10 Best Face-offs in MMA History

Jun 3, 2017; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jose Aldo (red gloves) and Max Hollway (blue gloves) touch gloves before the fight during UFC 212 at Rio Olympic Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

You can tell a lot about a person just by looking into their eyes and in the fight game the staredown between combatants can either make or break the contest.

The lion’s share of the mental warfare involved in any fight is essentially done before any of the fighters ever step foot inside of the cage. Most of the build-up and anticipation for any UFC or mixed martial art fight is consummated with media appearances, press conferences, and most recently, social media.

Twitter especially has been used by many fighters as a platform to trash talk their way into a fight against a particular opponent and it has definitely worked for some. Fighters have found a new avenue to declare exactly what is on their mind and it also gets fans excited about potential bouts, feuds, or various conspiracy theories.

But nothing captures the imagination of what the upcoming battle might produce than the face-off between both combatants at the weigh-ins or at the end of the press conferences.  A lot of bravadoes is slung between both competitors on the microphone, but the real dramatic moment is usually the face to face confrontation between the two warriors.

Some fighters just go through the motions of the face-off and some are even cordial with their opponents, exchanging pleasantries and showing mutual respect amongst themselves, but nothing can get a fighting fans’ blood pumping like an intense face-off, more often than not, when the fighters show genuine animosity towards one another.

Everyone watching or in attendance tries to dissect each fighters body language and focuses on their effort to see who might have the slightest edge before the physical aspect of the fight begins. We take a look back at five of the best staredowns in UFC history.