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3. Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
Pride 28
Oct. 31, 2004 | Saitama, Japan

Silva authored many a highlight-reel knockout in Pride, but none were more brutal than this one. He had already stopped Jackson with knees a year earlier, and fight fans awaited the rematch with baited breath and foaming mouths. The two light heavyweights did not disappoint, as they picked up where they left off and went about trying to kill each other for more than 13 minutes. In the end, Silva was in better shape, landed the harder strikes and wore out the American powerhouse before kneeing him to a pulp in the second round.

Jackson was gasping for air when he walked into a flailing right hook. The punch buckled his knees, and Silva went for the kill. “The Axe Murderer” doled out five knees from the collar tie, though Jackson defended them well. He did not block the sixth one, however, and it knocked “Rampage” unconscious. Jackson dropped face-first onto the ropes, bobbing up and down like a buoy, blood spilling onto the white canvas beneath him. It remains one of Pride’s most enduring images.

Number 2 » Croatian Crunch