The Top 10 Fights in European History
The history of mixed martial arts more or less takes place in three countries: Brazil, Japan and the United States.
Brazil is the cradle of vale tudo, a Portuguese phrase that means "anything goes," which was the more violent and less regulated predecessor of MMA. On the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and in the gyms of São Paulo, boxers, wrestlers and jiu-jitsu practitioners squared off against one another under a limited set of rules as early as the 1920s.
Japan is the homeland of Kakutō, which means "fighting." The Japanese style of shoot wrestling has its origins in Puroresu, the counterpart to what Americans know as professional wrestling. In the mid to late 1980s, pro wrestlers looking for a more realistic style separated themselves from the present scene and founded Shooto, Rings and Pancrase -- three promotions that still exist today.
MMA in the United States has its roots in NHB, or No Holds Barred, events organized by previous UFC owner Semaphore Entertainment Group. SEG paved the way for what began as a spectacle to become a respected and recognized sport by introducing weight classes, gloves, five-minute rounds and a unified set of rules.
While Europe has produced some of the greatest fighters of all time like Bas Rutten (Pictures), Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and Mirko "Cro Cop," the northwestern part of the Old World has not been able to make a mark as a fighting continent quite like the three aforementioned countries.
Still, European MMA does have a history that goes back as far as 13 years. This article shines a light on 10 of the most significant fights to take place in England, Holland, Russia and Scandinavia during this time span. The bouts presented are not necessarily the most spectacular or entertaining but instead were relevant for the movement as a whole at the time.
10. Akira Maeda (Pictures) vs. Chris Dolman on Feb. 19, 1995 -- Amsterdam, Holland
Chris Dolman was a European champion in judo in the 1960s and one of the elite few to beat the Russians on their home turf in their national martial art of sambo.
He also ran the biggest security company in Amsterdam. As a result, he employed several bouncers whom he also trained at his dojo. Since his students -- among them Hans Nijman, Joop Kasteel, Dick Vrij, Herman Renting and the Overeem brothers -- were all trained martial artists (mostly wrestlers and kickboxers) themselves, Dolman was searching for a way to test their skills without getting into conflict with the law.
Enter Akira Maeda (Pictures).
The insanely popular pro wrestler at that time was just starting a new project called Rings and looking for teams from all around the world. Dolman knew Maeda from his stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the late 70s and agreed to send a selection of his fighters to Japan.
Maeda returned the favor by putting Dolman in charge of Rings Holland and faced him in the first real superfight on European soil in the history of the sport. The bout was a rematch from their first encounter six years earlier, which had taken place under UWF rules. In a highly entertaining scrap, Maeda had emerged the winner via leglock early in the fourth round at Osaka Stadium.
Six years later, Dolman got his revenge.
In the main event of the first Rings Holland show, Dolman defeated the legendary Japanese submission fighter by leglock. Two months later, he retired from active competition at 50.
Looking back, the impact Dolman had on the Dutch fighting scene was outstanding. He not only still runs shows under the Rings banner, he also paved the way to Japan for many of his more popular countrymen like Gilbert Yvel (Pictures), Peter Aerts (Pictures) and Semmy Schilt (Pictures). That is why it is not an overstatement to call Chris Dolman the father of Dutch MMA.
9. Igor Vovchanchyn (Pictures) vs. Paul Varelans on March 30, 1996 -- Kiev, Ukraine
Only months after the first European "free fight" event took place in the Netherlands, Russian promoters followed suit.
The former Soviet Union put its own spin on the sport by holding tournaments in one night that often had 16 or even 32 participants. One of the most star-studded tourneys at that time was the first International Fighting Championship, which took place in the capital of Ukraine in March 1996.
The marquee bout of the night was the semifinal between crowd favorite Igor Vovchanchyn (Pictures) and American trap fighter Paul Varelans. It was a true duel between David and Goliath, as the 6-foot-8, 300-pound Varelans towered over his opponent by 10 inches and outweighed him by more than 100 pounds.
