There are prospects who flash their potential by conquering opponents in their own age bracket, and there are those who prove they can handle foes of greater experience and are ready to challenge the elite of their division. ESPN's second annual list of the top 25 MMA fighters under the age of 25 features prospects on the rise and those who already have established themselves.

There are UFC contenders and there are champions from various promotions. There are familiar names and newcomers.

The top two fighters from last year's list -- A.J. McKee and Sean O'Malley -- are too old to be eligible this year, but half of the top 10 returns.

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ESPN's nine-person panel -- voters' names are listed below -- chose the prospects they view as possessing the most impressive combination of achievement and potential. Let the debates begin.

Marc Raimondi provides the breakdowns of the fighters.

1. Jimmy Crute (12-1)

UFC light heavyweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on March 4, 2021

Ranked No. 7 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

The Aussie earned the top spot after landing performance-of-the-night bonuses for two wins this year. On Feb. 22, Crute faced Michal Oleksiejczuk, who was our No. 11 fighter under 25 last year. Crute slammed him to the mat and slapped a kimura on him for a first-round stoppage. He then landed a vicious right hand to the jaw of Modestas Bukauskas for a first-round KO on Oct. 17. UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski make most of the MMA headlines out of Oceania, but Crute could be right there with them before long. The 6-foot-2 slugger is 4-1 in the UFC with finishes in all of his victories. The division is undergoing a facelift at the moment, and don't be surprised if Crute is a major player before long. He's laser-focused on fighting, to the point that he lives in his van parked in his gym's parking lot during training camps before fights.

2. Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1)

UFC middleweight

Age: 22, turns 25 on Nov. 20, 2022

Ranked No. 3 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

Despite a Fight Night main-event loss to middleweight contender Derek Brunson in August, Shahbazyan has enjoyed more success than any prospect under 25. He started his UFC career in 2018 with four straight wins, three by KO/TKO. One of those was a dazzling finish of veteran Brad Tavares at UFC 244 in November 2019. Shahbazyan, the protégé of Ronda Rousey and her coach Edmond Tarverdyan, has an incredibly bright future as a 185-pound contender.

3. Song Yadong (16-4-1)

UFC men's bantamweight

Age: 22, turns 25 on Dec. 2, 2022

Ranked No. 8 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

While Zhang Weili became the UFC's first Chinese-born champion last year in the strawweight division, Song is carving out his own path at bantamweight. And the path looks very good so far. The Team Alpha Male product is 5-0-1 in the UFC with a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera in May, his most recent bout. While Song has been the beneficiary of some very close decisions, there's no doubting his place among the top prospects in the UFC.

4. Aaron Pico (7-3)

Bellator featherweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Sept. 26, 2021

Ranked No. 13 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

It feels as though Pico has been a 'prospect' in MMA for years -- and he has. Yet, the Californian just turned 24. Pico made a major change in 2019, moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to train at JacksonWink MMA, the home of former UFC champs such as Jon Jones and Holly Holm. After dropping his first bout with that team, Pico has won three straight in Bellator -- including a second-round KO Thursday night -- and is using the wrestling that nearly got him to the Olympics much more. The sky remains the limit for someone with Pico's prodigious talent and pedigree.

5. Brendan Allen (15-4)

UFC middleweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Dec. 28

Was not on this list last year

Perhaps Allen not being on this list last year was an oversight, but there's no denying the Roufusport product now. A blue-chip middleweight prospect, Allen has gone 3-1 in the UFC since October 2019 with finishes of very solid fighters in Kevin Holland and Tom Breese. Allen lost via second-round TKO to Sean Strickland on Saturday. Allen, a South Carolinian, is also the former LFA middleweight champion -- a belt he won when he was just 22 years old. Allen is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with eight submissions in 15 career wins. But he also has power and creativity on the feet. 'All In' will be a problem at 185 pounds for a long time.

6. Maycee Barber (8-1)

UFC strawweight/women's flyweight

Age: 22, turns 25 on May 18, 2023

Ranked No. 6 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

Once one of the hottest prospects in all of MMA, Barber is currently sidelined following knee surgery, an injury she sustained in her first career loss, to Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 in January. Don't sleep on the Coloradan, though. Barber had just started working more with vaunted striking coach Duke Roufus, and Ben Askren, one of the best pure wrestlers ever in MMA, has taken her under his wing. The torn ACL is a temporary setback. Expect Barber to be back on a roll beginning in 2021.

