Ranking the Most Hyped Boxing and MMA Events of All Time

The media circus surrounding Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been a whirlwind. It will be a four-month process from the time the fight was signed until it happens tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

By the time it ends, it may have a spot among the most hyped fights of all time—which is what we're here to discuss. Mayweather vs. McGregor is held off of the list as to not be a prisoner of the moment, and to give more time to allow for historical context.

Without any qualifiers, this list would be 100 percent boxing fights. MMA would have trouble breaking into a top 50 list. Boxing's rich history far outweighs MMA's.

We will take into consideration the importance an event had on its sport along with cultural impact during the time of each fight. Landmark achievements for MMA help close the gap and give it a fighting chance against boxing's best. It's an attempt to level the playing field.

From the early 1900s to present day, we rank the most hyped bouts in combat sports history.

Honorable Mentions

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki (June 26, 1976)

The mixed-rules bout between Inoki and Ali was hyped worldwide at the time, but its failure to live up to expectations has seen it fade over time. The pre-fight press conference with the two combatants saw Ali call Inoki "The Pelican" because of his pronounced chin and Inoki tell Ali to take care of his fist if it did hit his chin.

WWE Hall of Famer Freddie Blassie was on hand to lend his promotional muscle. Blassie shouted, with Ali in tow, "Funeral for Inoki! Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Tens of thousands would go out to see the match on closed-circuit feeds, but fans did not get the donnybrook they were hoping for.

The fight laid the groundwork for MMA as we know it today, and MMA journalist Josh Gross detailed the fight and hype in the book Ali vs. Inoki. The fight's legacy is less in the pre-fight hype and more in its influence decades later.

Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks (June 27, 1988)

"Once and for All" was the tagline for the bout in 1988. Both heavyweights had titles to their name and were undefeated. It harkened back to the days of Ali vs. Frazier. Eddie Futch, Spinks' trainer, was also the trainer for Frazier.

Ninety-one seconds was all Tyson needed to become the undisputed heavyweight king. He plastered Spinks and continued a streak that set fear in the hearts of his opponents and the boxing world.

Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis (June 8, 2002)

The build to the fight started in 2000 after Tyson knocked out Lou Savarese in 38 seconds. Jim Gray got the post-fight interview with Tyson in the ring where Tyson went on his now-infamous tirade directed at Lewis that closed with his saying: "My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart! I want to eat his children! Praise be to Allah!"

It would be nearly two years before they finally met. Any Tyson fight was bound to be a spectacle, but his antics at the pre-fight press conference (caution: NSFW language) put the fight on another level.

The fight was already highly anticipated, but the outburst made the media rounds until the bell sounded for the first round. Sometimes it's random moments that put the hype train on an accelerated track, and Tyson had a knack for doing just that.

UFC 202: McGregor vs. Diaz II (August 20, 2016)

The first fight at UFC 196 came together on short notice after then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out due to injury. The event still managed to grab a lot of attention in a short amount of time due to a short-notice press conference (h/t MMAFighting.com). Nate Diaz's victory over McGregor made a rematch one of the most anticipated in MMA history.

The lead-up and performance of the event continued to show that McGregor was the bell cow of the UFC. Diaz and McGregor know how to talk trash, which made their pre-fight press events always worth watching. The interest behind this rivalry makes it one of MMA's most hyped. 

UFC 205: McGregor vs. Alvarez (November 12, 2016)

UFC 205 was the first event for the UFC at Madison Square Garden. After New York legalized MMA, the UFC moved to put together a supercard with three title fights on the bill. None earned more press than the lightweight title fight between champion Eddie Alvarez and McGregor.

McGregor was seeking to become the first fighter in UFC to hold two belts at the same time. And he did.

It was a good event with history on the line.

10. UFC 193 (November 14, 2015)

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

The hype around UFC 193 showcased the star power of Ronda Rousey and the UFC's promotional muscle to capitalize off her interest.

Rousey's dominance and aura made her a draw across the world. She forced the UFC to create a women's division to accommodate her. After more title defenses in the UFC, she would begin to step into the world of acting in big-budget pictures such as Furious 7.

The UFC produced one of its most spectacular promos for the event. It painted a beautiful picture of the evolution of each woman leading into the main event in Australia. There was no generic promo; the UFC invested itself fully.

And that video wasn't merely posted to YouTube and released. No, it was released on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It's an achievement that showed how much the public was into Rousey as a sports star. While the UFC could have put the event on in Las Vegas at a premium, it decided to move it to Melbourne.

The event also produced one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the sport as Holly Holm head-kicked Rousey into a yearlong absence to claim her first MMA world championship.

UFC 193 is not the biggest PPV in company history, but it was one of the most hyped through traditional and new media. Rousey transcended the sport, and it showed through the mainstream interest. The UFC was able to match that interest with a campaign that moved UFC 193 up the ranks.

9. Jack Johnson vs. James Jeffries (July 4, 1910)

Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images

The International Boxing Hall of Fame calls it "the first boxing match of the 20th century that transcended the sport."

