With UFC 100 a week away on July 11, I decided to look back at what got the UFC to this point. Here is my take on what I believe are the 10 most significant fights in UFC history, helping the company become what it is today.

1. Stephan Bonner vs. Forrest Griffin – Ultimate Fighter Finale 1: This fight was not only the most memorable fight to watch, but may also be the fight that really pushed the UFC into the next level of mainstream popularity. Following the debut season of The Ultimate Fighter, a show which UFC President Dana White and co-owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta funded out of their own pocket, the finale took place live on Spike TV, which was airing live fights for the first time in the history of cable television. The UFC knew it needed something big to happen to not only keep a cable television deal, but earn future advertisers, and also prolong its reality show for future seasons. Bonner vs. Griffin delivered just that. The two fought to the very end and both were so even, it was impossible to decide a clear winner for most fans. The fight at one point drew 10 million viewers, which was just what the UFC needed. The back-and-forth, non-stopped action gave the UFC an identity to fans that had never seen it before and got the ball rolling that has allowed the UFC to snowball into what it is today.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson scored a unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine at last Saturday’s UFC 96. After the fight, Jackson was offered an opportunity to challenge Rashad Evans in late May for the light-heavyweight title that used to belong to him, but nagging injuries will keep him out of action until later this year. Instead, undefeated Brazilian contender Lyoto Machida will be the challenger for Evans’s first title defense.

- Charles “Mask” Lewis, co-founder of the MMA apparel/lifestyle company TapouT, died in a car accident late Tuesday night in Neport Beach after colliding with another car. The other driver survived, though he was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving.

For a photo tribute to Charles Lewis, click here to head to COMBATLIFESTYLE.COM.

- Following a positive steroid test after his last fight, MMA legend Ken Shamrock has been suspended from competition for one year and will not be able to take on Bobby Lashley later this month at the Roy Jones Jr.-promoted “March Badness” card. He will be replaced by Clay Guida’s ne’er-do-well brother Jason.

- New York Assemblymen Jonathan Bing and Rob Walker told us why MMA belongs in New York State, while grumpy old man Bob Reilly told us why it’s bad for society.

- UFC lightweight champ BJ Penn filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, claiming that Georges St. Pierre cheated during their UFC 94 fight though improper usage of Vaseline, and speculated that he may have ingested a substance that made his body slippery.

- The cast of “The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K.” was announced.

- Even legendary boxing promoter/double-murderer Don King wants a piece of the MMA action.

- At a press conference on Thursday, it was announced that former EliteXC welterweight champ Jake Shields and former EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler will face off in a non-title fight at Strikeforce’s May event. Also, Nick Diaz gave Frank Shamrock the finger.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Could we try to go one week without an MMA fighter getting arrested? The latest cage-fighting jailbird is Kimo Leopoldo, a UFC old-schooler who got caught impersonating a Long Beach police officer while carrying around “a small amount” of methamphetamine.

- MMA hottie/former American Gladiator Gina Carano took some sexy new photos for Maxim.

- At last Friday’s Wargods event, UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock armbarred some fat dude, while Tank Abbott scored a brilliant KO via illegal rabbit punches.

- BJ Penn has put his frustrations about his slippery loss to Georges St. Pierre into a charming little conspiracy-video. Meanwhile, legendary UFC ref John McCarthy says that the greasing thing has “always been an issue” in MMA.

- The UFC’s new action figures will armbar the crap out of your little Ninja Turtles.

- Montreal will allow the UFC to return to their city as long as there’s none of that barbaric foot-stomping going on. You can check out the fight lineup here.

- UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson goes down tomorrow night in London. Swing by CagePotato.com for our liveblog of the tape-delayed Spike TV broadcast at 9 p.m. ET/PT, and prepare thyself by checking out this roundup of the fighters who will be making their Octagon debuts, our occasionally-helpful betting advice, and our interviews with main-card fighters Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen.

Prior to his Elite XC main event fight with Kimbo Slice, MMA legend Ken Shamrock sat down with ESPN Radio in Florida to give a candid interview on his upcoming fight, his career, and his current relationship with his family.

When asked about why was he so talented at promoting his fights, Shamrock responded:

“That’s just me, that’s my character. I find something that irritates me about somebody and I try to dig on them about it. I guess that generates into some good viewing, but it gets me ready for a fight.”

Shamrock went on to add that his training and preparation for this fight have been good, and for the first time in four or five years he will enter the octagon without being hampered by a lingering injury. Shamrock understands he cannot take Slice’s punching ability for granted, because if he gets lazy in his defense it will a short evening for him. Coverage of the Elite XC card begins at 9 PM Saturday on CBS.