5 best year-end pay-per-view events in UFC history

#2: UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 (2008)

Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans headlined an epic pay-per-view at UFC 92

When UFC 92 was announced, it was clear that this 2008-ender was a big show.

The company unwrapped a rare card loaded at every turn. Two title fights took center stage as UFC light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin met Rashad Evans and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira battled Frank Mir for interim heavyweight championship honors. To further showcase their roster depth, UFC matchmakers pitted ‘Rampage’ Jackson against Wanderlei Silva.

All of this would’ve been for naught, of course, had the fights not delivered in the octagon. Thankfully, every fight at UFC 92 was absolutely fantastic.

Not only did the top three bouts all end with brutal knockouts – with Jackson, Mir and Evans all picking up huge victories – but the rest of the card delivered too.

In addition, we got a violent UFC 92 performance from Cheick Kongo as he tore through Mostapha Al Turk; CB Dollaway overwhelmed Mike Massenzio via TKO; and finaly, Pat Barry, Antoni Hardonk and Matt Hamill all gave strong efforts.

Overall, this event lived up to its subtitle – it really was the ultimate show of 2008. With five straight knockout finishes on the main card, UFC 92 remains one of the promotion's best shows of all time.

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#1: UFC 79: Nemesis (2007)

The trilogy bout between Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes headlined UFC 79

As the final pay-per-view of 2007, UFC 79 wasn't as stacked as UFC 92 or UFC 168 on paper. However, the event more than corrected any flaws by producing two all-time classic bouts that remain memorable more than a decade on.

Initially, the show was supposed to be headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout between champion Matt Serra and challenger Matt Hughes – only for Serra to withdraw due to a back injury.

Unfazed, the UFC pulled their ultimate trump card in the form of Georges St-Pierre vs. Hughes for the interim UFC welterweight title. In one of of his best showings, 'GSP' dominated his rival – setting up an eventual 2008 victory over Serra.

That clash somehow wasn’t the biggest on this card, though. The co-main event saw a fight that’d been years in the making between UFC legend Chuck Liddell and former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva.

This was a fight that literally every MMA fan wanted to see – and it delivered above and beyond expectations. Toward the end of their storied primes, ‘The Iceman’ edged Silva in one of the wildest brawls in UFC history.

Those two headline bouts were so good, though – and remain so memorable – that UFC 79 should be recognised as the promotion’s best-ever year-end pay-per-view.