9. Mark Coleman Throws Fight in Pride
Mark Coleman has more or less admitted to taking a dive in his fight with Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 5. While we know other fights in Pride were fixed as well, this one carries particular significance.
Coleman had been the UFC heavyweight champion, though he had since lost the title. Takada was a famous professional wrestler, and an executive behind the scenes at Pride. The first ever Pride event was headlined by Takada making his MMA debut, unsuccessfully, against Rickson Gracie. He would again lose to Gracie at Pride 4.
At Pride 5 the company really wanted Takada to look good, and nothing looks better than beating an American former heavyweight champion. Coleman would later state that they offered him more fights down the road if he lost, and he did what he had to do to support his family.
