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#2. UFC 259: Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling vs. UFC bantamweight champ Petr Yan was the first of three title fights that took place at UFC 259. Yan blitzed his way through the bantamweight ranks and defeated Jose Aldo in 2020 to become the champion. Meanwhile, Sterling was riding high on a five-fight win streak.
The two warriors went to war inside the octagon on March 6, 2021. Aljo started strong and tried to overwhelm the champ with volume and pace. However, as the rounds went by, the Russian began imposing himself. He landed the harder shots and neutralized Sterling's ground game. Despite his best efforts, 'Funkmaster' got hurt and knocked down in the fourth.
After dropping, the champ hesitated for a moment before landing a knee to the head. The referee immediately stopped the fight as it was illegal to hit a grounded opponent with knees. 'Funkmaster' was hurt and was unable to continue even after being allowed time to recover. This resulted in the fight being ruled as a disqualification loss for Petr Yan.
For the first time in UFC history, a champion lost his title due to disqualification. Sterling didn't want to accept the title in such a manner as he himself knew it was a fluke win. 'No Mercy' was also ahead in every stat, from the ratio of strikes thrown and landed to the number of takedowns and control time. A rematch between the two might happen early next year.
#1. The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale: Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill
Jon 'Bones' Jones is often considered the greatest UFC light heavyweight champion. While no one has technically beaten Jones inside the octagon, his record still has one loss. The loss came early in his career after just three fights in the UFC.
On December 5, 2009, 'Bones' faced Matt Hamill at the TUF 10 Finale. The co-main event promised to be interesting, as both 'Bones' and 'The Hammer' were rising prospects.
The fight began and it was immediately apparent that Jones was the better wrestler. He landed a trip takedown early in round one and proceeded to beat up 'The Hammer' from top position. The future UFC champ hit Hamill with a variety of strikes to the body and head. However, when he landed the 12 - 6 elbows, referee Steve Mazzagatti immediately stooped the fight and took a point from Jones.
However, when it came time to restart, Hamill was unable to continue. 'Bones' began to celebrate what he believed was a TKO win but the rules said otherwise. Jones was handed a loss via disqualification because the fight was stopped after he landed those illegal elbows.
Hamill, who had been dominated the entire round and landed only 19 total strikes, was declared the winner. 'The Hammer' would go on to lose six of his next ten fights.
