When They Came To Fight (Pedro Rizzo vs Tra Telligman II)

Match: Pedro Rizzo (12-5) vs Tra Telligman (7-3-1)
Event: UFC 43 (6-6-2003)

These two heavyweights had previous fought at UFC 20 where Rizzo had won by a flurry of punches which led to Telligman being beaten at the 4 minutes:30 second mark (no rounds then), 4 years prior (1999).

In this match, preliminary card, the crowd would witness the same ferocious energy from both fighters who were willing to trade right away. Rizzo managed by UFC 7 tournament winner, Marco Ruas, was known for his remarkably heavy leg kicks and excellent jabs. Telligman managed by the successful Lion's Den, was known for his boxing and good take-down defense. Rizzo was riding a 2 fight losing streak, while Telligman was coming off his biggest win of his career which was also one of MMA's biggest upsets at the time as he beat Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 13.

 

Pedro Rizzo is criminally unknown... One of the scariest to ever do it.

Imagine a guy getting as big as Tre Telligman with one pec post-USADA.

 

Imagine how good Tra would have been with 2 pectoral muscles

Think about it

 

i always wondered what would happen if a foot or a hard knee with in that cavity, and if death..... how the fuck they allow him to fight

 

This fight is proof that MMA's "evolution" is a lie.

 

One of my favorite KOs is Rizzo stunning Josh Barnett, then following up with a right straight killshot. So good.

 

Who are these nobodies?



Conor smashes both in one night.

 

Agreed - the skills sets were always there. The only thing is guys are putting them all together a bit better now and have better knowledge of proper S & C.

Oh and I'd say the PEDs are better nowadays.

 

Back when Rogan would constantly yap about who got 'rocked'.

 

"How far has this sport come, the evolution? That man's gone to a sport psychologist..."

 

Show me 3 heavyweights of today who are as light on their feet as Telligman at 38 in this fight.

 

what happened ? how the fuck do you lose a pectoral muscle?

 

oh i heard it in the beginning, car accident as a baby

 

Was a car accident

 

Well, supposedly he's missing entire right lung as well, making missing pectoral seem trivial, really....

 

Excellent scrap. Tra didn't look bad at all in there. Igor vs Pedro around that time would've been cool as hell. My ufc 43-49 DVDs still get some playtime. Love all those events. Hermes Franca had a few great fights in there from Caol Uno to Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson.

 

That is one of the craziest shots ever in the UFC.

 

Always wondered how Pedro vs Bas would have went down
2 of my all time faves

 

Good fight. Strange one to share though, with a disappointing ending

Both were great fighters though. I find that era more interesting than today

 

The redhead doctor in her prime was fun