UFC 128 - JON JONES DEF. MAURICIO RUA
Mauricio Shogun is remembered as a legend in the world of MMA. He built a respected legacy for a decade starting in his home country of Brazil and transitioning to “PRIDE” in Japan. After the UFC acquired PRIDE, Rua debuted against fan favorite Forrest Griffin, winning by submission. He then stacked victories against Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell, earning a title shot versus Lyoto Machida for the light heavyweight title. He would lose by unanimous decision but heavy debate over the judge’s decision brought Rua a second chance which he made good by winning by first-round knockout.
Jon Jones, a young upcoming athletic prospect with unmatched measurables in size for the division, quickly entered the scene and skyrocketed through the division's ranks. After his then-teammate Rashad Evans was injured preparing for Rua, Jones was brought in as a replacement. This led to a three-round domination that crowned “Bones” as the youngest champion in UFC history. Jones finished Rua in the third round by TKO with strikes after bludgeoning the Brazilian for the entire fight.
UFC 249 - JUSTIN GAETHJE DEF. TONY FERGUSON
Originally it was planned as the long-awaited pairing of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson. This was the most cursed match in the history of MMA as some unforeseen circumstance would always prevent the bout from happening. 2020 was the year everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Khabib was in Russia, and couldn’t travel to America to fight, in steps alternative Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje. Ferguson still took the bout as he has done many times when an opponent had to drop out. Unfortunately, he could not have landed a more dangerous opponent.
Justin Gaethje scored a TKO victory in the fifth round, but not before he delivered one of the most torturous unilateral beatdowns, as he scored vicious shots such as devasting leg kicks and thunderous right hooks that consistently made “El Cucuy” buckle at the knees. He would win the interim lightweight title that night. A well-earned reward for a dominant performance.
UFC 235 - KAMARU USMAN DEF. TYRON WOODLEY
Tyron Woodley in his prime was a special talent. A lightning-fast striker with one-shot knockout power and a collegiate wrestling background out of the University of Missouri. He began his MMA career with an 8-0 record in Strikeforce before migrating to the UFC. He would win the UFC welterweight championship by knocking out legend Robbie Lawler in the first round. After three title defenses, he was scheduled to face fellow wrestler Kamaru Usman.
Usman was a collegiate wrestler who migrated from Nigeria. Kamaru Usman walked into title contention with a smothering ground-and-pound style. At 235, Usman completely manhandled “T-Wood” with a five-round to zero shutout victory that would crown him as champion, leading to one of the longest title reigns of recent memory.
UFC 283 - JAMAHAL HILL DEF. GLOVER TEIXEIRA
The UFC Light Heavyweight title was in a flux of musical chairs after Jon Jones relinquished it in 2020. It went from Jan Blachowicz to Glover Teixeira after Glover finally accomplished his goal of winning a title at age 40. Glover built a hall-of-fame legacy after stacking thirty career wins and falling short in multiple number-one contender fights and his lone title shot. He would lose his title to Jiri Prochazka in a classic five-round battle, but Jiri wouldn't be able to defend it. The belt was vacated after Jiri suffered a serious injury leading to a vacant title bout between Teixeira and new challenger Jamahal Hill.
Hill heading into the fight building his resume off of winning Dana White's Contender Series and piling wins off top ten contenders such as Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker, and Jimmy Crute. Hill defeated Teixeira with a unanimous decision with each judge giving a 10-8 round score for 50-44 lineup. Hill broke the UFC recorded for total strikes in the LHW division history, outscoring Glover 232-75.
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