Four Of The Best UFC Fights Of All-Time

The UFC has been one of the most exciting places for mixed martial arts action since first being introduced to fans back in November 1993. However, nobody could have foreseen how popular the sport would become over the following couple of years, with millions of fans around the world now watching the action on a weekly basis.

The ability that the sport has to clash different martial arts makes for captivating fights, but some styles lead to engrossing fights that fans aren’t able to take their eyes off. But, what have been four of the best UFC fights of all-time?

There aren’t many tougher fighters in the history of UFC than Jon Jones. However, back at UFC 165, he was pushed to his limit by Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson, in one of the best UFC fights. Like many of his fights, Jones went into the bout as the popular UFC picks among gamblers, and in truth, not many would have believed that it would go the distance. However, fight fans were in for an entertaining fight, as Gustaffson showcased just how good he could be, as he took Jones five rounds.

Ultimately, Jones would be declared the winner by unanimous decision and therefore successfully defended his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The fight was awarded as the Fight of the Night in Toronto, and there was no questioning the heart of the champion as he looked a beaten up after the final round.

One of the things that the UFC do better than most is their ability to captivate audiences with fights that the fans want to see, and that has been evident in many of the best UFC fights. One of the best UFC fights of all time to show an example of that was the re-match between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald in 2015. Fans were crying out for a re-match between the two welterweight fighters after the first fight was won controversially by Lawler via split decision.

That first fight was a close run affair, and either fighter could have been given the decision. There was huge interest in a re-match, and that was finally confirmed two years later. The re-match took place at UFC 189, but there was a most resounding victory for Lawler on that occasion. He took complete control of the fight by landing big shots, and finally got the win in the final round and successfully defended his Welterweight Championship via TKO by punches. The fight was awarded the Fight of the Night award, but Lawler would lose his championship just over a year later against Tyron Woodley.

The best UFC fights ever are often the ones when the audience gets a feeling that the two fighters involved really can’t stand each other. That was certainly the case for the fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. The build-up to the fight was dominated by insults being thrown back and forth between the two stars, and by the time that UFC 117 arrived in August 2010, there was huge anticipation to see whether Sonnen would be able to back up his trash talk. Silva went into the fight as the reigning Middleweight Champion, but this was to be his toughest challenge of his reign. Sonnen immediately went to work in the opening round, before he dominated the second, third and fourth rounds by taking the fight to the ground.

However, Silva was able to dig deep in the fight, and what followed in the final round is still considered one of the best comebacks in UFC history. It was widely believed by the time that the fifth got underway that Sonnen would see out the fight and get the win, but Silva seized his chance when the opening arrived to lock in the triangle armbar. Sonnen had no other option except to tap, which ended a memorable fight in Oakland. There was no questioning Silva’s determination after the win, and he would face Sonnen again two years later, where he would successfully defend his championship again.

Fight fans were given a massive treat back at UFC 139 as two of the best MMA fighters of all time when toe-to-toe for a 25-minute classic. It was a brutal fight between two of the best, and there was no shortage of twists and turns in the fight. It was an instant classic because there was no sense that either of the fighters were prepared to see out the fight to win via decision. Instead, they went blow-for-blow throughout, which left everyone watching second-guessing who they believed would run out as the winner.

Neither man showed any sign of giving up, and the decision made by the officials is something that is discussed to this day. The victory was given to Henderson, and the two of them once again went against each other three years later, but this time there would be no doubt about the winner, as Henderson won by knockout.