7. James Gallagher (11-1)

Bellator bantamweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Oct. 24, 2021

Ranked No. 9 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

The protégé of Conor McGregor has won four in a row, three via submission finish. His 2018 loss to Ricky Bandejas seems like a lifetime ago. Now the challenge for Gallagher will be to defeat other contenders en route to a bantamweight title shot. The next year will be crucial for 'The Strabanimal' as he attempts to go from intriguing prospect with star potential to contender. Gallagher has a chance to be a real draw for Bellator in Europe, and the promotion is behind him. The time is now for a leap.

8. Arman Tsarukyan (15-2)

UFC lightweight

Age: 24, turns 25 onOct. 11, 2021

Ranked No. 25 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

Tsarukyan had the unenviable task of fighting Islam Makhachev, one of Khabib Nurmagomedov's main training partners, in his UFC debut last year. The ethnic Armenian who trains out of Russia took Makhachev to the limit in a fight of the night loss. Since then? Tsarukyan has won two straight, over Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Davi Ramos, the latter a Brazilian jiu-jitsu dynamo. The former hockey player is poised to be a force in the UFC's extremely deep lightweight division.

9. Sabina Mazo (9-1)

UFC women's flyweight

Age: 23, turns 25 on March 25, 2022

Ranked No. 23 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

Few have done more to improve their stock as a prospect over the past year than Mazo. Since August 2019, Mazo has won three straight and is coming off a third-round submission win over Justine Kish in September. Why was that so impressive? Mazo, from Colombia, is known more for her striking. The Kings MMA product is evolving her game and will be very problematic for her UFC women's flyweight peers in the stand-up department. Mazo also has power in both hands and a wicked head kick.

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10. Umar Nurmagomedov (12-0)

UFC men's bantamweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Jan. 3

Ranked No. 19 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

The cousin of Khabib should have made his UFC debut at UFC 254 last month, but he withdrew because of an illness. Last year, Nurmagomedov picked up an impressive win in PFL and won the Gorilla Fighting bantamweight title in Uzbekistan. Look for the Dagestani prospect -- who is a striker, unlike his wrestling-focused older cousin -- to make plenty of waves in 2021.

11. Angela Lee (10-2)

One women's atomweight champion

Age: 24, turns 25 on July 8, 2021

RankedNo. 14 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

In October, Lee announced that she was pregnant and would be out for a good portion of 2021. One Championship will allow Lee to keep her women's atomweight title and then defend it against the winner of an upcoming atomweight grand prix. There's no doubting that Lee is One's biggest female star and one of its biggest names overall. She had two losses in 2019 -- one up a weight class at strawweight -- but remains a force for the present and future once she returns.

12. Charles Jourdain (10-3-1)

UFC men's featherweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Nov. 27

Was not on this list last year

While 2020 has been unkind to Jourdain in terms of decisions -- he has a split-decision loss and a rare split draw on his record -- the Canadian has impressed, especially in that close loss to Andre Fili and a TKO win over Dooho Choi last December. Before signing with the UFC, Jourdain was the featherweight champion and interim champion for Canada's TKO promotion. He's in a tough 145-pound division in the UFC and has already faced stiff competition. Let's see how he does with more experience moving into 2021.

13. Miranda Maverick (8-2)

UFC women's flyweight

Age: 23, turns 25 onJuly 21, 2022

Was not on this list last year

Other UFC women's flyweight fighters probably won't be too excited to see Maverick in the opposite corner. The former Invicta one-night tournament winner is athletic, strong and powerful. Maverick, from Virginia, won her UFC debut against Liana Jojua last month via TKO (doctor's stoppage) after opening up a nasty cut on Jojua's nose in the first round. Maverick has won four straight overall.

14. Kay Hansen (7-4)

UFC strawweight

Age: 21, turns 25 on Aug. 14, 2024

Was not on this list last year

Hansen is one of the first female fighters of the generation to become interested in MMA because of Ronda Rousey. Hansen was inspired by Rousey's knockout of Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in 2015 and started training from there. The Californian has a ton of potential, too, although her moment was halted -- at least temporarily -- by a unanimous-decision loss to Cory McKenna, who's also on this list. Hansen made her UFC debut in June, finishing former Invicta atomweight champion Jinh Yu Frey with an armbar submission. Sounds kind of like Rousey.

