Notching the No. 1 spot is a classic from the Pride Fighting Championships catalog that still holds true in my heart.
You may not see Wanderlei Silva’s second meeting with Dan Henderson on many lists, but there’s no denying the historical importance of this matchup.
Part 2 of the lead-in video for Wanderlei Silva vs. Dan Henderson 2 at #PRIDE33
For me, the Dan Henderson intro and ending is the best part of this highlight package… pic.twitter.com/jrLEAgVHs1
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) October 27, 2023
Aside from the fact that this fight headlined what is widely considered one of the greatest MMA cards of all time, Henderson was attempting to simultaneously hold two belts by dethroning a living legend and Pride’s lone middleweight champion in Silva (who sat on the proverbial throne for over half a decade at that point).
Hell, this card was so good that even the UFC’s Joe Silva and Lorenzo Fertitta attended to take in the action.
Round 1 of Wanderlei Silva vs. Dan Henderson 2 at #PRIDE33
It’s a bit of a slow burn that begins to catch fire toward the end with both men stunning the other
(Easter egg: you can see an excited Joe Silva and Lorenzo Fertitta in the audience enjoying themselves during replays) pic.twitter.com/xXVqmDPkP1
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) October 27, 2023
Round 1 was a bit of a slow burn but it definitely picked up toward the end of the frame with both men stunning each other on multiple occasions.
Although Henderson largely dominated round 2 via ground-and-pound, Silva came back strong in the third, forcing his American foe to dig deep into his bag of tricks.
After some more back-and-forth action, Dan Henderson knocks out Wanderlei Silva in round 3 to end The Axe Murderer’s middleweight reign and become the 1st fighter to simultaneously hold 2 major belts in MMA’s modern era
One of my favorite all-time MMA fights and moments #PRIDE33 pic.twitter.com/BKB0M2T5wr
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) October 27, 2023
After landing a sneaky spinning backfist, Henderson entered a pocket exchange that reminded the masses that he carries crushing knockout power in both hands.
And just like that, Henderson became the first fighter to simultaneously hold two major titles in two different weight classes during MMA’s modern era. A feat that’s still incredibly difficult to accomplish today.
*Honorable mentions: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar 2 at UFC 125, Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2 at UFC 225, Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Moreno 2 at UFC 290, Minoru Suzuki vs. Maurice Smith 2 at Pancrase 8, Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 at UFC 257
For a deeper dive into this topic, feel free to check out Dan Tom’s episode on the topic via The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie