5 best UFC champion vs. interim champion fights

#4. Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor - UFC 194

McGregor defeated Aldo via KO

While this fight for the undisputed UFC featherweight champion may not have lasted very long, it produced one of the most iconic moments in the sport’s history. The seemingly untouchable Jose Aldo faced the red-hot Conor McGregor in this title unification bout back on December 12, 2015.

McGregor was quickly becoming the biggest star in the sport and had been racking up multiple wins in his pursuit of the featherweight title. Initially, the pair were set to fight at UFC 189 however when Aldo pulled out with an injured rib, McGregor fought and defeated Chad Mendes to win the interim belt.

When the pair finally squared off, both men refused to touch gloves as there had been months of trash talk leading up to the bout. In the opening exchange, McGregor delivered a devastating left hook that ended the fight and immediately went viral everywhere.

This 13-second knockout was an unbelievable moment in the sport and deserves its place on this list.

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#3. Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway - UFC 212

Holloway defeated Aldo via TKO

Another featherweight title is next on this list and once again Jose Aldo came into this one as the UFC champion after McGregor moved up to lightweight. He took on interim champion Max Holloway, who was on an unbelievable 10-fight winning streak in the three years leading up to this bout.

Aldo had home field advantage for this fight on June 3, 2017 as the bout took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The early rounds featured some incredibly high-level competition from two of the best in the sport’s history. While it was close, the majority of viewers felt that Aldo was ahead in the fight heading into the third round.

However, things quickly changed in the third round when Holloway dropped Aldo with a beautiful one-two combination. After ‘Blessed’ landed a barrage of strikes to his grounded opponent, the referee stepped in to bring the fight to a shocking conclusion.

Given that both men were impressive in this fight, it ranks above the one-sided knockout in the last entry.