The UFC never has been shy about trying to deliver fireworks.
Traditionally, the promotion has liked to close out the calendar year with a bang. (Although a few years, the way the dates fell, it meant starting the new year with one, instead.) But the point is, a big pay-per-view always was something fans could look forward to around the holidays.
The past couple years, the UFC has shifted away from those, and the final pay-per-view of the year has been in the middle of December. But we still have memories of those big blowout events from the past.
In the spirit of the holiday season, this year we’re giving you our countdown of the best fights from the UFC’s past year-end pay-per-views. Each day, come back here and open the proverbial door to find out which fight is next on the list.
Disclaimer: Like all lists, these things are subjective. Maybe Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit was a truly great and competitive fight, but Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey was far from competitive and just a mauling. When we say “best fights,” we also mean best moments, so don’t get too hung up on Monday morning quarterbacking. Just enjoy the look-back.
24. Cole Miller def. Dan Lauzon
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon, UFC 108
Event: UFC 108
Date: Jan. 2, 2010
Result: Cole Miller def. Dan Lauzon via submission (reverse triangle choke and kimura) – Round 1, 3:05
Notes: “Submission of the Night” ($50,000) for Miller … Miller’s third UFC fight-night bonus award … Miller’s 11th submission in 16 career wins … Lauzon’s return to the UFC after more than three years away … Lauzon’s brother Joe fought later on the card and lost to Sam Stout
23. Sam Stout def. Joe Lauzon
Sam Stout vs. Joe Lauzon, UFC 108
Event: UFC 108
Date: Jan. 2, 2010
Result: Sam Stout def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 each for Stout and Lauzon) … Stout’s second straight “Fight of the Night” award in a run that hit three in a row … Stout’s second straight win, which gave him his first winning streak in the UFC … Lauzon’s fifth overall UFC bonus award and second in a run that hit six fights in a row … first decision loss of Lauzon’s career … Lauzon’s brother Dan fought earlier on the card and lost to Cole Miller, who won “Submission of the Night”
22. Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, UFC 232
Event: UFC 232
Date: Dec. 29, 2018
Result: Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:02 – to win vacant light heavyweight title
Notes: The fight was a rematch from UFC 165 in September 2013, which Jones won by unanimous decision in what was his closest fight to that point … Jones and Gustafsson each made a disclosed $500,000 for the fight; Jones was not scheduled to receive a disclosed win bonus … the win was Jones’ 14th straight, which doesn’t count his stoppage of Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, which was overturned to a no contest … the TKO finish was Jones’ return to stoppages (again, not counting the no contest) after decision wins in his previous four fights … Gustafsson dropped to 0-3 in light heavyweight title fights, including his previous loss to Jones and a split decision loss to Cormier at UFC 192.
21. Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett
Travis Browne vs. Josh Barnett, UFC 168
Event: UFC 168
Date: Dec. 28, 2013
Result: Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 1:00
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($75,000) for Browne … Win was Browne’s third straight first-round knockout and third straight “Knockout of the Night” bonus, all in a perfect 3-0 2013 … After the win, Browne went on a 2-6 slide, including a loss his next time out in a title eliminator to Fabricio Werdum, who went on to become heavyweight champion … Browne fought one fight ahead of Ronda Rousey, whom he started dating less than two years later and eventually married … Loss was Barnett’s first by knockout in seven years
20. Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon
Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon, UFC 155
Event: UFC 155
Date: Dec. 29, 2012
Result: Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($65,000 each for Miller and Lauzon) … bonus was Lauzon’s 12th post-fight award in 14 UFC fights to that point and ninth in nine fights … Miller and Lauzon had a combined 54 fights heading into the bout, which was UFC 155’s co-main event … Just the second time Lauzon had lost a decision, though both of those setbacks were “Fight of the Night” winners … Miller was a replacement for Lauzon’s original opponent, Gray Maynard … Miller and Lauzon fought in a rematch in August 2016, which was a split decision win for Miller and again a “Fight of the Night” honoree.
19. Paul Felder def. Danny Castillo
Paul Felder vs. Danny Castillo, UFC 182
Event: UFC 182
Date: Jan. 3, 2015
Result: Paul Felder def. Danny Castillo via knockout (spinning backfist) – Round 2, 2:09
Notes: “Performance of the Night” ($50,000 for Felder) … fight was Felder’s second in the UFC and kept him perfect at 10-0 as a pro … knockout was Felder’s seventh in 10 fights to open his career … KO was one of just three finishes at UFC 182 to go with eight decisions … Felder’s spinning back fist KO was just the third in UFC history.
18. Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone
Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz, UFC 141
Event: UFC 141
Date: Dec. 30, 2011
Result: Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($75,000 each for Diaz and Cerrone) … one of seven decisions in 10 fights on the card … middle victory in a run of three straight wins for Diaz after his return to lightweight; all three were bonus-winners … was Diaz’s ninth post-fight bonus in his 15th UFC fight … loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Cerrone that included his first four in the UFC after the merger with the WEC … Cerrone’s fourth UFC bonus in five fights … was Cerrone’s fifth fight in the 2011 calendar year.
17. Alexander Volkanovski def. Chad Mendes
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chad Mendes, UFC 232
Event: UFC 232
Date: Dec. 29, 2018
Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. Chad Mendes via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:14
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 for Volkanovski and Mendes) … first bonus win in Volkanovski’s career (and so far, only bonus win) … one of 10 stoppages in 13 fights on the card … Volkanovski’s 16th straight win on his way to a featherweight title shot and ultimate title win … third loss in four fights for Mendes … second fight for Mendes after returning from two-year suspension … Mendes announced retirement after the loss and hasn’t fought since.
16. Cain Velasquez def. Junior Dos Santos
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos, UFC 155
Event: UFC 155
Date: Dec. 29, 2012
Result: Cain Velasquez def. Junior Dos Santos via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-43, 50-44)
Notes: Rematch from UFC on FOX 1 in November 2011 … Dos Santos won the first fight as challenger by knocking out Velasquez in the first round … the two fought a third time at UFC 166, which Velasquez won by fifth-round TKO … one of eight decisions in 12 fights on the card … Dos Santos has fought 12 times since his UFC 155 loss to Velasquez with a 6-6 record – and all six losses by knockout … Velasquez has fought just five times since the UFC 155 win over Dos Santos.
15. Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin
Rashad Evans vs. Forrest Griffin, UFC 92
Event: UFC 92
Date: Dec. 27, 2008
Result: Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:46 – to win light heavyweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($60,000 each for Evans, Griffin) … Griffin’s third straight bonus … first time two “Ultimate Fighter” winners met in a title fight … after beating Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the belt in July 2008, Griffin lost it in his first attempted defense … Evans stayed unbeaten, but like Griffin lost the title in his first attempted defense in May 2009;
14. Quinton Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 92
Event: UFC 92
Date: Dec. 27, 2008
Result: Quinton Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:21
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($60,000 for Jackson) … third bonus for Jackson in his first five UFC fights … one of eight knockouts in 10 fights on the card, including all five on the pay-per-view main card … trilogy fight for “Rampage” and Silva; Silva won the first two fights in PRIDE by knockout … the pair fought a fourth time in September 2018 at Bellator 206, won by Jackson to even the series at 2-2 … Silva’s fourth loss in five fights, including three by knockout.
13. Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch
Johny Hendricks vs. Jon Fitch, UFC 141
Event: UFC 141
Date: Dec. 30, 2011
Result: Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:12
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($75,000 for Hendricks) … one of just three stoppages, all on the main card, at the 10-fight event … third victory in a six-fight winning streak for Hendricks that led to a welterweight title shot against Georges St-Pierre … just the second knockout loss of Fitch’s career … though the fastest finish in Hendricks’ career, at 12 seconds it doesn’t quite reach the top 10 fastest KOs in UFC history.
12. Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar
Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar, UFC 141
Event: UFC 141
Date: Dec. 30, 2011
Result: Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (body kick, punches) – Round 1, 2:26
Notes: Overeem’s UFC debut after coming over from Strikeforce … one of just three stoppages, all on the main card, at the 10-fight event … Overeem’s 11th straight win and a return to finishes after a decision victory over Fabricio Werdum in Strikeforce … was Lesnar’s return 14 months after losing the heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez … Lesnar announced his MMA retirement after the loss, citing diverticulitis struggles, but returned to the UFC in 2016 for one more fight.
11. Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes
Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes, UFC 79
Event: UFC 79
Date: Dec. 29, 2007
Result: Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:54 – to win interim welterweight title
Notes: “Submission of the Night” ($50,000 for St-Pierre) … second bonus of St-Pierre’s UFC career … Hughes was supposed to fight Matt Serra for Serra’s welterweight title, but Serra withdrew with a back injury … St-Pierre replaced Serra, who beat him at UFC 69, in the interim title fight … trilogy fight; Hughes won the first meeting at UFC 50, but St-Pierre won the final two … St-Pierre’s first submission win in more than two years – he didn’t have another till the final fight of his career nearly 10 years later.
10. Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva
Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva, UFC 168
Event: UFC 168
Date: Dec. 28, 2013
Result: Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 1:16
Notes: Rematch from UFC 162, at which Weidman took the middleweight title from Silva with a second-round knockout … Silva suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in MMA history when he broke his right leg in the second round when Weidman checked one of his kicks … win kept Weidman unbeaten at 11-0 and was his third straight stoppage win … after his legendary unbeaten run of more than six years, Silva suffered a consecutive loss for the first time in his career … Silva’s record since the loss is 1-5; Weidman’s is 4-5 since the win.
9. Cody Garbrandt def. Dominick Cruz
Cody Garbrandt vs. Dominick Cruz, UFC 207
Event: UFC 207
Date: Dec. 30, 2016
Result: Cody Garbrandt def. Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-47, 48-46) – to win bantamweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 each for Garbrandt and Cruz) … Cruz’s fourth UFC bonus … Garbrandt stayed unbeaten at 10-0 to win the title … Cruz had a 13-fight winning streak snapped for his first loss in nearly 10 years … in Cruz’s 13-fight streak, seven were wins in title fights in the UFC or WEC … one of six decisions in 10 fights on the card.
8. Chuck Liddell def. Tito Oritz
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, UFC 66
Event: UFC 66
Date: Dec. 30, 2006
Result: Chuck Liddell def. Tito Oritz via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:59 – to retain light heavyweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” for Liddell and Ortiz (undisclosed payout) … set the North American MMA live gate record at the time at $5.4 million … last of eight straight finishes at the event following a decision in the opening fight … rematch from a UFC 47 fight in April 2004, at which Liddell knocked out Ortiz in the main event … the two fought a third time in November 2018 for Golden Boy Promotions – a knockout win for Ortiz to avoid a 3-0 trilogy sweep by Liddell … Liddell lost the light heavyweight title his next fight to Quinton Jackson, which started a 1-6 slide to end his career … snapped a five-fight winning streak for Ortiz, all of which came after his first fight with Liddell.
7. Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva
Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 79
Event: UFC 79
Date: Dec. 29, 2007
Result: Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 each for Liddell and Silva) … voted by many outlets as the 2007 “Fight of the Year” one of just three decisions on the 10-fight card … last win of Liddell’s prolific career – he went on a four-fight slide of knockout losses after this win … after his eight previous wins were by knockout, was Liddell’s first decision win since June 2002 at uFC 37.5 … was Silva’s return to the UFC for the first time since UFC 25 in April 2000 … loss was Silva’s third straight, the only such skid of his career.
6. Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey
Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey, UFC 207
Event: UFC 207
Date: Dec. 30, 2016
Result: Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:48 – to defend women’s bantamweight title
Notes: “Performance of the Night” for Nunes ($50,000) … second straight knockout loss for onetime dominant champion Rousey … was Nunes’ first bantamweight title defense and her fifth career win in less than a minute … quickest loss of Rousey’s career … as of now, was Rousey’s final MMA fight after a 12-0 start … one of just three finishes at UFC 207 and broke a run of six straight decisions to end the night … Rousey made a $3 million disclosed payday for the 48-second loss; Nunes made a disclosed $200,000.
5. Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate
Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate, UFC 168
Event: UFC 168
Date: Dec. 28, 2013
Result: Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 0:58 – to defend women’s bantamweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($75,000 each for Rousey and Tate) … also “Submission of the Night” and another $75,000 for Rousey … first two bonuses of Rousey’s UFC career; she went on to win seven in eight fights … was Tate’s second straight “Fight of the Night” bonus, though both came in losses … bout was a rematch from a Strikeforce fight about 20 months earlier, also won by Rousey with an armbar to win that promotion’s belt … fight was the traditional matchup between the coaches from Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” … Tate went on a five-fight winning streak after the loss, including a win over Holly Holm to win the women’s 135-pound title one fight after Holm beat Rousey to win it.
4. Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier, UFC 182
Event: UFC 182
Date: Jan. 3, 2015
Result: Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – to retain light heavyweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 each for Jones and Cormier) … the fight was one of eight decisions in 11 fights at UFC 182 – including all on the main card … Jones’ win was his 12th straight and eighth straight title defense … Jones was stripped of the light heavyweight title in April 2015 for violations of the UFC’s Code of Conduct policy … Cormier’s loss was the first of his MMA career.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-best-year-end-fights-all-time-ranked
