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Examining the Best UFC Fights of All Time

Richard Janvrin by Richard Janvrin, April 16, 2025

UFC Fights

The UFC puts on events almost every weekend, and today, fans of the sport can wager on them at the online UFC betting sites as opposed to needing to go to Las Vegas.

Over the span of the UFC’s tenure, there have been several instant classics, and below, we’ll rank the best UFC fights of all time, including those between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald and more.

9. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II

When we think of the “best UFC fight”, Edgar vs. Maynard II is certainly deserving, and we wouldn’t argue that you thought it should be higher on this list.

This was their second fight after Maynard won via unanimous decision in the first bout.

This fight took place on Jan. 1, 2011, at UFC 125.

At one point, it looked like just another fight, with Maynard appearing to have the win after connecting with a left hook and landing several more punches.

Unable to put him away, though, Edgar recovered and had 22 hits on Maynard in the second round and a slam.

The fight was ruled a split draw because it was so close and because Edgar somehow survived the first round.

They then went on to have a third fight, which Edgar won via knockout.

8. Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit

When fans first learned that Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler would square off, it was safe to assume it was going to be one of the greatest UFC fights of all time.

At the time, Lawler and Condit were two of the best around, especially in the welterweight division.

Heading into it, Lawler had beaten Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks, Matt Brown, and Jake Ellenberger.

Meanwhile, Condit was coming off a leg injury against Tyron Woodley in 2014 and won in his return against Thiago Alves in 2015.

The two went all five rounds, furiously swinging at one another.

Lawler was named the winner, but there was a lot of controversy, and the win is still debated to this day.

In addition to that loss, Condit would go 2-6 over the remainder of his career.

7. Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

One of the best UFC fights of all time is the only female bout on this list, and it came between Zhang and Jedrzejczyk in 2020.

This was their first matchup where Zhang was defending the UFC Women’s Strawweight title.

It went all five rounds, and it was too bad it had to stop there.

To this point, not many other fighters could challenge Jedrzejczyk in the stand-up game, but Zhang could.

There were more punches thrown as the fight went on, and neither quit.

This included Jedrzejczyk getting accidentally headbutted, and her forehead swelled up massively.

Not only was it arguably the best female fight of all time, but it’s also one of the best UFC has had.

6. Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum

You can’t make a list of the best UFC fights of all time and not include Adesanya and Gastelum in 2019.

This was the fight that really put Adesanya more on the map after he won the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship via unanimous decision.

This fight earned Fight of the Night honors and was inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Adesanya started slowly, but by the second round, he landed a spinning elbow and swung Gastelum around by his legs.

Here’s what Adesanya said after the fight:

“I was willing to die. We’ve lost teammates to this game; they’re not with us anymore. But I knew I was willing to leave it all in there. He’s a Mexican warrior, but I’ve got that Mexicano in me, too.”

5. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II

In recent memory, McGregor and Diaz’s second bout was one of the best UFC fights.

This fight came on August 20th, 2016, mere months after their first match on March 5th, 2016.

Diaz won the first one, but the second bout in August was easily the most grueling of either man’s career.

It lasted 25 minutes, and it was a close fight throughout. Diaz landed slightly more strikes (166 to 164) and had nearly six more minutes of control time.

That said, McGregor dropped Diaz three times.

McGregor won by majority decision—two judges favored him while the other considered it a draw.

4. Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Not only is it one of the best, but when you think of the most exciting UFC fights, Henderson and Shogun at UFC 139 immediately come to mind.

These two went back and forth all night, with Henderson landing many shots that you would think would end a fight. Bloodied and battered, the two men kept going. At one point, they could barely stand, and both men’s shorts looked like they were dyed red because of the blood.

Henderson was ruled the winner via KO/TKO, but it was a fight no one will ever forget.

3. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

One of the best UFC matches of all time was in 2013 between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. These two would fight again years later, but their first bout in 2013 will be remembered for being epic and because Jones broke the record for the most UFC Light Heavyweight title defenses.

Gustafsson got Jones down early, but they eventually got up and went on to duke it out 25 minutes across five rounds.

The fourth round was especially heated as the two exchanged punches, but Jones hit Gustafsson with an elbow shot toward the end, and Gustafsson was hurt. He survived the bell, however, and would go on to compete in the fifth.

This fight could’ve gone either way.

2. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

Not only was the fight itself incredible, but Griffin and Bonnar at TUF 1 Finale is one of the greatest UFC fights of all time because one could argue it helped bring them mainstream stardom.

The two went back and forth, and the story of the two fighters captured the attention of mainstream people.

Griffin used to be a cop, and Bonnar went to school to study sports medicine.

This one was one of the first real hardcore brawls fans were able to watch with two guys they could relate to.

1. Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II

Finally, among the best UFC fights of all time are Lawler and MacDonald II.

In this bout, the UFC Welterweight title was on the line.

These two went at it right away, and by the fourth round, the blood on their faces made them borderline unrecognizable.

The two had a vicious showdown toward the end of the fight, and Lawler would go to win via TKO.

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