15. Christian Lee (14-3)

One lightweight champion

Age: 22, turns 25 on June 21, 2023

Ranked No. 22 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

One Championship has featured Lee as an attraction for the past five years -- and he's still 22. Like his sister Angela, Lee is an MMA prodigy who grew up training in the sport in Hawai'i. 'The Warrior' has really come into his own lately. Since May 2019, Lee has won and defended the One lightweight title -- and won the One lightweight grand prix. He has five consecutive victories, four via finish, and his most recent loss was a disqualification due to an odd One rule banning suplexes.

16. Ismail Naurdiev (20-4)

Elite MMA Championship welterweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Aug. 18, 2021

Ranked No. 15 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

'The Austrian Wonderboy' had a 2-2 run in the UFC and departed the promotion earlier this year. Naurdiev rebounded from some uneven performances by winning a tournament semifinal bout in the Elite MMA Championship promotion in Germany, defeating Tymoteusz Lopaczyk. At just 24, the Chechen-born welterweight is likely to make his way back to the UFC before long. He's too talented not to. Naurdiev already has 20 career wins in eight years as a pro.

17. Ilia Topuria (9-0)

UFC men's featherweight

Age: 23, turns 25 on Jan. 21, 2022

Was not on this list last year

The German-born featherweight seems like the real deal after an impressive win over Youssef Zalal, who is also on this list, at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen on Oct. 10. Topuria, who fights out of Spain, is a perfect 9-0 and has six finishes in his pro career. Before coming to the UFC, he was the Cage Warriors bantamweight champion. Winning a title in that United Kingdom promotion is usually a solid marker for future success on the biggest stage.

18. Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0)

Bellator lightweight

Was not on this list last year

Another cousin of current pound-for-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman was signed by Bellator in October. Usman is 11-0 and trains with Khabib and his team at American Kickboxing Academy under coach Javier Mendez. Unlike his famous cousin, Usman is actually a striking specialist -- with excellent wrestling to boot. Ali Abdelaziz, who manages the Nurmagomedov clan in MMA, has said Usman is a 'better version' of Khabib. Scary.

19. Cory McKenna (6-1)

UFC strawweight

Age: 21, turns 25 on Nov. 7, 2024

Was not on this list last year

McKenna was a relative unknown as recently as three months ago, especially in the United States. But there's no downplaying what she has done. In August, the Wales native earned a contract into the UFC by beating Vanessa Demopoulos on Dana White's Contender Series. And on Saturday, she knocked off fellow under-25 standout Kay Hansen by unanimous decision. 'The Hobbit' is clearly making the most of her potential, training with UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California.

20. Chase Hooper (9-1-1)

UFC men's featherweight

Age: 21, turns 25 on Sept. 23, 2024

Was not on this list last year

Hooper debuted in the UFC with a finish of David Teymur last December. He has since lost to Alex Caceres, his first pro defeat. But the Washington native is definitely one to watch, even on social media, where he has developed a following with self-effacing posts.

21. Youssef Zalal (10-3)

UFC men's featherweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Sept. 4, 2021

Was not on this list last year

Zalal went 3-0 to start this year in the UFC before falling to Topuria last month. Zalal remains one of the top young names to watch in the lighter weight classes in the UFC. Training out of Factory X in Colorado under coach Marc Montoya, Zalal was a revelation earlier this year, winning twice during the pandemic -- and in exciting bouts. With his size -- 5-foot-10 -- and length, Zalal will be a tough out for other 145-pound fighters moving forward and will surely put on a show in the process.

22. Loma Lookboonmee (5-2)

UFC strawweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Jan. 18

Was not on this list last year

The muay Thai veteran and first Thai-born fighter to compete in the UFC, Lookboonmee is 2-1 so far in the promotion, with a loss to strawweight contender Angela Hill on her record. Lookboonmee rebounded with perhaps the best performance of her career, a comprehensive unanimous decision win over former Invicta champ Jinh Yu Frey last month. With her striking skills, the Tiger Muay Thai product will be hard to handle at 115 pounds.

23. Luigi Vendramini (9-1)

UFC lightweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on Jan. 16

Was not on this list last year

'The Italian Stallion' returned to the UFC in September after two years away, knocking out Jessin Ayari in the first round. It was an incredible performance in his comeback fight after injuries. Vendramini, who hails from Brazil, has just one career loss, to dangerous UFC welterweight Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Back down at lightweight, Vendramini appears to be a tough out moving forward.

24. Joshua Pacio (19-3)

One flyweight champion

Age: 24, turns 25 on Jan. 10

Was not on this list last year

Flying under the radar a bit in One Championship, Pacio has put together a sterling résumé. Pacio, from the Philippines, is a two-time (and current) One flyweight champion, with two straight title defenses to his name. He has lost just once in the past three years, to former champion Yosuke Saruta, and he avenged that in 2019 to regain the belt. Pacio fights out of Team Lakay, which has been a stalwart for Asia's One promotion since its inception in 2011.

