Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Strikeforce Fights

10. Nick Diaz vs. K.J. Noons 2 | Oct. 29, 2010

The elder Diaz is a fighter whose battles we will be discussing a lot, and his first appearance is the rematch against the unfairly forgotten, superbly talented striker Noons. Diaz attained the apex of his career in Strikeforce, going 6-0, winning the welterweight championship and defending it three times. His first defense came in late 2010 against Noone, a man who had thoroughly thrashed him three years ago in the EliteXC promotion, with the contest being stopped due to a cut. Diaz was eager to prove how much he had improved as a martial artist and get revenge. Noons was at the very peak of his career, too; after the win over Diaz, the then 27-year-old had gone 4-0 including knockouts of Yves Edwards and Jorge Gurgel. Their second clash was an absolute classic that went the full 25 minutes. In the first round, Diaz showed how much respect he had for Noons. Rather than coming forward aggressively with no thought to defense as he normally did, Diaz instead kept his distance and used head movement to evade many of Noons' punches. Noons caught Diaz with a gorgeous leaping left hook to the chin, but Diaz immediately responded with a short chopping right hook that hurt his foe and led to a takedown. Noons got back to his feet neatly, but Diaz showed how much his boxing had improved in the past three years, displaying much better technique with while moving and defending well, not giving his opponent the same opportunities he had in their first meeting. The round ended with Diaz taunting and Noons responding with a nice left hook to the face. Early in the second, Noons landed another terrific left hook, this one opening a cut on Diaz's face. Noons dominated the rest of the round, scoring repeatedly with left hooks to the head and body, and even adding a right cross and jumping knee to the body for good measure.

The entire right side of Diaz's face was awash with blood as he headed to the corner. Did Noons simply have his number? Round 3 saw yet another dramatic shift in momentum, as Noons slowed down while Diaz continued firing away, once again dodging well while scoring with a never-ending stream of punches in bunches. The stanza ended with Noons' face caked with blood as well, with the crowd celebrating jubilantly. Noons showed his toughness in the fourth, landing a solid right cross as Diaz began to tire as well. Both men then met in the center of the cage and went toe-to-toe, exchanging big blows as the crowd exploded with excitement. On the strength of a hard clinch knee followed by a chopping left that hurt Noons, Diaz appeared to have a slight edge in the stanza as Mauro Ranallo yelled, “Bring on the last five minutes! We're in the midst of a classic!” Despite being tired, both warriors continue hammering away in the final frame, each landing heavy straight rights. In fact, they continue firing blows all the way until the final bell, each of their faces a bloody, battered mess, as the crowd gave them a standing ovation. In the end, Diaz had triumphed by unanimous decision, proving that he could defeat a talented, more technical striker, and showing how much he had improved during his Strikeforce tenure. This was a true gem, and far from the last Diaz fight we will examine.

Continue Reading » Number 9

9. Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate | March 3, 2012

The first meeting between Rousey and Tate was a huge milestone in the development of WMMA. While it wasn't the first big main event featuring female fighters, with that honor going to another Strikeforce headliner, Gina Carano vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (which also received votes) it was a more significant battle in the annals of elite WMMA fighters. Both Rousey and Tate would later become UFC bantamweight champions, and Rousey in particular would go down as not only one of the greatest female fighters ever, but by far its biggest star, drawing massive attention and pay-per-view buys at her peak. When they fought for the first time in 2012, Tate was the reigning Strikeforce bantamweight champion with an impressive record of 12-2, having just won the title from Marloes Coenen via submission. She herself was a star, though her drawing power paled when compared to Rousey, who was already becoming a sensation with her Olympic bronze medal judo pedigree and after winning her first four pro fights by armbar in 49 seconds or less. Nor were here opponents all slouches, as one of those early victims was Julia Budd, arguably a top 10 all-time WMMA champion herself. The scrap between Rousey and Tate was entertaining though straightforward. Tate lasted a lot longer than 49 seconds, but it was still over before the opening round ended, with Rousey easily dominating Tate with superior strength, athleticism, and grappling skill, just as she would all other foes for the next few years. She capped it off with a brutal armbar that pulled Tate's elbow into a sickening, unnatural angle. This was the biggest WMMA fight of its time and a huge steppingstone for Rousey's later popularity.

