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#4. Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236
Arguably the greatest middleweight championship bout in UFC history comes in at the fourth spot on this list. Although it was for the interim championship, it's still a title fight worthy of a Hall of Fame induction.
For almost a decade, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen's first bout was undoubtedly the most incredible middleweight championship bout. That all changed in 2019 when Israel Adesanya and former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum fought.
The two middleweight contenders competed for the interim-middleweight championship in the main event at UFC 236. The winner of the fight would earn the opportunity to challenge then-champion Robert Whittaker to unify the belts.
Adesanya vs. Gastelum did not disappoint. In fact, it proved Adesanya could deal with adversity and find a way to win. Whatever criticism Adesanya may have received prior to the bout, he certainly put all that to rest with his performance.
It was an excellent back-and-forth fight at times, but Adesanya ended up getting his hand raised. 'The Last Stylebender' won the interim middleweight championship by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 48-46. To this day, this fight remains Adesanya's toughest test inside the octagon.
#3. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 at UFC 125
Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard kicked off 2011 with a spectacular main event at UFC 125. This was a rematch of their bout two years prior, which saw Maynard win via unanimous decision. Then-UFC lightweight champion Edgar was looking to avenge the only loss of his career.
It didn't look like the fight would last very long as Maynard dropped Edgar in the opening moments. Maynard poured on the punches, but the referee chose not to stop the fight. 'The Bully' was in disbelief that the referee didn't stop the fight after knocking Edgar down on multiple occasions.
Edgar responded in the second round by landing a combination and slamming Maynard. The champion ended up winning the round and completely shifted the momentum of the fight.
After a five-round war, the judges ruled the fight a draw, which resulted in Edgar retaining the title. One judge scored it 48-46 for Edgar, another judge scored it 48-46 for Maynard, and the final judge scored it 47-47.
Edgar and Maynard would compete in a trilogy bout later that year at UFC 136. This time, Edgar won the fight by fourth-round knockout to finally avenge his only career loss at the time. Based on what transpired, there's no denying that Edgar vs. Maynard 2 should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
