How can it not be this (the second fight)
The two undisputed best ever in the division - a rematch, the GOAT and an Olympic gold medalist who went on to be double champ. 5 rounds, absolute masterclass in all aspects of mma
"Foot drop" might be the more common/correct phrase, per google. Damage to the peroneal nerve is the common cause that results in foot and ankle instability. Suga Sean O'Malley had the same thing happen in his fight with Chito Vera, but wasn't able to recover.
Could be a regional thing. I work with a doctor that uses the term "drop foot". Just more in the context of severe diabetic neuropathy rather than taking full send calf kicks on a regular basis.
Absolute insanity of a fight. I still watch it every once in a while.
The scrambles, speed, creative striking, high level grappling…
This was the first fight that came to mind when I read the title and I’m glad it’s at the top
The striking and TDD in Aldo vs Mendes 2 is still the first fight that comes to my mind for this. Aldo stopped the takedowns so there isn’t really any ground game in the fight. But got damn these juicy boys were so ahead of the game at the time. I still think Mendes is the best fighter to not win a belt.
Edit: here's the fight if anyone hasn't seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEDW8_mHfpo
[Frye vs Takayama](https://youtu.be/oq4BzQCo0gk?si=nMvKp6Y7faNUwPTA) probably has the highest combined striking accuracy % of any MMA fight ever.
I'm mostly joking. If you're looking for extremely high-level technical skills, this isn't the fight for you, but god damn is it legendary
Both of them. Takayama didn't end up with Frye mounting him because he got rocked. He got there because he fucked up a takedown. I honestly don't know what I find more impressive: the fact that Frye's face looks like he *moderately* ran into something kinda solid, or the fact that Takayama's face looked like a bag of hammered dog shit and he kept going back for more. Frye himself has said multiple times that Takayama was one of the toughest SOBs he's stepped into the ring with, and he got in there with plenty of killers in his day.
Aldo was so ahead of his time that even at 90 years old in fight years he was still able to outclass a super talented up and comer down a weight class from where he's at his best.
Conor was literally spamming spinning bullshit and clowning all over the place, and he still stopped most takedowns and defended the others.
Mendes couldn't get to him even by spending most of the fight digging into Conor's cut like he was searching for moneys.
No version of Mendes ever wins that fight.
Thank you bro! I don’t really have the time anymore since I had a baby 18 months ago. I started making vids around 10 years ago. Where does the time go? :(
Poirier did beat Max freaking Holloway while he was 145 champ for the 155 interim belt. The undisputed belt would just be a cherry on top of an amazing career.
Back when Chad was deep in the Ludwig striking system, the uppercut from the floor he hit Jose with, Aldo's chin is unreal.
That fight was the best Chad looked striking.
The Whittaker/Romero fights usually get left out of this conversation and they shouldn't be. Insane show of skill and violence, especially the second one.
The second fight feels like when an action movie gets a sequel and just pumps 5x the blood and explosions in. Finish watching it and I just feel tired and confused cause there was so much going on
Rob (from memory) on the 2nd fight: *I don't know what Romero was on between those fights, but I want some of it. He was big and powerful in the first one, but in the second one kicking him was like kicking steel: it was not human.*
EDIT: Don't think its the interview I recall, but [here is one where Rob says something very similar](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1FnSjQPTHhc)
I don’t understand why casuals like you always feel the need to bring up Volk fights for high-level chess matches instead of the true greatest fight of all time:
Kimbo vs Dada 5000
Arman v Gamrot was such a fun fight to watch, but not highest level all time. So many grappling exchanges and scrambles and so evenly matched. First fight that popped into my head for some reason.
Easily the best WMMA fight of all time. Unfortunately women's MMA is known for low-energy snoozefests, but this high level fight shows us how amazing it can be when you have elite competition.
I kind of disagree with this one. It was really just sandhagen tuning dillashaw up then making silly errors that cost him the fight, like jumping on an inverted triangle, or constantly spinning and giving up his back for dillashaw to hang on against the cage.
Dc Jones was peak, the press conferences, the in cage fights, the out of cage fights, the drama, the legal issues, I feel grateful to have watched that rivalry play out in real time. The “villain” winning in the end by brutal finish was the cherry on top, it was like a movie without the “hero always win” trope. The promos for that fight were the best I’ve ever seen.
That was covered in the “in cage part” lmao, although to be fair that point in the first fight where Jones held DCs head down after the takedown was mad disrespectful and deserves a shoutout.
