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The UFC is renowned for booking rematches and, in fact, it’s often a surprise if the UFC doesn’t book an immediate rematch whenever a title changes hands.
While the UFC does love rematches, sometimes it takes them longer than you might imagine to book them, with the upcoming Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz rematch being an example.
By the time Diaz and Lawler rematch at UFC 266, it will have been 17 years since they first clashed. That’s the longest time between an original fight and a rematch in UFC history, but there are other rematches we had to wait a long time to see.
With that in mind, here are five UFC rematches that fans waited for years to see.
#5 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier – UFC 143 & UFC 236 (7 years)
When Dustin Poirier first faced off with Max Holloway – a late replacement for Ricardo Lamas – at UFC 143 in February 2012, few people would’ve guessed that UFC fans would be clamoring for a rematch seven years later.
At the time, Holloway was just 20 years old and had only four professional MMA bouts to his name. It felt like he’d be out of his depth against Poirier - who held a record of 11-1 and had already won three fights in the UFC - and that turned out to be the case.
‘The Diamond’ quickly took Holloway down and, midway through the first round, slapped on a mounted triangle choke/armbar combination to force him to tap out. It was an entirely one-sided fight.
However, the UFC had clearly seen some potential in Holloway, and that quickly became evident when he reeled off a three-fight winning streak. After suffering two losses, ‘Blessed’ then went on a lengthy 12-fight win streak that took him all the way to the UFC featherweight title.
Poirier, meanwhile, went on a journey of his own, eventually moving up to 155lbs where he established himself as one of the best lightweights on the planet.
When the UFC required an interim lightweight champion in 2019, they signed a rematch between the two that seemed highly unlikely at the time of their first fight in 2012.
Poirier would of course win again, but this time the fight was anything but one-sided, as Holloway gave as good as he got, helping to produce one of the most memorable wars in recent years.
#4 Vitor Belfort vs. Randy Couture – UFC 15 & UFC 46 (7 years)
When Vitor Belfort first debuted in the UFC back in 1997, he seemed invincible. ‘The Phenom’ mixed a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game with insane hand speed and punching power. Crude brawlers like Scott Ferrozzo and Tank Abbott simply couldn’t live with him.
So when Greco-Roman wrestler and former Olympic alternate Randy Couture became the first fighter to beat him, UFC fans were treated to one of the most memorable upsets of the promotion’s early years.
The fight took place at UFC 15 in October 1997. By the time UFC 46 came around seven years later, Couture and Belfort were still around, unlike the majority of fighters from that era.
Not only were they still around, but they were still among the best fighters on the planet at 205lbs, with Couture holding the UFC light-heavyweight title and Belfort recently returning to the UFC in his best form in years.
Based on the fame of their initial fight seven years earlier, it made sense for the UFC to book a rematch between the two, this time with Couture’s title on the line. It felt like a cool throwback to the UFC’s older days, but was still highly relevant at the time too.
Unfortunately, the rematch turned out to be a disaster, as Couture suffered an eye injury that forced a stoppage in less than a minute. The UFC then took the opportunity to book a rubber match – creating the promotion’s first trilogy in the process – and Couture won in the same fashion he’d done seven years earlier.
#3 Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn – UFC 19 & UFC 54 (6 years)
When Chuck Liddell dethroned Randy Couture and won the UFC light-heavyweight title at UFC 52 in early 2005, ‘The Iceman’ immediately became the UFC’s new poster-boy.
Many fans expected the promotion to book an immediate rematch between Liddell and Couture, but instead – perhaps sensing that it’d be better to wait a little to end the trilogy – decided to allow the new champion a chance to avenge his first loss.
That first loss had come way back at UFC 19 in 1999, just over six years before Liddell’s title win. His opponent? Jeremy Horn, who was able to use an arm triangle choke variant to leave ‘The Iceman’ unconscious as the single 12-minute round came to an end.
Horn hadn’t actually fought in the UFC since 2001, but was quickly brought back to the promotion and, in a rare opportunity, was given an instant title shot against Liddell as ‘The Iceman’ looked for revenge.
Indeed, revenge was exactly what he got. Horn was simply unable to come close to taking Liddell down and implementing his ground game, and ‘The Iceman’ beat him from pillar to post on the feet en route to a fourth round TKO win.
Two years later, Liddell attempted to avenge the only other loss on his record. Instead, he fell to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in a rematch that had been four years in the making.
#2 Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson – UFC 100 & UFC 204 (7 years)
UFC 100 had plenty of memorable moments, from the UFC debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama to Brock Lesnar destroying Frank Mir in the main event to unify the UFC’s heavyweight titles.
But by far the most memorable moment of the event came when Dan Henderson knocked Michael Bisping out with a crushing right hand before adding a diving hammer fist for good measure.
The knockout was one of the most violent in UFC history, and was one of the earliest examples of a UFC finish going viral, with countless videos and memes of Henderson’s punch all over the internet.
Despite an excellent career, Bisping was always haunted by the knockout, and was always hunting for a rematch with ‘Hendo’. However, as the years ticked by, it looked like it would never happen.
That was until the summer of 2016, when Bisping shocked the world by beating Luke Rockhold for the UFC middleweight title.
Despite Henderson being on a slide – with two wins in his previous five fights – the UFC decided to grant him a title shot, essentially throwing ‘The Count’ a bone in the form of his much-desired rematch.
The fight – which took place at UFC 204, some seven years after the initial bout – was an instant classic, with Henderson again landing the big right hand to drop Bisping.
This time he couldn’t finish ‘The Count’, though – and Bisping went on to earn a unanimous decision win, avenging the biggest loss of his career in the process.
#1 Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga – UFC 70 & UFC Fight Night 64 (8 years)
When Gabriel Gonzaga knocked out former PRIDE champion Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 70 in 2007 – using his famed head kick against him – most fans considered it one of the greatest upsets in MMA history.
But while Gonzaga didn’t quite live up to expectations following the win, Cro Cop went on a horrendous slide that saw him wash out of the UFC later that year.
The legendary striker would return to the UFC in 2009, but his run during that period was just as bad as his initial one, and he ended up leaving the promotion after suffering another three knockout losses in a row.
So when the UFC announced their debut in Poland in April 2015 – almost exactly eight years after UFC 70 – fans were stunned when the headline fight was revealed to be a Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga rematch.
At that stage, Gonzaga was equally past his prime as he’d lost his last two fights and hadn’t won since October 2013. But if any UFC fans were expecting a slow-paced fight, they were pleasantly surprised.
Cro Cop and Gonzaga put on a tremendous battle with both men landing some heavy shots. In the end, it was Cro Cop who was able to pick up the win via third round TKO – avenging that devastating loss from nearly a decade prior.
