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UFC 278 will go down this weekend, and in the main event, Kamaru Usman is set to defend his welterweight title against top contender Leon Edwards in a hopefully entertaining fight.
Over the years we’ve been treated to numerous classic fights for the UFC welterweight title, but which of these championship bouts stands out most?
With fights involving some true legends of the octagon – names like Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre and Robbie Lawler – there are plenty to choose from.
Here are the 10 greatest welterweight title fights in UFC history – ranked.
#10. Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre – UFC 69
While it wasn’t a classic fight by any means, lasting just over three minutes, it’s hard not to compile a list of great UFC welterweight title bouts without mentioning the first clash between Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre.
After all, some 15 years on, the fight remains one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, and is still one of the most memorable knockouts ever seen in the octagon.
At the time, nobody was giving ‘The Terror’ a chance of winning. After all, St-Pierre had steamrolled his way to the title, destroying top contenders like B.J. Penn and Frank Trigg before dethroning longtime champ Matt Hughes in violent fashion.
Serra, meanwhile, only received his title shot by winning TUF 4. He’d fought most of his career as a lightweight and had never shown any true elite-level skills, particularly at 170lbs.
However, when it came to the fight, Serra was quietly confident. It took him just over two minutes to make his mark, as he landed an overhand right that connected with the back of GSP’s ear, wrecking his equilibrium.
From there, the fight was basically over. St-Pierre couldn’t recover and Serra kept pouring it on, scoring multiple knockdowns before finishing the champ off.
‘The Terror’ did not make any title defenses, losing to GSP in a rematch a year later. But nevertheless, the memorable nature of this stunning upset earns it a spot as one of the UFC’s greatest welterweight title bouts.
#9. Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns – UFC 258
Few fans were expecting a classic when Kamaru Usman squared off against Gilbert Burns for the welterweight title at UFC 258. Instead, they were treated to arguably the most underrated 170lb title bout in octagon history.
Most fans figured that to win the title, Burns would have to find a way to get his former teammate to the ground, as he seemed outgunned standing. However, in the first round, ‘Durinho’ stunned everyone by rocking the champion with a huge right hand, dropping Usman to his knees.
From there, the fight became quite the shootout, as both men winged heavy punches and leg kicks at one another. By the midway point of the second round, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ began to take over with his slightly sharper boxing.
In the third round, he landed a straight jab to the jaw of Burns that dropped him. While ‘Durinho’ attempted to survive by rolling to safety, Usman would not let up. He continued to hammer the challenger with bombs, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in.
The fight turned out to be far more competitive and far more entertaining than anyone had expected, and it quickly erased the memories of Usman’s largely disappointing defense against Jorge Masvidal a few months prior.
#8. Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson – UFC 205
Tyron Woodley’s second welterweight title bout with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is widely recognized as one of the worst title fights in UFC history, but their first meeting, four months prior to that rematch, was actually great.
The fight always felt like a major clash of styles, with ‘Wonderboy’ looking to keep things standing and unleash his pinpoint strikes, while Woodley was expected to attempt to take the challenger to the ground.
Early on, it was ‘The Chosen One’ who worked his gameplan perfectly. He was able to force Thompson to the ground in the first round and opened him up with a series of stiff elbows to the face, taking no damage in return.
However, ‘Wonderboy’ was able to adjust after his poor start, and the second and third frames saw him largely keep Woodley at the end of his strikes. It felt like the momentum had shifted. In the fourth, things swung again.
Woodley dropped his challenger with a brutal right hand, and when he got to his feet, ‘Wonderboy’ was sent crashing down again. However, the champion made the error of trying to finish the fight with a guillotine choke, rather than continuing to punch Thompson, and was unable to seal the deal.
Despite suffering serious damage, Thompson then came back with a vengeance in the fifth round, picking Woodley apart again. When the final buzzer went, the result seemed nearly impossible to call.
Indeed, despite one judge going with Woodley, the other two scored the bout a 47-47 draw, which was probably the correct call. While some fans would argue that they’d have been better off had Woodley simply won, negating the horrible rematch, there’s no questioning the quality of this fight, which won both men a $50k bonus when all was said and done.
#7. Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit – UFC 154
While Georges St-Pierre is undoubtedly the most dominant welterweight champion in UFC history, very few of his nine successful title defenses stand out as being amongst the best title bouts in the division’s history. That was largely because GSP whitewashed his foes so comfortably.
However, the one title defense that does stand out came against then-interim champion Carlos Condit in their unification bout in November 2012.
