25 UFC Fights Worth Watching Again and Again
Dana White always says you can't judge how good a fight is before it happens, and he is totally right.
Great fights are not defined by meeting your expectations, but by exceeding them. They are not defined by what is said before they happen, but by what is said after the moment the two fighters meet inside the Octagon.
The following is a list of 25 fights that are worth watching again and again.
No. 25: Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz
1 of 25
Event: UFC 47
Heading into this fight, most people were expecting Lawler to keep it standing and Diaz to try to take it to the ground. The unexpected happened and Diaz decided to keep it on the feet. Diaz used trash talk to make Lawler more reckless in his attack and it payed off.
It didn't touch the floor once, and what resulted was a toe to toe battle that left one opponent face first on the canvas.
And it was not Diaz.
No. 24: Vitor Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz
2 of 25
Event: UFC 51
This is arguably Ortiz's last great win over a top opponent, and he still only came out of it with a split decision over hot and cold Vitor Belfort.
Tito survived Belfort's first round flurry to secure a 29-28 win on two scorecards due to several takedowns and control in the second and third rounds. It was a great fight that saw two fighters fighting for another title shot.
No. 23: Karo Parisyan vs. Matt Serra
3 of 25
Event: UFC 53
Early in the fight, Serra rocked Parisyan and everyone thought the fight was going to be stopped soon after. It could have been stopped, as Parisyan was clearly dazed beside the cage. Serra used a lot of energy trying to finish his opponent and faded soon after.
Parisyan would rally in the second and third rounds to earn a unanimous decision win.
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No. 22: Antoni Hardonk vs. Eddie Sanchez
4 of 25
Event: UFC 85
This fight was un-aired on the PPV event, but it was the best fight on the card.
Hardonk was dropped and bloodied early in the fight but survived to land some of the best leg kicks you will ever see. Known for his kick-boxing skills, Hardonk would punish Sanchez in the second round.
The finishing touches Hardonk applied on Sanchez were only highlighted in the night's Turning Point feature, but it is a fight that needs to be seen in its entirety.
No. 21: Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald
5 of 25
Event: UFC 87
If you are a fan of ground fighting and submissions, then this is probably a fight you remember.
Maia and MacDonald battled back and forth for three rounds, and the majority of the fight was on the ground. With Maia being a wizard on the ground, MacDonald surprised audiences with his submission defense, but he would eventually get caught with a rear naked choke in the third round and tapped out.
No. 20: Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6 of 25
Event: UFC 102
This was one of those fights that pitted two legends against each other.
With nothing to lose and legacies intact, both battled as hard as ever wherever the fight took place. On the feet, sequences resembled Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama. On the ground, Couture survived several submission attempts after being rocked.
Nogueira would take the unanimous decision in the end.
No. 19: Matt Grice vs. Jason Black
7 of 25
Event: UFC 77
This was a pre-lim fight from the Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin Two event, and it is the most underrated fight on the list. The first round saw both fighters exchanging submission attempts and was a close round. Referee Mark Methany almost stopped the fight several times in the second round as Black was knocked down several times and looked helpless, but was later almost finished by a triangle choke attempt late in the round.
Grice survived the submissions and rallied in the third round and won a split decision.
No. 18: Georges St. Pierre Vs. Matt Serra 1
8 of 25
Event: UFC 69
It is arguably the biggest upset in UFC history, and the biggest upset in a title fight. Matt Serra was counted out in every way possible. Some betting sites had him as much as an 8:1 underdog.
If you love a good real-life Rocky story, this is one you will probably watch more than once.
No. 17: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
9 of 25
Event: TUF3 Finale
In another classic Ultimate Fighter Finale, Kendall Grove and Ed Herman fought three hard rounds and were both awarded contracts by Dana White after.
It was a battle of will and skill on the ground, as both fighters survived submission attempts again and again, from the first bell to the last. It was described as the Griffin vs. Bonnar fight on the ground, and Grove was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
No 16: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia 2
10 of 25
Event: UFC 59
Of the three fights Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia fought, this was their best, especially when compared to their third fight.
These two heavyweights carried the UFC's heavyweight division through its darkest years and provided a very memorable second fight. It looked like the first when Sylvia was dropped by Arlovski, but he recovered in just enough time to get up and unleash an attack of his own.
A left hand dropped Arlovski and Sylvia finished him off with some ground and pound.
No. 15: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 1
11 of 25
Event: UFC 46
Their second fight was the biggest, but their first was the best.
Both were fighting for a title shot at Randy Couture and there was bad blood. Liddell wanted to knock Tito Ortiz out and everyone wanted to see it. It didn't take long and late in the first, Liddell rocked Ortiz with a combination that had Ortiz retaliating by pushing the referee away from him when the bell sounded.
When the second round began, Liddell picked up where he left off and finished Ortiz.
No. 14: Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar
12 of 25
Event: UFC 81
Lesnar came into this fight with a lot of weight on his shoulders.
With only one professional MMA fight, a reputation as a WWE superstar and a large fanbase, Lesnar brought attention and fans to the sport. Mir was still trying to regain something he lost back in 2006, when he crashed his motorcycle and was forced to give up the heavyweight title.
Lesnar started off quick and took Mir down, but lost a point for punching him in the back of the head. Lesnar dropped Mir the second time it hit the ground, but ended up tapping out to a knee-bar soon after.
No. 13: Thiago Alves vs. Chris Lytle
13 of 25
Event: UFC 78
The first question is—why was this fight on the pay per view under card? It was a guaranteed fight of the night, and it was.
Early in the first, Lytle was dropped but recovered, and the action continued from then on. Alves was beginning to get tired and Lytle was starting to make a comeback.
