From the vault: Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra, Rampage Jackson vs Joey Beltran, Mirko Cro Cop vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto and more
Dan Severn, Marlon Moraes, Tony Ferguson, and Pat Miletich are also featured
From the Vault is a feature on Forever a Contender where I hand pick some of the more notable fights in the history of combat sports for your viewing pleasure, whether they might be favorites of mine, relevant to an upcoming fight, or just something that you might want to know about. If you dig it, please subscribe.
Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra, UFC 98
May 23, 2009 | Las Vegas, Nevada
After an entertaining season serving as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 6 that only poured further gasoline on their heated rivalry, former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra settled the score in an anticipated meeting at UFC 98 in May 2009.
The bad blood stemmed from Serra’s successful appearance on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, where the two began to see their personalities clash. Hughes was turned off by Serra’s expletive-laden stories in the gym and felt that he was a bad ambassador for the sport.
Following the show, Serra caught wind that Hughes felt Serra’s UFC 69 upset of Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title was a fluke, and the rivalry began to boil until it hit an apex during the filming of TUF 6.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Joey Beltran, Bellator 108
November 15, 2013 | Atlantic City, New Jersey
Following three consecutive UFC losses from September 2011 to January 2013, Rampage Jackson opted to fight out the remainder of his contract and not re-sign with the UFC, instead inking a multi-fight deal with Bellator, where he has spent the remainder of his career to date, with the exception of a one-off return to the UFC in 2015.
Jackson made his promotional debut in Bellator against fellow UFC veteran Joey Beltran at Bellator 108 in November 2013 at a catchweight of 210 lbs. The fight was to serve as a warm-up before Jackson entered the Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament.
Mirko Cro Cop vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Pride Bushido 2
February 15, 2004 | Yokohama, Japan
After only dispatching of Ron Waterman via first-round TKO just 15 days prior at Pride 27, Mirko Cro Cop was tapped for a quick turnaround as a late addition to Pride’s second Bushido card, being matched against Japanese professional wrestler and longtime Rings veteran Yoshihisa Yamamoto.
The fight was one of eight matches that Cro Cop would have in 2004 under the PRIDE banner, marking the busiest calendar year of his career. The Croatian went 7-1 during the stretch, his lone loss an upset KO at the hands of former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman.
Dan Severn vs Dave Beneteau, UFC 5
April 7, 1995 | Charlotte, North Carolina
After eventually being submitted by Royce Gracie during a 15+ minute battle in the finals of UFC 4, Dan Severn entered the tournament field for UFC 5 prepared to avenge his loss and stake his claim as the top fighter in the world.
With Gracie participating in a superfight against Ken Shamrock instead of the traditional tournament, Severn took advantage and ran through the opposition, scoring finishes of Joe Charles and Oleg Taktarov before meeting Canadian junior freestyle wrestling champion Dave Beneteau in the finals.
Severn’s performance kicked off the trend of amateur wrestlers coming into MMA and finding success that has lasted to this day.
Marlon Moraes vs Miguel Torres, WSOF 1
November 12, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nevada
Former WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes was flawless during his time with World Series of Fighting, winning all 11 of his appearances, racking up six title defenses, and finishing seven of his opponents before making the jump to the UFC.
Moraes made his promotional debut in WSOF against former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, facing off against the Midwestern native at WSOF’s inaugural show at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas in November 2012.
Tony Ferguson vs Ramsey Nijem, TUF 13 Finale
June 4, 2011 | Las Vegas, Nevada
The finals of the The Ultimate Fighter 13 were highly anticipated after both Tony Ferguson and Ramsey Nijem ran through their competition on the reality show, each earning three consecutive finishes during the TUF 13 welterweight tournament heading into the finale in June 2011, which served as the official UFC debut for the pair.
In what ended up becoming a common occurrence in his UFC career, Ferguson knocked out Nijem in the first round of their fight and earned his first post-fight bonus award, one of many that he would garner during his epic UFC run.
Pat Miletich vs Thomas Denny, Adrenaline MMA 2
December 11, 2008 | Moline, Illinois
Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich had fought sparingly leading into 2008, only competing twice in the last six years prior and losing on both occasions. His most recent defeat was a quick submission loss to fellow pioneer Renzo Gracie at an International Fight League event in September 2006.
However, Miletich had an itch to end his storied career as a professional on a win, and he signed to fight journeyman Thomas Denny in the main event of Monte Cox’s Adrenaline MMA 2 event in December 2008 below.
Maurice Smith vs Takaku Fuke, King of Pancrase Opening Round
December 16, 1994 | Tokyo, Japan
Before Mo Smith shocked the combat sports world by becoming heavyweight champion of both Extreme Fighting and the UFC simultaneously, he honed his martial arts game in Pancrase after transitioning from a successful kickboxing career.
In this fight, Smith takes on longtime Pancrase mainstay Takaku Fuke in the opening round of the inaugural King of Pancrase tournament in December 1994.