Sherdog’s Top 10: Disastrous Title Shots

10. Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Wanderlei Silva
Pride 23
Nov. 24, 2002 | Tokyo

Kanehara was a popular Japanese fighter who entered his fight with longtime Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Silva having gone 2-3-1 across his previous six appearances. Those three losses were all to top-flight opposition -- Matt Hughes, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Ricardo Arona -- but he was still expected to get clobbered by “The Axe Murderer,” who was in the middle of his destructive prime in Pride.

The two engaged in a fierce staredown, and once the fight began, Kanehara stood and traded with the Brazilian -- for about 10 seconds. Silva dropped his Japanese counterpart with punches and a head kick, which led to three-plus minutes of Kanehara trying to stay on the ground. Silva routinely backed away to allow his passive challenger to return to his feet, until he grazed him with a monstrous soccer kick and stomped his face along the ropes. Kanehara’s corner threw in the towel, ending the mismatch at the Tokyo Dome 3:40 into round one.

Number 9 » Arm’s Reach