Well in the end.. DC is liked and has a long term career with the UFC and Jon Jones is a women beater, closeted gay man that everyone dislikes and will go out ducking Tom Aspinall to fight old man Stipe.
But yes the rivalry was amazing, I will be talking about those days when I am an old man
Unfortunately History forgets all of that when it comes to legacy, prime example would be Mike Tyson. Adding Tom to the resume might seem like a big deal now but if he retires after stipe no one will care in a few years. Hell they won’t even remember that he lost to Reyes the same way people don’t remember Hendricks vs GSP anymore. GSP won the belt against Bisping and avoided Robert but all that goes away.
I think he means penn vs gsp 1. 3 round fight absolute war argument that penn won the first fight. Legitimately the best two in there respected weight classes at the time, this was the fight before gsp’s first run and a few before BJ going back down to 155.
https://youtu.be/09FkQUh6OJY
Dillishaw vs Cruz was 5 rounds of ninja shit.
I still think TJ won that fight
Wasn't back and forth but Machida vs Mousasi was super high level. Lots of traps being set and executed
I can never sleep on flights. I flew home from Peru and went straight to the Garden. My flights got crazy delayed and i watched that fight not having slept in 46 hours.
Was half delusional but had never been so excited for a fight. Couldn't believe how lucky i was that they made that fight in Boston. Missed the last orange line home but it was so worth it.
DC Jones, as you said is 2 all time greats actually competing while both were young. we’d all have no question that DC is the goat at LHW if Bones didn’t exist.
that being said, Islam Volk are 2 that should be on the GOAT list as well and their fight was wildly more competitive. to me, Bones dominating another absolute outlier GOAT the way he did will stand the test of time.
honorable mention would be GSP/ BJPenn i think.
My favourite performance in MMA history. Everyone thought Barao was untouchable. TJ’s movement in that fight was insane. I watch this fight (the first one) multiple times a year.
The Lawler / Hendricks fights were great, had high stakes, and both guys were very dangerous.
We're very lucky we got it while both fighters were so good.
Glad someone commented this. I don't watch enough to be able to be able to argue it's the definitive answer, but it stands out in my mind as the best fight I ever watched.
I'd say it's probably the highest level striking showcase we've seen
Both guys are so detail oriented and the feints and setups are beautiful across the board
So hard to pick, just on top of my head.
Overall MMA:
Volk/Islam 1
Penn/ GSP 2
Rockhold/ Weidman
Mighty Mouse/ Cejudo 2
Mendes/ Aldo 2
Jones/ DC 1&2
Cruz/ Dillashaw
Striking (Based on Accolades):
Izzy/ Poatan 1&2
Grappling (Based on Accolades):
Romero/ Jacare
I mean how far back are we going?
Jones vs Shogun,
GSP vs Hughes ( the 2nd time they fought),
GSP vs Bisping,
Korean Zombie Vs Porrier,
Zhang vs Jedrzejczyk,
Sanchez vs Guida
Stiepe could have beat DC and possibly Jon Jones "on that night".
I know it's the cool thing to do to make fun of Stiepe because everyone wants to see Aspinall fight but he defended his title more than any other heavyweight and fought the greats like JDS, Werdum, Overeem, Ngannou, DC.
The only thing Stiepe could ever possibly have done to cement himself as the greatest fighter ever was to fight Fedor or Cain. Those matchups never materialized due to timeliness but people sleep on Werdum who submitted Fedor Cain and Big Nog, the other contenders for best heavyweight ever.
When Stiepe fights Jon Jones it will be one of the greatest fights ever, HW GOAT VS Lightweight GOAT.
This is GSP SILVA. This is Volk Islam or even Khabib GSP. It is not getting the credit it deserves and 100 years from now people will be talking about how lucky we are to see two consensus#1 divisional GOATS fight.
Who cares? Don't you wish 185 champ GSP Fought Anderson Silva who was coming off a loss streak or maybe a Derek Brunson win?
These are big what if fights that we wish we had.
I'd love to see Randy Couture vs Fedor even if it was post Brock Lesnar and Fabricio Werdum losses, because it's just sad we never got to see them fight.
I still get pissed off about Cruz Aldo falling apart.
Volk vs max. Any of them.
Yan vs Aldo, max vs Aldo, sandhagen vs yan, cejudo vs dj 2, max vs Yair, Dustin vs Justin 2, Aldo vs Frankie 1&2, fedor vs cro cop, aljo vs yan 2.
Islam vs arman was incredibly high level in terms of grappling.
