They represent a holy convergence in hand-to-hand combat, a place where timing, speed, power, technique and creativity meet in glorious displays of violence.
Careers have been made and broken in their wake, legacies cemented and cracked. Mixed martial arts has been scarred and shaped by the often unsettling impact of a single strike -- an elbow, a knee, a punch, a kick. Some have broken bones and sliced flesh; still others have separated the conscious from the unconscious. They are brands burned into the heart of a sport, badges of honor, historical markers, conversation starters. Nothing in MMA carries as much weight, with the ability to stop time and create ripples that last for decades.