Top MMA Rivalries

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
May 14, 2008

Top MMA Rivalries

Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock

Argue all you want, but here's our picks for some of the best rivalries in the sport (in no particular order).Tito Ortiz has worn explicit shirts for most of his victories, but it's clear he has a special loathing of Lion's Den head Ken Shamrock. There's no need to restate Tito's exact words/t-shirts after each of their three meetings.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva

Rampage is 0-2 against Silva, yet the coach on season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter has referred to his foe as "The Chump Murderer" -- a clear sign of a rivalry.

The Gracies vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

Dubbed "the Gracie hunter," Kazushi Sakuraba has taken down four of the family's members. The first was Royler, followed by Royce (left), Renzo and Ryan. It wasn't until June 2006 that Royce handed Sakuraba a loss by unanimous decision at K-1 Dynamite!USA.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

It was against Nogueira that Emelianenko won the PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix title. Since Minotauro's 2004 loss, some have said that he would have been the best heavyweight in the world had it not been for Emelianenko. Not the makings of a friendship, that's for sure.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

The two had yet to fight and they couldn't even train together. Taunting, a blackout and a lot of blood have marked Liddell's and Ortiz's relationship.

Chute Boxe Academy vs. Brazilian Top Team

With a historical feud between the two camps, newbies Ricardo Arona (bottom) of BTT and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua of Chute Boxe turned up the heat with their 2005 PRIDE fight as Rua used Arona's signature skill of finishing an opponent on the ground to beat his BTT rival by TKO.

Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn

Matt Hughes claimed the UFC welterweight title first (UFC 34), but it wasn't long before B.J. Penn yanked it out of his hands at UFC 46 by rear naked choke. Hughes did manage to even the score and defend his title at UFC 63. A brewing battle? We think so.

Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock

Considered the underdog against 220-pound Shamrock, Gracie's 1995 fight against "The World's Most Dangerous Man" ended in a draw. That didn't stop the competition, though, as arguments raged over fighting attire.

PRIDE vs. UFC

It was reported that Dana White had nothing to do with the UFC's purchase of PRIDE, but it's probably safe to assume he was rather excited about the deal. Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, owners of Zuffa, made a deal -- a $65-million agreement -- with Pride CEO Nobuyuki Sakikabara to take over the PRIDE brand. No smiling faces at PRIDE.