The 10 Most Exciting MMA Championship Reigns Ever
Summary
TLDRThis video from MMA On Point highlights the ten most exciting championship reigns in MMA history, showcasing fighters whose performances inside the ring were not just about victories but also about providing unforgettable entertainment to the fans. Featuring legends like Nick Diaz, Justin Gaethje, Matt Hughes, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Fedor Emelianenko, Robbie Lawler, and Wanderlei Silva, the video celebrates their thrilling fights, remarkable comebacks, and the sheer excitement they brought to every match. It also briefly touches on the importance of mental health support for athletes, promoting BetterHelp for professional counseling services. Through thrilling recounts and analyses, the video pays tribute to these champions' spectacular runs, encapsulating the essence of what makes MMA a beloved sport.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video discusses the 10 most exciting championship reigns in MMA history
- 🥊 Nick Diaz's Strikeforce welterweight title run featured wars with Paul Daley and KJ Noons
- 💪 Justin Gaethje's WSOF lightweight title reign saw him engage in brutal brawls
- 🏆 Matt Hughes beat legends like GSP and Frank Trigg during his thrilling second UFC welterweight title run
- 👊 Charles Oliveira capped off an epic career turnaround with spectacular title defenses against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje
- ⚔️ Max Holloway put on masterclass striking performances in title fights with Jose Aldo and Brian Ortega
- ❄️ Chuck Liddell's UFC light heavyweight title run helped define an era for the promotion
- 🦍 Brock Lesnar brought huge excitement during his brief but violent heavyweight title reign
- 🇷🇺 Fedor Emelianenko defended the Pride heavyweight title in all-time classics against Mirko Cro Cop and Minotauro Nogueira
- 🇧🇷 Wanderlei Silva's six-year Pride middleweight title run featured nonstop wars against legends like Rampage Jackson and Kazushi Sakuraba
Q & A
Who were some of the most exciting UFC champions mentioned in the video?
-The video mentioned several exciting UFC champion reigns, including Nick Diaz, Justin Gaethje, Matt Hughes, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, and Robbie Lawler.
What made Nick Diaz's Strikeforce title reign so entertaining?
-Nick Diaz had a very entertaining Strikeforce title reign with exciting one-round slugfest wins, bloody wars with high volume striking, and his iconic fight against Paul Daley which is considered one of the best single round fights ever.
How did Justin Gaethje earn his reputation as an exciting fighter?
-As WSOF lightweight champion, Gaethje had a reputation as an extremely exciting fighter known for his brawling style and earning fight of the night bonuses in bloody wars against the likes of Luis Palomino.
What were some of Matt Hughes' most memorable title defenses?
-Matt Hughes had very memorable title defenses against Frank Trigg in one of the most awesome come-from-behind wins ever, as well as BJ Penn to avenge an earlier loss and GSP to win the vacant title.
What made Charles Oliveira's title run so surprising?
-After losing in 2017, Oliveira went on an impressive 8-fight win streak with 6 bonuses to become an unlikely title contender, then won the belt in an insane comeback against Chandler to begin an exciting reign.
Why was Max Holloway so entertaining as champion?
-Max Holloway had an very high-volume, exciting striking style leading to all-action fights and record setting striking performances against elite competition during his title run.
How did Chuck Liddell help grow the popularity of UFC?
-As an exciting champion with his brawling style and rivalry with Couture, Liddell was a huge star following TUF 1 and helped define and build the popularity of the UFC at that time.
What made Brock Lesnar's title run so entertaining?
-Despite being short, Lesnar's title run was hugely entertaining because he was such a mega-star whose fights with Mir, Carwin and more created an electric atmosphere.
What were Robbie Lawler's most memorable title fights?
-Lawler had two of the greatest title fights ever during his reign - bloody wars with Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit that are considered two of the best UFC fights of all time.
Why was Wanderlei Silva's Pride title run so exciting?
-Silva had a wildly entertaining 6-year Pride MW reign, defending rarely but fighting constantly in brawls, tournaments, and all-time classics with Sakuraba, Rampage, Arona, and more.
Outlines
😎 Nick Diaz's exciting Strikeforce welterweight title reign
Nick Diaz's run as Strikeforce welterweight champion from 2009-2010 was the peak of his career. He had exciting title defenses against KJ Noons, Evangelista Santos, Paul Daley, and Marius Zaromskis. His fights with Santos and Daley in particular were incredible wars.
😃 Justin Gaethje's action-packed WSOF lightweight title run
Justin Gaethje was the inaugural WSOF lightweight champion from 2013-2017. He had thrilling title defenses against Luis Palomino (twice), Melvin Guillard, and Nick Newell. Gaethje's aggressive style produced nonstop action and Fight of the Night performances.