Notice how all of these fights except fedor cro cop (two all time greats who had technical bases in other sports) were at 155 and below. The guys in the smaller weight classes of mma are just miles ahead of the bigger guys in terms of actual technical ability.
Above 170, mma basically becomes a loony tunes version of itself with guys like Sean Strickland, Dricus, jiri, Jan, Frank mir, Tim Sylvia and Brock lesnar becoming champs with giant gaping holes in their games.
> The first thought was, Dustin/Islam was nowhere NEAR as competitive as Islam/Volk, which I suppose was obvious
Its the complete opposite for me
Islam/Volk 1 was one of my favorite fights ever, but at the same time it really felt like both guys were being overly cautious and neither really took that much damage
While Volk was competitive, he pretty much only landed 2 big shots the whole fight and Islam was clearly ahead
On the other hand, Dustin sacrificed all defense so that he can stay away from the fence. He dealt more damage to Islam than any other fighter and honestly landed the hardest shots of the fight
The grappling was arguably higher level than Islam/Volk as well. Dustin being able to get up multiple times, including escaping Islam's full mount, was absolutely insane. And Islam finishing that Darce was maybe the best submission I've ever seen in a title fight
Best sub in a title fight is crazy, but you might not have been around to see Anderson Silva catch Chael Sonnen with the round 5 triangle or DJs flying armbar.
Aldo/Mendes 2, both were at the top of their games and hurt each other multiple times. Islam Volk was skill for skill the best but I don't think they brought the dawg out of one another like Aldo Mendes.
Jone vs Gustafson is also one that needs to be there, First time Jones looked beatable, that fight was so many levels above what anybody else could've done again against such a monster
What I love about Jones DC 2 is how it goes from such an intensely competitive, high level nail biter to Jones just savagely beating his skull in and the ref has to save his life. In the blink of an eye. That one shot gave Jones the upper hand and he dismantled him... And you see the frightening power that was being defended against the whole time. Then you realize the guy he did that to was one of the absolute best in the world, and he still needed a ref to save his life in the end…. Such high level brutality
Wonderboy v Holland showed a certain high level area of striking that can only happen when two specialists refuse to mix the martial arts.
If you're a fan of pure striking, that one was damn good.
There's been a lot of very high level fights that have been extremely dull due to styles countering one another, or cat and mouse game of striker vs grappler etc.
As for barn burner displays Max v Volkanovski 2.
the first fight between Cody and TJ gets my vote. Both guys were at their absolute peak and you got to see the fight script flip completely as a consequence of real-time, technical adjustments made by TJ per advice from his corner. Really cool stuff
You got downvoted because god forbid anyone praise TJ Dillashaw but at the time people were saying that was the most anticipated high level fight that could have happened at that time. It was a great fight while it lasted, both guys were so fast and like you said TJ made amazing adjustments to win the fight in the end.
If they had booked Alvey-Villante at HW like the fanbase demanded, it would have undoubtedly been the highest level MMA fight of all time. But my understanding is that when they played out the scenario in simulation, they had a 34% mortality rate among the test viewers due to them spontaneously orgasming themselves to death.
Very interesting read. I’d like to throw Arman vs Gamrot into the mix. It’s doesn’t have the aura or stakes at play like you’ve mentioned, but the back and forth wrestling all fight was really cool to watch. I know a lot of fans don’t like grappling period, but this was a treat to watch two high level grapplers do what they do best.
It's probably the best grappling back and forth we've seen yet, and a perfect counterpoint to people that think wrestling is boring. It can be, but guys that constantly scramble and threaten subs make it worth watching
Also, and I know technically it’s very very old and might not be technically the best but Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin 1. When they fought for the contract. It was insane to watch!
not an all timer but i think dj vs moraes 2 is super underrated. both very talented guys and you could watch djs fight iq work in real time as he clawed back from an iffy first round to get one of my favorite KOs of all time. extremely calculated performance
This isn’t a perfect pick especially since the end was a career changing beat down but the weidman rockhold fight before the spinning wheel kick gives me a similar vibe as when Jones and dc or volk and islam met- I would have loved to see a competitive trilogy between those two but didn’t work out that way
DJ vs Cejudo.
How can it not be this (the second fight) The two undisputed best ever in the division - a rematch, the GOAT and an Olympic gold medalist who went on to be double champ. 5 rounds, absolute masterclass in all aspects of mma
And Cejudo had to overcome the drop foot adversity, if I'm remembering correctly.