Still, the outcome was the same as in the Bible. Vovchanchyn peppered his much larger foe with strikes on the feet, held his own in the clinch and eventually put him away with a series of punches and kicks at 2:22 of the first round.
Vovchanchyn went on to win that tournament and another six to set a record that is unmatched in the history of the sport. When he stepped into the Pride ring for the first time in October 1998, only two of his previous 25 bouts had gone the distance. He was rightly known as the most dangerous striker in MMA in the 1990s.
8. Semmy Schilt (Pictures) vs. Bob Schrijber (Pictures) on Oct. 22, 2000 -- Haarlem, Holland
The battle between Schilt and Schrijber was a passing of the torch in the Dutch MMA scene around the turn of the millennium. Although Schrijber was just coming off his stint in Pride and had won four out of his last five fights, the 35-year-old was already in the autumn of his career. Schilt, 10 years younger, had just successfully defended his open weight King of Pancrase title twice and was the clear favorite going into the fight.
"Dirty Bob," not only notorious for being one of the dirtiest players in the game but also an avid player of mind games, brought a ladder into the ring and had to climb onto the third rung to look Schilt straight into the eyes during the staredown.
None of that really helped him, though, as Schilt controlled the standup as expected. Schrijber took an incredible amount of punishment in the bout, including Schilt's devastating knee strikes from the clinch. In the end it was a standing guillotine choke that put Schrijber away early in the second round.
Schilt went on to a short stint in the UFC before making Pride his home in Japan and eventually becoming the most dominant kickboxer of the new millennium in K-1.
Schrijber had one last hurrah. He won the M-1 heavyweight title by knocking out heavily favored Russian wrestler Martin Malkhasyan (Pictures) in November 2001.
7. Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) vs. Carlos Barreto on March 18, 2001 -- Rotterdam, Holland
There was a huge rivalry between Holland and Brazil around the turn of the millennium, and the Brazilians were getting the better of the exchange.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) had just beaten Valentijn Overeem (Pictures) in the Rings King of Kings 2000 tournament final; Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons had come to Holland to win a decision over Martijn de Jong in Rotterdam; and Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira had submitted Bob Schrijber (Pictures) at the ninth edition of the World Vale Tudo Championship in the Caribbean. A Dutch fighter needed to break the spell if the Netherlands didn't want to sustain a permanent inferiority complex against the Brazilians.
In the main event of the second 2 Hot 2 Handle show, Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) was booked to face Carlos Barreto, a black belt in BJJ and a member of the newly established Brazilian Top Team. After being kicked in the groin by Barreto's compatriot Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) six months earlier, Yvel was ready to explode.
Barreto took down Yvel right off the bat, knowing well how dangerous it would be to stand toe to toe with the 25-year-old muay Thai specialist. He even had the "Hurricane" mounted, but Yvel knew enough submission defense to stay out of trouble. When the referee stood both men, Yvel seized the opportunity to connect with a short right hook that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
After a brief dispute between the referee and the panel of judges, the fight was allowed to continue. Yvel took a run and caught Barreto with a flying knee straight on the button. The Brazilian was out cold immediately, his legs twisted like a pretzel.
Holland had finally scored revenge against Brazil, and the knockout is still played in highlight clips today.
6. Ian Freeman (Pictures) vs. Frank Mir (Pictures) on July 13, 2002 -- London, England
In its 10th anniversary year, the UFC came to London for the first time.
Ian Freeman (Pictures), a 36-year-old stalwart of MMA in the United Kingdom, was set to clash with undefeated heavyweight prospect Frank Mir (Pictures). Although sporting a record of 2-1 in the Octagon, Freeman hadn't been invited back for the last 10 UFCs and had hit a rough spell, losing four straight fights at one point.