Continue Reading » Number 8

8. Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Santos | Jan. 29, 2011

We continue our chronological look at Diaz in Strikeforce, as the 10th entry was his fourth Strikeforce appearance and this was his fifth, as well as his second title defense. His opponent, “Cyborg,” is better known these days for being the ex-husband of Cristiane Justino, who kept the family nickname after their amicable split. He was an early member of Chute Boxe during the glory days of Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua but was never remotely at their level. For one, he had a major grappling weakness, with many opponents simply taking “Cyborg” down and either finishing him with ground-and-pound or a submission. On the feet, he was a brawler with porous defense, but could be highly dangerous. Reinforcing this, he had recorded a major upset in his last Strikeforce outing before challenging for the crown, knocking out talented Lithuanian striker Marius Zaromskis in half a round. Diaz was a massive favorite, but Santos, a former light heavyweight, showed up in best the shape of his life and put on the performance of his career. Right away, he bashed Diaz with one hard leg kick after another. Halfway through the round, Diaz was noticeably wincing from each one. However, each time Diaz would come forward to engage with punches, Santos threw a string of hooks, several of which hurt the champion and caused him to retreat.

Finally, with 90 seconds left in the round, Diaz showed his mettle. He started, as he often did, with a number of off-power punches merely meant to touch the opponent, nothing more. However, he suddenly threw a huge left cross that hurt Santos, followed by a number of heavy hooks to the head and body. Diaz continued treating Santos like a punching bag for the rest of the round, but the Brazilian stayed upright, refusing to go down. Indeed, “Cyborg” came out strong for the second stanza, scoring more vicious leg kicks and several powerful close-range hooks that pushed Diaz back. Santos threw everything and the kitchen sink at Diaz, even landing several elbow strikes. However, he grew tired halfway through the second, and Diaz once again pursued him, landing punch after punch against the Chute Boxe product. Santos retaliated with hooks and knees to the stomach. Shockingly, with about 30 seconds left, “Cyborg” hit an inside trip against Diaz. That would prove to be a mistake, as Diaz athletically spun for an armbar with textbook technique, with the Brazilian slow to react, let alone defend. With about 10 seconds left in the stanza, Diaz fully extended the arm, prompting a tap as the San Jose crowd thundered its appreciation. Santos may have been a glorified journeyman, but he was at his very best that night against Diaz, making for a memorable battle.

Continue Reading » Number 7

7. Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley | July 14, 2012

When Marquardt and Woodley met for the vacant welterweight title in 2012, they appeared to be fighters heading in opposite directions. Former King of Pancrase Marquardt was a well-traveled veteran, with a record of 31-10-2 at 33 years old, and while he had been a top 10 middleweight for portions of his career, he had never quite cracked the championship elite. He was dropping down to welterweight in an attempt to revitalize his career, a risky move. Woodley, meanwhile, was 30 years old and a perfect 10-0, improving with every outing. With his tremendous blend of wrestling, athleticism, and a murderous right cross, he appeared destined for greatness. And while he would indeed achieve that, Marquardt proved that night he was no steppingstone. Early on, Woodley looked like the far better fighter. Just over a minute into the contest, as Marquardt waded forward in a painfully telegraphed manner, without throwing punches, Woodley clobbered him with a right hook behind the ear, causing Marquardt to stumble drunkenly across the cage. Halfway through the stanza, Marquardt returned the favor, scoring with a right cross on the button that sat Woodley down on the canvas. He continued to abuse his younger, more heralded foe for the rest of the round, landing more punches, knees, elbows, and even a head kick. Both men were more cautious to begin Round 2, and Woodley landed a nice straight right. However, Marquardt repeatedly punished him with leg kicks and scored several clean right crosses of his own. To add insult to injury, Marquardt successfully took down Woodley with an inside trip late in the round.

Would Woodley succumb to his fate? Hardly! He opened Round 3 with a vengeance, nailing Marquardt with two flush, beautiful right crosses, a short right hook against the cage, and then a second one that floored Marquardt. Woodley pounded away with punches and elbows, but being the ultra-tough veteran he was, Marquardt tied him up inside the guard, just barely surviving. Exemplifying the constant ebbs and flows of this fight, Woodley had punched himself out and when Marquardt got back to his feet, he ended the round strong, landing right crosses and beating his younger foe in the clinch with solid knees, elbows, and dirty boxing. Marquardt picked up right where he had left off early in Round 4, nailing Woodley with accurate, hard straight rights at will while dodging the blows of his clearly gassed opponent. About 90 seconds into the round, Marquardt has Woodley pushed up against the cage and realized that he was a sitting duck for elbows. He landed a devastating left elbow followed immediately by a right one and then eviscerated him with follow-up punches. The impact of each one was amplified by Woodley's head being stuck against the cage. Marquardt walked off before the referee even had a chance to intervene, having just scored the biggest win of his career, capturing the Strikeforce welterweight championship, and putting on an amazing show fans will remember for years to come.