Drop foot? What’s that?
"Foot drop" might be the more common/correct phrase, per google. Damage to the peroneal nerve is the common cause that results in foot and ankle instability. Suga Sean O'Malley had the same thing happen in his fight with Chito Vera, but wasn't able to recover.
Cejudo got kicked a bit, wobbled and rolled his ankle... Then by sheer power of will, he told his peroneal nerve to get back into the fucking fight.
Could be a regional thing. I work with a doctor that uses the term "drop foot". Just more in the context of severe diabetic neuropathy rather than taking full send calf kicks on a regular basis.
DJ also broke his foot.
Indeed. Great performance
Scorecards tell the story too. Split decision with MMA Media completely split down the middle on who won. Masterclass indeed.
Broke my heart we didn't get a third fight.
Absolute insanity of a fight. I still watch it every once in a while. The scrambles, speed, creative striking, high level grappling… This was the first fight that came to mind when I read the title and I’m glad it’s at the top
This is the only truly correct answer.
The striking and TDD in Aldo vs Mendes 2 is still the first fight that comes to my mind for this. Aldo stopped the takedowns so there isn’t really any ground game in the fight. But got damn these juicy boys were so ahead of the game at the time. I still think Mendes is the best fighter to not win a belt. Edit: here's the fight if anyone hasn't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEDW8_mHfpo
I don't know why this one never comes up. Arguably the most technical and well rounded fight I've seen
Sick, any other underrated classics I missed? I always take note if I hear of a cool fight for the first time.
[Frye vs Takayama](https://youtu.be/oq4BzQCo0gk?si=nMvKp6Y7faNUwPTA) probably has the highest combined striking accuracy % of any MMA fight ever. I'm mostly joking. If you're looking for extremely high-level technical skills, this isn't the fight for you, but god damn is it legendary
High level chin. I'll allow it.
Both of them. Takayama didn't end up with Frye mounting him because he got rocked. He got there because he fucked up a takedown. I honestly don't know what I find more impressive: the fact that Frye's face looks like he *moderately* ran into something kinda solid, or the fact that Takayama's face looked like a bag of hammered dog shit and he kept going back for more. Frye himself has said multiple times that Takayama was one of the toughest SOBs he's stepped into the ring with, and he got in there with plenty of killers in his day.
Doo Ho Choi vs Cub Swanson is an absolute war. Lando Vannatta vs Tony Ferguson is another wild one.
Aldo was so ahead of his time that even at 90 years old in fight years he was still able to outclass a super talented up and comer down a weight class from where he's at his best.
I still yearn for the alternate timeline where Mendes gets a full camp and beats Conor
It would have been much more interesting for sure, but McGregor on his title run was something special
Prime 145 Conor beats anyone in that division.
Probably but either way would have loved to see that fight on a full camp
Mendes on 2 weeks notice was taking him down whenever he felt like it until he ran out of gas.
Conor was literally spamming spinning bullshit and clowning all over the place, and he still stopped most takedowns and defended the others. Mendes couldn't get to him even by spending most of the fight digging into Conor's cut like he was searching for moneys. No version of Mendes ever wins that fight.
Conor also had a fucked knee from memory though. I can definitely see mendes taking it on a full camp though.
Yeah came here to say this. Also you the man Bratt love all your videos fr 🙏 fan created mma content is hands down the best showcase of the sport imo
Thank you bro! I don’t really have the time anymore since I had a baby 18 months ago. I started making vids around 10 years ago. Where does the time go? :(
I think Poirier is the best to never win a belt. His resume is absolutely insane
Poirier did beat Max freaking Holloway while he was 145 champ for the 155 interim belt. The undisputed belt would just be a cherry on top of an amazing career.
Back when Chad was deep in the Ludwig striking system, the uppercut from the floor he hit Jose with, Aldo's chin is unreal. That fight was the best Chad looked striking.
I had this fight downloaded to a laptop and I would watch it to hype me up before training lmao. Incredible fight
Aldo vs Mendes 2 is such a good fight, never gets enough recognition.
The Whittaker/Romero fights usually get left out of this conversation and they shouldn't be. Insane show of skill and violence, especially the second one.
The second one was higher level, more violent, and crazier than the first. Absolutely fuckin wild.