The fight was St-Pierre’s first for well over a year following a severe knee injury. Many fans questioned quite how well he’d return, particularly as Condit appeared to be in the form of his life after outpointing Nick Diaz in an upset to claim the interim title.
However, early on, it felt like business as usual for GSP. He backed ‘The Natural Born Killer’ up with his jab, took him down easily, dominated him on the ground, and opened some nasty cuts on his face with his elbows.
In the third round, though, Condit fired back, stunning GSP with a brutal head kick that sent him sprawling to the ground. For a moment, at least, it felt like the upset was on the cards. But St-Pierre survived, got back to his feet and went right back to landing his takedowns and abusing the challenger on the ground.
In the end, St-Pierre came out the clear-cut winner, but there was no doubt that Condit had come closer to dethroning him than anyone had ever done before during his title reign. The fact that both men left the octagon bloody made this excellent bout even more memorable.
#6. Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler – UFC 181
2014 marked a new dawn for the UFC welterweight division, as longtime champion Georges St-Pierre stepped away from the octagon, leaving his title vacant.
When the promotion looked to crown a new champion, it came as no surprise that Johny Hendricks, who came close to dethroning GSP in his last bout, and Robbie Lawler, who was on a major win streak, were chosen to face off for the title.
Their first bout, which took place in March 2014, was an excellent fight that saw Hendricks edge out a decision. Their rematch nine months later was even better. Remarkably, it wasn’t an immediate rematch, as Lawler won two fights in the interim to earn his shot. In his second attempt, he made it count.
Early on, Hendricks’ wrestling seemed to give him the advantage as he looked to take Lawler down while also absorbing some big shots from the challenger. However, as the fight went on, Lawler’s heavy shots to the body in particular began to pay dividends.
‘Bigg Rigg’ began to slow down and Lawler’s brutal punching power took over. ‘Ruthless’ began to swarm the champ with hard and heavy combinations, and in the final round, he ended things by hammering Hendricks and leaving him reeling.
The fight was a tough one to call, but in the end, Lawler was given a victory via split decision, making him the new champion some 12 years after his octagon debut.
#5. Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – UFC 245
The UFC’s welterweight division has arguably never had a rivalry quite as bitter as Kamaru Usman’s feud with Colby Covington, with ‘Chaos’ using a number of quasi-racist insults that appeared to be in very bad taste.
Thankfully, though, such a bitter verbal feud ended in an absolutely classic bout inside the octagon that saw the two fighters forgo their usual wrestling games to instead throw down for five rounds, going toe-to-toe without backing down.
Over the first four rounds of the fight, it was hard to decide exactly who was ahead on the scorecards. Usman appeared to be landing the heavier blows, but Covington seemed more willing to push the pace with his trademark volume striking.
However, when it looked like we were heading towards a potentially controversial call from the judges, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ made sure that there was no doubt as to who was the real winner.
With just over a minute remaining in the fifth round, Usman dropped ‘Chaos’ with a brutal straight right hand. When Covington somehow willed his way back to his feet, the champion met him with another shot that sent him down again.
This time he didn’t relent, hammering his challenger with heavy shots on the ground. While Covington protested the stoppage, it was clear that he was done.
One thing that wasn’t done – despite the climactic ending – was the feud between the two fighters. They faced off again two years later, with Usman winning again. The second fight didn’t come close to the quality of this first meeting, which quite rightly remains considered one of the best welterweight title bouts in UFC history.
#4. Carlos Newton vs. Matt Hughes – UFC 34
The most controversial ending to any UFC welterweight title bout took place back in 2001 when newly-minted champion Carlos Newton attempted to defend his crown against surging contender Matt Hughes.
The bout pitted Newton’s slick, cerebral grappling style against Hughes’ hard-nosed wrestling assault. In the end, fans were treated to the best of both and witnessed a finish that split the fanbase entirely.
After a back-and-forth first round that saw Newton manage to reverse position on Hughes and mount him at one point despite suffering some big body slams, the fight looked like it could go either way.
However, things quickly took a wild turn when Hughes landed another big body slam. This time, Newton locked up a triangle choke and for all intents and purposes, the hold looked sunk in.
Somehow, though, Hughes got to his feet, lifted Newton into the air, and propped him against the fence. Moments later, the choke took its toll, cutting off the blood supply to Hughes’ brain. He fell to the ground, but dropped ‘The Ronin’ at the same time. For a second, both men were left unconscious.
Nobody really knew what was going on until Hughes came around first, sitting up in confusion. That was all it took for referee John McCarthy to award him the fight and the title, despite the fact that he’d basically been choked out.