😄 Matt Hughes' second UFC welterweight title run
After losing his title to BJ Penn, Matt Hughes reclaimed the UFC welterweight belt in 2004 and had an exciting run. He defended against Georges St-Pierre, Frank Trigg in an all-time classic, and BJ Penn in their rematch.
🤩 Charles Oliveira's rise to UFC lightweight gold
Charles Oliveira had an improbable run to the UFC lightweight title in 2021 at age 32. He won the belt against Michael Chandler in a wild comeback, then defended it in awesome fights with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
😎 Max Holloway's action-packed UFC featherweight title reign
Max Holloway's title run from 2017-2019 included legendary wars with Jose Aldo (x2), Brian Ortega, and Frankie Edgar. Holloway set striking records against Ortega and his relentless pace produced highly entertaining fights.
😄 Chuck Liddell's run as UFC light heavyweight champion
Chuck Liddell was one of the UFC's biggest stars during his 2005-2007 light heavyweight title run. He had KO title defenses against Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn, and Tito Ortiz in fights that helped define the era.
😮💨 Brock Lesnar's heavyweight title run was short but wild
Brock Lesnar was only UFC heavyweight champion from 2008-2010, but his reign was hugely entertaining. He defended against legends like Randy Couture, Frank Mir, and Shane Carwin in chaotic, action-packed fights.
😤 Fedor Emelianenko's legendary Pride heavyweight title run
Fedor Emelianenko defended the Pride heavyweight title from 2003-2006 in all-time classics against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Kevin Randleman, and others. He defined an era in Japanese MMA.
😎 Robbie Lawler's legendary second UFC welterweight title run
Robbie Lawler's UFC welterweight title run from 2014-2016, 10 years after his first, produced two of the greatest welterweight fights ever against Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, and Carlos Condit.
😵💫 Wanderlei Silva's chaotic middleweight title run in Pride FC
Wanderlei Silva's 2003-2007 run as Pride middleweight champ was total madness. He had legendary wars with Kazushi Sakuraba, Quinton Jackson (twice), Dan Henderson, and fought a who's who of legends.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Championship
💡Fights
💡Title
💡Reigns
💡Legend
💡Era
💡Exciting
💡Entertaining
💡Spectacular
💡Classic
Highlights
Researchers developed a new method to identify genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
The study found several gene variants that have not been previously linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers performed whole genome sequencing on a large cohort of Alzheimer's patients.
The genome-wide association study identified novel genetic loci associated with Alzheimer's.
Researchers highlighted the APP gene and its role in the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's.
The study supports the amyloid cascade hypothesis as an important pathway in Alzheimer's.
Researchers discussed the implications for early detection and prevention of Alzheimer's.
The findings provide new insight into the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers emphasized the need for functional studies to validate the new genetic findings.
The study identified new potential drug targets for Alzheimer's disease treatment.
Researchers noted the challenges of detecting rare genetic variants associated with Alzheimer's.
The findings could lead to improved early diagnosis and personalized medicine for Alzheimer's.
Researchers discussed limitations including potential biases and need for replication.
The large-scale genome sequencing provides a foundation for future Alzheimer's research.
Overall, the study significantly expands knowledge of the genetics of Alzheimer's disease.
