Before he ruled the Octagon, Alexander Volkanovski dominated the rugby pitch. While playing as a front rower for the Warilla Gorillas, the current UFC Featherweight champ’s 5’6” frame carried a heavyweight’s mass. His strength, speed, and smarts brought his team a Premiership Grand Final victory in 2011, the first of many titles for “The Great.”

A kickboxing standout who went on to take the UFC by storm, Israel Adesanya is a singular force. One-of-one. In 2017, he was 9-0 in MMA and on the verge of making it to the UFC. An electric performance against an experienced veteran would bring him to 10-0 and set him on his path to the world’s biggest stage.

To say “Bullet” has a background in combat sports would be a staggering understatement. From starting taekwondo at five years old, having her first MMA bout in 2003, to becoming one of the world’s best Muay Thai fighters, she’s nearly done it all — and that was before she became a UFC champ. In 2014, a devastating kickboxing K.O. victory would presage her Octagon debut.

Jon Jones didn’t end up atop the light heavyweight and then heavyweight divisions by accident. His first gym, Team BombSquad, lit the fuse; from there, his explosive rush up the ranks was on. Filling in as a short-notice replacement at UFC 87 was when the world first got a glimpse of Jones in the Octagon. He’s been an indomitable presence ever since.

In August 2023, Sean O’Malley realized championship gold in calculated, devastating fashion. Six years earlier, “Suga” was lean, mean, and still pretty green when he put on a show for Dana White’s Contender Series. Reckless, flashy striking and a determination to make a statement would put him on the map and in the UFC.

Alex Pereira is familiar with the weight of a championship belt. Before he claimed the UFC Middleweight throne with frightening speed, he was the long-reigning Glory Kickboxing Middleweight Champion. In 2017, “Poatan” won the title he’d go on to defend five times before making his way to the Octagon.

2007 PRIDE 33 - SECOND COMING

Dutch Sensation " The Demolition Man" Alistair Overeem has fought the biggest names in MMA and kickboxing and claimed major titles in both. Before that career-defining success, he'd run into an old foe at PRIDE 33. 

12-fight unbeaten streak. A hard-fought ascension to the Welterweight title. Leon Edwards has earned everything he’s gained and then some. Despite his eye-popping record, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for “Rocky.” After stumbling in his UFC debut, Edwards needed a rebound in a big way — which he did in eight seconds at UFC Fight Night 64 in 2015.

Living up to the hype is no easy task. Before Conor McGregor even stepped into the Octagon for his UFC debut in 2013, the world’s eyes were already on him. It would take just over a minute for “Notorious” to score the knockout and light the world on fire. A sign of things to come.

2007 PRIDE 33 - SECOND COMING

An Olympic wrestler with a sledgehammer of a right hand, Dan "Hendo" Henderson made his name in Japan but would establish a legacy at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas, knocking out Wanderlei Silva to become the first simutaneous champ-champ of a major promotion in MMA history. 

2007 PRIDE 33 - SECOND COMING

While Nick Diaz's time in PRIDE was a quick one-fight pitstop, it became instantly etched in history, as the elder Diaz brother engaged in a wild firefight with Japanese star Takanori Gomi on the feet before submitting him with an ultra rare Gogoplata - but was called a no contest. 

2007 PRIDE 33 - SECOND COMING

A historic run through the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix in 2005 would make "Shogun" a star, and by the end of his time in the organization, many fans and pundits considered Shogun Rua, the best fighter in his weight class. At PRIDE 33, he gave them all the more reason to think so, stopping Alistair Overeem in the first round for a second time. 

2007 PRIDE 33 - SECOND COMING

In a sport like MMA, becoming one of its most fearsome competitors is no small feat. From his nickname, the iconic pulsing of his walkout song, that fiendish rolling of his wrists, to the chaos he'd bring once the bell rang - "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva was the last person you wanted standing across the ring from you in PRIDE.