25. Sage Northcutt (11-3)

One welterweight

Age: 24, turns 25 on March 1, 2021

Ranked No. 24 on ESPN's 25-under-25 list in 2019

It's hard to believe Northcutt is still under 25, since he has been a fixture in the MMA world since being 'discovered' on Dana White's 'Lookin' for a Fight' show in 2015. Northcutt was considered an uber prospect at the time, and he started his UFC career with two straight finishes. The Texan went 6-2 in the UFC, but the promotion didn't re-sign him when he was a free agent in 2018. Northcutt signed with One Championship, and he broke several bones in his face in his 2019 debut, a knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre. Northcutt has not fought since.

Panelists: Kel Dansby, Andrew Davis, Alisa Harrison, Ariel Helwani, Eric Jackman, Phil Murphy, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim

First, this is an impossible task. Second, it is only an opinion (and one that changed about twelve times while writing this article).

Picking the ten greatest fights in MMA history is like looking through a bag of your favorite chocolates and picking only ten. A list like this wholly depends on the viewer's vantage, tastes, and the time of day.

Still, picking the ten greatest MMA fights of all time was exactly what had to be done here. Both a fun and challenging task that is guaranteed to bring both praise and disagreement. Regardless, criteria needed to be selected.

The three criteria.

1. The fight itself had to have significant drama (the most important criteria). In other words, each fighter, at one point or another, must have been in a position to win the fight. This is main reason why Chuck Liddell and Fedor Emelianenko's names are not on this list. They both tend to dominate.

For example, in Emelianenko's win over Mirko Cro Cop, Cro Cop never really looked as if he was going to be the victor. Hence, the fight didn't make this list.

2. The bigger the stage the better. In other words, what the fight meant was a major criteria. Non- championship bouts didn't get as much love as those giving out belts. TUF finales were also looked at with high regard due to the stakes involved, as were PRIDE Grand Prix style matches.

In addition, due in part to the mixed martial arts television blackout during the late 1990's and early 2000's, some good fights are absent from this list. The reason? The stage was lacking.

3. Only PRIDE and UFC bouts were considered. To go beyond the two major organizations would be to add even more chaos to a difficult task.

So, without further ado, here we go.

10. Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida I

The Stage - PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 on 11/9/03

At this point in his career, PRIDE Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva, had rattled off an impressive 13 straight bouts without a loss. He seemed unstoppable. Further, Judo Gold Medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, had only three MMA fights under his belt.

Even so, it was a great fight.

Early on, Yoshida proved his takedown prowess, dropping Silva to the ground rather easily. While on the ground, Yoshida nearly won via neck crank; Silva almost pulled off a triangle choke.

Even better, throughout this two round fight, Yoshida proved his worth standing, taking punch after punch from Silva without falter (and returning some of that fire as well). In the end, Silva was the better man via unanimous decision.

But this was a fight that seemed as if it could've gone either way on several occasions.

9. Josh Barnett vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

The Stage - PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute on 9/10/06.

What a ground war. Though there were some decent exchanges on their feet, these two went from submission attempt to submission attempt on one another while on the ground. It could've served as a clinic on flowing submissions and escapes. Further, each combatant took their turn being on top and bottom of the ground exchanges.

As time expired, Barnett had Nogueira in a knee bar. Might that have finished the fight: who knows? What we do know is that final submission attempt probably won him the fight via decision.

8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp

The Stage - PRIDE Shockwave on 8/28/02.

Sapp, a former professional football player weighing in at 350 pounds, had demolished the only two MMA opponents he'd faced coming into this bout. In short, he hit very hard, was inhumanly strong, and, was, well, huge. Nogueira on the other hand, was much smaller and less powerful, but was (and is) the Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu master.

In short, the bout started with Sapp throwing Nogueira around like a rag doll. He even slammed him on his head, making many onlookers, including this writer, grimace. However, despite Sapp's somewhat gruesome domination early on, Nogueira did what he always does.

He persevered.

Toward the end of the first round, evidence surfaced that Sapp was tiring. By the second round, there was no doubt. Soon after, Nogueira's submission game established itself in the form of an armbar. A great two round fight that cemented Nogueira's legendary status.