Transcripts
being the champion ensures that you're
going to be at the very top of every
card you fight on but it doesn't
guarantee your fights are going to be
entertaining for the folks who forked up
the money to see you not a problem for
today's Fighters these Champs were
excitement personified throughout their
time holding the strap and at the end of
the day isn't that what it's all about
let's talk about these awesome runs
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first month I'm Tommy from MMA on point
a massive thank you to our Channel Hall
of Famers and these are the 10 most
exciting Championship Reigns ever number
10 Nick Diaz one of the great tragedies
of this sport is that too many fans will
only ever know Nick for his less than
ideal second run in the UFC they'll
never know about his Strikeforce
welterweight Championship Reign the true
peak of his career Diaz took that title
in a one round slugfest that saw him get
dropped by by Marius zamsky only to
Rally back and get a ko. before the
first horn his first defense would be a
rematch with KJ Nunes insane volume in
this one nearly 900 strikes thrown
between the two of them a bloody and
taunting Diaz would earn the ud to
retain next Nick took on Evangelista
Cyborg and this was classic Diaz eating
leg kicks death by a th000 Cuts striking
of course shitalking all the way to the
incredible armar finish in the last
seconds of the second round such a fun
fight but the topper arguably the best
single round fight of all time was his
Banger with Paul Dy the hype for this
one was huge the bad blood was there and
these guys beat the [ __ ] out of each
other a knockdown a piece before Nick
would get the finish going in for the
kill and it's
over Diaz has made history after that
Diaz was off to the UFC thus ending his
run with the title but man what a time
that was Peak Nick number nine Justin
gatei back when the pfl was called the
wsof everybody favorite BMF was putting
on the best fights outside the UFC as
the promotions lightweight champion he
earned the inaugural strap in a 60c
brawl with Richard pesn has him against
the fence and he is in trouble pesn
trying to hang on very early here g g
has done it gaty has done it you know he
is the champion the first ever
lightweight champ next up was a game
Nick nle who he bloodied and beat down
in the second round G with the
and he's down and he's out and it's over
and G is still the champion G has
knocked out here in the his next
opponent Melvin Gard missed weight so it
was non-title but they still had a great
three round scrap next would be two of
Justin's best a pair of wars with Luis
Palomino both of which gatei would
finish insane Pace brawling leg kicks
all the stuff we loved oh he's he this
one is over it's absolutely rocked and
gatei shuts it down and still your
champion I'm not sure what the delay was
next he put away Brian Foster in a fast
and frenetic first round that saw him
win via leg kicks his final defense
before heading to the UFC would be
against Luis firmino and this would be
Justin's homerest of fights he took a
ton of damage but managed over three
rounds to destroy firmino's eye and get
the doctor stoppage dude seriously wsof
gatei was a different animal what a run
number eight Matt Hughes after a human
tractor Matt Hughes shockingly lost the
UFC Welterweight Title to BJ pen
following a record setting run with the
championship it did not take long at all
for the milit system product to get back
to the title and have a run that would
be the most exciting of his career
Hughes would take on future Legend GSP
in their first ever encounter for the
vacant title in an awesome one round
display that saw the Starstruck St
Pierre get armbarred in the closing
seconds this was followed up by the most
exciting fight of his entire career
Matt's second defense against Frank
Trigg where he iconically got racked
survived a choke attempt carried Frank
across the cage and then put him out in
one of the most awesome for minute
fights you will ever witness the country
boy was rolling and he followed that up
by stomping Joe Riggs and hoist Gracie
in back-to-back non-title bouts before
finally getting his chance to avenge his
loss to The Prodigy this instant classic
saw Hugh's wear down pin across three
rounds before earning a TKO stop not
that GSP was impressed by it or anything
but he should have been it was another
great fight Matt's time with the title
would come to an end courtesy of a head
kick by St Pierre Hughes even lost in
spectacular fashion the true Mark of an
Entertainer number seven Charles Oliva
one of the most surprising and exciting
career resurgences the sport has ever
seen is the insane run at lightweight
that the Man known as Chuck olives would
go on after losing to Paul Felder in
2017 eight fights and six performance
bonuses later the unlikeliest of Veteran
title contenders saw himself throwing
down with Mr excitement himself Michael
Chandler for the vacant UFC lightweight
title this fight is absolutely insane
even though it only lasts 5 minutes and
19 seconds Mike never let up and had
Charles on the brink of Consciousness
but somehow the Brazilian survived to
the horn and then unbelievably put
Chandler away in the first 19 seconds of
the next round a legend was born and in
his first defense he would take on
another Legend in Dustin porier after a
competitive first 10 minutes that saw
the diamond take the opening stanza and
dub Bronx take the ladder the champ
snuck on to poet's back standing and
earned himself a second title Victory be
a rear naked choke Chandler porier if he
fought Justin gatei next he'd have
defeated the fan favorite Trifecta and
that is exactly what happened after
missing weight and being stripped
Olivera cemented his place as an
all-time great by having a three-minute
war with gaii that saw him knocked down
early only to rally and score one of his
own before a beautiful rear naked choke
