest signings for the UFC at the time, considering he was one of the true superstars in Pride. He also had a lot of momentum becoming the Pride world grand prix open-weight champion in September 2006. He had defeated the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett in the same night. His striking was on another level compared to any heavyweight in the UFC. After dismantling Eddie Sanchez in his debut, he faced Gabriel Gonzaga for a shot at the heavyweight title. Gonzaga was fairly unknown and had yet to face any top heavyweight, due to the lack of depth in the heavyweight division. Cro Cop was a -500 heavy favorite and was expected to face Randy Couture in a dream fight for many fans. That never came to fruition, as Gonzaga couldn't have fought a smarter fight. After standing with Cro Cop for a minute, he caught a left low kick and took the fight to the ground. Gonzaga had a 20 pound weight advantage, which benefited him in trying to sustain top positioning on the ground. He landed elbows that proved to be more devastating than anyone had imagined. Cro Cop admitted in an interview that "
after 3 or 4 elbows to the temple, I had blurry vision when I stood up". He admitted to not working on elbow defense, due to elbow strikes being illegal in Pride. After the fight was stood up due to lack of action, Gonzaga landed a vicious right head kick with just 15 seconds left in the round. The kick sent Cro Cop to the canvas like he had been shot by a rifle. The kick was that devastating, where nobody had an idea what had occurred. What made the knockout so shocking was how Gonzaga used Cro Cop's signature kick to finish him. While Cro Cop's signature head kick was used by his left leg (Gonzaga used his right leg), the similarities were still evident.