Argumentative Essay

Brooks Bishop

Rhetorical Analysis

English 102

February 3, 2012

Best Fight Ever?

Over the years many competitors have stepped in the cage to do battle and entertain their fans. We watch these fights hoping to see the best fight of all time and are often disappointed with boring lack luster fights that we forget. Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva, and Forrest Griffin versus Stephan Bonnar 1 are definitely some of the most popular fights in the history of the sport. In recent months, however, another fight took place that is now being thrown into contention for the best fight of all time.

On November 19, 2011 two warriors named Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua stepped into the cage to make history. Each fighter desperately needed a win as it would catapult either fighter instantly into title contention. Henderson coming off the biggest win of his career over the former pound for pound best fighter in the world had a lot of momentum going into this fight. Rua also had a lot of momentum coming off a win over a Forrest Griffin and avenging an earlier loss in his career. Henderson relies a great deal on his Greco Roman wrestling experience and his unrealistically heavy right hand to control his opponents and finish them. Rua relies mainly on his Muay Thai striking and Brazilian Jiujitsu background to keep the fight standing but at the same time be comfortable if he happens to be taken down. Stylistically it was set to be an amazing brawl and indeed it was. Both fighters have great backgrounds in striking and are able to keep the fight standing as long as they want. This was the exact fight the fans wanted to see: two fighters standing in the middle of the octagon in a slugfest.

Great fights are made by technique and skill but fans only want to see slugfest. If a fighter uses wrestling to control the fight and edge out a decision victory the fans boo and consider the fight boring and not very good. In all actuality fights were they stand in the...