Mir, a BJJ specialist out of Las Vegas, had taken the heavyweight division by storm, submitting multiple-time BJJ world champion and ADCC winner Roberto Traven as well as Coleman-conqueror Pete Williams. Accordingly, Freeman rededicated himself to training in a way he had never done before. His camp for the Mir fight reportedly cost the man from Sunderland in northeast England in excess of 6,000 pounds.
It was money well invested.
Freeman established his presence in the Octagon right from the opening bell. The wily veteran resisted the submission attempts of his young and cocky challenger and put him through an absolute pounding on the mat. After 4:35 of vintage ground and pound, Mir, bloodied up and totally exhausted, could not continue.
Freeman made the U.K. proud that night and eventually retired when he was 38. After coming out of retirement for a second time, a now 41-year-old "Machine" defeated knockout artist Paul Cahoon (Pictures) in May for the Cage Rage British light heavyweight championship.
In addition to their similar styles, Freeman is now officially the English version of Randy Couture (Pictures).
5. Jose Landi-Jons (Pictures) vs. Lee Murray (Pictures) on July 13, 2003 -- London, England
A year later a bout took place that was even more important for the establishment of England as an MMA fighting nation.
Upstart promotion Extreme Force had the lofty ambition of becoming the United Kingdom's counterpart to the UFC. Blessed with wealthy backers, the London-based newcomers had signed top international talent like Jens Pulver (Pictures) and Renato "Babalu" Sobral for its debut show and also brought back Ian Freeman (Pictures).
After an almost unparalleled injury plight removed all three of the aforementioned fighters from the card, the bout between Brazilian vale tudo legend Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and breakout star Lee Murray (Pictures) suddenly became the main event. Even though Murray had gained notoriety for knocking out then UFC champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures) on the streets of London a year before, most experts figured that Pele was simply too skilled and too experienced for the young Londoner.
The opposite was the case.
Murray, a pupil of Dutch grappling master Remco Pardoel and local boxing coach Terry Coulter, did the unthinkable. He handed the Brazilian, who in his prime had been a role model for Anderson and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), his first knockout loss. Critics were quick to point out that Pele was already on the down slope of his career, but it was also a case of him meeting a rising star that night.
Two and a half years after this fantastic achievement, Murray was again in the news, this time in connection with the February 2006 £53-million Securitas raid -- Britain's biggest cash robbery.
Murray is currently held in custody in Morocco, where he was arrested for the possession of a large amount of cocaine. Morocco and England are negotiating his extradition, but the fact that Murray is also holding a Moroccan passport has delayed and complicated matters.
4. David Baron (Pictures) vs. Sauli Heilimo on March 12, 2005 -- Stockholm, Sweden
When David Baron (Pictures) challenged Sauli Heilimo for the Shooto European title in March 2005, big wins for French fighters over top international competition were a rare sight.
His opponent, Finland's Heilimo, had made a name for himself as an excellent and durable ground fighter. He had won two of the grueling FinnFight tournaments and competed both in Japan and the United States.
In the second Shooto sanctioned event in Sweden, the duo clashed for the welterweight belt. Both men put on a wrestling and submission fighting clinic with Baron surviving numerous choke attempts in the opening round. After the break the French judoka found his rhythm and stuffed Heilimo's takedown attempts, then punished the Finn with a series of leg kicks on the ground. Inside the guard of his opponent, Baron also scored with punches and knee strikes to the ribcage.
From side control, the Frenchman eventually risked losing dominant position and went for an inverted triangle choke, one of the most difficult submissions to pull off. Baron crossed his legs in front of Heilimo's face, and within seconds the Finn was forced to tap for only the second time in his career.
Baron went on to clean up most of the welterweight division in Europe and recently returned to Japan for a career-defining win over legendary Shooter Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
3. Mattias Awad vs. Fabricio Nascimento (Pictures) on Oct. 8, 2005 -- Stockholm, Sweden
Seven months later Sweden again took center stage in Europe by hosting what many experts felt was the best show on the continent at the time.
