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UFC fighters are not always blessed with stardom despite having enviable records inside the octagon. To ensure popularity among the fans, a fighter not only has to defeat a trained opponent inside the cage but do so in an entertaining manner.
Several fighters have had to face the wrath of fans for their lackluster style of combat despite being absolute masters of their disciplines. The UFC has also been accused of being partial to its stars but that is not surprising considering the revenue they bring in.
Today fighters also need to work on their social media accounts, their media appeal and even up their trash talking game in order to generate pay-per views. However, in some cases, a particular fight plays a pivotal role in a fighter's path to UFC stardom. Let's take a look at 5 victories that made UFC fighters superstars.
#5 UFC 250: Sean O'Malley vs Eddie Wineland
The 'Sugar' show was already on when Sean O'Malley faced bantamweight veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. A Dana White's Contender Series graduate, O'Malley was undefeated in his professional career and was coming off a first-round knockout win over Jose Quinonez.
Sean O'Malley was looking to make a statement against the former WEC bantamweight king, who was clearly his biggest step up in competition until then. O'Malley proved that the hype was real about him as he went on to brutally knock out Eddie Wineland with an overhand right before the two-minute mark. O'Malley walked off without follow-up shots as Wineland went crashing to the canvas at 01:54 in the opening round.
Sean O'Malley established himself as a legitimate knockout artist with his second consecutive highlight-reel finish. As Dana White put it, 'If you didn't know, now you know.'
#4 UFC 218: Max Holloway vs Jose Aldo
Max Holloway was riding a magnificent 11-fight win streak going into his featherweight title defense against Jose Aldo at UFC 218. Six months prior to his first title defense, Holloway had defeated Aldo via third-round TKO to be crowned the UFC featherweight champion.
Max Holloway was yet to establish his dominance as champion considering Aldo clearly had the edge over him in the initial rounds of their first outing. Jose Aldo had a sweet chance at redemption when Holloway's scheduled opponent Frankie Edgar pulled out of the fight after suffering an eye injury.
But Max Holloway dictated the action from the first bell of the fight and put on a striking masterclass. 'The Blessed One' stalked Aldo and wore him down until the Brazilian striker attempted a desperate takedown in the third round. Once on the ground, Holloway fired away from top position in the final seconds of the round. After repeatedly warning Aldo to fight back, referee Herb Dean called a stop to the contest at 04:51 of round three.
Max Holloway was immediately brought up in the G.O.A.T. conversation following his second victory over Jose Also, who was considered to be the G.O.A.T. for almost a decade. But always the humble one, Max Holloway said when compared to Aldo:
“Nah, I got a lot of catching up to do. You gotta respect the man.”
#3 UFC 239: Jorge Masvidal vs Ben Askren
Jorge Masvidal's resurrection might have started with his victory over Darren Till in the main event at UFC London but it was the fastest knockout in history that catapulted him into stardom. Masvidal had returned from a reality show to earn a second-round TKO victory against 'The Gorilla' when he was pitched against former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion, Ben Askren.
Jorge Masvidal darted towards Askren as soon as the initial bell sounded and landed a flying knee flush as the former Olympic wrestler shot for a takedown. In one of the most iconic moments of the sport, Jorge Masvidal registered the fastest knockout win in UFC history, knocking the lights of Askren within five seconds of the opening bell. Since then, Ben Askren has himself admitted to putting the spotlight on Masvidal by being on the receiving end of that knockout.
#2 UFC 236: Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum
Israel Adesaya was coming off a 'Fight of the Night' performance against Anderson Silva when he faced Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC middleweight title. Although Adesanya would go on to further build on his legacy, it was his classic against Kelvin Gastelum that shot him to fame.
In a bout considered to be among the greatest of all time, Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum delivered everything a fight fan could ask for. The judges had the contest leveled at 38-38 as we entered the fifth round of the main event at UFC 236. Adesanya scored three knockdowns in the final 70 seconds of the fight to sway the decision in his favor. Israel Adesanya was crowned the interim UFC middleweight champion as all three judges scored the final round 10-8 in his favor.
While Israel Adesanya followed it up with a second-round TKO victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243, his showdown against Gastelum will go down in the history books.
#1 UFC 194: Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo
With four consecutive highlight-reel finishes, Conor McGregor was already a star in the making when he faced Jose Aldo at UFC 194. However, Aldo came into the fight riding a 18-fight win streak and had been undefeated for the last decade.
The fight became one of the most highly-promoted bouts in UFC history as the two embarked on a 12-city global tour. Bad blood was evident between the two as Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo avoided touching gloves when the action started at UFC 194. After gaging each other with a few feints, Jose Aldo was suddenly caught with a left hand from McGregor as he rushed forward. McGregor recorded the fastest knockout in a UFC title fight as he floored Aldo after 13 seconds of the opening round.
The fight was career-defining for both McGregor and Aldo, albeit in completely opposite ways. While Jose Aldo would never be the same fighter again, McGregor embarked on his journey towards becoming the biggest MMA celebrity of all time.
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