5 MMA fights that ended with pro-wrestling moves

So, it’s 2017. Everyone knows pro-wrestling is pre-determined, and the wrestlers aren’t actually trying to hurt one another when they step into the ring. In fact, a lot of the moves that today’s top WWE stars use require a lot of co-operation from both wrestlers. On the flip side, though, some of the moves used in wrestling can hurt. A lot.

Over the years in MMA we’ve seen a lot of references and links to pro-wrestling, from crossover wrestlers/fighters like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley and CM Punk, to wrestling-style angles to build big fights like Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.

We’ve also seen several pro-wrestling moves used in the MMA arena, some to great and devastating effect. Here are five MMA fights that were finished by the use of a well-known pro-wrestling move.

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#1 German Suplex – Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel – UFC: Ultimate Fighter XVI Finale – 12/15/12

In today’s world of wrestling, the German suplex is a move synonymous with Brock Lesnar, whose matches always consist of the former champion taking his opponents to ‘Suplex City’. Before Brock, wrestlers like Kurt Angle, Tazz and Chris Benoit were well-known for their use of the move.

The German suplex is also pretty common in MMA, due to its background being based in amateur wrestling. Fighters such as Dan Severn, Matt Lindland, Terry Martin and Curtis Blaydes have all used the suplex with huge success in their fighting careers.

Perhaps the best use of the German suplex that I can recall though came from Dagestan’s Rustam Khabilov in his UFC debut.

Khabilov’s opponent, Pichel, had become well-known during his run on TUF 16 for having tremendous physical strength. He was completely unable to put that to any use against the Dagestani ‘Tiger’ though, as after an early scramble, Khabilov was able to take his back with a rear waist lock.

From there Khabilov delivered a huge German suplex, dumping Pichel onto his head and landing some punches for good measure. Another suplex followed, with Khabilov still holding onto the position. Pichel was able to stand, but he was clearly hurt and another takedown and more ground strikes followed.

Able to get to his feet one more time, Pichel attempted to escape but was greeted by a third, thunderous suplex from Khabilov and this time the referee had to step in and stop the fight as the TUF veteran was unable to defend himself.

It’s rare to see a legitimate German suplex in MMA; it’s even rarer to see multiple suplexes, and even rarer than that to see one actually finish a fight. Khabilov is currently 7-2 in his UFC career but this is still his most brutal finish.

#2 Superman punch – Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve – UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill – 05/28/11

Okay, so this one is sort of cheating. It’s a widely known fact that before Roman Reigns ever threw a Superman punch in the WWE ring, the move was being used in MMA to great effect by various fighters.

It’s commonly accepted that the first time the move was seen was back in 2001. It was used by Josh Thomson in his fight with ‘Razor’ Rob McCullough, but of course the most famous proprietor of the Superman punch in MMA was the legendary Georges St-Pierre, who threw them with brilliant timing, landing his most memorable ones on Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and BJ Penn.

GSP was never actually able to use one to finish a fight, however.

The most brutal use of a superman punch to finish a fight definitely came in May 2011, at UFC 130. Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve was the third fight on the main card of that show and it was largely being overlooked, as neither man had really established themselves as a fighter to watch at that point.

That would all change. Despite Struve standing at a towering 6’11” – one of the few fighters taller than the 6’7” Browne – he was unable to truly use his reach advantage to stop Browne from getting inside, and after a brief scramble on the ground, with Browne avoiding a choke attempt, the fighters came back to their feet.

Struve attempted to throw a flying knee, but Browne countered with a huge superman punch that landed flush. Struve was practically folded in half by the shot and was unconscious before he hit the ground.

The punch looked like it could’ve dropped a horse, and Browne’s follow-up hammer fists were totally unnecessary. This remains Browne’s signature knockout, and in my opinion is the greatest Superman punch in MMA history.

#3 Sweet Chin Music – Louis Smolka vs. Richie Vaculik – UFC Fight Night 55 – 11/07/14

Countless numbers of different kicks have been used to finish MMA fights – we’ve seen straight-up head kicks (Mirko Cro Cop being the best), front kicks (Anderson Silva), crane kicks (Lyoto Machida), hook kicks (Shawn Jordan) and even crazy Van Damme-esque wheel kicks (Edson Barboza).

Unfortunately, though, the most famous kick in pro-wrestling – the superkick, AKA Sweet Chin Music – is rarely even thrown. That would all change in November 2014.

Hawaii’s Louis Smolka, coming in off a loss to Chris Cariaso, was two rounds in the hole against local Australian favourite Richie Vaculik. A member of the surfie gang the Bra Boys, Vaculik had been dominating Smolka both on the feet and on the ground.

Coming into the third round, it was clear that in order to win – and likely save his UFC career – Smolka was going to have to pull something very special out of the bag. And pull something out he did.

Having evidently watched his Shawn Michaels tapes prior to the fight, Smolka came out in the third round and connected hard with the first strike he threw – Sweet Chin Music, without the slap to the thigh. Vaculik hit the deck like he’d been shot and a few added punches on the ground sealed the deal and gave Smolka one of the coolest knockouts in UFC history.

We haven’t seen the superkick used in the UFC since as far as I can remember, but I’m surprised nobody else has tried to replicate this awesome move.

#4 Pedigree – Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote – UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun II – 05/08/10

Alright, so technically the Pedigree didn’t actually finish this fight – a rear naked choke did – but if it wasn’t for HHH’s legendary move, Belcher may not have been in the position to lock up the choke, and that’s what counts, right?

You’d have thought the Pedigree would never work in MMA. After all, it seems to need quite a bit of co-operation from the wrestler taking the move, usually to jump into the air. And more to the point, spiking an opponent’s head into the mat is illegal under the unified rules.

Nobody said anything about faceplanting them though and evidently, that’s what Belcher had in mind here.

Belcher had been greeted by a chorus of boos in the first round as the event was taking place in Montreal, Cote’s backyard, and while he had arguably just about edged a competitive first round, nobody could’ve expected what happened next. After the opening minutes of the second round had again been very competitive, Cote shot in for a double-leg takedown.

Belcher sprawled back to defend and then underhooked the body of the Canadian, lifted him into the air and drove him face-first into the mat, landing on his knees just as HHH does. Sure, he didn’t underhook the arms, but then a lot of the time Triple H releases them anyway. This was as close to a real Pedigree as you’re going to find in MMA.

Cote was stunned by the impact and that gave Belcher enough time to spin into back control, apply a rear naked choke and force the tapout. Some argued that the move was illegal but as Belcher had faceplanted rather than spiked Cote, the result stood.

This was the only time I can ever remember seeing Triple H’s famous finisher in the MMA arena, and it worked perfectly.

#5 Powerbomb – Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona – PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 – 06/20/04

The powerbomb doesn’t really seem like a viable move for MMA, mainly because it involves the wrestler taking the move to really jump into the air in order to help the momentum of the wrestler doing the lifting. A really famous variant was seen in PRIDE in 2004 though, and it almost looked like the Undertaker’s infamous Last Ride powerbomb.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Brazilian Ricardo Arona were fighting for the right to face PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva for his title. Big stakes were on the line for sure. Rampage had fought and lost to Silva before, while Arona was well-known to despise his Brazilian rival. It was also Rampage’s birthday.

After some early leg kicks, Arona decided to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard. Rampage, well known for his ground striking, obliged, and he began to land punches before Arona was able to catch him with a clean upkick. The shot stunned Rampage who appeared to be out for a second, but he quickly recovered, only for Arona to lock up a triangle choke from the bottom.

Tapping out was never in Rampage’s mind, though. Instead, he stood up with the triangle still locked on, hoisted Arona up into the air over his head, and then dumped him to the ground with a thudding powerbomb, knocking the Brazilian senseless.

The replays showed that as Arona’s head hit the ground, Rampage’s forehead clashed with it, but there was no doubt that it was the powerbomb that did the damage and gained Rampage a famous knockout.

Other uses of the powerbomb in MMA include Matt Hughes on Carlos Newton (although Hughes collapsing due to a triangle choke applied by Newton may have contributed) and a jumping variant used by Justin Levens on Jorge Oliveira. Rampage’s though, remains both the most famous, and the most devastating.