5 most memorable fights between TUF coaches in UFC history
This weekend sees UFC 266 go down from Las Vegas. In the main event, TUF 29 coaches Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega will battle for the UFC featherweight title.
Over the years, we’ve seen numerous historic battles between TUF coaches in the UFC. So fans will hope Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega lives up to the hype.
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Sure, there have also been TUF coaches’ fights that disappointed, and others that never took place. But a great deal of them have been stone-cold classics that are still fondly remembered even today.
On that note, here are the five most memorable battles between TUF coaches in UFC history.
#5: Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell – UFC 52
The first fight between TUF coaches came way back in 2005 at the end of the inaugural season of the reality show.
Given the juggernaut-like rise of the UFC in the years that have followed, it’s difficult to really explain the importance of the fight between UFC light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture and challenger Chuck Liddell today.
The truth, though, is that the UFC had plenty riding on the clash, which main-evented UFC 52. Sure, the TUF Finale a week prior was a big hit with fans, thanks to the wild clash between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. But had UFC 52 flopped as a pay-per-view, the UFC would likely have been in trouble.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. While Couture and Liddell’s fight didn’t last long – just over two minutes – it was still a highly memorable fight that made a major impact.
UFC 52: Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture 2 full fight video mmafighting.com/2019/5/30/1864… https://t.co/fQyQkmOrQt
The fight took place entirely standing, and saw Liddell knock Couture out with a brutal right-hand counterpunch as ‘The Natural’ attempted to swarm him.
The win turned ‘The Iceman’ into the UFC’s new poster boy, a spot he enjoyed for the next few years. In the process, he opened the eyes of a whole new audience to the wonders and sudden violence that MMA could provide.
UFC 52 was a big hit on pay-per-view, drawing 280K buys – a UFC record at the time. From there, the only way was up for the promotion. There have been better TUF coaches’ fights in the years that have followed, but few made the impact that this one did.