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#2. UFC 217: Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre
UFC 217 saw former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at Madison Square Garden. Interestingly, it was the Canadian's first fight in four years.
Both fighters looked sharp from the beginning and traded a few meaningful exchanges. 'Rush' displayed traces of his former self as he rattled 'The Count' with a strong left followed by a spinning wheel kick.
The Brit improved his performance in the second round and outlanded the Canadian in volume striking. He littered St-Pierre with punches, even landing a strong right hook on the Canadian's chin.
The last round, however, belonged to St-Pierre. Having knocked down Bisping with a strong left, 'Rush' peppered him with hard elbows from the top. 'The Count' had no answer to the onslaught and was finished with a rear-naked choke at the 4:23 mark. George St-Pierre became the new middleweight champion and then retired from the sport.
#1. UFC 236: Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya
This was the fight that arguably made Israel Adesanya the lethal weapon that he is. Both fighters went neck-in-neck, rattling the other every now and then. Despite his shorter reach, Kelvin Gastelum closed the distance well and caused 'The Last Stylebender' problems throughout.
After a close second and third round, the penultimate round saw Gastelum take charge of the fight. He hurt Adesanya with a headkick and followed it up with a strong left hand to end the round on a high. As per official UFC stats, the American outstruck Adesanya 32-17 in strikes.
He was relentless with his efforts in the final round. But this is where Adesanya's superior gas tank gave him the edge. He kept attacking the American with headshots and almost got the better of him with a triangle choke.
With a minute remaining, Adesanya dropped Gastelum and bludgeoned him with elbows from the top position. But Gastelum, being the tough fighter that he is, survived. Although Adesanya was eventually declared the winner by unanimous decision and the new interim middleweight champion, Gastelum made sure it didn't come cheap.