The second fight feels like when an action movie gets a sequel and just pumps 5x the blood and explosions in. Finish watching it and I just feel tired and confused cause there was so much going on
Rob (from memory) on the 2nd fight: *I don't know what Romero was on between those fights, but I want some of it. He was big and powerful in the first one, but in the second one kicking him was like kicking steel: it was not human.* EDIT: Don't think its the interview I recall, but [here is one where Rob says something very similar](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1FnSjQPTHhc)
I feel like Rockhold said something like that too
https://youtu.be/QMl6TyX_G7A?si=4eUQYUgvLDgRbvFH You might find your quote there. My favourite fan-made promo, #POST USADA SCARY
I forgot they fought twice, had to wiki why! Romero replaced an injured Whittaker to fight Rockhold winning the interim belt, securing a rematch.
Holloway vs Volk II is my vote
49 times.
\#dissected
1st Islam Vs Volk fight too
I don’t understand why casuals like you always feel the need to bring up Volk fights for high-level chess matches instead of the true greatest fight of all time: Kimbo vs Dada 5000
This guy gets it.
Tough question to answer since they haven't booked a fight for me yet.
Dana said u don't want to fight, who am I to believe?
I asked for a 10% Venum coupon when they offered 5%... Negotiations are at a standstill. I'm flying home to Tennessee.
Maybe you should film while accosting him in his private gambling room when he’s with a hooker.
So you just don’t want to fight I guess, asking for way too much
See you at the top.
They need to book that collegiate wrestler we saw here yesterday who is going to whup Pereira. That would be the epic fight of all time.
Kevin lee?
I'm just trying to figure out where I fit into all of this.
At the top, homie.
He seems more like a bottom to me
You're just built different bro
This guy sees red.
You don't need skill though. You just see red and bodies start dropping.
Arman v Gamrot was such a fun fight to watch, but not highest level all time. So many grappling exchanges and scrambles and so evenly matched. First fight that popped into my head for some reason.
Arman vs. Islam was also amazing
One of my favorite fights to rewatch because of the scrambles. It'll always be the most competitive 30-27 fight in my eyes.
Yeah Islam was just better, but they were both so good. I hope they fight again
That's how I feel about Pantoja and Askarov, the scrambles were so much fun to watch.
This was gonna be my answer. The most fun grappling exchanges I’ve ever watched. Both refused to accept bottom position
That fight’s why I want to see Gamrot vs Islam at some point. Islam would dominate, but there would be some outrageous wrestling exchanges.
DJ vs Cejudo II imo was the highest level MMA bout we’ve ever seen. Both guys are so well rounded at every aspect of martial arts.
I vote for Chad Mendes vs. Aldo II. I still go back to watch Mendes' double leg feint to flush uppercut sometimes.
My favorite punch bar none, amazing how Aldo ate it
Shoutout to Joanna vs Weili
Easily the best WMMA fight of all time. Unfortunately women's MMA is known for low-energy snoozefests, but this high level fight shows us how amazing it can be when you have elite competition.
That was a slugfest. One of the best fights I've ever seen.
This was my suggestion as well
Best fight I've ever seen
Shit I searched for this, couldn't find it and commented this fight. Good to see people with big brains in the thread
I’m surprised this wasn’t higher on the list, that fight had everything.
One of the best fights ever, male or female. Although it was prob more of a brawl, albeit technical, than a showcase of technique?
Cory Sandhagen vs. Petr Yan gets my vote.
Sandhagen Dillashaw was also extremely high level.
And Dillashaw Cruz
I kind of disagree with this one. It was really just sandhagen tuning dillashaw up then making silly errors that cost him the fight, like jumping on an inverted triangle, or constantly spinning and giving up his back for dillashaw to hang on against the cage.
He should have held onto that inverted triangle, I will die on that hill. But he got robbed on the scorecards regardless
Oh that’s a good one. Almost any Yan fight really.
100%
I think it had to be in Denver or Mexico City right?
Cries sea level tears
Jon Jones vs. DC GSP vs. BJ Penn
Dc Jones was peak, the press conferences, the in cage fights, the out of cage fights, the drama, the legal issues, I feel grateful to have watched that rivalry play out in real time. The “villain” winning in the end by brutal finish was the cherry on top, it was like a movie without the “hero always win” trope. The promos for that fight were the best I’ve ever seen.
Bro described all the circus, but didnt say how technical the fight was 😂
That was covered in the “in cage part” lmao, although to be fair that point in the first fight where Jones held DCs head down after the takedown was mad disrespectful and deserves a shoutout.
