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When UFC fights are announced and anticipation builds around a particular bout, the hype can raise our expectations too high only for the actual fight to be underwhelming.
Only the great and legendary fighters can handle the pressure of expectations and deliver on the biggest stage of them all. The fans always want an even fight. Nobody wants to see one fighter dominate the other.
Fights that play out to be even are loved by the audience and they tend to watch it back multiple times.
The UFC always tries to set up epic fights, whether those be title fights, grudge matches or number one contender fights, but only a few of these turn out to be must-see.
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Let's take a closer look at five UFC fights that exceeded expectations:
#5. Justin Gaethje vs. Micheal Chandler at UFC 268:
Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler was one of those fights that gave everyone goosebumps as soon as it was announced. Gaethje and Chandler were both coming off losses in title fights and were looking for a win to get back into title contention.
As the fight started, both charged towards each other with reckless abandon and landed huge shots. Gaethje and Chandler are both known for their knockout power, but they also showed off their granite chins as they were unable to finish one another.
Watch the full fight below:
Both fighters got wobbled and cut. Chandler was dropped by Gaethje in the second round with a beautiful right upper cut. 'Iron', however, brushed it off and continued to charge forward, which earned him the respect of the fans.
Gaethje won the fight via unanimous decision and the fight was voted the 'Fight of the Year' for 2021.
#4. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 196:
After beating Jose Aldo for the featherweight championship, Conor McGregor was looking to move up a weight class to lightweight and become the first-ever UFC champion to hold two belts simultaneously.
McGregor was booked to fight Raphael Dos Anjos for the lightweight championship but the Brazilian pulled out of the fight. The UFC was now looking for an opponent for McGregor, and Nate Diaz took up the fight on short notice.
The fight ended up happening at welterweight, which was 25 pounds above the weight at which the Irishman usually fought. The first round was total domination from 'The Notorious' who landed some big shots on Diaz. But as the round ended, McGregor looked tired, and as the second round started, Diaz began to land some shots that hurt McGregor.
The Irishman shot for a takedown but Diaz reversed it, grabbed his neck, and choked him out. The fight did 1.5 million pay-per-view buys and became the highest selling UFC event at the time.
#3. Justin Gaethje vs Eddie Alvarez at UFC 218:
Eddie Alvarez, the former lightweight champion, was always an entertaining fighter to watch. When he got booked for a fight against Justin Gaethje, who was equally dangerous and exciting, fans expected an all-out war.
In the weeks leading up to the fight, Alvarez kept saying the fight was to determine who was the most violent man in the UFC. Justin Gaethje was also undefeated at the time and had just won his UFC debut fight against Michael Johnson in an epic battle.
The two violent lightweights went all out against each other, matching one another for strikes and octagon control. In the third round, Alvarez landed a knee on Gaethje which put him out. The bout won the fight of the night honors and fight of the year nomination.
#2. Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 2 at UFC 236:
Max Holloway faced Dustin Poirier in a rematch for the interim lightweight championship. After what happened at UFC 229, the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was banned from competition for 9 months. Hence, the interim title bout was set up.
Holloway and Poirier had fought each other at featherweight, seven years earlier in 2012. Both fighters had evolved since then. 'Blessed' was the featherweight champion and on a 13-fight win streak, while 'The Diamond' was also coming off impressive wins over Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Anthony Pettis.
The fight started and Poirier clearly had the upper hand in terms of power. He hit Holloway and his head went backward. But Holloway showed the heart of the champion and recovered and landed strikes of his own. The fight ended up being a five-round classic with Poirier coming out on top with a decision win.
Watch the best moments from the rivalry:
#1. Paulo Costa vs Yoel Romero at UFC 241:
Yoel Romero vs Paulo Costa was a fight that had all the credentials for fight of the year. The two giants of the middleweight division, who make the weight limit barely booked to fight each other.
Both had high levels of striking. Yoel Romero had the edge in wrestling while as 'The Eraser' was ahead in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Their cardio levels were also identical, which made the contest tough to predict.
When the fight started, Costa backed Romero into a corner with his pressure and dropped him. Romero got back up and dropped Costa after that, which made everyone inside the arena go crazy. Both of them landed big shots non-stop with Romero looking for takedowns as well but Costa did a great job of defending them.
The three-round war was scored by the judges in favor of Costa, who continued to raise his stock with this impressive victory.
Watch the full fight below:
