The List: The 10 Most Feared Signature Moves in MMA History RJ Gardner September 1, 2014 News The one thing I loved about professional wrestling growing up was the signature move; the finishing move wrestlers always used to beat their opponents. You always knew it was coming but that didn’t make it any less exciting. MMA is not pro wrestling by any means, as it is a real athletic competition between two highly trained athletes, not just a physical representation of theater. While fights can end in the most spectacular and unexpected ways, there have been fighters that seem to have an innate ability to end fights in “signature” fashion. #10 – Edson Barboza’s Leg Kicks Barboza is a violent striker and one of the most skilled kickers in all of MMA; his weapon of choice the leg kick. Most fighters use leg kicks to wear opponents down and to set up other techniques. Barboza uses leg kicks to end fights. #9 – Fedor Emelianenko’s Kimura Without question, Emelianenko is the greatest heavyweight of all-time and he is one of the most skilled fighters to have ever competed in MMA. Emelianenko’s blend of world class Sambo and Judo made him the most dominant fighter of his era. One of his favorite weapons was the devastating Kimura; three of Emelianenko’s 16 career submission victories came by way of Kimura. #8 – Bas Rutten’s Liver Shot Rutten was one of MMA’s true pioneers as he was one of the first pure strikers to add a high level ground game to his arsenal. But it’s not Rutten’s grappling that lands him on the list; it is his pinpoint striking accuracy. Rutten showed the world how devastating a well placed body shot can be; beating three different opponents by way of liver shot. #7 – Mauricio Rua’s Soccer Kicks There are a lot of reasons not to miss Pride FC; the freakshow fights, the Grand Prix, the entrances. It was more spectacular than sport in many ways, but it was an elite competition at the end of the day. One of the best fighters Pride had to offer was Rua and his favorite weapon was something unique to Pride; the soccer kick. There is nothing more exhilarating than watching the violence that is the soccer kick. #6 – Team Alpha Male’s Guillotine Choke Team Alpha Male is one of the premier training camps in all of MMA and it is the destination of choice for some of the best “little men” in the world; Team Alpha Male is primarily made up of fighters under 155 pounds. All the fighters at the camp are elite wrestlers and all of them employ an amazing guillotine choke. If a Team Alpha Male fighter wins by submission there is a good chance it will be by way of guillotine. #5 – Wanderlei Silva’s Knees During his Pride days, Silva was a beast. His all go, throw caution to the wind style of brutality endeared him to MMA fans all over the world. Silva is best in close where he could utilize his violent knee attacks. If you want to see Silva at his best, go back and watch his fight against Rampage Jackson at Pride 28. #4 Ronda Rousey’s Armbar Rousey is the best women’s fighter in the world and that is largely attributed to her Olympic Judo pedigree. Her ability to throw her opponents to the mat and force them to give up their arm is just amazing; all of her first eight pro wins came by way of armbar. Even though they all knew it was coming, none of them could stop it. #3 Chuck Liddell’s Overhand Right There are many fighters who have used the overhand right with great success, but none more so than Liddell. At one point during his career he won seven straight UFC bouts all by way of knockout. His ability to stalk his opponents waiting for the perfect time to unleash his power was tremendous. #2 – Anderson Silva’s Thai Clinch Arguably the greatest fighter in the history of MMA, Anderson Silva is technical brilliance at it’s finest. Where Wanderlei is brilliant to watch because of his sheer brutality in the clinch, Anderson is amazing to watch because of his artistry. Anderson’s pin point accuracy is what makes his clinch so devastating. #1 – Mirko Cro Cop’s High Kick All of the techniques mentioned above are deadly and feared, but none more so than the high kick of Mirko Cro Cop. As one of the greatest strikers in MMA history, Cro Cop’s record is littered with knockouts and his favorite weapon was the high kick. No one in MMA history has used the high kick the way Cro Cop did and no one ever will.
