Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has often been compared to professional wrestling due to the pre-fight theatrics. The promotional videos, pre-fight interviews, and fighter staredowns get the juices flowing for all fight fans. It is all an appetizer for fight night, where everyone tunes in to crown a winner and loser. But what happens when a result is predetermined, just like a pro wrestling match?
Sports are driven by superstars and MMA is no different. Therefore, MMA is not immune to fixing fights. A fight fix can ensure that a popular fighter moves on to bigger fights. While it is difficult to stage MMA fights in today’s era due to technological advancements and social media, there is always a possibility. Here are some MMA fights in the past and present that may have been staged.
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13 Shamrock vs. Severn II
Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn rematched at UFC 9. The event is a blackeye for the promotion as it was the only event where closed fist strikes were illegal due to Senator John McCain's hatred for the MMA. Shamrock and Severn circled one another for a majority of the fight, with fans booing mercilessly. Severn defeated Shamrock via split decision.
12 Severn vs. Ritch
In what can only be described as a poor man's pro wrestling match, Dan Severn fought Shannon Ritch in a rematch at Extreme Wars: X-1. The first round appeared to be like any regular fight, but Severn's two attempts of a belly-to-belly suplex began to raise eyebrows. The second round is where things took a turn as Severn overreacted to Ritch's leg kicks. Severn submitted Ritch with an arm-triangle choke later into the round.
11 Slice vs. Shamrock
In 2015, Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock finally met at Bellator 138. The two fighters were way past their primes at that point and the fight lasted a little over two minutes. Shamrock took down Slice with ease and immediately secured a rare-naked choke. But Slice casually escaped and got back to his feet. Slice would knockout Shamrock moments later. The fight was Slice's first MMA victory since 2009.
10 Frye vs. Hall III
Don Frye and Mark Hall fought for the third time at Ultimate Ultimate 1996. The fight only lasted 20-seconds, as Frye submitted Hall with an Achilles lock. However, Hall allegedly threw the fight because both fighters had the same manager. Frye had won the two previous fights against Hall and wanted to conserve energy for Tank Abbott in the tournament's final.
9 Sakuraba vs. Mezger
Kazushi Sakuraba and Guy Mezger fought at the opening round of Pride Grand Prix 2000. Mezger dominated the fight heading into the decision. Unfortunately, the judges scored the fight as a draw, which required an overtime round to determine a winner. Mezger's team was furious with the decision and stormed back to the locker room. Sakuraba won the fight due to forfeit.
8 Bang vs. Kuntz
Before Tae Hyun Bang and Leo Kuntz fought at UFC Fight Night 79, UFC officials warned both fighters about fight fixing. Bang and Kuntz denied any involvement, but reports after the fight claimed that Bang admitted to wagering on Kuntz to win the fight. Bang was reportedly bribed about organized crime members and received death threats for winning the fight.
7 Sapp vs. The World
Bob Sapp's fights are controversial due to his bizarre actions. Sapp purposely quits in fights and has lost a majority of his recent fights due to technical knockout (TKO). Sapp engages with opponents at the beginning then taps out to strikes after he gets hit with a clean strike. Sapp basically admitted to this gameplan, citing that the money he makes does not justify taking unnecessary damages.
6 Sakuraba vs. Leopoldo
Kazushi Sakuraba made his MMA debut against Kimo Leopoldo at Shoot Boxing 1996. The fight was entirely a grappling affair. Both fighters had their moments in the fight but there were barely any strikes to the head, mostly body punches. Leopoldo eventually submitted Sakuraba with an arm-triangle choke.
5 Emelianenko vs. Bengtsson
Alexander Emelianenko, the brother of legendary heavyweight Fedor, fought Eddy Bengtsson at ProFC 15. Bengtsson, an Olympic wrestler, was not able to takedown Emelianenko. The fight lasted 40-seconds as Bengtsson fell to the canvas due to a weak jab from Emelianenko. Bengtsson pretended to be knocked out, with a visibly confused Emelianenko winning the fight.
4 Ishii vs. Prochazka
Satoshi Ishii fought Jiri Prochazka at Rizin World Grand Prix 2015. Prochazka finished the Olympic gold medalist Ishii in the first round. However, the replay clearly showed that Ishii blocked Prochazka's head kick attempt but Ishii went down. None of Prochazka's subsequent strikes landed clean before Ishii again dropped to the floor. The referee waved off the fight after Prochazka's knees to the head were not defended.
3 Sonnen vs. Ortiz
Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz met at Bellator 170. The fight did not last long as Ortiz immediately for a takedown. Sonnen secured a front headlock position and attempted a D'Arce choke--some fans claim Ortiz tapped out to the choke. Ortiz reversed the position and secured back mount moments later. Sonnen would tap out to a rare-naked choke, which seemed like it was fully locked in.
2 Slice vs. Petruzelli
Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli killed EliteXC. Slice was a household name and 3-0 in the promotion. Slice's scheduled opponent, Ken Shamrock, withdrew from the fight hours before the event. Petruzelli stepped in as the replacement and knocked out Slice within a few seconds. Petruzelli later claimed that he was paid extra to not takedown Slice but retracted the comments after backlash.
1 Coleman vs. Takada
Mark Coleman was on a three-fight losing streak in the UFC before moved over to Pride. Coleman fought Nobuhiko Takada, a popular Japanese pro wrestler, at Pride 5. It was obvious that Coleman was intentionally missing strikes and he refused to leave Takada's guard, opting to strike Takada's thighs rather than the head. Takada submitted Coleman with a heel hook in the second round.
Sources: UFC, Bellator, MMA Junkie, MMA Mania, Bleacher Report, Bloody Elbow
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