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Fans have always been known to follow the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for the exhilarating knockouts and the limb-twisting submissions. However, yet another aspect of the MMA game which appeals to both the hardcore as well as casual fans alike is an all-out war which goes the distance.
At times, the pair of fighters doing battle with one another inside the Octagon happen to be so well-matched, that they end up fighting for the entire 15 minutes (3-round fight) or 25 minutes (5-round fight), after which the three ringside judges present the scorecards, on the basis of which the fight is declared a win/loss/draw for the combatants.
Today, we take a special look at a few UFC fights that went the distance...Most of these fights featured a considerable amount of action, whereas others were simply high-level chess matches come to fruition inside the Octagon...
#5 Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit
Robbie Lawler defended his UFC Welterweight Title against Carlos Condit at UFC 195, in a fight many expected to be an all-out war. Well, that fight turned out to be just as advertised, as both fighters left it all inside the Octagon.
In fact, the aforementioned matchup was so very violent, that the large majority of combat sports fans, as well as experts, believe that the fight ended up taking a huge toll on the bodies of Lawler and Condit. In the days that followed, Lawler ended up losing his title to Tyron Woodley, whereas Condit has lost multiple fights in a row.
Nevertheless, their recent losses don't change the fact that the show they put on at UFC 195 was an all-time-classic matchup. Condit dropped Lawler early in the fight, whereas the latter scored a knockdown of his own later on.
The fifth and final round of the fight ended with both fighters slugging it out in a phone-booth encounter, and then slumping onto the fence as the buzzer signalled the end of the bout. Lawler ended up retaining the title by way of split-decision...
#4 Junior dos Santos vs Stipe Miocic 1
It was in 2017, that Stipe Miocic successfully defended his UFC Heavyweight Title with a first-round TKO win over Junior dos Santos. However, that wasn't the first time these two Heavyweight titans exchanged leather with one another inside the Octagon.
Back in December of 2014, Dos Santos returned from a long injury layoff, after a brutal TKO loss in his trilogy fight against Cain Velasquez. At that time, Miocic was a relatively unproven Heavyweight at the elite level, and most experts predicted that the only way Miocic beats Junior dos Santos is if the latter's body has been compromised by the vicious beatings he took at the hands of Velasquez in their second and third fights.
Regardless, the fight started off at a fast pace, as Miocic connected repeatedly on JDS' dome. However, despite losing the first couple of rounds, Dos Santos knocked down Miocic in the third round and then out-struck his foe throughout rounds 4 and 5. JDS ended up beating Miocic via Unanimous Decision...
#3 Tyron Woodley vs Demian Maia
Tyron Woodley has got to be in the running to be considered as one of the most intelligent MMA fighters of all time. Woodley has always asserted that he doesn't even like fighting but simply does it because he loves to compete and is a gifted athlete.
At UFC 214, Woodley defended his UFC Welterweight Title against Demian Maia, with the latter being on a tremendous winning streak at the time. Maia is one of the most dangerous BJJ combatants to have ever graced the UFC's famed Octagon, and can most definitely submit anyone on a given day.
However, Woodley came in with the perfect game-plan for the aforementioned fight and focused strictly on keeping Maia away from him, stuffing the latter's takedown attempts beautifully and with such technical proficiency that even great MMA minds like Firas Zahabi and Greg Jackson would take their hats off to Woodley.
The fight which T-Wood won via Unanimous Decision, was branded by many to be 'boring', however, the sheer strategic brilliance and patience which Woodley exhibited throughout the bout truly was something to behold.
#2 Chris Weidman vs Lyoto Machida
Chris Weidman defended his UFC Middleweight Title against former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 175. Weidman vs. Machida is considered by several MMA purists as one of the most underrated fights of all time, and rightfully so, particularly due to the fact that the fight highlighted a few critical strategic errors the then-undefeated Weidman makes in his fights.
Although Weidman comfortably out-pointed Machida for most of the bout, the latter did have his moments and even came close to finishing Weidman with a late flurry in the fight's fifth and final round. However, future Weidman opponent Luke Rockhold took note of the former's mistakes against Machida and used it in his fight against Weidman at UFC 194.
Nevertheless, coming back to Weidman vs. Machida, the fight is definitely worth re-watching as it symbolized a champion in his prime going to war with a wily veteran of the game.
#1 Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier 1
AT UFC 182, UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones defended his title against Daniel Cormier. The bitter rivals engaged in a significant amount of trash talk leading up to the fight, and when that Octagon door slam shut, their fight delivered a considerable amount of technical brilliance.
Jones managed to briefly out-grapple DC, however, the latter caught Jones with a few beautiful uppercuts from the clinch. In the end, Jones' huge reach advantage proved to be his biggest asset against the much smaller Cormier with 'Bones' keeping his foe at the end of a barrage of kicks over the course of their five-round fight.
After five rounds of action, Jones was declared the winner by way of Unanimous Decision. However, something that stood out about the fight, was how Jones' disciplined attack on DC's body softened the latter up, resultantly sapping Cormier's cardio and slowing him down.
Which UFC fights that went the distance are your favourites? Sound off in the comments!
