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Thus far, 2018 has been somewhat of an up-and-down year for the UFC, but one thing has remained pretty consistently excellent – the quality of the fights on offer inside the Octagon. Almost every show this year – with a few exceptions, hello UFC Hamburg! – has had at least one great fight worth talking about the next day.
With a further 10 UFC events set to come before the end of the year, we could be in for some more classic fights – but for now, at least, these are the best 5 UFC fights of 2018.
#5 Jimi Manuwa vs Jan Blachowicz – UFC Fight Night 127 – 03/17/2018
When a rematch between Light-Heavyweight strikers Jan Blachowicz and Jimi Manuwa was booked for Fight Night 127 in London, very few people were interested – largely because their first outing, which went down in 2015, absolutely stunk. It was a dull clinch-fest that saw Manuwa edge a decision but neither man comes away looking good.
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Evidently, both men decided that wasn’t going to happen in the rematch and so they came out and gave us a tremendous three-round war worthy of making this list instead.
The early going appeared to be in favour of Manuwa, who looked set to impose his usual pot-shotting style, but Blachowicz evidently had him well scouted, and a ramrod jab allowed the Polish fighter to set up some huge combinations that had the Brit wobbly on more than one occasion in the first round.
The second round appeared to be more of the same, with Blachowicz again using his jab to set up combinations that had Manuwa in trouble. This time, however, ‘Poster Boy’ was quite happy to fire right back, and as the fight turned into a brawl for the ages, Manuwa landed a combination that left Blachowicz reeling and a head kick had him on the verge of going out. It was an unbelievable round and looked to have evened things up on the scorecards.
Both men looked exhausted in the third round and so the action slowed down somewhat – although plenty of heavy trading was still common. Blachowicz managed to impose his jab to outwork the Brit though and then used a takedown in the closing seconds to ensure he walked away with the victory.
In a fight of such quality, though, there was clearly no true loser – and it certainly erased the memories of that 2015 stinker.
#4 Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak – UFC 223 – 04/07/2018
One of the UFC’s most highly-touted up-and-comers, Zabit Magomedsharipov had already won two fights in the Octagon in impressive fashion coming into this fight, and on paper at least, it looked like a one-sided fight in his favour, as opponent Kyle Bochniak had never looked like the type to develop into a contender despite some solid showings of his own.
Indeed, the first round of this fight at UFC 223 was all Zabit – he essentially styled on Bochniak, landing some wild strikes and combinations including a hook kick and a jumping switch kick. Bochniak looked hurt on a couple of occasions, but somehow he hung in there, and when the second round came, something evidently changed inside his head.
Suddenly, he was determined to give Zabit the fight of his life.
And for the next ten minutes, he did. No, Bochniak didn’t really come close to winning the fight – he threw power hook after power hook at Magomedsharipov but it didn’t really work, as the Dagestani prospect simply used his more technical striking to land the better shots, and also showed off his excellent grappling chops too – hitting trips and suplexes on his opponent – but Bochniak simply wouldn’t go away.
Other opponents would’ve allowed Magomedsharipov to run away with this fight, but not Bochniak. And when the fight was over, while it was Zabit who walked away with his unbeaten UFC record and stellar reputation intact, it was Bochniak who had won over the fans by screaming at him through a bloody face and by continuing to swing no matter what.
It’s rare that a largely one-sided fight would make a list like this but this was a special fight – a war that really should never have become one.
#3 Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero – UFC 225 – 06/09/2018
At the start of 2018, a rematch between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero didn’t seem too likely – Whittaker had beaten Romero to win the Interim Middleweight title in 2017 and was then upgraded to full champion and signed to defend against Luke Rockhold. But the Aussie picked up a staph infection that ruled him out of that fight, and so Romero stepped in, promptly knocked out Rockhold, and suddenly the rematch was on.
There were few complaints as the initial Whittaker/Romero meeting had been one of the best title fights of 2017, but somehow the 2018 version was even better – and it stands as by far the best title fight that the Octagon has seen thus far this year.
The fight actually started in an odd fashion – Whittaker used his striking game, in particular, a quick jab and a nasty oblique kick to the leg, to pick at Romero who didn’t appear to offer much back. But despite seeing his face swelling up, it always felt like the Cuban was trying to lure Whittaker into a false sense of security.
Sure enough, the third round saw Romero explode into action. A huge right hand send Whittaker sprawling, but where the likes of Rockhold and Tim Kennedy had wilted under his power, Whittaker somehow hung in there – and fired right back. Suddenly the fight resembled a Rocky movie, with both men trading huge blows, and despite taking insane amounts of damage, Whittaker managed to wobble Romero with a head kick.
