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#4. UFC 217: Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre
The UFC’s annual trip to New York’s famous Madison Square Garden in 2017 was not only one of the most stacked cards in the promotion’s history, but it also turned out to be one of the most entertaining.
The UFC went all out for this one, filling the card with three title fights. A UFC middleweight title showdown between champion Michael Bisping and former welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre, who was returning from a four-year hiatus, served as the main event.
And underneath it, the UFC bantamweight title was on the line in a grudge match between Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw, while Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her UFC strawweight title against Rose Namajunas.
And with high-level fighters like Stephen Thompson, Jorge Masvidal, Johny Hendricks, Paulo Costa, Curtis Blaydes and Ovince St. Preux also in action, UFC 217 essentially featured a star name in almost every fight.
Incredibly, practically every fight on the card delivered in terms of action, too. Of the eleven fights on tap, just two went the distance – Randy Brown vs. Mickey Gall and Thompson vs. Masvidal – and both were entertaining clashes.
As for the rest of the fights, they all featured highlight reel finishes, from St. Preux’s head kick knockout of Corey Anderson all the way up to St-Pierre’s eventual submission of Bisping.
In the end, UFC 217 was easily the best event of 2017, and remains one of the UFC’s best efforts in the state of New York to date.
#3. UFC 200: Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
UFC 200 had a fraught build that saw both fights that were initially booked as its main event scrapped. And in execution, it turned into a bit of a damp squib, with more dull fights than entertaining ones.
On paper, however, this flagship show was undoubtedly one of the most stacked cards that the UFC had put together, complete with appearances from some of the biggest stars in the promotion’s history.
UFC 200 was headlined by a UFC bantamweight title fight between champion Miesha Tate and challenger Amanda Nunes, who won the title to kick-start her epic reign.
But that fight was largely overshadowed by UFC 200’s big drawing card – the return of former UFC heavyweight champion and then-WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ defeated Mark Hunt by decision in what would turn out to be his final trip to the octagon.
Elsewhere, Daniel Cormier defeated a late replacement in the form of the legendary Anderson Silva, who stepped in when Jon Jones failed a pre-fight drug test, while Jose Aldo beat Frankie Edgar to become the interim UFC featherweight champion.
And with UFC legends and former champions like Cain Velasquez, T.J. Dillashaw, Diego Sanchez and Johny Hendricks also competing, it’s easy to see why UFC 200 got so much hype at the time. One can only imagine how big it would’ve been had Conor McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz headlined the show as was initially planned!