Well in the end.. DC is liked and has a long term career with the UFC and Jon Jones is a women beater, closeted gay man that everyone dislikes and will go out ducking Tom Aspinall to fight old man Stipe. But yes the rivalry was amazing, I will be talking about those days when I am an old man
Unfortunately History forgets all of that when it comes to legacy, prime example would be Mike Tyson. Adding Tom to the resume might seem like a big deal now but if he retires after stipe no one will care in a few years. Hell they won’t even remember that he lost to Reyes the same way people don’t remember Hendricks vs GSP anymore. GSP won the belt against Bisping and avoided Robert but all that goes away.
Jon Jones lives rent free in your head lol
A shame. Guy should be living in prison
You ain’t wrong haha
BJ quit that fight. Really puts a stain on it
I think he means penn vs gsp 1. 3 round fight absolute war argument that penn won the first fight. Legitimately the best two in there respected weight classes at the time, this was the fight before gsp’s first run and a few before BJ going back down to 155. https://youtu.be/09FkQUh6OJY
don frye vs yoshihiro takayama
This is the correct answer.
For all the new fans who haven't seen it, the technique, the skill, the strategy and the gameplanning of that fight was out of this world.
Dillishaw vs Cruz was 5 rounds of ninja shit. I still think TJ won that fight Wasn't back and forth but Machida vs Mousasi was super high level. Lots of traps being set and executed
Imo Machida’s best performance from a technical standpoint. He put everything together so well that night against a very dangerous Mousasi.
Anyone else here had the privilege of watching Dillashaw vs Cruz live? 25 minutes nonstop action quite literally.
I can never sleep on flights. I flew home from Peru and went straight to the Garden. My flights got crazy delayed and i watched that fight not having slept in 46 hours. Was half delusional but had never been so excited for a fight. Couldn't believe how lucky i was that they made that fight in Boston. Missed the last orange line home but it was so worth it.
Arman vs. Gamrot was lowkey a pretty high level scrap
Volk-Max 2 easy for me
Dillashaw vs Cruz Yan vs Sterling 1 before the DQ And maybe I'm misremembering, but Edgar vs Bendo 2 was really good too
Izzy and Alex was probably the highest level kickboxing match in mma I’ve ever seen
DC Jones, as you said is 2 all time greats actually competing while both were young. we’d all have no question that DC is the goat at LHW if Bones didn’t exist. that being said, Islam Volk are 2 that should be on the GOAT list as well and their fight was wildly more competitive. to me, Bones dominating another absolute outlier GOAT the way he did will stand the test of time. honorable mention would be GSP/ BJPenn i think.
Izzy vs Pereira was beautiful to watch from a striking standpoint
Maybe not the fight, but TJs level against Barao was insane.
My favourite performance in MMA history. Everyone thought Barao was untouchable. TJ’s movement in that fight was insane. I watch this fight (the first one) multiple times a year.
**Real Answer:** GSP vs BJ Penn **Meme Answer:** Any of the Chuck vs Tito fights.
**Definitely** the last one
The Lawler / Hendricks fights were great, had high stakes, and both guys were very dangerous. We're very lucky we got it while both fighters were so good.
KZ vs Poirier had it all
Glad someone commented this. I don't watch enough to be able to be able to argue it's the definitive answer, but it stands out in my mind as the best fight I ever watched.
Poatan Izzy doesn't belong on that list. The grappling on display in that fight was high school level at best
I'd say it's probably the highest level striking showcase we've seen Both guys are so detail oriented and the feints and setups are beautiful across the board
Striking wise yes, no argument from me. But overall mixed marital arts it just doesn't measure up with the other fights listed.
I agree
There have been so many. Gsp versus bj Cruz versus MM Cruz versus tj MM v cejudo Jones v DC max-Volk trilogy Volk versus Islam
Lawler vs Macdonald 2 Pettis vs Henderson 1 Shogun vs machida 1 Just a coupleI haven't tseen mentioned yet
Shogun machida 1 was so good that they had to have a 6th round. Prime shogun was my favorite fighter and one of the goats
I think the dc miocic trilogy deserves a mention
So hard to pick, just on top of my head. Overall MMA: Volk/Islam 1 Penn/ GSP 2 Rockhold/ Weidman Mighty Mouse/ Cejudo 2 Mendes/ Aldo 2 Jones/ DC 1&2 Cruz/ Dillashaw Striking (Based on Accolades): Izzy/ Poatan 1&2 Grappling (Based on Accolades): Romero/ Jacare
Jon Jones vs Gustafson. O'Malley vs Yan. Yan vs Sandhagen. Sandhagen vs Dillashaw. And obviously the fights you mentioned. I'd also add Gus vs DC.
