10. Carlos Condit vs. Thiago Alves
Condit has long been one of MMA’s finest purveyors of extreme violence, a whirling dervish of destruction who does not appear to be comfortable in the cage unless he is garbed in a crimson mask of his own or his opponent’s blood. Elbows are the perfect weapon for one as dedicated to causing diverse forms of physical harm as Condit, and he employs them with sterling technique from his back, in top position and, most importantly, standing.
In order to exploit this, Condit threw a weak right hand, more of a feint than a real strike, as he stepped across. Alves replied with the dipping left hook, and as his head dropped down, Condit slammed an upward-arcing left elbow into Alves’ face. The blow dropped him to the ground and shattered his nose, leaving his nasal bone lodged in his forehead. The Brazilian somehow managed to survive several minutes more of punishment, but the doctor took one look at his nose between rounds and called it off.
It was an outstanding strike that summed up Condit’s creativity, intelligence and viciousness.
Number 9 » Marquardt vs. Woodley