Continue Reading » Number 6

6. Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef | Jan. 30, 2010

This was a dream come true for MMA fans, with two middleweight knockout artists squaring off. Manhoef finished seventh on Sherdog's list of the biggest punchers ever, boasting a 91% knockout rate that was easily the highest of anyone there. Lawler was one of the most vicious, feared strikers in the sport, having rebuilt himself since being released by the UFC after a loss to Evan Tanner in 2004, when he was only 22 years old. He had been submitted by Jake Shields in his last outing, snapping a five-fight winning streak, but Manhoef presented no such grappling danger, only a knockout one. Both men began the bout with low stances, coiled to strike, but with plenty of respect for the opponent. Manhoef struck first, delivering a crushing kick to the midsection followed by a big right cross to the same location. Manhoef followed that up with a lightning leg kick and then unloaded with vicious punches against the cage. Lawler covered up but was clearly rattled, with Manhoef stalking him and delivering yet another hellacious kick to the body, drawing an appreciative “Oh!” from the crowd. Manhoef continued the relentless abuse, landing leg kick after leg kick, each one causing Lawler's leg to fly back from the impact and opening up his vicious hooks as Lawler continued to simply cover up. Lawler limped around the cage, a wounded animal. As Manhoef slammed in yet another devastating leg kick, he prepared to go to work with punches, as Lawler was against the cage. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Lawler threw a monstrous overhand right that caused Manhoef to go completely limp on his feet! This was not only the first punch of the fight Lawler had thrown, but his first connect. Lawler then added a murderous left uppercut for good measure, causing Manhoef to stiffen while flat on his back, looking upwards with open, dead eyes. A ghastly sight! The whole affair had taken just over three and a half minutes. The commentators and audience alike understandably lost their minds at what had just transpired. An utterly amazing comeback and sudden, spectacular ending.

Continue Reading » Number 5

5. Cung Le vs. Scott Smith 1 | Dec. 19, 2009

It's a real shame that Le started MMA as late as he did. A junior college wrestling standout who was one of the best, most unique strikers in the sport as a former san shou world champion, Le may have been one of the greatest fighters ever had he begun in the mid to late 90s. Instead, he debuted in early 2006, when he was about to turn 34. Nevertheless, Le had found immediate success and was 6-0 when he faced Smith, his last being an iconic knockout of Frank Shamrock that we will discuss later. His success, combined with his status as a hometown hero—he had lived in Strikeforce’s home base of San Jose ever since leaving Vietnam as a child refugee—had made Le one of the biggest stars of the promotion. Smith, meanwhile, was seven years younger than Le at 30, but was a well-traveled veteran with a record of 16-6. Smith was a brawler who could deliver technical, powerful strikes but had never been an elite contender, as high-level grapplers could exploit his weaknesses in that area, and he was also fairly easy to hit in the stand-up.

Early on, the fight appeared to be a complete mismatch. Smith came forward with wild, telegraphed kicks and punches, which Le easily dodged by circling away. Meanwhile, Le pelted his foe at will with kicks, including a lovely spinning back kick to the ribs that dropped Smith a little over a minute in, with Le coming very close to pounding him out with punches. After receiving roughly 400 undefended hammerfists right behind the ear and a number of clean punches, and referee Big John McCarthy milliseconds away from stopping it on many occasions, Smith stood up halfway through the round, absorbing a huge knee to the head on his way up. The rest of the stanza went no better for Smith, including eating a huge overhand left and a right head kick that contorted his head and neck. Smith showed tremendous toughness and heart to survive the stanza, but the only question is whether it should have been scored 10-8 or 10-7 Le. The second round was almost a repeat of the first, with Le devastating Smith with kicks to the body and legs before landing an even prettier spinning back-kick to the solar plexus than he did in the opening frame, once again flooring Smith! This time, however, Smith clinched for dear life and managed to stymie Le, whose ground game, even from the top, was highly limited. After McCarthy stood them back up, Smith had his first moments of success with half the fight already over, partially connecting on a series of straight rights. The pace slowed over the second half of the round, with Smith finishing strong with a right elbow to the head in a clinch and a few more right hands. Still, it was another round for Le and he only need to get through five more minutes to win an easy decision.

