1. Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture
The early 2000s surge in popularity benefitted no man in the UFC more than Chuck Liddell. He slugged his way into the heart of seemingly every MMA fan there was. And while he had a champion’s record of 12-1, he had never been given the chance to hold the UFC gold.
Fans were put in a position of wanting Chuck to win but not wanting Randy to lose when the two met for the 205 belt at UFC 43. The crowd went back and forth, chanting for both men, but Couture was able to avoid being intimidated by Liddell’s game, standing with him and scoring takedowns at will before the fight was finally waved off in the third.
Liddell patiently waited for his second shot at the champ and capitalized with 2005’s Knockout of the Year before sealing the trilogy bout with another knockout victory.
All three fights set up both fighters to validate their career. Sure, Chuck had Tito and Randy had Vitor, but when it came down to it, the biggest test for their skillset was each other.
Randy Couture vs Chuck Liddell here: https://ufcfightpass.com/video/28871
Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture II here: https://ufcfightpass.com/video/28987
Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture III here: https://ufcfightpass.com/video/28819
Honorable Mentions
Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos
Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber
For these and many, many more classic MMA trilogies, sign up TODAY for UFC FIGHT PASS!