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7. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II

The Stage - UFC 52 on 4/16/05

Short and absolutely sweet. This was a fight where the unthinkable happened. Trigg struck Hughes in the groin; Hughes then turned to referee Mario Yamasaki to complain.

Poor move.

Yamasaki hadn't seen it, and Hughes got pelted with punches he wasn't ready for by Trigg. Next thing you know, Trigg has his back, and the choke is sunk in deep. Hughes begins to turn red, even purple. It seems as if his run as champion is about to end.

But this is Matt Hughes, remember.

First, he escapes the choke. Next, he picks Trigg up in the air and walks him to his own corner.

Then perhaps the greatest slam of all- time occurs. Next thing you know, Hughes has Trigg in a rear naked choke.

Then Trigg taps. Perhaps the most exciting four minutes and five seconds in an MMA bout ever.

6. Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock

The Stage - PRIDE 19 Bad Blood on 2/24/02.

There's a reason why this one was called 'Bad Blood'. Before the fight, Shamrock was downright steamed, indicating that Frye had said things about his family. In fact, they nearly had a fight at the press conference.

With both fighters trying to recapture their former glory on the comeback trail (this was Shamrock's fourth fight after taking over three years off and Frye's third fight after nearly five years off), this one could've been ripe for disappointment.

In short, it wasn't.

These two guys fought a war. At one point, Shamrock nearly won the fight via leglock. However, despite the fact that Frye was clearly caught, he showed an immense degree of toughness and refused to tap (eventually Shamrock tired and he escaped).

This fight was great on the ground and standing. After a grueling three round fight, the judges rendered their scorecards.

A split decision victory for Don Frye.

5. Kendall Groves vs. Ed Herman

The stage - TUF 3 finale on 6/24/06.

'It was a close fight,' said Herman. 'It could've gone either way.'

You're darned right, it could've.

What a war! These two that had spent eons in a house together during the TUF 3 show. You'd think that would make them want to take it easy on each other. After all, they were friends.

Not so.

For the most part, this fight took place on the ground, even though there were clearly some nice stand up exchanges (most of which Groves won).

When on the ground, it seemed as if they were putting on a clinic. In short, each fighter went from dangerous position on the mat to dangerous position, proving both their ability to both employ and escape submissions. Probably the thing that gave Groves the unanimous decision was the fact that the fight ended with Herman in a rear naked choke.

And this time it didn't look like he was going to get out of it.

Still, the way this fight was going, you never know.

4. Royce Gracie vs. Dan Severn

The Stage - UFC 4 championship bout on 12/16/94.

This was the match that truly proved Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu's worth once and for all. For the first time, Royce Gracie came face to face with an elite athlete from a popular American sport. In the eyes of many, Dan Severn's Greco- Roman wrestling career put him at a different level than Royce's previous UFC opponents (he was a four time All American wrestler at Arizona State that formerly had held the American record for victories by pin).

Perhaps just as important, Severn outweighed Gracie by 90 pounds.

With no time limits or rounds, the fight pretty much started and ended in the same position. Severn immediately took Royce down, showing his wrestling advantage. From there, Royce got him in the guard. And that's pretty much where they stayed for over 15 minutes. Severn pounded on Gracie through most of the fight, while all Gracie could do was protect himself. In short, things didn't look good for the man from Rio de Janeiro.

That is, until just after the fifteen minute mark when Gracie pulled off a submission that many Americans had never seen. Something called a triangle choke; a submission engineered from the bottom position with one's legs.

At 15:49 of the fight, Severn tapped, and Royce Gracie's legend reached near epic proportions.

3. Royce Gracie vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

The Stage - PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals on 5/1/00.

Today, Pride championship bouts total twenty minutes (one 10 minute round followed by two five minute rounds). Fighters have to be in great shape to make it through such an event.

Now imagine fighting for over an hour and a half. That's exactly what Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba did in this bout.

After Kazushi Sakuraba ( a catch wrestler ) defeated Royler Gracie by submission ( the first loss by a Gracie on the world stage in quite some time ), the stage was set. Royce Gracie came back to set the record straight, joining Sakuraba in PRIDE's first ever Grand Prix tournament. They met in the second round under special rules that included no time limits (though there were rounds).

Early in the fight, Sakuraba nearly finished Gracie by knee bar. Later on, Gracie nearly caught Sakuraba in a guillotine choke. However, as the fight wore on, Gracie became unable to take Sakuraba down. Further, the Japanese fighter continually utilized Royce's gi, a piece of clothing that had done so well by him in the past, against him.

Sakuraba's leg kicks eventually became too much for the Brazilian. Royce's brother threw in the towel after an hour and a half of fighting, through which Gracie had suffered a broken foot.

And with that, some of the mysticism of Gracie Jiu- Jitsu was gone. A Gracie could be defeated, even Royce, and an elite Japanese mixed martial artist named, Kazushi Sakuraba, had proved it.

2. Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin

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The Stage - TUF 1 finale on 4/9/05.

These two guys will forever be stars because of this fight. They set the precedent for great TUF finale fights, for sure.

Was it pretty? No. Was it a display of elite kickboxing techniques? Not in total, though there were some moments (such as Bonnar's spinning back kick). However, this fight was a display of heart, courage, and determination.

In other words, it was a brawl; perhaps unlike any that had ever graced an MMA stage.

Afterward, via split decision, Griffin got the edge. Did he deserve it? Who knows? All we do know is that many people, including UFC commentator, Joe Rogan, thought it was one of the best, if not the best MMA fights they'd ever seen.

1. Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn II

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The Stage - UFC 63 on 9/23/06.

Last time these two met, Penn had submitted Hughes via rear naked choke in the first round. Coming in, both fighters had a lot on the line. A win for Hughes would cement him as perhaps the greatest pound for pound mixed martial artist in history (in the eyes of many), while a loss might actually do the same for Penn.

In short, legacies were on the line.

Penn dominated early on, doing something that no other fighter had ever been able to accomplish against Hughes; he stopped his takedowns. Somehow, Penn had managed stay balanced, often on one leg, as Hughes attempted a host of single leg takedowns against him.

Due to the UFC Welterweight Champion's inability to take the fight to the ground, Penn got his chance to throw punches. He immediately proved he was the better man on his feet. The man from Hawaii won the first round rather easily.

In the second, Hughes finally got Penn to the ground. Good thing, right? Well, not initially, anyway. Penn caught Hughes in a triangle choke that nearly did him in. But somehow, through sheer guts and determination, Hughes persevered and got through that round without tapping or passing out.

During that round, unbeknownst to spectators, Penn injured a rib. In addition, he apparently spent all his energy trying to submit Hughes.

A bad thing against a man that trains with Miletich Fighting Systems. They never gas.

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In the third, Penn was a different fighter; a tired fighter. Hughes, on the other hand, wasn't. He beat Penn to the punch on several occasions and then took him down. He got him in the crucifix position.

And then he pounded his way to a John McCarthy stoppage.

Afterwards, Matt Hughes answered Joe Rogan's questions with a sense of pride. 'I knew I had all my guys in my corner; they weren't with me, but they were in my heart. Just like the Lord Jesus Christ was with me, so I had no doubt.'

That sense of supreme confidence, that ability to handle adversity, is why Matt Hughes is who he is.

Why this one was number one.

First, the drama. Both Penn and Hughes had each other in terrible positions. Penn did not escape, while Hughes did.

Though this fight did not mean as much to the sport as the two Gracie encounters that made this list, it was a far more exciting fight than both of those.

Perhaps just as important was the stage. This one went beyond a championship bout; as was said earlier, legacies were at stake. Hughes needed to defeat the only person in recent memory to defeat him in order to perhaps solidify his spot as the most dominant fighter of his generation (he and Fedor seem to be the two vying for this quasi title).

And that's what he did.

Beyond all of this, Penn represented, perhaps, the most perfectly constructed opponent to Hughes's skills. Great on his feet, near flawless takedown defense, and unbelievable submission from the guard, all of which would seemingly contrast well with Hughes's style.

Last, MMA has never been bigger than it is now. Thus, the stage today is larger by sheer demand than any previous. Thus, the fact that this fight recently happened held some weight.

This one should go to a trilogy.

Some Honorable Mentions (there were many others)

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Royce Gracie vs. Kimo Leopoldo (on 9/9/94)

Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock (on 9/24/99)

Randy Couture vs. Kevin Randleman (on 11/17/00)

Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (on 6/23/02)

Phil Baroni vs. Matt Lindland II (on 2/28/03)

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I (on 3/16/03)

Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona (on 6/20/04)

Luiz Azeredo vs. Takanori Gomi I (5/22/05)

Best Mma Kos Ever

Phil Baroni vs. Ikuhiso Minowa (5/22/05)

Takanori Gomi vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (on 9/25/05)

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Mark Hunt (on 12/31/05)

Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan (on 8/17/06)

So and so vs. So and so (on pick a date)

You get the picture.