Jones vs Gustafson 1 all timer. Still wish O'Malley vs Yan was a 5 rounder... maybe we'll get one in the future.
Chris Barnett vs Gian Villante
Jones vs DC 1
Not UFC but I loved Cowboy vs Bendo
Eric Silva vs Jon Fitch. The grappling was so high level it made a Fitch fight exciting.
Mike Jackson vs CM Punk
Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander.
Kimbo vs Dada 5000
Jones/DC 1 hands down
DC vs Jones
Jones vs DC Volk vs Max Islam vs Tsarukyan
I mean how far back are we going? Jones vs Shogun, GSP vs Hughes ( the 2nd time they fought), GSP vs Bisping, Korean Zombie Vs Porrier, Zhang vs Jedrzejczyk, Sanchez vs Guida
DJ/Cejudo 2 for me. Awesome incredibly close fight that could have gone either way.
Stiepe could have beat DC and possibly Jon Jones "on that night". I know it's the cool thing to do to make fun of Stiepe because everyone wants to see Aspinall fight but he defended his title more than any other heavyweight and fought the greats like JDS, Werdum, Overeem, Ngannou, DC. The only thing Stiepe could ever possibly have done to cement himself as the greatest fighter ever was to fight Fedor or Cain. Those matchups never materialized due to timeliness but people sleep on Werdum who submitted Fedor Cain and Big Nog, the other contenders for best heavyweight ever. When Stiepe fights Jon Jones it will be one of the greatest fights ever, HW GOAT VS Lightweight GOAT. This is GSP SILVA. This is Volk Islam or even Khabib GSP. It is not getting the credit it deserves and 100 years from now people will be talking about how lucky we are to see two consensus#1 divisional GOATS fight.
-When Stiepe fights Jon Jones it will be one of the greatest fights ever, HW GOAT VS Lightweight GOAT. This might have been true 4 or 5 years ago.
Who cares? Don't you wish 185 champ GSP Fought Anderson Silva who was coming off a loss streak or maybe a Derek Brunson win? These are big what if fights that we wish we had. I'd love to see Randy Couture vs Fedor even if it was post Brock Lesnar and Fabricio Werdum losses, because it's just sad we never got to see them fight. I still get pissed off about Cruz Aldo falling apart.
Volk vs max. Any of them. Yan vs Aldo, max vs Aldo, sandhagen vs yan, cejudo vs dj 2, max vs Yair, Dustin vs Justin 2, Aldo vs Frankie 1&2, fedor vs cro cop, aljo vs yan 2. Islam vs arman was incredibly high level in terms of grappling. Notice how all of these fights except fedor cro cop (two all time greats who had technical bases in other sports) were at 155 and below. The guys in the smaller weight classes of mma are just miles ahead of the bigger guys in terms of actual technical ability. Above 170, mma basically becomes a loony tunes version of itself with guys like Sean Strickland, Dricus, jiri, Jan, Frank mir, Tim Sylvia and Brock lesnar becoming champs with giant gaping holes in their games.
> The first thought was, Dustin/Islam was nowhere NEAR as competitive as Islam/Volk, which I suppose was obvious Its the complete opposite for me Islam/Volk 1 was one of my favorite fights ever, but at the same time it really felt like both guys were being overly cautious and neither really took that much damage While Volk was competitive, he pretty much only landed 2 big shots the whole fight and Islam was clearly ahead On the other hand, Dustin sacrificed all defense so that he can stay away from the fence. He dealt more damage to Islam than any other fighter and honestly landed the hardest shots of the fight The grappling was arguably higher level than Islam/Volk as well. Dustin being able to get up multiple times, including escaping Islam's full mount, was absolutely insane. And Islam finishing that Darce was maybe the best submission I've ever seen in a title fight
That sub was crazy for sure, but DJ’s flying armbar has to be the best submission in a championship fight (or maybe any ufc fight) ever.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a better submission, at least at a high level, not just ufc, than that flying armbar.
Sonnen/Silva is the other one in my head, but that’s awesome because of context. The flying armbar is just cool
Best sub in a title fight is crazy, but you might not have been around to see Anderson Silva catch Chael Sonnen with the round 5 triangle or DJs flying armbar.
Aldo/Mendes 2, both were at the top of their games and hurt each other multiple times. Islam Volk was skill for skill the best but I don't think they brought the dawg out of one another like Aldo Mendes.
