UFC Top Fights of 2013
The 21st year of the UFC was historic for many reasons. Mighty Mouse Johnson was cementing his run at the top of the flyweight division. Chris Weidman finally dethroned Anderson Silva, and Ronda Rousey introduced the universe to women inside the Octagon. Not to mention, Mark Hunt and Bigfoot Silva had arguably the greatest heavyweight fight of all time, and Alexander Gustafsson pushed Jon Jones to his limits after Jones cleaned out nearly the entirety of the light heavyweight division. Of course, we got some absolutely incredible fights out of these iconic events – and a year in which three fighters with the last name “Silva” made this top fights list.
These cards have been chosen because of the exciting in-cage performances by the featured UFC fighters and the historical context of the fights themselves. Some of these fights changed UFC history forever.
Top Five Fights of 2013
2014 Topps UFC Knockout Memorable Matchups Dual Relics #MMDR-RT Ronda Rousey/Miesha Tate /50
UFC 168: Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate II
Fight info
• Ronda had already defeated Tate once – taking her Strikeforce belt via armbar submission in 2012
• This was the first and only time Ronda went to the third round in her career – she won submission of the night, and they won fight of the night
Card info
• only 50 of each memorable matchup dual relic created
card back
• A congratulations and pledge of authenticity of fighter-used memorabilia
2013 Topps UFC Bloodlines Country Flag #23 Chris Weidman /188
UFC 162: Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman I
Fight info
• One of the most stunning upsets in UFC history – this was years of Silva’s showboating coming to roost
• This snapped a 17-fight overall winning streak and was the first time Silva was defeated in the UFC
Card info
• 150 card base set
• five parallels (including flag, which is 1/188)
card back
• The card back calls this “one of the greatest knockouts and upsets in UFC history,” and that’s hard to deny
2013 Topps UFC Bloodlines Country Flag #15 Wanderlei Silva /188
UFC on Fuel TV: Wanderlei Silva vs Brian Stann
Fight info
• Wanderlei’s last career win, which appropriately was in a fight of the night and a knockout of the night bloodbath in Japan
• Silva would try to fight Chael Sonnen after this but would end up retiring for four years instead
Card info
• 150 card base set featuring four parallels: Flag (1/188), Black (1/88), Ruby Red (1/8), and Platinum (1/1)
• Bloodlines 2013 is another stacked relics set with fighter auto relics, Fight mat jumbo relics, dual auto relic book cards, and more
card back
• A heartwarming reminder that with 28 fights in Japan, Silva considers the land of the rising sun his second home. This was his first fight in Japan since 2006
2014 Topps UFC Champions #189 Mark Hunt
UFC Fight Night: Mark Hunt vs Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Fight info
• If you had to show someone one heavyweight MMA fight – this might be the one. It went five rounds in an insane back-and-forth battle that ended in majority draw
• This won fight of the night and set up a rematch nearly two years later – which hunt would win via ko in the first round
Card info
• The 2014 Topps UFC champions set encapsulates 20 years of UFC history with fight night highlights and a limited feature of “octagon greats” – showcasing 25 of the greatest fighters in UFC history
card back
• a look back at former K-1 Star Hunt’s busiest year since 2006. 2013 started with a knockout of the night over Stefan Struve and two fight of the night bonuses for a wild scrap against Junior Dos Santos and this brawl with Bigfoot Silva
2014 Topps UFC Bloodlines Historic Battles #HB-20 Jon Jones/Alexander Gustafson
UFC 165: Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafson
Fight info
• Jones’ toughest fight in history, and the one he took the most damage in bar-none. He dug deep to come back in the last two rounds to take the judge’s decision
• inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing and won Fight of the Night and Fight of the Year in 2013
Card info
• 100 card base set
• four refractor parallels – Blue Refractors (1/188), Gold Refractors (1/88), Black Octa-Fractors (1/8) and SuperFractors (1/1)
card back
• A recap of the fight that had Gustafson winning the early rounds until Jones surged back to take the victory and move ahead of Chuck Liddell for the most title fight wins in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (6)
