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This weekend sees the first two UFC title fights of 2022 at UFC 270. Francis Ngannou faces Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title while Brandon Moreno defends his flyweight title against Deiveson Figueiredo.
Hopes are high for both of this weekend’s title fights to deliver some great action. If they do, 2022 won’t be the first year to begin with a classic UFC title bout.
In the past, we’ve seen a number of years begin with an amazing title clash inside the octagon, setting the tone for the months that followed. On a handful of occasions, the first title bout of the year has arguably been the best, too.
Here are five times that a year that began with a classic UFC title bout.
#5. Evan Tanner vs. David Terrell – UFC 51 (2005)
Back in 2005, the UFC didn’t put on nearly as many shows as they do today. That year, fans had to wait until February for the promotion’s first show. Thankfully, the show turned out to be a genuine classic, complete with two title fights.
While Andrei Arlovski’s interim heavyweight title win over Tim Sylvia went extremely quickly, it was Evan Tanner’s comeback victory over David Terrell for the vacant middleweight title was a true classic.
Terrell had just one octagon appearance under his belt at that point, but it was such a shocking one – a first round knockout of perennial top contender Matt Lindland – that basically everyone was favoring him to win.
After all, what chance did Tanner stand against a fighter who boasted both incredible knockout power as well as a reputation as one of the world’s greatest grapplers?
Early on, it looked like those predictions were correct. ‘The Soul Assassin’ hurt Tanner early with a pair of head kicks, opened up on him with a flurry, and then caught him in a tight-looking guillotine choke.
For a moment, it looked like Tanner would be forced to tap as Terrell wrenched his neck. However, when the veteran somehow popped his head free, the tide turned entirely.
‘The Soul Assassin’ seemingly gassed out entirely in trying to finish Tanner so early. Tanner, meanwhile, was only just getting warmed up and began to punish Terrell with a series of brutal elbows and forearms.
It quickly became apparent that Terrell was unable to defend himself. In a stunning result, referee Herb Dean was forced to step in with less than 30 seconds to go in the round.
The victory turned Tanner into a cult hero with the fans, even though he lost his title in his first defense. Terrell never regained his luster and is now seen as one of the promotion’s biggest-ever busts.
Regardless of that, though, this fight was awesome.
#4. Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn – UFC 46 (2003)
2004 might not have begun with a classic war for a UFC title, but it did begin with one of the promotion’s all-time great upsets. It was a fight that turned BJ Penn into a pound-for-pound superstar.
Prior to UFC 46, ‘The Prodigy’ had always fought in the lightweight division. He'd come close to winning the title there on two occasions only to come up short.
Welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes, by comparison, held his title for over two years and had already defended it successfully on five occasions, equalling the promotion’s record in the process. When Penn was announced as his next challenger, then, it was hardly a surprise to see very few fans giving the Hawaiian a chance.
However, prior to the fight, Penn had promised that not only was he quicker than Hughes, but he was just as strong, too, despite his smaller size. Come fight time, he went about proving that he was correct.
‘The Prodigy’ caught hold of Hughes in an early scramble, and managed to force him to his back. From there, essentially, the fight was over. Penn was able to mount the champion and take his back. Moments later, Hughes, incredibly, was forced to tap out to a rear naked choke.
History now dictates that Penn is renowned as an all-time great, arguably even more so than Hughes. However, at the time, this was a truly enormous upset that nobody really saw coming.
Nearly two decades on, it remains one of the UFC’s most memorable title bouts.
#3. Jens Pulver vs. BJ Penn – UFC 35 (2002)
Not all classic title bouts feature two fighters going toe-to-toe with little in the way of defense. 2002’s first one, for instance, was a more cerebral classic that saw a pair of tremendously skilled fighters go back-and-forth at the top of their game. It ended with a great champion hanging onto his title in a truly gutsy showing.
Despite then-lightweight champion Jens Pulver having far more experience than BJ Penn at the time – he had 14 professional fights to Penn’s three – very few fans expected ‘Little Evil’ to hold onto his title.
After all, ‘The Prodigy’ had burst onto the scene like nobody had ever done before. He entered the octagon with a reputation as a stellar grappler before taking out top fighters Din Thomas and Caol Uno with brutal striking power.
Many observers expected him to blow Pulver out of the water just as easily, but the champion proved that he was made of much tougher stuff. He took the fight to the Hawaiian in the first round, outstriking him before punctuating the stanza with a big bodyslam.
Penn came back in the second, almost submitting ‘Little Evil’ with an armbar that saw the buzzer save the champion. Fom there, however, Pulver took back over. He showcased his impressive boxing skills to stun ‘The Prodigy’ in both the fourth and fifth rounds before taking a decision victory to retain his UFC lightweight title.
The aftermath of the fight saw Pulver get emotional, which was understandable given the pressure he was under after being written off by so many. Despite that, though, he’d produced a career-best performance to defeat his toughest-ever opponent. Quite why the fight’s been largely forgotten in the two decades that have followed remains a mystery.
#2. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard – UFC 125 (2011)
When the UFC announced that the headline bout of their first show of 2011 – on New Year’s Day to boot – would see Frankie Edgar defend his UFC lightweight crown against Gray Maynard, few fans expected a classic.
After all, the two men had already squared off in early 2008. In a fight that was as dull as dishwater, Maynard outwrestled Edgar for a unanimous decision victory.
Any suspicions that their rematch would be dull, though, were blown out of the water when ‘The Bully’ dropped Edgar in the opening moments of the fight with a crushing right hand. The fight looked all but over as Maynard attempted to seal the deal, but despite dropping ‘The Answer’ again, somehow Edgar survived the round.
When he wobbled to his corner, though, it looked like it was only a matter of time before he’d be finished. Incredibly, though, the champion came roaring back. He used his speed to catch Maynard with some clean punches of his own before stunning him with a huge bodyslam midway through the round.
From there, the fight was on. Over the next three rounds, the two wrestlers went toe-to-toe on their feet and takedown-for-takedown when they grappled, with neither man able to really dominate the other.
With the action not slowing down for a second, the fans in attendance were completely engrossed by the fight. In the end, with nothing to separate the two, the bout was declared a draw by the judges.
It was a fair ending to what was an instant classic fight. Although 2011 had a number of other great bouts later on, it’s arguable that none of them topped this lightweight classic.
#1. Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit – UFC 195 (2016)
Considering that it was sandwiched between two Conor McGregor-headlined events, UFC 195 – the first event of 2016 – was largely flying under the radar. However, it’s safe to say that the welterweight title bout that headlined it, Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit – would not be overshadowed by any fight that year.
Despite neither man being a big trash-talker, both ‘Ruthless’ and ‘The Natural Born Killer’ had become renowned for their exciting fights inside the octagon. Hopes were high for a great fight between them.
Nobody could’ve guessed the fight would be as good as it turned out to be, though. The wild brawl began in the first round with both men going toe-to-toe, and Condit quickly edged in front by knocking the champion down with a right hand.
The second round saw Lawler come roaring back with a brutal knockdown of his own. From there, the action simply didn’t slow down as the two welterweights exchanged punches, kicks, knees and elbows with neither man backing down an inch.
When the fifth round came to a conclusion with both men swinging wild haymakers at one another with no semblance of defense, it was difficult to pick a winner. The fans only knew that they’d witnessed a genuine classic.
In the end, Lawler was handed a razor-close decision win, but in reality, this was a rare example of a fight where neither man looked like a loser. Six years later, this one remains the gold standard for the first UFC title bout of a calendar year.
