By Brian Hemminger

In honor of the recent Ultimate Finale 10, where there were three fights that featured impressive slams and tosses, I’ve put together a little research to unearth the greatest slams in the history of mixed martial arts.

Here are a couple of the UFC’s most recent impressive slams, they are my inspiration for doing this list in the first place.

Kimbo takes down Alexander

Jon Jones German Suplex on Stephan Bonnar

10.)  Hughes powerbombs Newton for UFC title.

Carlos Newton was inches away from submitting Matt Hughes via triangle choke when Hughes picked him up and slammed him for the knockout.  This was Hughes’ first title shot and he won it with style.

9.)  That’s gonna leave a mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pT53CM4K1o&

Don’t worry, he’s ok.  I searched but could not find the names of the fighters in this bout.  It was a considerably more amateur setting than the remainder of the slams, but just as brutal.

8.)  Tito buries Evan Tanner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCaYhYCO-uc&

This fight is known just as much for Tito’s “gravedigger” postfight celebration as it is for the slam that helped Tito defend his light heavyweight title for a second time.  This was Tito at his best, it takes a lot of physical strength to knock someone out by crushing their diaphragm.

7.)  Bob Sapp piledrives Minotauro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6fp5ONBDAw&

Bob Sapp is not exactly the most respected fighter in mixed martial arts, but he nearly shocked the world when he picked up Antonio Nogueira and dropped him on his head in the first 5 seconds of this fight.  Nogueira eventually recovered and his superior skills allowed him to win the fight but Sapp’s slam had everyone on their feet.

6.)  C.B.’s memorable Debut

C.B. Dollaway was runner up for The Ultimate Fighter season 7, but by far the most memorable thing he’s ever done was in his first professional MMA fight.  Within seconds, he picked up his opponent and viscously slammed him to the ground for the win.  Now that’s an impressive start to a fighting career.

5.)  Tae Kwon Do not nearly enough

Jeremy Bullock had no idea what he was in for.  At about 150 pounds, he was taking on one of the most experienced MMA fighters of all time, Travis Fulton, in his first (and last) professional fight.  After leaping over his opponent, Bullock was taken down.  He grapped onto Fulton’s head for dear life and was then taken for a ride in one of the nastiest slams of all time.

4. Let go of the submission already!

In the UFC, this fight would have been a disqualification victory for the slamee, but the rules are considerably more lax in Japan.  I’m pretty sure this was the first and last time that a slam like this ever takes place, no one else will ever hold on to a submission that long again.

3.)  Frank Shamrock retires Igor Zinoviev

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_uXrvINMvU&

Because of this fight, the UFC adopted rules about “spiking” an opponent on his head via slams.  Zinoviev was an undefeated submission fighter but this slam knocked him unconscious and broke his collarbone.  He never fully recovered and had to retire from the sport.

2.)  Rampage’s powerbomb KO on Carlos Arona

There will always be a debate whether Rampage Jackson knocked Arona out with the powerbomb or the headbutt after the slam, but you can’t deny that this is one of the all-time  most impressive ways to end a mixed martial arts match.  Just one of many in Rampage Jackson’s career slam highlight reel.

1.)  Kevin Randleman suplex from hell on Fedor

Not only is this the most beautiful slam in mixed martial arts history, it happened against one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history.  Kevin Randleman has always been known for his strength, but this was definitely the highlight of his career.  If you take a good look, you’ll see both fighters were airborne as Randleman was twisting Fedor in mid-air.  The most shocking part of this slam?  Emelianenko  immediately recovered, reversed positions and submitted Randleman via kimura.