The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), nicknamed the 'octagon' is the biggest stage in the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) industry. From the time UFC 1 was hosted until today, there have been many spectacular and remarkable bouts. Get in to the game with the brand new UFC manager game available for smartphone. Learn how to practise and become the ultimate fighting champion. Below are the top five best fights in the history of UFC.
UFC 229 brought together two superstars; Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former was a seasoned fighter, nicknamed 'The Notorious' and the undefeated Khabib, alias 'The Eagle.' The build-up to UFC 229 was explosive, with both camps attacking each other in a war of words. While Conor was the favorite, he was forced into submission before Khabib jumped the ring and charged at Conor's cornerman. A rematch is what every UFC and Conor fan is looking forward to but for now, fans have to put up with MMA manager and MMA fighting games.
Even though the duo has met twice, it's the first match that was remarkable. Jones was on fire at the time and was looking to break Ortiz's record for the most Light Heavyweight title defenses. This was after a series of stellar performances from the American. On the other hand, Gustafsson had fought six straight bouts in the Light Heavyweight category to earn a shot at the championship. Gustafsson wasn't a threat at all, but he gave Jones a hard night and almost pulled a monumental upset. UFC 165 remains one of the most competitive fights in the history of MMA.
This goes down as the first match in the history of UFC. Dubbed UFC 1, the new UFC 1 Tournament Championship ($50,000) was up for grabs. UFC 1 The Beginning brought together two superstars who had a history of knocking down opponents in the first minute. The match went on to three rounds before Gracie became the first UFC championship winner after a rear-naked choke. It was a scintillating match, and the fact that it was the first UFC match makes it a great deal. Gracie is today a UFC Hall of Famer and is one of the biggest names in the history of the UFC.
At UFC 22, the MMA world was treated to a showdown between two champions, Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz. Ortiz was on his fourth fight in a row after his loss to Guy Mezger. He had the chance to face the much experienced Shamrock for the Light Heavyweight championship. In an epic battle that was marred by one of the greatest feuds in MMA, Shamrock managed to put down Ortiz. But this was after one hell of a struggle with the young fighter. In fact, in the first round, he was almost finished.
Before UFC 100 that pitted Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir 2, Lesnar was the favorite. He was in for a big surprise when a speedy flash kneebar forced him to tap. This was even after controlling the match fully. But the professional wrestler had his revenge in the rematch where he took advantage of his power, sitting in half-guard and raining blows on Mir before knocking him out in just two rounds, in fact, two minutes into the second round.
These are the best fights in the history of the UFC, and MMA in general. Still, there are lots of others including Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236, 2019), Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (UFC 117, 2010), Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2 (UFC 202, 2016), and Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald (UFC 189, 2015) just to mention a few.