5 best UFC fights of 2018 so far

#2 Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC on Fox 29 – 04/14/2018

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje put on a war for the ages in April

Over the years, plenty of fights have been put together with the promoters almost guaranteeing a classic war, but quite often, those fights simply don’t live up to the hype – Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis, anyone?

But that wasn’t the case in April, as the UFC matched action heroes Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier hoping for a classic – and somehow, they got a fight which exceeded all expectations.

Both men literally wasted no time as soon as the fight began – trading huge blows from the off, with Poirier concentrating on winging punches at Gaethje’s head, while the former WSOF champion seemed to be content to chop at Poirier’s legs with nasty low kicks. Just two minutes into the fight, Gaethje’s left eye was a mess – but the fighters were showing no sign of slowing down.

The war continued into the second and third rounds – and it appeared that Gaethje’s leg kicks were beginning to add up. Despite Poirier constantly throwing heavy leather back at him, his lead leg buckled on more than one occasion and by midway through the fight, it was Gaethje who was landing the heavier punches too.

It looked like he’d dragged Poirier into one of his trademark wars of attrition – and would again prove victorious.

Evidently, though, Gaethje underestimated the toughness of ‘The Diamond’. Despite looking on the verge of defeat in the third round, he landed a brutal left hand in the opening seconds of the fourth, and with Gaethje hurt, Poirier simply didn’t let up. He sliced through Gaethje with heavy – and clean – combinations and finally ‘The Highlight’ crumpled – giving Poirier the biggest win of his career to date.

Not only had Poirier pulled off a huge victory – but Gaethje, arguably the most exciting fighter in MMA, had once again put on an instant classic. He might’ve lost the war, but he’d affirmed his role as MMA’s must-see fighter in 2018.