5 most boring fights in UFC history

#2. UFC 274: Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas 2

Rose Namajunas is one of the most skilled yet simultaneously inconsistent fighters on the UFC roster. Her 11-5 record is a false indicator of her quality as a fighter. However, the former strawweight champion often gets in her own way. At UFC 274, Namajunas was fresh off of defending her recaptured title and hoped to extend her run of successful title defenses to two in a rematch against another former champion in Carla Esparza.

Their first outing was a straightforward victory for Esparza, who used her wrestling skills to take Namajunas to the ground and defeat her with a rear-naked choke. However, across five rounds, 'Thug Rose' did not fight like someone on a quest for vengeance. Esparza attempted 11 takedowns, only managing to successfully drag her foe to the ground twice. However, Namajunas popped right back to her feet each time.

'Thug Rose' did nothing to capitalize on her opponent's inability to outwrestle her, landing only 38 strikes. By contrast, Esparza landed 30. Fearful of being outstruck, 'The Cookie Monster' did not pursue Namajunas. Meanwhile, despite her anti-wrestling success, Namajunas chose to spend her time circling the outside as she denied Esparza any moment of engagement.

Neither woman engaged the other and fans deafened the arena with boos as the low-volume affair concluded with a split-decision win for Carla Esparza in a bout that was as difficult to score as it was to watch.

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#1. Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou, UFC 226

Future heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou remains a relative newcomer in MMA. While he avenged his first loss to Stipe Miocic by defeating the former champion at UFC 260, he did so after a long journey of rebuilding himself. For after his initial loss to Miocic, Ngannou was made to realize that while he possessed the punching power to knock out anyone, he needed to sharpen his other skills first.

The cockiness with which he had approached his first bout with Miocic was reduced to ashes. In its wake, 'The Predator' became uncharacteristically timid. Specifically, he was terrified of being as exhausted as he was in his first fight with Miocic. So when he was booked to lock horns with Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, he stunned spectators by refusing to engage. Prior to the bout, fans and pundits alike were convinced the matchup would end in a knockout.

Ngannou and Lewis were, and still are, the most powerful punchers in UFC history. Lewis, however, is a counter-puncher with very few tools to draw his opponents towards his counters. Feints were plentiful, but the number of strikes landed was abysmal. Ngannou landed only 11 strikes, while Lewis managed 20, with only one of those blows landing on his foe's head.

The matchup was so uneventful that it ranks in the top three UFC fights with the lowest combined number of strikes. Derrick Lewis ultimately won the bout via unanimous decision, but neither man held their heads high after one of the most widely panned performances in the promotion's history.