Road to UFC 300: The 10 best fights since UFC 200

UFC 300 is sort of right here, and what a highway it’s been. To place into perspective simply how a lot has occurred because the UFC’s final centennial celebration in 2016, that’s…

3,852 fights. 322 occasions. 148 championship bouts.

In different phrases: Eight years of gorgeous chaos.

However that are the ten greatest, most memorable, most iconic, most bone-rattling, action-packed fights because the MMA world celebrated UFC 200? MMA Preventing’s staffers put it to a vote.

Take a look at the countdown under, with excerpts from our staff discovered within the video above.

10. Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 1 (UFC 284, February 2023)

“To ensure that a high-level struggle to evolve into an amazing, legendary struggle, it wants three issues. It wants an electrical crowd, it wants excessive stakes, and it wants two of the most effective fighters on planet Earth. And that’s what the primary occasion of UFC 284 delivered in spades. It was high-level martial arts at its best, and whereas Islam Makhachev emerged victorious to say that pound-for-pound No. 1 spot, nobody in that enviornment felt cheated from what that they had witnessed.” – Jose Youngs

9. Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi (UFC 206, December 2016)

“It says rather a lot that this makes the listing as a three-round struggle — it’s the one one on the listing that’s a three-round struggle. It’s within the UFC Corridor of Fame. And this one had all of it. Wild exchanges, each guys getting harm, blood, cartwheel kicks, ankle picks, and a completely on-fire crowd in Toronto. The final 20 seconds of this struggle is absolute freaking madness.

“I keep in mind watching this struggle dwell on my cellphone and I used to be actually laughing out loud amongst an enormous group of individuals as a result of I simply couldn’t imagine what I used to be watching. This struggle guidelines, and the way in which I describe it to individuals who have by no means seen it, it’s just like the Breaking Dangerous of three-round fights — it begins off actually good, sort of sluggish in comparison with the remainder of the struggle, however you can simply really feel it constructing, one thing massive’s about to occur. After which as soon as the second spherical begins, it’s all fuel and no brakes.” – Mike Heck

8. Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2 (UFC 236, April 2019)

“All it’s worthwhile to do is hear the names concerned to know that it’s going to be an on the spot basic. Between the 2 males, that they had 856 strikes tried, 827 of them vital. Proper now, right here, right now, nonetheless in 2024, that’s good for the third-most strikes ever tried all-time and third-most vital strikes ever tried all-time. Simply an absolute back-and-forth struggle between two of our most technical and clear and thrilling strikers that we have now within the UFC and in all of MMA. The counters and the ability of Dustin Poirier simply ended up being an excessive amount of for Max Holloway, however man, what an absolute battle back-and-forth, and I feel in case you’re any person who skilled it on the time, in case you had been even fortunate sufficient to be within the enviornment in Atlanta and get to see this, you had been in for a particular one.” – Eric Jackman

7. Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2 (UFC 225, June 2018)

“What an emotional roller-coaster trip this construct and this struggle was. As longtime followers know, third-round Yoel Romero, he’s a unique animal, he’s a legendary creature — which is one thing Robert Whittaker came upon about. Scorecards and opinions apart, this struggle was a grueling, nasty battle, and it confirmed 41-year-old Yoel Romero is a superhuman and 27-year-old Robert Whittaker is the actual deal and harder than a two-dollar steak.” – Mike Heck

6. Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Johnson (TUF 25 Finale, July 2017)

“Justin Gaethje was already light-weight’s premier chaos agent by the point 2017 rolled round, however he was additionally a hidden gem, a particular little secret only for the hardcores, only for these of us weirdos who watched him for 3 straight years gentle that cage on hearth as World Sequence of Preventing’s light-weight king. However good lord, the remainder of the world, they came upon fast. Practically 10 minutes straight, Gaethje and Michael Johnson went hammer and tongs in one of the breathtaking ‘welcome to the UFC’ moments we’ve ever seen. It was electrical. Exhilarating. It was one of many loudest crowds I’ve ever heard dwell in my life. And it was pure Justin Gaethje by way of and thru. Efficiency of the Evening. Combat of the Evening. Combat of the Yr. Give it all of the bonuses. Name it no matter you need — by the top of that weekend, all of us knew a brand new boogeyman had arrived at 155.” – Shaun Al-Shatti

5. Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 1 (UFC on FOX 29, April 2018)

“Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are two of probably the most thrilling fighters in MMA historical past, and so even not figuring out what we all know now, heading into UFC on FOX 29, the expectations had been tremendous excessive. And even by these lofty requirements, this struggle nonetheless delivers. That is Justin Gaethje at his most maniacal, and Poirier is simply ascending into a man who can benefit from it — and so it’s simply hell on wheels. For nonetheless lengthy the fights goes on, they’re clashing at one another, it’s absolute scenes, Gaethje is chopping the legs, Poirier is simply hitting him with the palms. It’s one of the thrilling fights simply minute-for-minute that you simply’ll ever get. Then it ends so immediately within the fourth spherical, and there we have now it: Dustin Poirier has actually ascended and arrived as must-see tv and an elite man. This struggle is every little thing you need in a blended martial arts contest in modern-day MMA.” – Jed Meshew

4. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 (UFC 202, August 2016)

“Folks are likely to scoff at this one lately, perhaps as a result of they had been sad with McGregor profitable a detailed determination. However bell-to-bell, this is likely one of the most breathtaking brawls you’ll ever see. It one way or the other surpassed the hype regardless of being one of the extremely anticipated rematches in MMA historical past. In case you’re a struggle fan, it’s important to nonetheless be hoping that indirectly, someplace, one way or the other, McGregor and Diaz will thrown down another time.” – Alexander Ok. Lee

3. Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 236, April 2019)

“I can let you know firsthand, this was probably the most insane expertise I’ve ever had watching fist fights in my life. And I wasn’t the one one. The sensation after these two dudes did what they did that night is one thing I’ll always remember. After that struggle is over, [everyone on media row] is simply sort of gazing one another, nearly as if we’re drunk from the emotional dump that struggle was. The ebbs and the flows. Izzy heading into the fifth spherical, saying, ‘I’m prepared to die in right here,’ to himself earlier than the spherical begins. An unbelievable occasion that occurred, to the purpose the place none of us may even actually register it.

“And I feel the factor that drives it dwelling probably the most for me is, one other struggle that we have now on this listing of greatest fights occurred later that night. This was the co-main occasion. The principle occasion was Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2, an incredible struggle outright by itself, and as I watched that struggle on that night in Atlanta, I believed to myself, ‘This struggle’s unbelievable,’ and I couldn’t emotionally join as a result of all of my vitality had been dumped out with what Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum had finished to one another.” – Jed Meshew

2. Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 1 (UFC 248, March 2020)

“Seven hundred eighty-three strikes thrown. 300 sixty-six strikes landed. One completely nightmarish creature sprouting like a demon’s horn out of a Corridor of Famer’s head. Go forward and name it the only biggest ladies’s struggle within the historical past of human civilization if you would like, however one way or the other even that doesn’t do it justice. As a result of what Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk gave us at UFC 248 in 2020 was one of many biggest fights of all-time, interval. Full cease. No qualifiers wanted. Twenty-five minutes straight of pure desperation, no letdown within the championship rounds, no give up, no pleasant settlement to clinch if just for a half-second to let everybody in the entire rattling enviornment be capable to catch their breathe. In some unspecified time in the future the actually nice fights stop being fights and elevate into one thing extra, and make no mistake, Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk ascended to that greater airplane.” – Shaun Al-Shatti

1. Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira (UFC 275, June 2022)

“When these two warriors stepped in Singapore Indoor Stadium, absolute insanity unfolded. Out went all approach. Out went all sport plans. It was kill-or-be-killed. With each punch, with each elbow, with each flying knee, with each takedown, with each ground-and-pound, with each submission try, that crowd in Singapore rose greater and better and better. If you’re a fan of perfection, this isn’t the struggle for you. However in case you are a fan of simply two of the best fighters to ever dwell throwing every little thing however the kitchen sink at one another, then that is for you. Jiri hated his efficiency as a result of he mentioned it wasn’t good, however to us, the followers, it was good. It was what we would have liked. Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, kickboxing, simply stunning MMA at its best. Jiri Prochazka left the champion, however Glover Teixeira left a legend. And that’s the reason it’s the single biggest struggle since UFC 200.” – José Youngs

Right here is how the voting for MMA Preventing’s 10 greatest fights since UFC 200 performed out.