finish technically he wasn't the champ
anymore but it sure felt like it a
vacant title match was then set up with
the monster Islam mateev and dub Bronx
went out with a bang the former champ
did what he could but was railroaded by
the dastani and submitted in the second
round doesn't matter Olivera at that
point was fighting for gravy everything
he did before that etched his legacy in
stone number six Max Holloway with all
due respect to vul's current Reign he's
been almost too good to make this list
he's so dominant that his competition
rarely has a chance to make it a fight
of the night even if his performance is
certainly warrant bonuses but man Max
Holloway is just the embodiment of
entertainment in this sport he started
things off by earning a pointless inum
featherweight title against Anthony
Pettis but in a great fight that ended
in spectacular fashion then of course he
had his back to backs with champ Jo Aldo
earning the strap in their first
encounter that was a classic and
following that up with another awesome
scrap he finished Aldo twice and took
the best the king of Rio had to offer
and then he had his Peak Performance
against Brian Ortega setting striking
records and while it was lopsided it was
beyond exciting seeing T City somehow
survive this Onslaught by The Champ at
least until he couldn't survive it
anymore Max would take a detour for inum
lightweight gold against Dustin porier
and of course it was an instant classic
he returned to featherweight to earn his
last successful defense in a fight with
Frankie Edgar that saw insane volume
over 500 strikes thrown Max is one of
the most exciting fighters in MMA
history so it's no wonder his time with
the belt was about as exciting as it
gets he would lose the title to the
voler kicking off their Trilogy of title
bouts number five Chuck Liddell the
Iceman really was the right guy at the
right place at the right time his
Persona his fighting style and most
importantly his 2-year UFC light
heavyweight title run that kicked off
following the landmark first season of
The Ultimate Fighter of which he and
Randy Couture coached today are doing
fit checks very much helped build and
Define this very important era in the
sport when he took the title from Randy
it was their second encounter chuck had
been shockingly tko'ed the first time
the tension in the opening minutes of
their second fight you can feel it in
the air just watching it from home this
would be followed by an explosion of
violence and a KO wi Liddell's First
Defense would be against a game Jeremy
Horn who somehow survived getting
knocked down and beat down in both of
the first rounds before making it a
fight again prior to getting blinded in
the fourth he literally couldn't see so
they stopped the fight the trilogy bout
with Couture was next and man crowds for
Chuck's fights it was just a different
atmosphere after a competitive opener
Liddell would score a KO win out of
nowhere in the second to cap off his
rivalry with the natural next the Iceman
would put away hanado saal in
spectacular fashion before throwing down
in his final successful defense against
former friend Tito Ortiz Chuck hurt Tito
bad early but he somehow survived to
make it interesting until the third
where he would meet his awesome demise
to end his sport defining Reign Liddell
would try to reconcile with a ghost of
his past in Rampage Jackson who had
defeated him in Pride only to be
viciously ko'ed with a big shot in the
first round his legendary and insanely
entertaining run had come to an end
number four Brock Lesnar while Brock
Lesnar's time in the sport was very
short every second of it was insanely
entertaining and like Chuck he defined
the era he fought in the UFC threw his
giant ass to the Lions and his debut
taking on former champ Frank Mir didn't
end well for Brock but he rebounded by
steamrolling Heath Herring knowing they
had a mega star the UFC booked Lesnar to
take on Randy Couture for the
heavyweight title
nerd Randy and the Beast incarnate
delivered earning the title with a
second round finish setting up a rematch
with Mir the buildup was huge Lesnar
delivered massively in the fight itself
and even though it was a one-sided bout
the excitement and entertainment was
just off the charts he would Maul Frank
on his way to delivering the best
post-fight speech of all time Frank Mir
had a Hors shoe up his ass I pulled that
some [ __ ] out and I beat him over the
head with
it his follow-up performance against
monster Shane Carwin would be the
highlight of his career after getting
absolutely demolished in the first but
somehow surviving the onslaught Lesnar
would submit an exhausted Carwin to
retain his title in a classic that truly
solidified Brock's Legacy like many of
the other Champions on this list he lost
his title in an entertaining way break
dancing his way to a TKO loss against C
Velasquez but yeah man if you missed
this era it's almost hard to describe
how exciting Brock's rain was you truly
had to be there it was really a time in
the sport number three fed War ailon Ino
Pride FC rarely had Champions defend
their titles Fedor held the heavyweight
Crown from 2003 to 2006 but only
defended it really three times even
though he fought 15 the stoic Russian
earned the strap in a classic with
minaro noera where he dominated from the
brazilian's guard if [ __ ] was easy it
would be called Jiu-Jitsu after a pit
stop in rings to kamur editus babaj
Fedor returned to Pride for a non-title
rear naked choke victory over KAS bujaa
some Soccer Kicks on Gary Goodridge a
TKO finish of eugi Nagata and inoi
bumbay and The Last Emperor was ready
for the 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand
Prix in the opening round he would
easily armar Mark Coleman who took the
loss incredibly
well no next he would get dumped on his
head and die at the hands of Kevin
randman before coming back to life and
somehow winning with a kamur the last
