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2007 ended with four big mixed martial arts events for fans to salivate over, two of them in the United States and two more in the rejuvenated Japanese market. The UFC started the year's end with a card that featured a historic showdown between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, a rubber match between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes, and a huge test for newcomer Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou against Lyoto Machida. At the same time, the IFL held their Grand Prix Final with five title fights that looked rather unimpressive on paper due to injures, but delivered some upset victories and unlikely champions. New Year's Eve in Japan wouldn't be bested by the earlier American events. Yarennoka proved to be a resurrection of PRIDE for at least one night. It provided exciting matchups, excellent production, and a nostalgic feel. K-1's purely entertainment card had its moments as well, but to the hardcore fans, wasn't on par with the other events. Regardless, the quality of these events merits a closer look.
Best event: UFC/Yarennoka
Honorable Mention: IFL
The UFC provided one of the better cards of the year in comparison to most of its events this year. Silva vs. Liddell didn't produce a highlight reel knockout as expected, but attribute Wanderlei Silva's intense training to that. St. Pierre dominated Hughes, although it was much more lopsided than many had expected. Machida showed that his tactician’s skills and smart game plan were the keys to defeating the “African Assassin”. Overall, this was a great card that didn't disappoint the American fan base.
Yarennoka was a different beast altogether. It provided much better production values than the UFC due to the theatrical pieces that were implemented into the event. It was exactly the same as PRIDE. Elevator platforms lifting fighters to the runaway and Lenni Hardt screaming fighter's introductions contributed to the nostalgic feel of being at a PRIDE event. The fights didn't disappoint either.
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