As the third and final stanza began, Le instantly landed another beautiful spinning back-kick, but this time to the head, launching Smith from the middle of the cage all the way to the fence, badly dazed. He landed several more jarring kicks, but yet again, Smith's toughness and heart kept him standing. Smith's punches all missed Le, and 2 minutes into the round, Le bashed Smith with several hard blows of his own against the cage, including a couple of flush right hooks to the side of the head. So confident was Le that he even took Smith down, though Smith quickly got back up to his feet. And then, with less than 2 minutes left, it happened. Le, looking winded, ducked his head when close to Smith without clinching, and Smith, whose power was in his right hand, improvised with a chopping downward left hook that hurt Le horribly, dropping him to his knees. As he gingerly got back up, Smith clobbered him with a right hook, another left hook and then his big right cross, dropping Le yet again, from where Smith pounded him out until McCarthy interceded. All of the commentators lost their minds, voices cracking from the insanity! Smith had just authored one of the most incredible, unlikeliest comebacks in MMA history. In a fight where he had been knocked down numerous times, almost finished, and had landed little of consequence for the first 13 minutes of a 15-minute contest. A true classic from Strikeforce.

Continue Reading » Number 4

4. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum | June 26, 2010

While it lasted a mere 69 seconds. Werdum vs. Emelianenko is one of the most important fights in MMA history, let alone Strikeforce's existence. It was thrilling for the short time it lasted and even received one first-place vote. This fight took place 13 years ago this month, when Emelianenko was overwhelmingly considered the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. After all, he had never legitimately lost. As discussed under his entry on our list of the greatest fighters of the 2000s, which he easily topped, he had had his first pro fight in August 2000 and didn't lose until this meeting in June 2010. In those 10 years, Emelianenko was essentially undefeated in his first 33 fights. His time as Pride heavyweight king lasted for an amazing seven years and 19 straight victories after triumphing over Rodrigo Nogueira at Pride 25 in early 2003. Werdum at the time was a talented heavyweight who at almost 33 years old, had never quite cracked the elite of the division. He had impressive wins over Gabriel Gonzaga twice, Brandon Vera, Antonio Silva, Aleksander Emelianenko and even Alistair Overeem at that point, but had also been soundly defeated by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Andrei Arlovski and knocked out in just 81 seconds by Junior dos Santos. Yet, as a more than +400 underdog, Werdum was confident going into a showdown with the greatest ever.

Initially at least, matters didn't look good. Just 25 seconds into the contest, as the two men fired punches at one another in the pocket, Emelianenko caught the Brazilian with a right uppercut and then a right hook, putting Werdum on his butt. The underdog was far from out, but already in trouble as the great Russian tried to finish the jab with his legendary ground-and-pound. He got off some hard hammerfists to the skull, but Werdum almost caught him in an armbar. Emelianenko got out neatly but the Brazilian attacked again with another submission while being battered in the head, locking in a tight triangle armbar. Emelianenko resisted desperately, but Werdum simply adjusted his legs even tighter. Several times Fedor correctly angled off to the side, but the Brazilian's squeeze was so tight he still couldn't breathe. Finally, he had no choice but to tap. As Werdum rose to his feet in drunken, ecstatic celebration, Emelianenko remained on his knees, calmly wiping his eyes in deep disappointment. Commentator Gus Johnson, who I always felt was underrated calling MMA, lost his voice celebrating the finish along with the deafening crowd. Truly an iconic moment in the sport, and it all might not have happened if Emelianenko had been a little more cautious in trying to finish off Werdum.

