Whenever someone purchases a UFC pay-per-view event or watches a free event on television, fight fans hope to see a fight that will be talked about for years to come. Whether it is two brawlers sharing punches without caring about their own safety, or grapplers locking on submissions and opponents refusing to give up, fight fans live for back-and-forth battles.
The UFC has no shortage of legendary fights. With events taking place almost every week, a roster of over 500 fighters, and 12 weight classes, exciting and memorable fights are bound to happen. However, the fights that take place after legendary bouts, are often hard to follow and end up being forgotten.
10 Frank Shamrock vs. Jeremy Horn
With so many legendary bouts, the UFC has included a fight wing in its hall of fame. One of the first fights to be inducted was a heavyweight bout between Mark Coleman and Pete Williams at UFC 17 in 1998.
The event was originally scheduled to feature Coleman in the main event, but injuries forced the card to change. As a result, then-UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Frank Shamrock fought Jeremy Horn in the main event. With a hall-of-fame bout taking place before the main event, Shamrock’s title defense is widely forgotten.
9 Mark Kerr vs. Dwayne Cason
Mark Kerr and Dwayne Cason are two names that are widely forgotten in the world of mixed martial arts, but that may soon change with a biopic on Kerr's life in the works. In 1997, at UFC 15, the two heavyweights competed in the finals of a one-night heavyweight tournament.
Before Kerr and Cason fought in their second fights of the night, UFC legends Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort met for the first time. Couture would win the fight by technical knockout and would receive a heavyweight title opportunity. In 2004, the two legends would fight two more times with each fighter earning a win.
8 Ricco Rodriguez vs. Pete Williams
One of the most impressive performances in UFC history took place at UFC 34 in 2001. On that night, future UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn defeated Caol Uno by knockout in just 11 seconds. Highlights from this bout air in almost every Penn video package.
Unfortunately, heavyweights Ricco Rodriguez and Pete Williams had to follow Penn’s legendary performance. Even with Rodriguez earning a TKO victory in the second round, the bout was nowhere near as memorable or classic.
7 Rich Franklin vs. Ken Shamrock
The light heavyweight fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar at the first Ultimate Fighter finale is arguably the most legendary UFC bout of all time. When the first Ultimate Fighter finale is discussed, Griffin and Bonnar’s fight is usually the only fight discussed, but it was not the main event.
In the main event, UFC legend Ken Shamrock fought Rich Franklin in a light heavyweight bout. Franklin won the fight and earned a title opportunity. Despite Franklin’s win against Shamrock leading to him winning the UFC middleweight title, the bout was completely overshadowed by Griffin and Bonnar.
6 Alastair Overeem vs. Junior dos Santos
In 2015, two of the best heavyweights in the history of the UFC fought when Alastair Overeem fought former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. Even with Overeem earning a knockout win, the bout was overshadowed by the fight that took place before this heavyweight encounter.
Before Overeem fought Dos Anjos, a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Michael Johnson took place. Diaz earned a decision victory and cut a legendary promo that led to him becoming one of the top stars in the UFC. Following his victory, Diaz called out Conor McGregor and one of the best rivalries in UFC history was born.
5 Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes
Almost nothing about Conor McGregor’s UFC career is forgettable. However, at UFC 189, McGregor was forced to follow one of the best fights in UFC history.
In the co-main event of UFC 189, Robbie Lawler defended the UFC Welterweight Championship against Rory MacDonald. This legendary battle featured MacDonald putting on one of his best performances in the cage before getting knocked out in the last round. While McGregor winning an interim title was a memorable moment, the fight is widely forgotten.
4 Donald Cerrone vs. Matt Brown
When a fight between Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown was announced for UFC 206, fight fans assumed they were going to see a fight-of-the-year contender. However, the fight that took place before Cerrone and Brown completely outshined the welterweight bout.
In a featherweight fight, Cub Swanson fought Doo-ho Choi in a bout that would later be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Swanson and Choi fought back and forth for three rounds with Swanson earning a decision victory.
3 Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis
At UFC 218, in 2017, fight fans were expecting an exciting bout between former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje, and the two fighters did not disappoint. In the third round of the fight, Alvarez landed a devastating knee that ended the fight.
A pivotal flyweight fight between Sergio Pettis and Henry Cejudo was forced to follow the classic lightweight battle between Alvarez and Gaethje. While Cejudo’s decision victory against Pettis earned him a title opportunity, the fight itself is not memorable.
2 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 2
In 2019, at UFC 236, an interim lightweight title fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway was booked for the main event. Poirier and Holloway were known for having exciting bouts and many fans anticipated a classic bout. However, most fans could not have predicted one of the greatest MMA fights of all time happening in the co-main event.
In the co-main event of UFC 236, an interim middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum took place. While Adesanya earned a decision victory, the fight also won many fight-of-the-year awards.
1 Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero
In 2020, at UFC 248, UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya successfully defended his title against Yoel Romero in the main event. Adesanya earned a hard-fought decision victory that ended up being overshadowed by one of the best women’s MMA fights in history.
In the co-main event of UFC 248, Zhang Weili successfully defended her UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Both fighters shined throughout the fight, but in the end, Weili earned a split-decision victory.