50 MMA Fights You Must Watch Before You Die

14. Anderson Silva Vs. Forrest Griffin - UFC 101

Anderson Silva's career is littered with the type of performances that create shock and awe amongst fans and fighters alike. From crumpling Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the face to obliterating Rich Franklin's nose from the Thai clinch, The Spider has a reputation for stunning victories.

Out of all of his memorable wins, none of have been quite as spectacular as his clinical destruction of fan favourite and former 205lb champion, Forrest Griffin. Any thoughts that Griffin's toughness, jiu-jitsu skills and determined attitude might cause Silva problems were swiftly put to bed within a few seconds of the fight.

Silva put on an offensive and defensive striking masterclass against Griffin. If he wasn't peppering him with strikes that are usually only seen in martial arts flicks, he was dodging his opponent's punches and kicks like he was Neo in the Matrix.

After seemingly landing every punch against his bewildered opponent, Silva landed the kill shot that sent his opponent crashing to the mat in a heap. To this day, there's yet to be a more one-sided shellacking in MMA.

Contributor
Contributor

Co-host of The Ill-Informed Podcast, jiu-jitsu fiend, MMA lover, movie fan, anime nerd, music snob.