Before he had Mjolnir tattooed on his chest, “Marreta” was a 2-2 fighter in the UFC, welcoming Bosse to the Octagon for the first time. The French-Canadian had played semi-pro hockey in Quebec’s fighting-heavy LNAH and went 10-1 with one no contest over his first dozen MMA appearances, earning nine finishes, but on this night, he was the one that got finished.
Watching it back now, you can see the finishing blow coming, as Santos starts the fight with an inside low kick from his traditional southpaw stance, and then follows with a thudding left leg to the body, which Bosse takes on the arms. Literally two seconds later, with “The Boss” coming forward, Santos goes high and turns out the lights.
Watch Santos Defeat Bosse At UFC Fight Night 70
Santos doesn’t even bother with follow-up blows, walking off before the referee even gets to Bosse, who lies stiffened on the canvas. It still took a little while longer before Santos fully developed into the truly dangerous finisher we came to know him as, but this is where that designation really started to take root.
Also, shouts to Jon Anik for a fantastic call on this one.
Nate Diaz def. Michael Johnson (UFC on FOX 17)
Even with all that talent I mentioned in the introduction competing on this card in Orlando, Diaz is the one that makes this list, and it’s honestly not because of his performance against Johnson.
Yes, the former Ultimate Fighter winner earned a surprisingly dominant decision win, beating Johnson to the punch more often than naught while adding in some open-handed slaps, a few playful points after connecting flush, and generally doing Diaz Brothers things. But the reason this was a truly historic moment is what happened after the fight was over.