RELATED: Every UFC Event In Japan, Ranked From Worst To BestĬoleman practically admitted that the fight was a fix when he said 'It was what it was' in a later interview and mentioned how he needed to ensure the financial security of his family. Future UFC Champion Bas Rutten was incredulous on commentary and Takada soon got Coleman in a heel hook and the latter tapped out in theatrical fashion. Coleman comically tried not to land strikes on Takada while on the ground and even moved into Takada's guard voluntarily while he was on top.
Desperate to regain his prestige, Takada took part in a few 'fixed' MMA matches in Pride, the most famous one being a bout against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman at Pride 5. Takada lost to Rickson Gracie in the main event of the first-ever Pride event and while the show was a financial success, Takada was vilified by the Japanese press for his loss.
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Japan's Pride FC was the most prominent MMA organization 20 years ago, and it initially gained popularity due to the presence of professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada in its ranks. Like most MMA fighters, Ortiz would not stick to his retirement plan and returned for two more bouts and is technically still an active performer. Both Ortiz and Sonnen refuted the allegations and had a surprising backer in UFC President Dana White who reasoned that their advanced age might have played a part in the early finish. Many fans including then UFC analyst Dan Hardy speculated that the match could have been a work, theorizing that Ortiz did not have the choke properly under the chin, and it was unlikely that the hold could have made even a decent amateur tap out, let alone a veteran like Sonnen. As expected, the fight between the 42-year-old Ortiz and the 40-year-old Sonnen did not stretch too long and Ortiz got the victory with a version of a rear-naked choke. In any case, poor Abbott was on the wrong side of the win column once again in the final, losing to Frye via rear-naked choke in just over a minute.Īfter a late-career resurgence that yielded an ultimately unsuccessful Bellator Light Heavyweight title shot, Tito Ortiz was said to be ready to hang up his gloves after a bout with t he American gangster Chael Sonnen. Hall later alleged that Frye and manager Robert DePersia had convinced him to throw the fight, so that Frye wouldn't be exhausted before the final. So it was a surprise for everyone including the referee John McCarthy when Hall submitted to an Achilles lock in 20 seconds. Frye's next opponent was Mark Hall who had defended for 10 minutes in their previous encounter. Tank needed just 4 minutes of ring time to defeat his two opponents and reach the final whereas Frye's first-round match against Gary Goodridge alone took over 11 minutes. RELATED: 10 Crazy Moments From UFC's Early Days That Would Never Happen Today In the second edition of the ridiculously titled UFC 'Ultimate Ultimate' tournament, Tank Abbott was back and was once again considered the favorite, this time alongside Frye.
He would soon get his break in Hollywood and leave the MMA world largely behind, with a 17-5-2 record.Ī year after Oleg Taktarov had the controversial semi-final win at UFC 6, UFC Hall of Famer Don Frye found himself in a very similar situation. Taktarov had no idea about the collusion but went on to outlast Abbot in a 17-minute match in the final to win UFC 6. It was later revealed by Macias that their common manager had asked him to throw the fight so that Taktarov would be fresh for the final as Abbot had taken nearly 2 minutes to win his semi-final. Taktarov then proceeded to pace the ring, looking at Macias in disgust while the crowd booed the result. Immediately at the bell, Macias shot for a takedown, but Taktarov easily countered and used a guillotine choke to submit Macias in 9 seconds, which remains the fastest UFC submission victory to date. Both of them won their first-round encounters in under a minute and Taktarov would face teammate Anthony Macias in the semifinals. Back in 1994, the UFC used to promote single-day elimination tournaments, and going into UFC 6, Russian Oleg Taktarov and American wrestler Tank Abbott were considered to be the favorites.
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