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International Fight Week has been a staple of the UFC since its inauguration in 2012. Over the years, it’s produced some truly stunning moments.
With 2023’s version of International Fight Week about to go down next month with UFC 290 as its centrepiece, it’s worth looking back at the past editions.
With that in mind, then, here are the ten most memorable moments from the UFC’s International Fight Weeks.
#10. Alexander Volkanovski proves his mettle – UFC 266 (2021)
It’s probably fair to say that the last couple of editions of International Fight Week haven’t produced too many truly memorable highlights.
The major exception, though, came in 2021, when Alexander Volkanovski defended his featherweight crown against top contender Brian Ortega at UFC 266.
‘Alexander the Great’ had taken the crown from Max Holloway in 2019 and had never lost a bout inside the octagon. While Ortega was clearly a talented challenger, few people figured he’d defeat the Australian.
Sure enough, Volkanovski seemed to win the first two rounds comfortably. However, in one of the greatest rounds in octagon history, the third saw ‘T-City’ lock in a deep guillotine choke and sweep to full mount.
It seemed like ‘Alexander the Great’ would have to tap out. Somehow, though, the Australian managed to force his way free, and after avoiding an equally close triangle choke, he smashed Ortega with brutal ground-and-pound to finish the round.
The fight ended up going the distance, and Volkanovski claimed a decision, but he’d done more than retain his title. With his performance, he’d proven his true mettle as a champion, and an all-time great, too.
#9. Ronda Rousey steals the show – UFC 175 (2014)
2014’s edition of International Fight Week featured UFC 175, an event that saw its headliner switched on relatively late notice and then found itself cut to four main card fights on the night itself.
However, while it was hard not to view the event as disappointing, one fighter in particular stepped up to the plate and stole the show.
That fighter was bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey. ‘Rowdy’ had already defended her title once in 2014, stopping Sara McMann. While few fans gave her next challenger Alexis Davis much of a chance, nobody really anticipated what would actually happen.
Rousey strode out to the centre of the octagon, cracked Davis with a one-two and then tossed her to the ground with a massive judo throw. From there, she unloaded with a brutal flurry of punches that left ‘Ally-gator’ unconscious in just 16 seconds.
It was a remarkable performance from the champion, who was almost instantly transformed from being a superstar to on another level entirely. While it only lasted for a brief period, 2014’s International Fight Week was the real beginning of Rousey-mania.
#8. Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald go to war – UFC 189 (2015)
A number of different fights can lay claim to being the greatest fight in UFC history, but one that tends to come to mind instantly for most people is Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald.
The two welterweights threw down at UFC 189 during 2015’s International Fight Week. Despite competing on a packed card, they practically stole the show by putting on a truly insane five-round war.
With Lawler’s 170-pound title on the line, things actually started slowly. By the second round, though, the fight had begun to heat up, with both men bloodied by the strikes of their opponent.
The third round was where things kicked into overdrive. MacDonald stunned ‘Ruthless’ with a head kick, and unloaded in an attempt to finish him. Lawler was wobbled, but somehow didn’t go down, and was basically saved by the bell.
The fourth started in the same manner, with Lawler once again being hurt by a head kick. Somehow, though, ‘Ruthless’ again survived the onslaught, and by the later stages of the round, he managed to hurt ‘The Red King’ with a series of big punches.
When the buzzer sounded, Lawler spat blood onto the ground, and the two men stared each other down in what quickly became known as a truly legendary moment.
The fight ended in the fifth, as despite taking tons of damage, Lawler managed to land a left hand that shattered MacDonald’s nose. ‘The Red King’ could simply not take any more punishment and collapsed to the ground in a heap. Lawler, with his lip half-hanging off his face, had retained his title.
Neither man was really the same again after this fight, but in the eyes of the fans, it was probably worth it. Nearly a decade later, this fight still stands as one of the greatest of all time.
#7. Forrest Griffin steals Tito Ortiz’s thunder – UFC 148 (2012)
Tito Ortiz was arguably the UFC’s first real poster-boy, but by 2012, it was clear that he was coming towards the end of his career.
In fact, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ had won just once in eight fights when he faced off with old foe Forrest Griffin during International Fight Week that year.
The fight was a decent one that saw Ortiz perform well, as he scored two knockdowns on Griffin. In the end, however, he was largely outworked and appeared to be on his way to losing a decision.
When the final buzzer sounded, though, Griffin abruptly left the octagon before the judges’ verdicts could be read out.
Worse was to come. The TUF winner returned just as Ortiz was about to announce his retirement from MMA.
Rather than simply allow the legend his spotlight, he stole the microphone from Joe Rogan and conducted a strange interview with ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’, ruining the moment.
Griffin later apologised for his behaviour, which angered Dana White, while Ortiz was also inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame. Still, seeing his big moment ruined by Griffin remains one of International Fight Week’s most shocking – as well as memorable – moments.
#6. Jorge Masvidal shatters Ben Askren and a record – UFC 239 (2019)
2019’s International Fight Week peaked at UFC 239, and naturally, only one memorable moment from that show comes to mind instantly.
That moment came in the welterweight grudge match between striker Jorge Masvidal and wrestler Ben Askren. Going into the fight, the two had a war of words, and the big question was whether Askren could get ‘Gamebred’ to the ground before he ate something nasty.
In the end, the answer was an emphatic no – and it took Masvidal just five seconds to pull it off.
