5 best UFC fights of 2018 so far

#1 Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC 229 – 10/06/2018

Tony Ferguson's battle with Anthony Pettis stands as the year's best fight to date

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It appeared that the third round of this instant classic was on the way, but unfortunately, Pettis was withdrawn from the fight by his trainer Duke Roufus.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.