The Top 10 Light Heavyweight Title Fights in UFC History
UFC 192 last weekend saw a main event instantly hailed as a classic. But we've been down this road before.
Sure, light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier turning back another tough title bid from Alexander Gustafsson was indeed a great fight. But where does it really rank among the best UFC light heavyweight title fights of all time?
I'm glad you asked. Here is a somewhat subjective ranking of the best such scraps in UFC history. They are ordered based on the action and result of the fight and the reputations of those involved. Please enjoy.
10. Dan Henderson vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
1 of 10
Date: September 8, 2007
Event: UFC 75
Result: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Dan Henderson by unanimous decision
This bout was destined for greatness, as it helped unify the two great epochs of MMA by matching UFC champion Jackson with Pride titleholder Henderson. (Everyone was hoping for Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, but both men lost just before UFC parent company Zuffa purchased and dismantled Pride. They would fight later but in a non-title affair, thus making that a story for another day.)
Airing in the U.S. on tape delay, the bout was occasionally wild and occasionally brilliant. Both men were still spry in 2007, so the action was dynamic on the feet and on the mat.
Hendo started strong, but Jackson finished strong, which I hear tell is more important. Jackson took the decision and unified the 205-pound belts.
9. Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
2 of 10
Date: January 3, 2015
Event: UFC 182
Result: Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier unanimous decision
You're not going to see a ton of Jon Jones on this list, at least relative to his status as probably the best fighter the sport has ever seen here at the age of 28.
That scarcity is due largely to his domination of opponents. Glover Teixeira? Chael Sonnen? Vitor Belfort? Fine opponents all, at least after a fashion, but none posed a threat to Jones outside of a flash moment or two.
Cormier was a different story.
The undefeated Olympic wrestler isn't exactly a master of deception. Jones has repeatedly shown a preference for beating an opponent at his own game. Ergo, five rounds of back-and-forth trench warfare ensued, with Cormier arguably taking the second and possibly third round before the champ pulled away in the end.
Yes, the champ ground down the original grind-embracer. The bad blood, however, was (and is) still kicking, as evidenced by Cormier's bitter tears after the loss—and Jones' mocking of same.
8. Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
3 of 10
Date: July 5, 2008
Event: UFC 86
Result: Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision
Remember when Griffin was still a viable fighter, before Anderson Silva removed his soul at UFC 101? Me too. Those were good days.
In all seriousness, age, injuries and plain old motivation probably had more to do with Griffin's decline in and departure from the sport, but for a few years he was the most entertaining light heavyweight on the UFC roster. Even more amazingly, for several months in 2008, he was also the best.
Damn. Was that really seven years ago?
When Griffin faced Rampage Jackson after the two coached against each other on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, Griffin was a substantial betting underdog. He used early leg kicks to take the edge off Jackson's power and, as Jackson refused to check the attack, continued until Jackson could barely put weight on his front leg.
That, a jab, a few minutes of top control and a tough chin to weather Jackson's inevitable haymakers were enough to swing the bout Griffin's way. That, of course, is a simplification: Jackson was still in his prime at the time and rocked Griffin more than once on the feet, mixing in takedowns to boot. Still, the effort, paced by those leg kicks, netted Griffin yet another career upset and the 205-pound title.
Four months later, Rashad Evans knocked Griffin out in the third round of Griffin's first defense bid, and the belt changed hands again.
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7. Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida
4 of 10
Date: December 10, 2011
Event: UFC 140
Result: Jon Jones def. Lyoto Machida by technical submission (guillotine choke), 4:26, Rd. 2
Some people may forget that, to this point, this was the most Jones had been threatened in an MMA cage.
Machida and his famed evasive-karate-defense thing may have taken the first round with point strikes. But no matter. A few minutes later, Jones found a way to score maybe the most dramatic finish of his career to date.
Late in the second, Jones locked on a strong palm-to-palm guillotine choke. There was no escape, but Machida—supported against the cage—appeared to be awake longer than he really was. When the ref finally waved it off, Jones simply let go and walked away, letting Machida fall to the floor like a bag of wet newspapers. There's your ballgame.
6. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 2
5 of 10
Date: December 30, 2006
Event: UFC 66
Result: Chuck Liddell def. Tito Ortiz by TKO, 3:59, Rd. 3
It's not the No. 1 fight on this list, but it may well be the most iconic.
Nearly five years after retirement, Liddell is probably still the most famous MMA fighter in the world outside of Ronda Rousey. This fight, a taming of an all-time heel in Ortiz, is arguably his magnum opus.
