Fans love action, fans love violence and if that implies the blood flying all over the Octagon, we?re probably speaking of the ideal combination. In MMA, elbows, and foreheads simply don?t go together and usually lead to bloodiest MMA fights which can make most people sick. Though these fights look nasty, a couple of stitches often cover all the damage. And a couple of painkillers are a must the day after.
Further, these fights are actually rare! But, the history of MMA gave us plenty to choose from. Whether you?re a fan of full-fledged blood baths or not, there?s a pretty good chance you?ve already seen some of the bloodiest MMA fights presented below!
10. Mark Hunt vs. Antonio ?Big Foot? Silva
We?re unsure if we ever saw two 265lbs+ giants blasting each other for 25 minutes like Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva did at UFC 193. The bout will go down into the history books as one of the greatest Heavyweight fights of all times. Although Silva is a tough guy, we didn?t expect him to absorb all the Hunt?s bombs. I mean, while others would usually fall after the first one, Silva was eating the shots like cupcakes.
Both fighters were close to finishing the fight and even flyweight fighters would be jealous of their cardio. Although both fighters were bleeding a lot, the medical staff kept the action going. The bloodthirsty fans couldn?t ask for more!
9. Rory McDonald vs. Robbie Lawler ? UFC 189
What took place that night in Vegas will always be remembered as one of the bloodiest MMA fights of all time, and likely the most entertaining one as well. The fact that this Welterweight title fight received the ?Fight of the year? award for 2015 just adds to this point.
While Lawler is a brawl veteran with many wars on his record, the Canadian phenom takes a more methodical approach. That said, we?ll never know what forced McDonald to accept the blow-for-blow type of fight against the Champion. Though he is perhaps still questioning this decision, fans around the World simply love every second of this bloody war.
8. Jeremy Stephens vs. Estevan Payan ? UFC 160
As said by the UFC color commentator Joe Rogan during the live commentary ?this is not the fight you want to show your girlfriend while talking her to start watching MMA.?
Jeremy Stephens is a wild power puncher who can get a knockout from almost every position. At UFC 160, he met the promotional newcomer, Estevan Payan. Right from the start, Stephens greeted Payan into the promotion by connecting with a vicious elbow that opened a bad cut on Payan?s forehead.
However, the worst is yet to come. In the second, Stephens advanced to the mat and started exploding with his GNP skillset. After the barrage of vicious elbows, Payan was suffocating in his own blood! To his credit, he fought until the end, losing probably two liters of blood in the process.
7. Jay Hieron vs. Jonathan Goulet ? UFC Fight Night 2
The fight between two upcoming talents working their ways through the ?Ultimate Fighter? is perhaps the bloodiest bout in the history of the show.
In the first round, Hieron put on a show by demonstrating a strong wrestling game. However, it would take only one knee to the skull from Goulet to open a massive cut in the second.
While being on top and landing punches, Hieron was bleeding like a fountain. With the blood all over the Octagon, many of us thought the medic would stop the fight. But, by everyone?s surprise, the action continued. Gouled landed one more knee in the opening minute of the third, convincing the referee to stop the fight.
6. BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson ? UFC 80
Watching his recent downfall, one can create a wrong perception of how talented and good BJ Penn was. To this day, the fight against Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 stands for one of his finest performances. Right from the start, Penn began dominating the fight.
With less than a minute left in the opening round, he landed a nasty elbow that opened up Stevenson?s brow! The amount of blood gushing out literally blinded the American.
The cutman?s hands were full between the rounds, but Stevenson was back for some more. However, Penn knocked him down once again and went on to finish the job with the submission. The most iconic moment was watching Penn squeezing the neck while blood was spilling from Stevenson?s forehead.
5. Stefan Struve vs. Denis Stojnic ? UFC 99
Standing 7 feet tall, Stefan Struve is perhaps the tallest UFC fighter of all time. Throughout his career, he enjoyed great height and reach advantage but always had a hard time defending the takedowns. And this almost proved lethal in his fight against Stojnic at UFC 99.