Promoter European Vale Tudo had built a reputation in the previous two years by bringing in established professionals like Guy Mezger (Pictures) and Travis Lutter (Pictures) from the United States and pitting them against Scandinavia's best.
The recipe for the fifth show, called "Phoenix," was a different one. EVT put on a quartet of four-man, one-night tournaments to find the best fighters in Europe at 154, 168, 183 and 201 pounds. The welterweight grand prix was particularly talent-laden with rising French star Mohamed Khacha (Pictures), Nova Uniao Italia representative Fabricio Nascimento (Pictures), German kickboxer Dennis Siver (Pictures) and local hero Mattias Awad filling the brackets.
Nascimento, a BJJ black belt under André Pederneiras, had dispatched of Siver in a mere 47 seconds by kimura and was well rested. Awad, however, had to fight for eight hard minutes and needed a controversial referee stoppage to move into the finals. There the athletic Swede controlled his Brazilian opponent on the ground while persistently breaking down his defense with hard strikes from the top position.
Then, in the second round, something happened that even the most diehard Awad supporters wouldn't have expected. With less than a minute to go, the 30-year-old shootfighter took the back of Nascimento and submitted the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt via rear-naked choke.
As the first and only European Vale Tudo welterweight grand prix winner, Awad put Sweden on the map as a fighting nation.
2. Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos on Feb. 4, 2006 -- London, England
Fans looking to get their buddies interested in the sport need to look no further than this fight -- one of the fiercest stand-up wars ever.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (Pictures) had been considered as a challenger for Manhoef's Cage Rage title. Luckily for the fans, "The Phenom" turned down the fight, citing that Manhoef was not up to standard to fight him.
Although title fights often fail to live up to expectations, this clash between Dutch and Brazilian muay Thai stylists far exceeded the anticipation. Both men stood in the middle of the ring and banged it out for almost two rounds before one of them went down.
Cyborg fought a smart fight early, avoiding a direct exchange of blows by clinching and even putting Manhoef on his back. In the second round, though, Santos punched himself out.
Totally out of gas, both men stood in the middle of the cage trading shots. With his hands hanging at waist level, Cyborg gave Manhoef the opening he needed to end the fight. A vicious three-punch combination followed, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
It was Manhoef's penultimate fight for Cage Rage before permanently moving to Japan to fight exclusively for FEG's Hero's brand. The rough Dutchman has gone on to take all of his wins in Japan by knockout. Cyborg has recently arrived in Japan as well, and a smart promoter should immediately book a rematch between these two warriors.
1. Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) vs. Matt Lindland (Pictures) on April 14, 2007 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
There isn't a superlative that hasn't been used for Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures).
That's why it was a major sensation for "The Last Emperor" to return to fight in his home country for the first time in six years. When Emelianenko left for his new sporting home in Japan in 2001, he was a solid samboist who also knew how to punch a bit. When he returned in April 2007 to take on Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland (Pictures) in Russia, he was celebrated as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and acknowledged even by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
While the sporting value of the bout is still debated today -- Fedor outweighed Lindland by 20 pounds and illegally grabbed the ropes to gain a decisive advantage at one point -- it gave fans a glimpse of what Russia could be as a host for the MMA industry in the future.
Emelianenko's return to St. Petersburg also had consequences for several fight promoters. A disagreement between Fedor's management team and upstart MMA league Bodog Fight, which had co-promoted the Lindland fight, contributed to Bodog's eventual demise. The event also put M-1 Mix-Fight, the series of events hosted by Emelianenko's manager Vadim Finkelstein, in an international spotlight after it had secured sponsors from the United States.
Those who have followed the seemingly endless saga about the Russian heavyweight know the outcome: The American and Russian branches of M-1 Global parted ways, making Fedor a virtual free agent again. He is now booked to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) on clothing company Affliction's July 19 debut show.
Whether it will take Fedor another six years to return to his homeland for a fight remains to be seen.