Continue Reading » Number 3

3 Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock | March 29, 2008

Because it didn't happen in the UFC and the promotion has blackballed its greatest early champion Frank Shamrock, this fight hasn't received the attention it deserves, but it is a milestone battle in MMA history. As I detailed in my longest op-ed ever, in two years from 1997 to 1999, Shamrock went from a failure, told to manage adopted older brother Ken's gyms, to the greatest fighter ever. In the process, Shamrock achieved a new level of MMA excellence, years ahead of his time, and was the easy No. 1 on Sherdog's list of greatest fighters of the 90s. In fact, at the beginning of 2008 Frank had not truly lost since the defeat to John Lober in January 1997, with 12 victories, a draw, and a disqualification against Renzo Gracie that involved some play-acting on the Brazilian's part in a fight Shamrock was clearly winning. As noted under an earlier entry, it is unfortunate that Le started MMA as late as he did. A junior college wrestling standout who was one of the best, most unique strikers in the world as a former san shou world champion, Le may have been one of the greatest fighters ever had he begun in the mid to late 90s. Instead, he debuted in early 2006 when he was about to turn 34. In fact, Le was seven months older than Shamrock, though he had far less mileage on his body. Le was 5-0 in MMA but had never faced anyone close to the level of his legendary foe when they met in early 2008. After the bell rung and a failed early takedown attempt by Shamrock, both men settled into a kick-heavy striking battle. Watching this again now, it was a shockingly high-level stand-up duel for its time and holds up well today. There was a lot of good footwork and movement as well as solid defense, including checking or avoiding heavy leg kicks and skillful blocking. The kicks, especially Le's, were fast, powerful, and accurate, accentuated by it being a southpaw versus orthodox battle, and both men attempting to time counters. Le even landed wince-inducing side kicks to the obliques, a tactic Jon Jones would make use of in the years to come.

The first round was nearly constant action, with Le not only getting the better of it with his kicks, but proving his punches were nothing to sneeze at, firing off solid combinations and catching Shamrock behind the ear with a stinging right hook. Shamrock had his moments, briefly getting Le down off a spinning back roundhouse before splitting his lip open with a knee and landing a few partial right crosses as the round expired. Shamrock appeared to be gaining confidence as Round 2 began, landing a hard body kick and then two flush straight rights to the chin. However, Le started moving his head well, dodging Shamrock's offense, while scoring with a variety of kicks and the occasional punch. Incidentally, Shamrock spent the whole fight making mocking faces and gestures towards Le, a strategy that had actually worked, once upon a time, against his early nemesis Bas Rutten. The taunting reached its apex in the second stanza, drawing boos from the crowd but never seeming to affect Le in the slightest. Near the end of the frame, Le delivered the best sequence of the fight so far, slamming a hard left cross into Shamrock's breadbasket before smashing him over the head with a right hook that left him on shaky legs, but still didn't end his clowning. In the third, Le really started to take over. He landed at will with kicks on Shamrock, including a gorgeous right head kick to left head kick combo that I've never seen in MMA outside this fight, and very rarely in kickboxing. Shamrock sought to land a big right cross, but it was predictable, and Le evaded well, while punishing him with nifty combos, most of them ending with a right hook. However, the legend was not done, blasting Le with a huge right cross after being hit with a body kick. Le was clearly hurt and Shamrock stalked him, landing several more right hands. They reach a clinch against the cage and Shamrock shellacked Le with a couple of huge right elbows to the reaction of “OH” from the crowd each time. Could Shamrock come back and win? Suddenly, Le started fighting back effectively despite clearly being tired, including a tremendous body kick into a spinning backfist to the face. Le then uncorked a thunderbolt of a left head kick and while Shamrock blocked, he was still badly stunned, backing up—and shockingly, no longer clowning. As Shamrock, with blood pouring down his face, reeled and rocked against the cage trying to dodge Le's punches, he was saved by the bell as the crowd roared with delight. Between rounds, Frank was forced to retire due to a right arm injury, the result of the countless monster kicks he sustained, causing Le and his team to celebrate in rapturous delight. This was a tremendous stand-up duel, among the best that 2008 had to offer, with numerous changes in momentum. It also had one of the greatest rounds of fighting I've ever seen in MMA. And it was an important milestone for the sport as a whole. The greatest fighter of the 1990s, who had run years ahead of the rest of the MMA world, was finally vanquished in 2008.