The fourth and fifth rounds were equally amazing – in the fourth Whittaker practically stopped throwing with his right hand, leading to the announcers suspecting it was broken, but somehow he managed to outland Romero, who appeared to be tired after such a wild third. The fifth round though saw Romero come roaring back, dropping Whittaker with a left hand and again having him on the verge of being finished.
By the time the fight ended, it was anyone’s guess as to who would be declared the winner. Whittaker had arguably had a more consistent offence, but Romero had clearly come closest to a finish. In the end, the Aussie was given the nod – taking a tight split decision – and admitted he’d broken his right hand in the first round.
It was one of the gutsiest performances from a champion in UFC history – and one of the all-time great title fights, too.
#2 Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC on Fox 29 – 04/14/2018
Over the years, plenty of fights have been put together with the promoters almost guaranteeing a classic war, but quite often, those fights simply don’t live up to the hype – Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis, anyone?
But that wasn’t the case in April, as the UFC matched action heroes Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier hoping for a classic – and somehow, they got a fight which exceeded all expectations.
Both men literally wasted no time as soon as the fight began – trading huge blows from the off, with Poirier concentrating on winging punches at Gaethje’s head, while the former WSOF champion seemed to be content to chop at Poirier’s legs with nasty low kicks. Just two minutes into the fight, Gaethje’s left eye was a mess – but the fighters were showing no sign of slowing down.
The war continued into the second and third rounds – and it appeared that Gaethje’s leg kicks were beginning to add up. Despite Poirier constantly throwing heavy leather back at him, his lead leg buckled on more than one occasion and by midway through the fight, it was Gaethje who was landing the heavier punches too.
It looked like he’d dragged Poirier into one of his trademark wars of attrition – and would again prove victorious.
Evidently, though, Gaethje underestimated the toughness of ‘The Diamond’. Despite looking on the verge of defeat in the third round, he landed a brutal left hand in the opening seconds of the fourth, and with Gaethje hurt, Poirier simply didn’t let up. He sliced through Gaethje with heavy – and clean – combinations and finally ‘The Highlight’ crumpled – giving Poirier the biggest win of his career to date.
Not only had Poirier pulled off a huge victory – but Gaethje, arguably the most exciting fighter in MMA, had once again put on an instant classic. He might’ve lost the war, but he’d affirmed his role as MMA’s must-see fighter in 2018.
#1 Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC 229 – 10/06/2018
Coming into UFC 229, all of the hype was on the long-awaited UFC Lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor – so much so that a tremendous-sounding co-main event at 155lbs between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis was largely flying under the radar.
Thanks to the wild post-fight brawl that followed the main event, the focus remained on McGregor and Nurmagomedov – but for those who watched the whole show, there was no doubt which fight had been the higher quality one.
Pettis and Ferguson put on a war for the ages that not only confirmed Ferguson’s status as perhaps the best 155lber in the game, but it also moved Pettis into as high a spot on the totem pole as he’d occupied since losing the UFC title back in 2015. In a fight of this quality, neither man could really be called a loser.
The first round saw Ferguson push a quite astonishing pace – forcing Pettis onto his back foot and displaying the kind of creative striking that Pettis himself had made his name by performing. Knees, elbows, and flying kicks all came at Pettis, and by the end of the round, it looked like ‘Showtime’ was about to wilt.
That wasn’t the case, though, and he came out swinging in the second round and caught Ferguson with a vicious right hand. Suddenly, it was ‘El Cucuy’ who was in deep trouble, and Pettis appeared to have him on the verge of being out, as he rolled around in desperation while continuing to take heavy blows from the former champ.
Somehow Ferguson managed to recover. And even more incredibly, suddenly he got back on offense and began to pressure Pettis even more than he’d done in the first round. Pettis bravely fired back, but Ferguson sliced him wide open with his elbows and by the end of the round, ‘Showtime’ was covered in blood like something from a horror movie.
It appeared that the third round of this instant classic was on the way, but unfortunately, Pettis was withdrawn from the fight by his trainer Duke Roufus. Roufus realised Pettis had a broken right hand and coupled in with the cuts, it was clear his fighter was too badly compromised to continue.
It honestly didn’t matter. Both men had earned the respect of the other – and of every fan who was watching, too. This was a fight up there with the best we’ve seen in the UFC over the past few years, and hopefully, it’s enough to net Ferguson a title shot in the near future. After a war like this, he’s more than earned it.
