The Top Seven UFC On Versus Bouts

It was a brief experiment, but the UFC on Versus more or less delivered the fight goods. This weekend Zuffa will be delivering their final Versus event, and so I thought it'd be worth it to take a trip down its pugilistic memory lane. I've chosen fights more or less arbitrarily

7. Chris Lytle vs. Dan Hardy

It didn't deserve main event status. Ben Henderson and Jim Miller did. It was difficult to take this fight seriously. Hardy lost his last three, and Lytle was still nursing the bruises Brian Ebersole gave him. For hardcore fans, it was offensive to see these men receive top billing. But a few stories emerged that made it compelling: namely the news days before the fight that Lytle would retire, win or lose. 

As the fight began, it earned its status with exchange after exchange of left hooks, right hands, and the type of porous defense that makes for an exciting fight. I'm not a fan of this sort of MMA: where sense and reason are put in the infant car seat to make way for blood, guts, and lost brain cells. This is more or less what Dan Hardy called for. He was a fighter who proudly fought for the title, and had lost every fight since then due to wrestling. He wanted someone that would "WAR" with him.

And "war" they did. As the fight wore into the third, Hardy made the ultimate mistake: looking for points, he attempted a takedown. A move that contradicted his philosophy, and one that made him look foolish. Even worse for him, Lytle capitalized with a fight ending guillotine. For fans, there was a sick pleasure in seeing Hardy's black hat get burned at the stake. But more importantly, it capped Lytle's career on a heart warming note. Lytle went out on his terms, and did so intelligently. He did so thinking about his kids, their future, and in the process of calling it a career, his own future as well.

6. Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Many may not remember it now, but this was said to be a stern test for Junior. He hadn't faced an elite grappler, and despite the knockout loss to Carwin, Gonzaga still looked fairly impressive in defeat.

Dos Santos made short work of Gonzaga, punishing Gabriel with a left hook as Gonzaga threw a leg kick in dangerously close quarters, which is simply not what you're supposed to do with leg kicks. It was a fantastic knockout, and we even saw a glimpse of Junior's takedown defense. This win announced Junior's arrival in the HW division. After a weekend that gave us Browne vs. Broughton, and Hunt vs. Rothwell in fights that outstayed their welcome within the first minute, it's refreshing to reflect on an elite HW with elite skills.

5. Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin

Gomi may be a shell of his former self, but for a moment, and just one moment...he took us back to his Pride days. Tyson Griffin was still well respected. He was three fights removed from a fantastic scrap against Sean Sherk, and had experienced only minor career turbulence in losing to a young upstart in Evan Dunham. Many thought this would be another case of a highly touted Japanese star being exposed stateside.

Even I thought Griffin was the better boxer. He still is, in my opinion. Did it matter? Nope. Gomi crushed Griffin for one of the better knockouts of that year. Griffin was sealed to the octagon floor for what seemed like a full trimester. The fact that he objected to the stoppage made the KO a little sweeter. Gomi's flame has been extinguished, but the little bleached candle still holds memories that won't fade in this lifetime.

4. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann

While this fight is possibly remembered more for the controversial decision, it's not like anyone will forget what a barnburner it was. Sanchez has a knack for this sort of stuff. His last fight was against Paulo Thiago in a fantastic scrap that won FOTN at UFC 121. Kampmann was no stranger to such awards, having gone to war with Carlos Condit (for Condit's lone loss in the UFC, though it was a close fight).

To be honest I don't remember much of this fight before the 2nd round. Diego was knocked down, and it wasn't until he gave up going for the takedown that he went into full apeshit mode. It wasn't the smartest move. At least for his face. Which went from the look of the defeated in a Street Fighter game, to a crimson faced Toxic Avenger. However, his gutsy performance earned him the win, much to fan disapproval. Despite that, he lost no fans that night.

3. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry

I think this fight really needs no introduction. It's Heavyweight fighting at its best when the best aren't fighting. But really, just go read Seanbaby's article on it instead.

2. Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson

Many will argue this doesn't belong on the list. Sure it was a good fight, but what's the big deal? The big deal is that Henderson's performance has been one of better performances by any fighter all year. I'm not great at picking, but I'm proud to say I picked Henderson. He's steadily improved, and rather than expose one or the other, his classic match with Anthony Pettis has always been a fight representing two upstarts instead of one or the other waning in the deep pool of LW sharks in the UFC.

Jim Miller was said to be one of those sharks the WEC guys couldn't hang with. He had only lost to the two LW's fighting for the title. Henderson stood no chance. Instead of becoming a WEC flunkie, he dominated Miller. Despite his supernatural toughness, Miller looked discouraged for the first time in his career. Possibly because he had been vocal in assessing the WEC fighters as inferior. Miller ate those words with a fork, and a bib.

1. Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera

The now LHW champion was the main event for the inaugural UFC on Versus, and so his spot at the top is fitting. It should be said that Brandon Vera was a solid test for Jones at the time. Vera, despite losses at HW, and coming off a questionable defeat to Randy Couture at LHW, never looked foolish in his losses. Couture had all kinds of trouble with Vera, and never scored a clean takedown. Surely Jones, untested coming off his DQ loss to Matt Hamill, would have to prove himself on the feet?

Not really. Jones, coming out to Empire State of Mind, looked confident (or cocky?) as he approached the cage. The match would end up being a brutal illustration of when happens when proper hype meets improper hope. Vera was more salesman than prospect, and Jones treated him just the same: like a car salesman beamed into territory he's not long for, even for a minute. Or three in this case. 

That was the amount of time it took for Jones to get Vera to the ground and break his face. As is customary for all Jones fights, the win still garnered criticism. "A better fighter would have submitted Jones with the way he had his arms posted!" It's a proper observation, and one I'm not picking on, but looking closely, Jones looked aware of what Vera was doing when he'd swivel his hips, which is when he'd throw his elbows. Still, the match put Jones on the LHW map.

Honorable mentions: Chris Weidman vs. Alessio Sakara, Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story, Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page, Nik Lentz vs. Charles Oliveira.