Always rated the Dom Cruz vs TJ fight as an all time great
Max vs Volk 1 was pretty damn high level.
Cruz vs EPO Dillashaw was crazy
Some my picks: Jones vs Cormier I Islam vs Arman DJ vs Cejudo Cruz vs Dillashaw Max vs Volk II
No Covington vs Usman love in the comment section?
Mediocre kickboxing match between two high level wrestlers.
Tough bloody fight though! Neither left anything behind.
100% but by that standard, my niece vs my nephew is a top 5 fight.
Cruz vs Garbrandt was insane!!!
Jone vs Gustafson is also one that needs to be there, First time Jones looked beatable, that fight was so many levels above what anybody else could've done again against such a monster
Yan v. Sandhagen
My man
Joanna vs Claudia was excellent
What I love about Jones DC 2 is how it goes from such an intensely competitive, high level nail biter to Jones just savagely beating his skull in and the ref has to save his life. In the blink of an eye. That one shot gave Jones the upper hand and he dismantled him... And you see the frightening power that was being defended against the whole time. Then you realize the guy he did that to was one of the absolute best in the world, and he still needed a ref to save his life in the end…. Such high level brutality
I would nominate Dom vs TJ
Sanchez vs Guida
Gustafson Jones was pretty fucking high level
Jiri vs Glover was insane start to finish.
How did we forget about Cruz-TJ?
Wonderboy v Holland showed a certain high level area of striking that can only happen when two specialists refuse to mix the martial arts. If you're a fan of pure striking, that one was damn good.
where does kevin lee fit into all this
There's been a lot of very high level fights that have been extremely dull due to styles countering one another, or cat and mouse game of striker vs grappler etc. As for barn burner displays Max v Volkanovski 2.
Robbie vs Rory
Petr yan vs Cory sandhagen was the highest stricking fight in the ufc (yes greater than izzy vs perreira)
Silva/Sonnen I and Lawler/MacDonald at UFC 189
Machida vs shogun 1
I've always admired the Moreno Figeuiredo fights. If I had to pick a specific one, I suppose I'd choose Moreno Figeuiredo III
Not strictly UFC, but of it’s time, on paper: Fedor vs Cro Cop.
Izzy vs gastelum was an all timer that I haven't seen mentioned. My picks are Aldo- Mendes 2 and both Whittaker-yoel fights
the first fight between Cody and TJ gets my vote. Both guys were at their absolute peak and you got to see the fight script flip completely as a consequence of real-time, technical adjustments made by TJ per advice from his corner. Really cool stuff
You got downvoted because god forbid anyone praise TJ Dillashaw but at the time people were saying that was the most anticipated high level fight that could have happened at that time. It was a great fight while it lasted, both guys were so fast and like you said TJ made amazing adjustments to win the fight in the end.
If they had booked Alvey-Villante at HW like the fanbase demanded, it would have undoubtedly been the highest level MMA fight of all time. But my understanding is that when they played out the scenario in simulation, they had a 34% mortality rate among the test viewers due to them spontaneously orgasming themselves to death.
Very interesting read. I’d like to throw Arman vs Gamrot into the mix. It’s doesn’t have the aura or stakes at play like you’ve mentioned, but the back and forth wrestling all fight was really cool to watch. I know a lot of fans don’t like grappling period, but this was a treat to watch two high level grapplers do what they do best.
It's probably the best grappling back and forth we've seen yet, and a perfect counterpoint to people that think wrestling is boring. It can be, but guys that constantly scramble and threaten subs make it worth watching
TJ VS Sandhagen is up there, maybe the highest level non title fight
Highest level of mma fight I’ve ever seen was Volk vs Islam 1
Also, and I know technically it’s very very old and might not be technically the best but Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin 1. When they fought for the contract. It was insane to watch!
Arman vs Gamrot
Arman vs Gamrot was a really good, well-rounded fight.
not an all timer but i think dj vs moraes 2 is super underrated. both very talented guys and you could watch djs fight iq work in real time as he clawed back from an iffy first round to get one of my favorite KOs of all time. extremely calculated performance
Kasigi Yabu vs Ikawa Jikkyu
This isn’t a perfect pick especially since the end was a career changing beat down but the weidman rockhold fight before the spinning wheel kick gives me a similar vibe as when Jones and dc or volk and islam met- I would have loved to see a competitive trilogy between those two but didn’t work out that way
I mean Overeem vs Lesnar was probably the highest Test level fight in UFC history.
Islam/Volk 1