
The fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar has been mythologized for 20 years as the one that saved UFC. The spectacular, bloody brawl so masterful — the main event on the first season of a new reality show, aired live on Spike TV — that UFC soon skyrocketed from a weakened MMA promotion potentially on the brink of new ownership into a sports and pop culture phenomenon.
(And yes, a billion-dollar empire.)