Jack Johnson became the first African-American heavyweight champion by defeating Tommy Burns in 1908. After several successful defenses, the boxing world was looking for a challenge. More specifically, in the era of Jim Crow laws, it was looking for the "Great White Hope" who could dethrone Johnson.

Who better than the former champion of the world, undefeated James J. Jeffries?

On July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada, the bout was on in a specially designed arena.

Jeffries would not be able to compete against Johnson. After the sixth round, per the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Jeffries told his corner, "My arms won't work, but just give me time and I'll be all right." He would not be all right. Johnson poured on the punishment until Jeffries' corner was forced to throw in the towel.

The result, a black man dominating the "Great White Hope," would set off riots across America.

The social and political climate helped to fuel the hype surrounding the contest, making it the first massive fight of the 1900s.

8. Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling II (June 22, 1938)

In their first meeting, Max Schmeling gave Joe Louis his first career loss. Just over a year later, after seven consecutive victories, Louis claimed the world championship with a knockout against James J. Braddock.

Louis refused to claim the title of world champion until he met Schmeling again.

When they stepped back inside the squared circle, things were quite a bit different. The world was on the brink of World War II, and Nazi Germany's world champion already had a victory over the American king. The political climate added to the story and hype of the rematch more so than it typically would.

Schmeling did not relate to the Nazi claims, but the overriding story between the two would mostly negate that from the arc (in part because Germany used Schmeling in its propaganda campaigns).

In a New York Times interview with Paul L. Montgomery many years later, Schmeling recounted the lead-up to the rematch: "In the newspapers, they write Max Schmeling is taking the boxing money to buy cannons for Hitler. It was not true. But what could I do about it?"

The rematch would not last long, as Louis scored a knockout in just 2:04 of the first round. America rejoiced with the result; it was a victory for all. The backdrop to the fight made it that much more critical to the masses.

7. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman (October 29, 1974)

Uncredited/Associated Press

"The Rumble in the Jungle" is one of the most discussed and replayed fights in combat sports history.

The documentary When We Were Kings won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Ali was coming off his victory over Joe Frazier where he claimed a world championship, but Foreman was the lineal title-holder. And he was undefeated.

The fight would take place in Kinshasa, Zaire. Not under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden or another stateside local, but in Africa. The events in Zaire during the lead-up to that fight showed the importance of the event along with the hype that came with an Ali title fight.

Part of the hype leading up to the event was a three-day concert titled "Zaire 74." The likes of James Brown and B.B. King performed at the event.

Most people think of Foreman as the bald-headed grill-slinger on television, or as the man who stunned the world with a mid-'90s world title victory against Michael Moorer. But in 1974, he was the man to beat. He was a 25-year-old behemoth against an aging Ali. Surely, the thunderous punching power would be too much for Ali.

It made for an unlikely David vs. Goliath story. Instead of a slingshot, Ali brought his "rope-a-dope" strategy into the ring.

Ali, as everyone knows by now, would come on late to stop a tired, weary Foreman. The performance and event have been chronicled ever since. Fights these days are massively hyped, but virtually none have the cultural impact of this one.

6. Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II (June 28, 1997)

Evander Holyfield stunned the boxing world by defeating Mike Tyson in late 1996, which led to "The Sound and the Fury" being booked for June 1997.

Jim Gray, in an interview with Gabriel Baumgaertner of Sports Illustrated, said: "Nobody expected that Tyson would lose to Holyfield. So when he lost to Holyfield, the rematch was being built up back in the days of the Ali fights. It had commanded that kind of attention."

Unlike other bouts assisted by political and social climates, this rematch was hyped purely on the men involved and the outcome of their original meeting. The enigma of Tyson captivated audiences worldwide, and after his loss to Holyfield, now it was time for redemption.

Redemption never happened.

Still, the hype entering that night cannot be oversold. Former Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director and now UFC exec Marc Ratner recalled in the same SI piece: "I remember walking into the MGM that day. I could barely get through the crowd, and this wasn't even a crowd going to the fight! They were just hanging around."

"The Bite," which led to a DQ, is now a part of boxing lore. The infamous moment is embedded in the memory of all who watched it live and those who would see it in the coming days on news telecasts. It became one of the most shocking moments in sports history.

5. UFC 100 (July 11, 2009)

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Long before there was ever a card, every MMA fan had UFC 100 in mind. It was a special number, and it was a milestone for the sport. The question was how the UFC would handle the spectacle it inevitably would become.

The UFC stacked the card with its two biggest draws: Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre. Also on the card were Dan Henderson, Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Frank Mir and a new prospect in Jon Jones. The UFC made sure the event would be rife with talent.

In an interview with Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, former UFC head honcho Lorenzo Fertitta remarked on his realization that MMA was now mainstream. Fertitta said, "I remember that was the first time I heard general sports media and all the talk shows discussing our event on a Monday."

The UFC poured everything into UFC 100, and it paid off.

The hype around UFC 100 helped its success, and it also helped push the UFC to a new level as the sport moved from the fringe to the mainstream.

