5 most memorable UFC moments in Madison Square Garden

New York City's Madison Square Garden is arguably the world's most famous arena. Since the UFC debuted there in 2016, it's played host to some truly awesome events.

With the UFC heading back to Madison Square Garden for a major event later this month, it's worth looking back at the most memorable moments to go down in the famed arena.

MSG has seen major debuts, huge title changes, and truly earth-shattering incidents over the eight years that the octagon has visited it.

With that in mind, then, here are the five most memorable UFC moments to take place in Madison Square Garden.

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#5. Tom Aspinall stops Sergei Pavlovich - UFC 295 (2023)

This year's trip to Madison Square Garden will see Jon Jones defend his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic. The fight, of course, should've gone down a year earlier but Jones ended up sidelined with an injury.

Instead, the New York fans were treated to a quick but violent interim heavyweight title fight that saw a new name rise to the top of the UFC's biggest division - Tom Aspinall.

The British fighter came into his bout with Sergei Pavlovich as an underdog. Sure, he'd won six of his seven trips to the octagon, with his lone loss coming via injury, but Pavlovich was widely regarded as the hardest hitter in the UFC.

The Russian had knocked out six opponents in a row, often in a matter of seconds. However, in MSG, it was Aspinall who played the hammer.

The two big men met quickly and exchanged blows, and although Pavlovich appeared to have landed first, Aspinall connected with the cleaner blow - a huge right hand that dropped the Russian.

Seconds later, the Brit finished him off, stopping Pavlovich to become the UFC's third titleholder from the UK.

In the eyes of many, Aspinall should be fighting Jones for the gold later this month. Instead, though, he'll have to wait until 2025 for his shot. For now, then, this remains his crowning achievement, and one of the most memorable moments in Madison Square Garden.

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#4. Jorge Masvidal becomes the 'BMF' - UFC 244 (2019)

2019's visit to Madison Square Garden did not feature a fight for one of the UFC's regular titles. Instead, a brand-new belt was created, and while it remains little more than ceremonial, it felt huge on the night.

The title in question was the 'BMF' strap, and everyone knows exactly what those letters stand for. The two men fighting for it? Welterweight superstars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.

'Gamebred' was coming into the fight on the best run of his octagon career, having won his last two fights, including a record-setting five second knockout of Ben Askren. Diaz, meanwhile, had returned from a three-year hiatus to defeat former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis in a thriller.

Basically, it felt like anything could go down when the two bad boys faced off, and the occasion was made even more special when Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson emerged to present the newly-minted title belt.

In the end, though, it was Masvidal's night. 'Gamebred' used his superior striking to beat Diaz down over three rounds, although the fight was eventually stopped via the cageside doctor, giving it a slightly anticlimactic feel.

Regardless, this was the high point of Masvidal's octagon career, and certainly ranks as one of the most memorable in Madison Square Garden.

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#3. Georges St-Pierre returns to action - UFC 217 (2017)

It's arguable that Georges St-Pierre is the greatest fighter in UFC history. The legendary welterweight champion's second reign with the 170 pound title ran from 2008 to 2013, and saw him beat nine incredibly dangerous challengers.

'GSP' stepped away from the octagon in 2013 without ever losing his crown, and it looked like fans had seen the last of the Canadian.

However, in late 2017, he announced his return, albeit in a different weight class. The promotion's visit to Madison Square Garden that year was headlined by a middleweight title bout between 'GSP' and champion Michael Bisping.

Sure, the Canadian hadn't exactly earned his title shot, while Bisping hadn't fought in over a year himself. In some ways, then, this fight could be seen as analogous to the upcoming Jones vs. Miocic clash.

Thankfully, though, when it came to fight time, the two men delivered the goods. Both men fought to the best of their ability, with 'GSP' largely dominating Bisping, despite 'The Count' opening a nasty cut on his head.

Eventually, in the third round, St-Pierre dropped his British foe and finished him with a rear-naked choke, becoming a rare two-division champion.

'GSP' never fought again, while Bisping only lasted for one more fight, effectively making this bout the swansong for both men. Overall, the promotion wanted this to be a special fight, and it was hard to say that it didn't live up to that promise.

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#2. Alex Pereira captures middleweight gold - UFC 281 (2022)

It's arguable that the UFC fighter most synonymous with Madison Square Garden at this stage is Alex Pereira.

'Poatan' has fought in the famous arena on each of the promotion's last three visits. He debuted there in 2021 and claimed titles there in both 2022 and 2023.

While his light heavyweight title victory over Jiri Prochazka last year was impressive, though, it's his 2022 middleweight title win over Israel Adesanya that really stands out.

Pereira had a huge rivalry with 'The Last Stylebender' dating back to their days in the kickboxing ring, where the Brazilian had beaten Adesanya twice, once via KO.

Once 'Poatan' arrived in the UFC, Adesanya was desperate to get his revenge. And so when Pereira knocked out Sean Strickland to claim a title shot, the fight was the only logical headliner for one of 2022's biggest events.

In the end, it turned out to be a truly titanic battle that saw both men get their fair share of big shots in.

In the fifth round, though, just when it felt like 'The Last Stylebender' was beginning to get an edge, Pereira turned up the heat.

He opened up on Adesanya with a powerful combination, knocking him all around the octagon. The middleweight kingpin simply couldn't defend - particularly after eating Pereira's patented left hook - and eventually wilted, forcing Marc Goddard to step in.

Pereira has, of course, gone onto become an even bigger legend of the octagon, but it's arguable he still hasn't quite topped this moment as his biggest yet. It definitely stands as an all-time classic moment in Madison Square Garden.

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#1. Conor McGregor becomes the UFC's first simultaneous double champ - UFC 205 (2016)

The UFC's first trip to Madison Square Garden took place in 2016, and it's arguable that the moment it produced has still never been surpassed.

The event was also the first one to take place in New York City. Understandably, it was a huge one, with three title bouts. The headliner, though, was like nothing we'd ever seen before. It saw lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez defending against the biggest star in the history of the sport, then-featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor.

'The Notorious' was looking to make history by becoming the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history, a feat that only B.J. Penn had tried - and failed - to do before.

Given that he'd never fought at 155 pounds before and had split two fights with Nate Diaz at welterweight earlier in the year, it felt like a tall order for the Irishman.

On the night, though, MSG belonged to 'The Notorious'.

McGregor's slick counter-striking absolutely cut through Alvarez's more straight-ahead attacks, and in the first round alone, 'The Underground King' was dropped three times.

By the second round, the Irishman was in Muhammad Ali mode, taunting Alvarez and dancing around with his hands behind his back. When one big combination dropped the champ for a fourth time, that was all she wrote.

McGregor had made history, and while his later career has been largely disappointing, this performance basically allowed him to transcend MMA onto another level of stardom entirely.

Therefore, his virtuoso showing remains the UFC's most memorable moment in Madison Square Garden.