It was back and forth action throughout between two of the top welterweights, but it was cut short after the second round due to cuts around Lytle's eye. Hopefully a rematch happens down the line, because it may get the slot on the main card it deserved.
No. 12: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
14 of 25
Event: UFC 59
Early in the first round, Ortiz got Griffin down and pounded him into a bloody mess with elbows and punches. It was easily a 10-8 round for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy.
Griffin rallied in the second and third rounds and took control of the fight, out-striking and defending the majority of Ortiz's take-down attempts. In the end, the scorecards read 30-27 Ortiz, 29-27 Ortiz and 29-28 Griffin.
This was Griffin's coming out party and he passed it even in defeat.
*Photo from their second fight. Griffin won via split decision.
No. 11: Evan Tanner vs. David Terrell
15 of 25
Event: UFC 51
This was a classic matchup of the up and comer versus the veteran champion.
Terrell was riding a lot of momentum going into this fight. Coming off a 23-second knockout win over Matt Lindland, he thought he was going to do the same to Evan Tanner. He almost did.
Terrell had Tanner in trouble in the first round with a tight guillotine choke, but Tanner fought his way through and got out. Terrell was visibly distraught that he couldn't finish his opponent and paid the price. Tanner unleashed a flurry of punches for the rest of the round until the referee stopped the fight late in the first.
No. 10: Matt Hughes Vs. Georges St. Pierre 2
16 of 25
Event: UFC 65
Going into this fight, George St. Pierre was no longer fighting the man he looked up to, as was the case in the first fight.
He was now fighting an opponent keeping him from reaching his goal as the UFC welterweight champion of the world.
Pierre showed early that he could stuff Hughes' take-downs and get some of his own. In a great display of mixed martial arts, Pierre knocked Hughes out in the second round with a head kick and punches to become the new UFC welterweight champion.
No. 9: Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn 2
17 of 25
Event: UFC 63
In the three fights these two fought, there were wildly different results for each.
But that's what makes a trilogy so great.
In the first fight, Hughes was submitted by Penn, but he blamed it on underestimating his opponent. When Hughes regained the title, Penn returned to challenge him again and believed he was going to win just as easily.
The first two rounds were all Penn, as he defended every takedown attempt Hughes tried and had him caught in a triangle choke/armbar late in the second. Hughes survived and Penn was visibly weakened by his effort in the second. Hughes got Penn down in the third and into the crucifix position, where he smashed Penn and forced the referee to stop the fight.
No. 8: Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
18 of 25
Event: TUF9 Finale
Stare downs build up a fight, but even this stare down couldn't prepare us for what was about to take place. Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida fought three hard rounds in 2009's Fight of the Year.
It was an incredible fight and it was a close one, despite the completely one-sided first round by Sanchez. Guida showed one of the biggest hearts you will ever see in surviving the barrage of punches and head kick he received by Sanchez in the first round.
He came back in the second and third, but lost a split decision.
No. 7: Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
19 of 25
Event: UFC 86
After an entertaining season coaching the Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin fought five rounds for the light heavyweight title.
Jackson dropped Griffin in the first, but could not finish him. Griffin survived and got stronger as the fight went on. Using leg kicks and take-downs, Griffin was gaining momentum going into the championship rounds and both finished with a bang.
It was a close fight in the end, but Griffin was awarded the unanimous decision and was the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
No. 6: Georges St. Pierre Vs. Jon Fitch
20 of 25
Event: UFC 87
After the fight, if the face of Jon Fitch didn't tell the story, then nothing would.
He got dominated in every aspect of the fight and it was a showcase for George St. Pierre. What made it a great fight was the heart of Fitch and trying his hardest to make a comeback in the fight. This fight gets even more amazing to watch as Fitch keeps winning fights and shows why he is so hard to beat.
He has 13 wins in the Octagon and his only loss is to St Pierre, but it was his best fight to date.
No. 5: Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo 1
21 of 25
Event: UFC 31
As far as five round title fights go, this is one of the greatest.
It was a battle of attrition and will for both fighters. Rizzo survived an early ground and pound attack by Couture and came back to deliver kicks and punches, dropping Couture several times in the fight. Both were visibly tired by the middle of the fight, but Rizzo seemed to be the fresher of the two.
In a close fight, Couture seemed to be surprised when he was awarded the unanimous decision win.
No. 4: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1
22 of 25
Event: TUF1 Finale
As one of the most important fights in UFC history, not much more can be said about the significance of this fight and what it did to push MMA into the mainstream. If you are looking to get someone into MMA, this is probably the fight you will end up showing them.
No. 3: Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell 2
23 of 25
Event: UFC 52
Their third fight was the biggest, but the second one was the greatest. Liddell was coming off a knockout over Tito Ortiz, while Randy Couture was coming off a win over Vitor Belfort.
The fight didn't last long, and Liddell knocked Couture out two minutes into the fight for what capped off one of the greatest cards in UFC history.
No. 2: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
24 of 25
Event: UFC 69
This was one of the most anticipated and talked about fights for years.
The most destructive man in Pride versus the most destructive fighter in the UFC. Although it didn't happen when it should have, both fighters fought for three rounds. Nobody expected a decision in this fight, but both fighters wanted it so bad that they would not go down.
It was a war and Liddell emerged victorious.
No. 1: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2
25 of 25
Event: UFC 52
This fight had everything in terms of drama.
Within a five minute time frame, there was an intense stare down, low blows, submission attempts, slams and everything else you can think of. Dana White calls this his favorite fight of all time, and it's easy to see why.
Hughes was in big trouble early, as Trigg hit him with an uncalled low blow. Hughes recovered, but Trigg was on his way to choking him out. Hughes survived again, got Trigg on his shoulders and ran him across the Octagon, slamming him into the mat.
After he delivered a few elbows of his own, he choked Trigg out for the second time.
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