The List: MMA's best injury replacements, from 'Bones' to 'The Kimbo Killer'

For too long, our writers’ hyper-specific arguments have been confined to the private corridors of the Internet. Welcome to The List, where we take their instant message bickerings, add a little polish, and make them public. Today: As we approach the biggest injury replacement fight of the year, Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes at Saturday’s UFC 189 pay-per-view event, we look at the guys who stepped up on short notice and shocked the world.

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Jon Jones, because you had the world’s best on deck

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Jon Jones

Ben Fowlkes: Say you’re the UFC and you have a big light heavyweight title fight planned. But then the former champ who’s supposed to challenge for the belt goes down with a knee injury a little more than a month before the fight. What do you do, hot shot? What. Do. You. Do?

Sure would be nice to have the greatest light heavyweight in MMA history waiting in the wings, wouldn’t it? And yeah, that’s exactly what the UFC had when Rashad Evans withdrew from his 205-pound title bout against Mauricio Rua at UFC 128.

See, it just so happened that Evans’ teammate – a young firebrand name of Jon Jones – was on a bit of a hot streak just then. I mean, yes, his perfect professional record had recently been marred by a disqualification, but it was one of those rare DQ losses that comes only after the losing fighter has dominated the fight perhaps too much for his own good. After that, Jones won his next three, finally submitting Ryan Bader at UFC 126 before getting the news – in the cage and on live TV, no less – that “Suga” was out and he had a chance to step in.

We all know what happened in the fight. Jones rolled into New Jersey and smashed “Shogun” to become the youngest UFC champ in history, thus beginning a reign of terror atop the light heavyweight class that was only ended by Jones’ self-destructive behavior outside the cage.

But that’s not the only reason why this injury replacement is my favorite. It was also a major turning point. It marked the beginning of the end of the Jones-Evans bromance. Evans would end up leaving Team Jackson-Winkeljohn after this rift. Jones would rule all alone from his throne in Albuquerque. Friends became enemies, and enemies became friends. The division changed forever. Mountains fell into the sea, and the moon collided with the sun. And lo did darkness come upon the land. And the elders looked upon it, and they did exclaim that a new era had begun.

Seth Petruzelli, because he toppled a whole promotion with just one punch

Seth Petruzelli and Kimbo Slice

Brent Brookhouse: A 44-year-old suffers a cut. A man with pink hair answers the call. An awkward punch is thrown. A street fighter falls while a white rapper screams.

Seth Petruzelli stepping-up and answering the call to fight Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Fergusion when Ken Shamrock suffered a cut the day of “EliteXC: Heat” on Oct. 4, 2008, may not have the weight of something like top fighters stepping in for a UFC title shot, but it is an infamous moment that effectively sank a nationally televised promotion.

Shamrock suffered a cut hours before the planned bout with Slice, a fight that was anchoring the CBS-broadcast card. There have been tales spun of Shamrock intentionally cutting himself for reasons ranging from fear to anger over getting a smaller payday than Slice, as well as the standard story that Shamrock was simply grappling to deal with nerves and it was purely an accident. Whatever the case, light heavyweight Petruzelli took the risk for the heavyweight opportunity.

It only took 14 seconds as Petruzelli threw an awkward punch while holding his own foot in the air ready to push Slice backward. The punch connected, and Slice fell face first to the canvas. Petruzelli swung away at the downed streetfighting legend, forcing the stoppage while promoter Jared “$kala” Shaw screamed at cageside.

EliteXC would never hold another show, and Slice eventually found his way to the UFC and “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Steve Jennum, because he’s the original MMA replacement killer

Steve Jennum and Harold Howard

Steven Marrocco: Guys, no love for the old school? If we’re truly talking about the fighter who stepped off the bench and ran the proverbial ball into the end zone, don’t we have to start with Steve Jennum?

The Nebraskan cop had barely stepped off the beat when he stepped into our lives to show us the wonders of ninjitsu. Sure, it looked nothing like the ninjas we’d seen growing up, but he did beat the piss out of Mr. “If You’re Coming On, Come On,” Harold Howard at UFC 3 in 1994. And don’t we have to thank him for that?

Because of Jennum, the old blood-and-guts UFC changed its rules to require tourney competitors at least one fight before they stepped into the octagon. At a time when Royce Gracie was lord and ruler of the eight-sided cage, he gave hope to millions of tough guys who knew they could step out of the dojo and into the spotlight of NHB glory. While his fortunes faded quickly after that fateful night, he will live on in MMA infamy.

He also got pretty lucky: He never had to fight Gracie.

Georges St-Pierre, because his reign began after an injury withdrawal

Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes

Mike Bohn: One of the most dominant title reigns in UFC history got its start at UFC 79 in December 2007 when Georges St-Pierre stepped in for injured then-champion Matt Serra to compete in a trilogy bout with career-long nemesis Matt Hughes.

After Serra shocked the world and knocked out St-Pierre in the first round at UFC 69, his first title defense was scheduled against Hughes after the rivals faced off as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter.” That fight fell apart when Serra suffered a back injury, and St-Pierre was tapped a replacement.

St-Pierre and Hughes had each won one fight going into the third meeting. In the second fight, “Rush” walked through Hughes to take the title in what was a changing of the guard in the 170-pound division. If there was any doubts, St-Pierre solidified his place as the next great fighter when he dismantled Hughes again.

The Canadian dominated Hughes in all areas before he finished the fight with a second-round armbar. It was Hughes’ final UFC title fight before he retired four years later. St-Pierre, on the other hand, would unify the titles with a TKO of Serra in his next bout then go on to string together nine more title defenses before he vacated the belt and took a hiatus from the sport in December 2013.

After the fight, Hughes admitted the superior fighter had bested him.

“No excuses here,” Hughes said. “I came into this fight 120 percent. … Georges is the better fighter. There’s nothing more I can say about it.”

Pretty good for a replacement fighter.