Continue Reading » Number 2

2. Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson 3 | May 19, 2012

Melendez vs. Thomson is one of the greatest trilogies in MMA history, cruelly ignored because it didn't occur on a canvas with the UFC logo. Melendez may well have been the best lightweight of the early 2010s in any promotion, and indeed, he was robbed when he later fought Benson Henderson, the UFC champion during that time. Despite Strikeforce boasting many great future UFC champions like Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Ronda Rousey and “Cris Cyborg,” it was Melendez who topped Sherdog's list of the greatest Strikeforce fighters ever. However, Thomson wasn't far behind, easily being a top 5 lightweight of that era himself. Melendez had lost his Strikeforce title in a shocking upset to Thomson in their first meeting, with “The Punk” winning every round. Melendez had convincingly won the rematch, taking it 49-46 on two scorecards and 49-47 on another. However, it was their final meeting that was a true masterpiece, with Melendez taking a split decision which everyone had either 48-47 one way or the other, with no clear agreement to this day. I won't summarize all the major events of the fight as it would take too long, but I urge everyone to watch this incredible war, with Melendez and Thomson waging uncompromising war in every aspect of MMA: striking, grappling and the clinch.

Continue Reading » Number 1

1 Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley, Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley

Diaz-Daley is widely considered the greatest one-round fight in MMA history, and it tops our list here, garnering seven of nine first-place votes. Personally, I had it third. It also perfectly bookends our Diaz chronology, with the No. 10 entry being Diaz's fourth fight in Strikeforce, the No. 8 entry his fifth, and the top entry being his sixth and final appearance in the promotion, ending with a perfect 6-0 record and three title defenses. His opponent offered a unique challenge. Diaz's striking was certainly effective, but it was unorthodox and to some extent sloppy. He had proved that it was good enough to overcome a talented, more technical boxer in K.J. Noons in a close five round fight, which we discussed earlier on this list, but what about an actual world-class kickboxer in Daley? Daley had long had a weakness to grappling, but absolutely no one dared to stand up and strike with him. Since being kicked out of the UFC for punching Josh Koscheck after the end of a fight he lost via decision, Daley had won four in a row, including a brutal two-minute knockout of Scott Smith and a decision over Jorge Masvidal. Smith and Masvidal were very good strikers by the standards of 2010 but neither had a chance against Daley. Moreover, given that Nick Diaz's takedowns were weak and barely bothered Noons, how would he be able to grapple against Daley? Surely, he wasn't going to stand with the superlative striker. However, that is exactly what Stockton's finest did. In fact, Diaz began the fight with his hands to the side, taunting the hyper-dangerous Daley to hit him. Shortly thereafter, his wish came true, as Daley sprung forward with a gorgeous left hook, perhaps the best such punch in MMA history, connecting flush. A second left hook caused the titanium-chinned Diaz to crash to the canvas, very nearly finished. Diaz showed amazing recuperative powers to survive, though Daley continued blasting him with punches, knees, and even a brutal soccer kick to the kidneys as Diaz was trying to get his bearings on the ground. Suddenly, Diaz scored a deadly accurate straight left, hurting Daley and allowing Diaz to clinch with him against the fence, landing knees and dirty boxing. Diaz backed up and then smashed Daley with hooks from both sides, and suddenly, it was the Englishman on the ropes! Kickboxer Daley surprisingly panic-wrestled and it bore fruit, as he secured a much-needed takedown. Diaz got up and bashed Daley with another hard straight left. He continued his assault, but Daley countered with hard left hooks, getting a measure of breathing room. Diaz clinched and assaulted Daley with elbows, only to once again eat a hard left hook. Daley landed a beautiful 1-2 to Diaz's chin followed by a knee, and incredibly, the Stockton native simply walked through it. However, he got too overconfident, since he soon walked into Daley's most murderous left hook yet, one that caused Diaz's legs to immediately give out, doing a belly flop on the canvas. Surely, this was the end? And yet, Diaz kept fighting. After absorbing a ridiculous amount of ground-and-pound, he somehow made it back to his feet, and in defiance of all reason, continued his attack against Daley. Once again Daley countered him hard, prompting Diaz to stumble back, but Diaz's punches had done their damage, as the Englishmen fell over when he tried to come forward. Diaz was on him immediately and brutalized him with ground-and-pound as the last few seconds of the round tick away. With just three seconds left, referee Big John McCarthy decided to stop it. The crowd doesn't yell any louder for this, as they had already been in a frenzy for the entire fight. This may have only lasted 4:57, but it had more twists and turns, excitement, and brutal blows than fights several times as long.