9. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1
Sonnen singlehandedly ushered in the trash-talking era of the UFC by putting longtime champion Anderson Silva, and the entire country of Brazil on blast in such a bold manner that he talked himself into title contention.
Few pundits gave Sonnen much of a chance of winning, but he stunned everyone by troubling Silva on the feet. And on the mat, his stifling wrestling seemed to be shutting down any chance of ‘The Spider’ staging a comeback. When Sonnen took Silva down again in the final round, it appeared the champion’s reign was over. But with less than two minutes remaining, he saw a brief opening to cinch up a triangle choke. He then doubled down by also applying an armbar to produce one of the most stunning come-from-behind victories ever.