As he was wont to do, Ortiz avoided Liddell for quite a while. But Liddell was the champ in 2006, which made their rematch (Liddell won the 2004 original by knockout) a foregone conclusion after Ortiz basically handled everybody else in the division.
The second one went much like the first, with Liddell landing big, smelling blood, swarming and gaining the stoppage. Another title defense for The Iceman.
5. Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
6 of 10
Date: October 3, 2015
Event: UFC 192
Result: Daniel Cormier def. Alexander Gustafsson by split decision
This seems about right. Not too overreacty, but not too underreacty either.
I caught this one on DVR, after I had processed some of the reactions. To be honest, that made me take this one with a grain of salt.
It didn't matter.
These two busted each other up for 25 solid minutes; their faces looked like hamburger at the final horn. Gustafsson felled Cormier and had him hurt, but Cormier showed—apologies in advance—the heart of a champion, pushing through, staying tough and doing enough in the end to take the decision.
4. Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz 1
7 of 10
Date: November 22, 2002
Event: UFC 40
Result: Tito Ortiz def. Ken Shamrock by TKO, 5:00, Rd. 3
Arguably the greatest feud in UFC history (and here's a primer if you need one) finally culminated inside the Octagon. And there was a belt on the line, no less.
Sadly, this one loses some luster because Shamrock was 38 years old and fairly diminished by the time they actually stepped in (after, it should be noticed, some extended ducking from Ortiz). There's also the fact that Shamrock fought despite a torn ACL.
At the time, it was the biggest MMA fight this side of Royce Gracie, and maybe bigger. But the fight itself was fairly lopsided, with Ortiz relying on his signature ground-and-pound to tenderize Shamrock and force a corner stoppage after the third round.
They fought twice more, with Ortiz winning all three, but neither return engagement brought the energy of the first.
3. Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture 1
8 of 10
Date: June 6, 2003
Event: UFC 43
Result: Randy Couture def. Chuck Liddell by TKO, 2:39, Rd. 3
Don't let the apron fool you. This is a bad man.
Remember what I said before about Ortiz ducking Liddell? You can argue whether that was really happening, but there's no denying that the UFC felt that way. Case in point: the interim championship the UFC created as a bargaining chip against Ortiz, the then-champion who was stalling and spoiling for a better contract with the promotion.
For the interim title, Couture moved down from heavyweight to take on Liddell. The thunder-armed Iceman was the presumed favorite, but the wily veteran Couture had some surprises up his sleeve.
Well, not surprises, really. Couture's arsenal of dirty boxing, takedowns and game-planning was a tried-and-true formula for The Natural. The surprise was how well it worked. Eventually, in the third round, the ground-and-pound reached a fever pitch, and the referee called the stop.
Couture was the champion and moved another step closer to being one of the sport's all-time greats.
2. Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz
9 of 10
Date: September 24, 1999
Event: UFC 22
Result: Frank Shamrock def. Tito Ortiz by submission (strikes), 4:42, Rd. 4
The 1999 Fight of the Year was something to behold.
Before the fight, Shamrock called it, per MMAFighting.com: "It'll either be a quick win, with an armbar in the first round, or a win late in the fight, when he's tired out."
The latter proved accurate. The bigger, stronger Ortiz used takedowns and top control to take an advantage into the late stages of the fight. At one point, he actually dug his fingers into a cut on Shamrock's head, prying it open even farther. Yeesh. It was a legal move at the time because, well, no one had done it before.
Entering the fourth round, Shamrock basically needed a finish if he wanted to win. Cue "Eye of the Tiger." Yet another takedown from Ortiz turned into a guillotine attempt from Shamrock, which turned into a dominant position, which turned into hellfire ground-and-pound from above. With 10 seconds remaining in the round, Ortiz had had enough. No mas. There was the tap.
Shamrock had defended the title and cemented himself as arguably the best American fighter of MMA's Iron Age. Here's hoping those with short memories among us never forget this epic.
1. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
10 of 10
Date: September 21, 2013
Event: UFC 165
Result: Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson by unanimous decision
The GOAT had never come this close to defeat before. There's a chance he never will again.
Gustafsson pressured Jones from the outset, staying outside and working heavy counters and straight punches that marked up and confounded the champion. Jones responded with kicks, low and high.
The Swede was an extreme underdog and scored a moral victory of sorts by hanging with Jones for the full five rounds. But down the stretch, Jones opened up his arsenal and opened up Gustafsson, brandishing those signature knees and elbows to turn the tide for good.
The champ eventually won a close but (for many) clear decision. It was one of the most nip-and-tuck fights I've ever seen. And it certainly gets my vote as the best light heavyweight title fight ever.
Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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