The fight was a stone-cold classic and it was hardly a surprise when the UFC booked a rematch. This time, though, Hughes left no doubt, dominating Newton en route to a fourth-round TKO win.
#3. Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit – UFC 195
After Robbie Lawler’s first UFC welterweight title defense saw him put on an absolute classic – more on that later – the promotion matched him with action hero Carlos Condit in his second, clearly hoping for more of the same.
Incredibly, the two fighters delivered, and in the first event of 2016, produced arguably that year’s greatest brawl.
Every one of the five rounds saw incredible back-and-forth action, with Condit dropping Lawler with an uppercut in the first round, only for ‘Ruthless’ to land a right hand that nearly put the challenger out cold in the second.
With both men continuing to connect throughout the contest – Condit at a higher rate of volume, Lawler with more power – it seemed like it’d be impossible to split them. However, late in the fifth, ‘Ruthless’ turned up the heat and really went to town, knocking ‘The Natural Born Killer’ all over the octagon.
The finish was essentially enough to sway two of the judges, giving Lawler a split decision win and allowing him to retain the title. Realistically, both men were never the same after this fight, with their combined record since standing at 4-11.
Six years down the line, though, it remains one of the wildest title bouts in UFC history, a prime example of two aging gunslingers throwing down for one last time.
#2. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg – UFC 52
When UFC president Dana White is asked to name his favorite fight, the one he usually tends to mention is the welterweight title rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg at UFC 52 in April 2005. It’s for good reason, too.
The two men had a healthy rivalry going into the bout as they’d fought once before, with Hughes finishing Trigg via rear-naked choke after some back-and-forth scrambles in the first round.
Since then, ‘Twinkle Toes’ had bounced back with two straight victories, while Hughes had lost and regained his title, and remained the sport’s top 170lber.
When the two men went nose-to-nose before the bout, with Trigg even appearing to blow a kiss at Hughes, it was clear that there was no love lost between the two. Sure enough, the fight began at a frantic pace, and stunningly, the challenger drew first blood.
‘Twinkle Toes’ appeared to hurt Hughes with a knee to the groin, but when referee Mario Yamasaki missed the infraction, he capitalized, landing a combination that had the champion badly hurt. Seconds later, Trigg locked up a rear-naked choke, and the fight looked over.
Remarkably, though, Hughes wasn’t quite done. With the choke not quite synched in, the champion fought his way free despite turning purple. As the crowd exploded, he lifted Trigg up and delivered a running bodyslam to his rival.
From there, Hughes turned the tables, pounding him with punches until he gave his back. Unlike Trigg, the champion knew exactly how to finish and locked up a choke of his own to force a tapout.
With the win, not only had Hughes snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, he’d also proven himself to have the heart of a lion. He had also played his part in producing one of the greatest title fights in UFC history.
#1. Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald – UFC 189
There’s an argument that the greatest welterweight title fight in UFC history is also the greatest title fight in the promotion’s history, period.
Not only did the bout between champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Rory MacDonald steal the show on what was built as one of the biggest events of all time, but it also remains a fight well worth rewatching years later. It stands as a stunning reminder of the true brutality of MMA at its finest.
The fight was actually a rematch of an earlier bout that saw Lawler edge out a tight decision. While that clash had been decent enough, it certainly didn’t prepare anyone for what they were about to see in the summer of 2015.
Strangely enough, it didn’t actually start at a frenetic pace, as the first round largely saw both men do little more than feel one another out. It wasn’t until midway through the second round that things started to heat up, with Lawler using his jab to bust up MacDonald’s nose.
From there, though, the fight exploded into life. The third round saw ‘The Red King’ hurt ‘Ruthless’ badly with a head kick, and it looked like the champion was saved by the buzzer as he wobbled all over the fence.
The fourth frame started in the same way – with a MacDonald head kick badly rocking Lawler. But while the challenger came close to finishing things with a flurry, somehow, ‘Ruthless’ survived and came right back in the dying seconds before spitting blood onto the canvas. That triggered a wild staredown between the two, who had to be forced into their corners.
With the crowd on edge, then, it was Lawler who ended up having slightly more in the tank as the fifth round began. He landed a series of jabs to MacDonald, and then followed with a straight left that crushed the challenger’s nose, crumpling him to the ground and ending the fight.
Lawler ended his night wildly celebrating despite having a major gash on his lip, while MacDonald’s nose was broken to the point that his career never fully recovered.
While the clash probably took more out of the fighters than anyone could’ve known at the time, there’s no denying that the bout was a bloody classic and remains a fine example of exactly what the UFC, at its best, has to offer.
