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Five great 'comeback' fights to match Silva

Anderson Silva's comeback followed Brock Lesnar's recovery from a beating at UFC 116 © UFC

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The summer of 2010 is quickly turning out to be the season of "The Comeback" in MMA, with last Saturday playing host to the third great escape in as many months as Anderson Silva submitted Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.

The drama started at UFC 114 when undefeated heavyweight contender Todd Duffee looked to follow up his record setting seven-second knockout of Tim Hague with another victory over the less-than-athletic looking Mike Russow. Russow took the best that Duffee could throw at him for two rounds, eating a barrage of meaty uppercuts, but after 12 minutes of sheer punishment Russow threw a looping shot that landed on the temple, knocking Duffee out cold with his head bouncing back up off the canvas. Up until that point Duffee was regarded as the next man to work his way into the heavyweight title picture, but instead he fell victim to what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

The comebacks continued at UFC 116 in July, when heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar survived a first-round savaging at the hands of Shane Carwin, which Lesnar likened to Hurricane Katrina, before regrouping and submitting Carwin in the second round. The heavyweight title has arguably never been closer to changing hands without actually doing so as Carwin gave Lesnar the fight of his life. However, Brock proved he not only has the heart of a champion but also the chin to match, as he came back from the brink to retain his title in impressive fashion.

And then there was last weekend at UFC 117, when Anderson "The Spider" Silva put on the comeback of all comebacks as the Brazilian endured 23 minutes of ground and pound misery at the hands of Chael Sonnen, only to survive the onslaught, finishing the challenger with less than two minutes remaining. It was the first time UFC fans had ever seen Silva in a dog fight, but he pulled it out of the bag with a last-ditch triangle choke that retained his title, in what was arguably the greatest comeback in UFC history.

In light of Silva's unforgettable win, it seems appropriate to look back at some of the other memorable comebacks that have taken place over the years.

Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell (The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 Finale, 2006)
As the fourth installment of The Ultimate Fighter came to a head, new best friends Scott Smith and Pete Sell faced one another at the Season Finale. Smith and Sell both came out swinging for the fences in a first-round stand-up war that saw both men 'high five' on several occasions. With their friendship on the backburner, it was clear both fighters just wanted to put on a show for the fans. Sell had the better of the stand-up in round two, staying in the pocket to connect with better shots, and landed a left hook to the liver that sent Smith reeling back to the fence in clear discomfort.

As Sell charged in to finish off his injured opponent, Smith put all his eggs in one basket as he threw a last-ditch right hand that connected perfectly to knock Sell out. Smith then crumbled to the floor, rolling around in agony as the doctor moved in to examine what were suspected broken ribs. Like a scene from a movie as both men lay out on the canvas only two feet away from one another, Smith had seemed finished, but had one last shot in his right hand that gave him a famous victory.

Antonio Nogueira vs. Heath Herring (UFC 73, 2007)
Minotauro Nogueira came into the UFC aiming to one day be the first man to hold both the Pride and UFC heavyweight titles. Nogueira would first have to overcome old foe Heath Herring, having defeated "The Texas Crazy Horse" in both of their previous encounters. Nogueira was having the better of the stand-up for most of round one too before Herring landed a picture-perfect head kick that laid the Brazilian flat out on the mat. Herring then pounced and landed a number of hammer fists, but with only twenty seconds of the round remaining he surprisingly decided to stand back up and allow the clearly wobbled Nogueira back to his feet. The opportunity had been missed as Nogueira staggered back to his corner, having been on the verge of suffering the first stoppage loss of his career.

At the start of the second round Nogueira was still clearly feeling the effects but slowly came back into the fight, winning round two. The third and final stanza was more like the Nogueira of old with a dominating display that, despite a game performance from Herring, showcased the Brazilian's far superior ground game. As the judges rendered a unanimous decision in favour of Nogueira, Herring was left rueing the opportunity he let pass him by, while Minotauro once again lived up to his reputation of being able to take untold amounts of damage while still finding a way to win.

Shonie Carter vs. Matt Serra (UFC 31, 2001)
At UFC 31, undefeated submission specialist Matt "The Terror" Serra made his UFC debut against "Mr International" Shonie Carter. Serra displayed world class, high speed jiu-jitsu throughout the entire first round, running rings around Carter. He was even getting the better of the stand-up until Carter landed a spinning elbow that flattened Serra as the horn sounded for the end of round one.

The elbow was enough to let Serra know that his opponent was still very much in the contest, and after what was a closer second round, the third got underway with Serra transitioning at such a fast pace that Carter was once again struggling to keep up. As the fight entered its final stages both men were looking tired, but with only ten seconds remaining, Carter connected with a vicious spinning back-fist that finished the fight. Serra was done, and Carter didn't even attempt to follow up, instead celebrating what would become one of today's most famous UFC highlight reel knockouts.

Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar I (UFC 81, 2008)
Going into this fight, the question on everyone's lips was; could former pro-wrestling star Brock Lesnar compete in a "real" combat environment? Lesnar answered that question early, just five seconds into the fight, shooting for and completing a huge takedown that sent former champion Frank Mir crashing to the mat. Lesnar landed some heavy shots as Mir looked in danger of being stopped, but referee Steve Mazzagatti bizarrely stepped in to call time-out, without any warning, and deducted a point from Lesnar after he deemed a strike hit the back of Mir's head.

As the fight re-started, a straight right dropped Mir as Lesnar continued to punish his opponent. However, as Mir was being completely dominated and overwhelmed, he suddenly tried and failed with an armbar attempt before locking in a perfect kneebar that forced the debuting Lesnar to tap, handing Mir yet another impressive submission victory to add to his record. Despite the loss, Lesnar had proved he was the real deal. The fight only lasted 90 seconds, but for 88 of those Lesnar piled on the pressure and gave Mir a beating. Like all true champions, Mir dug deep and found a way to win, but Brock would be back.

Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II (UFC 52, 2005)
Welterweight champion Matt Hughes defended his title against Frank Trigg for the second time at UFC 52, having submitted the challenger via rear naked choke at UFC 45. Both men instantly met in the middle of the Octagon in the rematch, tying one another up before a low knee from Trigg sent Hughes into retreat mode. The low blow wasn't picked up by the badly positioned referee and Trigg dropped the champion with a left before following up with a flurry of shots that left Hughes badly rocked. The fight looked on the verge of a stoppage as Trigg gave Hughes a dose of his own ground and pound medicine, forcing Hughes to give up his back, offering Trigg the chance of like-for-like revenge for their previous meeting. Trigg struggled to control Hughes, but eventually locked in the rear naked choke as the blood rushed to the head of Hughes.

The champion turned and escaped the choke and as both men worked their way back to their feet, Hughes scooped Trigg up onto his shoulder, ran the length of the Octagon, and slammed the challenger into the mat. Pounding down on the now exhausted Trigg, Hughes rained elbows and punches until Trigg turned to give up his back. Hughes rolled Trigg over and sunk in the rear naked choke, and as the challenger tried to defend, Hughes converted into a deep choke that left his opponent with no choice but to tap. Hughes had survived one of the biggest scares of his career, albeit instigated by a low blow, and the champion came through to retain his title in dramatic fashion in what is one of many examples of why he is more than worthy of his place in the UFC Hall Of Fame.

Chris Park is mmatorch.com's UK specialist. To visit mmatorch.com, click here.

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