He came charging out of his corner, and just as ‘Funky’ ducked for a takedown, ‘Gamebred’ leapt into the air and met him with a flying knee that knocked him senseless. The additional punches on the ground were needless, meaning that realistically, Askren was out cold in around three seconds.
The performance turned Masvidal into a genuine superstar, a status he enjoyed until his retirement this year, while Askren’s career was basically over a few months later.
Four years on, this knockout remains the fastest in UFC history.
#5. Anderson Silva’s epic reign comes to an end – UFC 162 (2013)
2013’s International Fight Week saw UFC 162 as its centerpiece, and in the headliner, the middleweight division reached the end of an era as longtime champion Anderson Silva finally lost his title.
‘The Spider’ claimed the title from Rich Franklin in October 2006, six-and-a-half years before he faced off with top contender Chris Weidman. During that period, he’d made a record ten defenses of his title, and had won a record 16 fights in a row.
However, he found things harder going against Weidman than anyone could’ve anticipated, and clearly lost the first round after being taken down. In the second, he attempted to draw ‘The All-American’ out with some of his trademark ‘clowning’ movements on the feet, and paid the price.
Attempting to lean out of the way of Weidman’s punches with his hands down, Silva underestimated his challenger’s reach – and ate a clean left hook that knocked him senseless.
The finish left everyone stunned, and ‘The Spider’ was never quite the same again, winning just one more fight before retiring from MMA in 2021. It remains one of the most shocking moments in octagon history.
#4. Conor McGregor comes of age – UFC 189 (2015)
Despite not fighting in almost two years, Conor McGregor remains the UFC’s biggest star. However, back in 2015, the Irishman was still looking to climb the ladder to superstardom, and that meant winning the featherweight title.
Initially, his shot against longtime champion Jose Aldo should’ve come during that year’s International Fight Week, but when Aldo was injured, he found himself faced with top contender Chad Mendes instead.
The two men squared off in the headliner of UFC 189, and capped off an epic night with another thriller of a fight.
After Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis played the two fighters to the octagon, they went to war, with Mendes managing to slice McGregor open on the ground.
On the feet, though, the fight was a mismatch, and ‘The Notorious’ showed off his skills by punishing ‘Money’ with kicks to the body and huge left hands.
In the end, McGregor stopped the top contender in the second round, claiming his first piece of octagon gold, and came of age as a fighter in the process. Just five months later, he beat Aldo and the rest is history.
#3. Brock Lesnar returns – UFC 200 (2016)
2016’s International Fight Week featured UFC 200. Unsurprisingly, the promotion were looking to pull out all of the stops to make the event a huge one.
In the end, the big drawing card they were able to pull out was former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
‘The Beast Incarnate’ hadn’t fought since hanging up his gloves in 2011 and had returned to WWE, where he’d somehow become an even bigger star than he was when he departed the world of MMA.
Fans were blown away at the news of this huge star returning to the octagon, especially when he was matched with highly ranked striker Mark Hunt.
The fight didn’t serve as the event’s headliner, but in reality, it was Lesnar that everyone was paying to see. He ended up delivering the goods too, defeating Hunt over three rounds, although the fight wasn’t that entertaining.
It didn’t even matter that he quickly departed back to WWE soon after – and also tested positive for anabolic steroids after the fight.
Simply seeing Lesnar back in the octagon was a huge deal, and remains one of International Fight Week’s most memorable moments.
#2. Daniel Cormier becomes a double champion – UFC 226 (2018)
UFC 226 took place during 2018’s International Fight Week, and was headlined by one of the biggest fights of all time – a clash between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier.
At the time, many fans still doubted Cormier’s title credentials, as he’d lost his crown to bitter rival Jon Jones a year prior and had only regained it due to Jones’ positive drug test.
However, despite being written off, he threw his name into the discussion as a true all-time great by taking out Miocic in just one round. After using the clinch to wear the bigger man down, Cormier caught him with a right hook on the exit, and turned his lights out moments later.
It was a huge moment for ‘DC’, who became just the third simultaneous double champion in UFC history. More to the point, though, he’d finally stepped out of the shadow of Jones, establishing himself as a legend in his own right.
#1. Anderson Silva ends his rivalry with Chael Sonnen – UFC 148 (2012)
The first ever International Fight Week took place back in 2012. While UFC 148 turned out to be a slightly disappointing show overall, the headliner delivered the goods, big time.
The bout in question featured arguably the most heated rivalry of all time to that point, with Anderson Silva looking to defend his middleweight title for the second time against top contender Chael Sonnen.
The two men had fought a year earlier, and despite Sonnen beating Silva down for almost five straight rounds, ‘The Spider’ had pulled off a miracle triangle choke finish with around a minute to go.
Just like he’d done prior to their first fight, Sonnen talked an insane amount of trash before the rematch. ‘The American Gangster’ had even promised to leave the middleweight division for good if he were to lose.
In the end, though, all the trash-talk in the world couldn’t help him get past Silva.
Just as he’d done in the first fight, Sonnen started quickly by landing a takedown. However, he couldn’t do much with it this time, and in the second, Silva capitalized on a mistake and pounced.
A missed spinning backfist saw Sonnen slip to the ground, and ‘The Spider’ opened up on him with a flurry of strikes, putting him away and ending the rivalry for good.
Purely because it marked the end of such a huge rivalry, and because it cemented Silva as the promotion’s top star at the time, it’s hard to look past this as International Fight Week’s most memorable moment.