Stojnic scored an opening takedown and spend the most of the round controlling Struve on the bottom. In the closing minute of the round, a hard hammer fist opened a big cut on Struve?s bald skull. The Dutchman would survive the first round but Stojnic would continue where he started in the second.
With the blood pouring from his head, the things became urgent for the ?Skyscraper?. Fortunately for him, he was able to reverse the position and pull the Hail Mary submission. The scenes of Struve squeezing the choke while the blood is showering out of his skull will forever glaze the lists of bloodiest MMA fights.
4. Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon ? UFC 115
Miller and Lauzon are arguably the toughest fighters the UFC fans have ever seen perform. With 15 post-fight bonuses on his record, Lauzon is one of the most exciting as well. At UFC 155, the fans quickly got what they asked for with both fighters throwing their defense out of the window, biting their mouthpieces, and exploding in the pocket.
Shortly in the first round, Miller connected with a big knee and elbow behind. This instantly opened two big cuts on Lauzon?s forehead. The following scenes were not for the ones with a sensitive stomach. Lauzon spent the rest of the round on his back with the blood in his eyes, mouth, and nose.
Between the rounds, the doctor gave a green light for Lauzon to continue. Shortly after, Miller received a cut under his eye, and the fight became a pure blood bath. The memorable war ended in a decision for Miller, but they have both won the fan?s hearts.
3. Cain Valasquez vs. Antonio Silva ? UFC 160
After Valasquez lost his Heavyweight belt to Junior Dos Santos, he desperately needed a fight that would lunch him back in the mix. But standing on his way at UFC 160 was the Brazilian, Antonio Silva. The fight will go down in history as one of the most one-sided maulings in history.
As expected, Valasquez scored an early takedown and started exploding with the relentless ground and pound shots. With heavy elbows landing, Silva?s face quickly got covered in plasma. The doctor checked the cut and somehow allowed Silva to continue.
Further, Cain continued to target the cuts which caused the blood to spray even more. As a result, the referee stopped the fight shortly after. With the blood all over the place, it looked like Valasquez was leaving the crime scene.
2. Renato Sobral vs. David Heath ? UFC 74
The bout between Sobral and Heath is surely one of the bloodiest MMA fights in history. In the buildup, both fighters showed huge animosity toward each other and we?ve expected nothing but fireworks.
The opening round passes without any specific action. However, the second round saw both fighters pulling the triggers from all weapons. Sobral opened a serious cut on Heath?s head after landing some vicious ground and pound shots. As the blood was pouring, he went on to target the same spot over again. I mean, it was painful to watch!
It may sound bizarre, but it looked like Sobral had a knife in his hand, it was that bloody. Ultimately, Sobral placed the anaconda choke and submitted Heath in the second round. Shortly after, Sobral would get cut from the UFC for holding the submission after the referee stopped the fight.
1. Edwin DeWees vs. Gideon Ray ? TUF 4: The Comeback
?Ultimate Fighter? has always represented a proving ground for many upcoming talents. So slugfest and blood baths are very common. At TUF season four, it seemed like we had a bloodthirsty psycho sitting beside the cage instead of medical staff.
Although fighters were playing it safe in the first, the violence would escalate in the second. DeWees advance to the mat and started punishing Ray with nice short elbows. This opened up the cut on Ray?s forehead and the blood coming out spraying. The doctor came in but apparently, this wasn?t enough to satisfy his thirstiness.
Although TUF bouts were set for two rounds each, the judges declared a draw and the two had to fight one extra round. DeWees continued where he started in the second, smashing and targeting the cuts on Ray?s head. The most fascinating thing was seeing Ray stopping the blood from spraying with one hand while fighting back with the other!
If you like our top lists articles and want to read more, be sure to check our articles on ?Top 12 Decision Robberies in UFC History? and some ?Interesting Stories Behind MMA Referees?
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