UFC’s best moments: Part I

During this expanded downtime with an extended break from major UFC or mixed martial arts action (thanks a lot, cancelled Canadian event!), we here at WGRD are looking back at our earliest and in some cases, most fond MMA memories. Today is a visit down memory lane that lands as one of the best submissions and comebacks in MMA history.

Today, you won't be able to find Frank Trigg in the UFC and Matt Hughes is somewhere in the middling ranks of his weight class and nearing retirement. Back in 2005, though, these two were the top of the welterweight division in the UFC. Their first bout ended in a choke out by Hughes two years earlier.

As the co-main event of the evening at UFC 52, the already highly anticipated fight lived up to its billing and much, much more. UFC President Dana White would later go on to call this fight the best he has ever seen and after watching the video, it is hard to disagree.

If watching Hughes come back from almost certain defeat to that cross-octagon body slam does not give you chills, you have probably accidentally clicked on this page. Turn around and kindly go find more things that are not American. The crowd's reaction when the champion Hughes slips the submission hold and physically carries Trigg across the octagon is one that is hard to match, even in the UFC's hay day of the present.

Hughes is a certain UFC Hall of Famer and is widely regarded as one of the best champions in the history of the sport. This match only proves why he was and still is a fan favorite, even in his waning years on the roster of the UFC.

There are not many fights that can be watched over and over, but Hughes-Trigg 2 at UFC 52 is one that can still give you chills on every viewing.

Sound off with your favorite moments or favorite bouts in the comments!