4. Gene Tunney vs. Jack Dempsey II (September 22, 1927)

Associated Press

Gene Tunney unseated Jack Dempsey on September 23, 1926. Almost a year to the day, September 22, 1927, the rematch was on.

Dempsey's stature and the result of the first fight are largely what gave way to the hype surrounding the rematch. Dempsey was a polarizing figure, which always leads to increased interest. Some felt he avoided service in the military for World War I, whereas Tunney was a dedicated Marine. It created an interesting arc.

The first fight was hyped in and of itself with over 120,000 coming out to see it live in Philadelphia.

The rematch, set at Solider Field in Chicago, would still see over 100,000 people coming through the gates. Per B. R. Bearden of Boxing247.com, the contest set a new gate record of $2.66 million.

The fight is more known because of its in-fight happenings. It's known as "The Long Count" (video courtesy of Periscope Film).

With new knockdown rules in effect, a fighter would have to move back to a neutral corner after a knockdown. In the seventh round, Dempsey stunned Tunney with a combination that put him to the canvas, but he did not move to a neutral corner. Standing near his opponent elongated the count and allowed Tunney more time to get to his feet.

Tunney regained control and took another decision victory.

Dempsey noted he had forgotten about the rule in his autobiography, "It's hard to stop what you're doing, standing over a guy and waiting for him to get up."

The two Dempsey-Tunney bouts captivated a nation and continued the tradition of heavyweight boxing glory.

3. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (May 5, 2007)

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

For several years, boxing had lacked a true superfight. There was a lull that saw boxing exit the mainstream from where it had been in the 1990s. That is, until Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was signed.

It is also the fight that could be credited with bringing Mayweather to the forefront of the boxing universe.

One of the most notable happenings from the fight was the creation of HBO's 24/7 series. It brought an engrossing look at each man throughout their training camp leading into the fight.

The press conferences were also significant events that gave Mayweather a platform to shoot off against The Golden Boy. When they met face-to-face (caution: NSFW language), Mayweather told De La Hoya: "I'm the top draw. You remember that."

The result of the hype was the highest-grossing boxing PPV to date with more than 2.2 million buys.

Mayweather would take a narrow split-decision victory to launch him into the next level of boxing stardom, and he hasn't looked back.

2. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier (March 8, 1971 and October 1, 1975)

MITSUNORI CHIGITA/Associated Press

Both the first and third fights of this trilogy crack the list. That isn't to say the second meeting wasn't hyped as well, but the first and final encounters were magic.

The first fight was dubbed the "Fight of the Century," and for good reason. Both men were undefeated, and fans were split on who the real world champion was. Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title by refusing service in 1967, and Frazier took his spot atop the boxing world.

Ali was always a divisive figure with his trash talk, but refusing service created another layer around his legacy. It also increased interest in the fight.

When the two met at Madison Square Garden in 1971, it was a star-studded affair. Celebrities lined the ringside while the two top names in boxing went toe-to-toe for the undisputed championship. Frazier would get the decision, but the story would not end in New York.

The day-after report in the New York Times by Dave Anderson opened with a sentence nothing short of beautiful: "In a classic 15-round battle, Joe Frazier broke the wings of the butterfly and smashed the stinger of the bee last night in winning a unanimous 15-round decision over Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden."

Ali would win in the rematch, setting up a trilogy fight that remains one of the most famous sporting events known simply as the "Thrilla in Manila."

The rematch brought the eyes of the world to the Philippines.

Ali's bombastic pre-fight quotes helped spur the interest in a fight people were already invested in seeing. The name of the fight came from Ali's saying, "It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manila." Frazier, meanwhile, stayed outside of the city to better prepare.

The fight lived up to the hype as much as their first encounter did; the chemistry and fighting spirit of Ali and Frazier was amazing. Frazier's corner would stop the fight in the 14th, awarding Ali the victory of the match and series.

1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (May 2, 2015)

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

Unquestionably, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao would be at the top of this list. The bout itself came years after it should have, but it finally came nonetheless.

Pacquiao's string of knockouts brought him to prominence as Mayweather continued on his journey of being the pay-per-view king. It always seemed as if they were on a collision course, but the fight kept getting pushed off.

The two nearly fought in 2010. Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole recounted the contract that fell apart due to Pacquiao's refusal of stringent drug testing.

However, it finally got signed. Five years later.

The anticipation around the event has been unparalleled. It saw a dramatic rise in ticket and PPV prices. The simple economics of supply and demand showed how powerful of a contest this was to be. Scrooge McDuck would have been jealous of the cash enclosed in the vault.

The fight didn't live up to expectations at all. Mayweather used his defensive genius to outpoint Pacquiao in a boring affair. Still, it was the years worth of hype that puts this at the top. Before the contracts had ever been drawn up, fight fans and casual sports fans were dreaming of this matchup. They called for it at every turn.

ESPN.com's Darren Rovell and Dan Rafael reported Pacquiao made north of $150 million and Mayweather made upward of $230 million from the contest.

The fans created the hype of Mayweather-Pacquiao. Boxing just took advantage.