two rounds of the tournament would be
fought on the same night first fade war
made quick work of judoka nauya oawa and
then in his first ever title defense
competed yet again with minaro in the
finals the bout was shaping up to be a
classic until a head clash in the first
four minutes caused a big old cut and a
no contest the Legends would run it back
one more time later that year for the GP
and the title just like the first this
was a classic Fedor would earn the ud
and solidify his spot as the king of the
heavyweights but kickboxing Terminator
Miro crocop was on the rise so after
getting revenge on poor tooshi kosaka
emilianenko and the cop of Croatia would
Collide for the heavyweight title in one
of the greatest fights the sport has
ever had just a masterpiece of the human
chess which is mixed martial arts Fedor
would emerge Victorious and essentially
be considered the best of all time after
that he would celebrate with a pair of
hilarious follow-up fights first he put
away giant ass zul lainho in 26 seconds
and then armbarred Mark Coleman after
beating him so badly he terrified his
own children but fedor's time in Pride
as well as the promotion itself were
coming to an end and his final defense
which was meant to be against Josh
Barnett would instead be against Mark
hunt who stunned the crowd and the champ
in a very tough fight that saw mark on
top for most of it doing damage until
Fedor secured the kamora to retain his
title a final time and end his Legendary
Run in Pride number two two Robbie
Lawler just everything about Robbie
Lawler's career Resurgence a decade ago
was so awesome after 10 years away
fighting anywhere but the UFC the
ruthless one made his return tking
former Welterweight Title Contender Josh
kosek on his way in he followed that up
by head kit kooing Bobby vulker which
set up a title Eliminator against the
future of the division Rory McDonald
that to the surprise of everyone the vet
was able to defeat this got him his
first shot at Johnny Hendrick where he
would come up short for the gold in a
nailbiter it looked like the late career
Resurgence was over but no Robbie was
just warming up he knocked out Jake
Ellenberger he had a classic with Matt
Brown then he would do what puts him at
number two on this list first he took
the belt from Hendricks in a fantastic
rematch and then oh my God had two of
the best fights in the history of the
sport first it was the bloody rematch
with Rory Mack a fight largely
considered the best bout ever a more
based opinion though is that his next
one with Carlos Condit was actually even
better because it was two backto back
five round Wars they have yet to be
topped at welterweight or most anywhere
else for that matter even though it was
short and Robbie's reain would come to
an end with a vicious Tyrant Woodly KO
his brief run with the strap and the
amazing story that led up to it made for
one of the most exciting times the sport
has ever seen number one vanderlay Silva
in his six-year reign as middleweight
champion he only actually defended the
belt five times but he fought 20 and
every bit of it was [ __ ] awesome
Silva earned the title by defeating
kazushi sakuraba for a second time in a
great fight ended only due to Bandy
breaking saku's collar bone with a throw
next Sila would get a doctor stoppage
win over the diet butcher Alex OA before
giving Koshi tamura an absolute beat
down in his first defense capping it off
with a big Koo punch from there this
absolute madman would fight crocop at
heavyweight which was awesome then it
was a fast head kick finish in a
non-title against TAA iwasaki vandy's
second defense would be a wild brawl
with a very game hiramitsu kihara and
ending with his Corner tossing in the
towel next champ Silva would enter the
pride 2003 middleweight Grand Prix and
kick it off by koing his good buddy
sakuraba he would then win an all-time
classic against hio Yoshida to put
himself in the finals against Rampage
Jackson where he would win with the
nastiest barrage of knees in the history
of people fighting each other Silva
followed up the tournament win by kooing
minowa man in a minute taking us finally
to his third defense a rematch with
rampage this was a war just a legendary
back and forth that would end with Paige
going stiff to a single knee this time
next Vandy would decide to fight Mark
hunt in an open weight bout because he's
insane then it was back to middleweight
for the 2005 GP where he would
shockingly lose to Ricardo Arona in the
finals in a non-title bout so they would
run it back for the gold and it was a
close one you could definitely argue
aona won but the split would go to the
champ because he's totally out of his
mind he then entered the 2006
Heavyweight Grand Prix soccer kicked K
Vegeta's face in and then he flew too
close to the son a rematch with crocop
in the semifinal would see Vandy head
kick koed it was the first time he'd
been finished since 1998 and the first
real knockout his last Pride bout at
Pride's penultimate show would be
defending his title a final time against
Dan Henderson and he went out with a
banger the two legends were slugging the
entire time until Silva went to sleep in
the third there has never been a more
entertaining title run and there
probably never will be a massive shout
to the editor of this video Luke Taylor
this was a long one there were a ton of
fights and they absolutely killed the
edit please follow them on all their
socials and check out their YouTube
channel a huge thank you to our Channel
Champions you guys are just fantastic if
you want to be fantastic like them hit
the join button there's cool exclusive
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some of our videos hey if not liking and
subscribing would also be really cool
comment down below the Title reign that
entertained you the most thank you so
much for watching you guys I am out of
here
J
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