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#2. Michael Chandler, against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268
The first fight on the main card of UFC 268 was also the most enthralling of the lot. From the moment the fight between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler was announced, up until the duo stepped into the octagon, all eyes were on this matchup as a potential Fight of the Year contender. And it delivered.
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To square off against a warrior like Justin Gaethje is no easy task, but surviving three rounds against him speaks volumes about Michael Chandler's resilience. It was thoroughly entertaining and went on to win Fight of the Night.
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It was difficult to say who was better in the first round. Chandler showed tremendous determination as he absorbed 10 of Gaethje's powerful leg kicks. The pounding from Gaethje left Chandler with a cut - the first of many - in the very first round.
'The Highlight' produced a powerful uppercut that sent Chandler down to the mat in the second round. Many would've expected this to be the end of the fight, but what happened next was a testament to Chandler's resilience. 'Iron' continued to absorb the ground strikes as he held on to Gaethje's leg.
The cameras showed blood dripping out of Michael Chandler's mouth at this point but he refused to give up.
Although 'Iron' could only land 38% of his strikes on target in the last round, he soldiered on. Gaethje was at his best as he landed 80% of his strikes to close out the fight.
Chandler was rushed to the hospital and reportedly received 22 stitches to his face. The two fighters later shared a light moment at the hospital by posing for a picture.
#1. Yair Rodriguez, against Max Halloway at UFC Fight Night
Arguably the best entry on this list also happens to be the most recent. Yair Rodriguez and Max Halloway's featherweight bout entered the record books for various reasons.
Their back-and-forth encounter in the octagon resulted in the fight registering 389 strikes between the fighters - the third-most strikes in a UFC fight.
It was yet another barnburner that went to the judges' decision. The former UFC featherweight champion landed 230 strikes on Rodriguez throughout the course of the fight.
To absorb that many strikes from a fighter of Max Halloway's callibre is no mean feat. 'El Pantera', though, wasn't someone to back down. He had 159 shots of his own land on target, causing significant damage to Holloway.
Facing the top-ranked fighter in the division after a two-year absence from the octagon was always going to be tough. Regardless, Rodriguez rose to the occasion and didn't allow ring rust to become a factor.
Both fighters left the octagon bloodied and battered. Post-fight pictures of Rodriguez's right foot showed what he had endured in the cage. Both fighters had to skip their post-fight duties to nurse their injuries.
