5 best UFC fights to watch for Christmas 2024
The UFC has given fight fans a number of exhilarating fights over the years, but a select few stand apart among even the greatest. These showdowns are truly the cream of the crop and necessitate much more than mere athleticism to compete in -- they demand a warrior spirit!
Christmas is fast approaching, and on this special occasion, we'll look at some of the very best fights you can watch during the 2024 Holiday Season. Whether you prefer watching fights alone, in order to better focus on the techniques and other elements -- or you love watching fights with friends and family -- these thrillers are sure to keep you entertained.
#5 Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua 1
Dan Henderson holds two victories over fellow MMA great Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. He outpointed him in their first encounter and stopped the Brazilian via third-round TKO in their rematch. Their first fight, which transpired at UFC 139 in November 2011, is widely considered an all-time classic.
'Hendo' started strong, clipping Rua with his thunderous right hand and landing several punches with both hands and seemingly rocking his younger foe. However, Rua survived and even appeared to tag Henderson with a right hand of his own. Round two witnessed the combatants trade heavy leather, with both chins holding up tremendously.
The third round had Henderson knock Rua down with a massive right hand and follow up with a terrifying ground-and-pound onslaught. The Brazilian fighter held on to his American opponent and bought time to clear the cobwebs. Rua then ended the round well by staying close to his foe rather than returning to a full-fledged stand-up battle.
The fourth round saw both fighters engage in excellent grappling scrambles, each showcasing their wrestling, BJJ, and overall grappling prowess. Nevertheless, the older Henderson seemed to tire as the round progressed, and Rua had an exhausted Henderson badly hurt with his punches.
Round five was all Rua, with him maintaining the top position against Henderson, with significant periods of time in full mount. Ultimately, Henderson's early success proved crucial, and the judges handed him a unanimous decision victory. The fight was praised not only for the technical brilliance in all departments but also for the undeniable valiance at display.
Watch the fight between Henderson and Rua below:
#4 Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 1
Kamaru Usman fought Colby Covington twice and successfully defended the UFC welterweight championship on both occasions. Their first encounter, which went down at UFC 245 in December 2019, is what legends are made of. It featured a clash between two fighters in their athletic prime.
The first couple of rounds saw Covington's cardio and high-volume striking help him outwork the then-UFC welterweight champion. 'Chaos' seemed to have great success with his left hand, whereas Usman stuck with kicks to the body and a disciplined jab.
Round two saw them up the ante by getting into riskier striking exchanges. It also saw Referee Marc Goddard pause the action, as he felt Covington landed a groin shot against Usman.
In the third round, Usman's investments to the body, with front kicks, roundhouse kicks, and punches sapped his foe's cardio. Covington claimed to be eye-poked toward the round's end, but Goddard disagreed. Usman had received a timeout after being eye-poked earlier that round. Also, Covington's jaw seemed damaged from a Usman right.
The fourth round saw another slugfest between the two fighters, and Covington implied he'd gotten eye-poked but didn't receive an additional five minutes to recover. In round five, Usman's superior boxing took over, helping him knock 'Chaos' down twice en route to a fifth-round TKO stoppage.
Covington has since maintained that Goddard's allegedly biased refereeing cost him the fight. Regardless, it's to date one of the most entertaining title fights, which also, incidentally, happened during Christmas month!
Watch the fight between Usman and Covington below:
#3 One of the greatest UFC fights ever: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2
Coincidentally, this is yet another fight from a two-fight feud. The fight in question is the rematch between then-UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Rory MacDonald, which co-headlined the star-studded UFC 189 event in July 2015. 'Ruthless' had previously defeated MacDonald via split decision.
Their second encounter is to date regarded as one of the greatest fights ever, across all forms of professional combat sports competition. Round one has Lawler showcase brilliant boxing, particularly sharp with his 1-2. MacDonald too did well with his front kicks and long-range fighting but kept getting tagged by the 'Ruthless' one's hands.
Round two saw Lawler up the ante with his boxing and sit down with his punches after having gauged the range. MacDonald's takedowns, which many felt would be a major weapon for him against the champion, hadn't worked in the early going. It also seemed like MacDonald's nose was broken, adding to the crimson mask on his face.
In round three, the orthodox MacDonald rocked the southpaw Lawler with a right roundhouse head kick, followed by a barrage of punches, elbows, knees, and kicks. Lawler survived. More kicks followed in round four, but Lawler survived and eventually seemed to use his educated jab and jab-straight/cross to force MacDonald back.
The fifth round was preceded by their iconic blood-soaked staredown. Lawler seemed ruthless (no pun intended), coming out with thunderous 1-2s by deftly stepping outside the line of fire against his orthodox foe and damaging his nose. Ultimately, repeated punches badly hurt MacDonald's already-damaged nose, knocking him down and helping Lawler win via fifth-round TKO.
Watch the Lawler vs. MacDonald rematch below:
#2 Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit
Georges St-Pierre is a former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion, who's beheld as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever. 'Rush' aka 'GSP' has been in many back-and-forth battles over the years, one of the most prominent among them being his UFC welterweight title defense against then-interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in November 2012.
The Canadian legend utilized his wrestling to outpoint Condit on the mat, although 'The Natural Born Killer' didn't make it easy and stayed active despite being in the bottom position. Both fighters seemed evenly matched on the feet, but perhaps the biggest moment of the clash came when Condit secured a huge knockdown with a swerving left roundhouse head kick.
The American swarmed 'GSP' after that but was unable to finish him via ground and pound. Instead, St-Pierre worked his way back into the fight with his grappling skills to steer clear of a pure kickboxing match against Condit. The fight left both fighters bleeding and exhausted. Ultimately, the judges awarded St-Pierre the unanimous decision victory.
Watch highlights from St-Pierre vs. Condit below:
#1 Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Israel Adesanya is a former two-time UFC middleweight champion, who's booked to make his highly-anticipated return to the octagon in February 2025. Adesanya is a kickboxing veteran and is counted among one of the very best strikers to have fought in MMA. 'The Last Stylebender' is also known for his admirable fighting spirit.
Before he won the undisputed middleweight belt, 'Izzy' faced Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC middleweight title at UFC 236 in April 2019. Their showdown went on to be etched in the fight fans' memories as one of the greatest title matchups ever. Adesanya seemed to be the more technical striker of the duo and knocked down his foe multiple times, particularly viciously in the fifth and final round.
Gastelum too had his moments, notably stunning the Nigeria-born New Zealander with a head kick in the fourth round. Regardless, Adesanya survived and thoroughly outstruck Gastelum, even coming close to knocking him the American out until the final round ended. Adesanya ultimately won via unanimous decision.
Watch highlights from Adesanya vs. Gastelum below: