5 best heavyweight title fights in UFC history
UFC 270 goes down this weekend. In the headline bout, heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou puts his gold on the line against interim titleholder Ciryl Gane.
Hopes are high for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane to be a classic fight, but will it match up to the greatest heavyweight title fights in UFC history? Only time will tell.
One thing is for certain, though. Over the years, the promotion has put on some incredible heavyweight title bouts, with some of the best fighters to ever step into the octagon involved in some genuine wars.
With that considered, here are the five best heavyweight title bouts in UFC history.
#5. Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski – UFC 59
When Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski first squared off for the interim UFC heavyweight title in early 2005, the fight didn’t last long at all. Arlovski appeared to be moving in a totally different dimension to the plodding Sylvia. He decked ‘The Maine-Iac’ with a right hand before submitting him with an Achilles lock, all inside a minute.
The fight was so one-sided that when the promotion booked the two men for a rematch for the title in early 2006, nobody was giving Sylvia a chance. Sure, he’d looked good in his two comeback bouts, beating Tra Telligman and Assuerio Silva, but ‘The Pitbull’ appeared to be on another level entirely.
Sure enough, within the first couple of minutes of the fight, Sylvia’s doubters appeared about to be proven right. Once again looking like the quicker man, Arlovski threw a huge overhand right that dropped ‘The Maine-Iac’ like a ton of bricks.
Somehow though, unlike in the first fight, Sylvia was able to will his way to his feet. Quite how he survived the shot was anyone’s guess. Arlovski clearly thought he wouldn’t last much longer, though, and closed in for the kill.
However, ‘The Pitbull’ made a tremendous error. In closing in to finish Sylvia, he left himself wide open. The opportunity was all that ‘The Maine-Iac’ needed. He threw a short right uppercut that connected perfectly with Arlovski’s jaw, dropping him face-first. Seconds later, the fight was over.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia II twitter.com/streetfitebnch…
Sure, this clash lasted less than three minutes, but it was action-packed and featured one of the promotion's all time great comebacks, making it a bonafide heavyweight title classic.