5 greatest non-pay-per-view events in UFC history
The UFC’s biggest shows over the years have always come on pay-per-view, with stars like Conor McGregor fighting almost exclusively there. Despite this, we’ve seen some great non-pay-per-view shows too.
Over the years, the UFC has produced a number of classic, free TV shows, including efforts on Spike TV, ESPN+ and the Fox network.
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Sometimes these shows were turned into classics by having a loaded card. Other times, they were simply made unforgettable by a hot crowd or a bunch of absolutely incredible fights.
With this in mind, here are five of the greatest non-pay-per-view events in UFC history.
#5. UFC: Ultimate Fighter II Finale (2005)
There’s no doubt that the inaugural TUF Finale from April 2005 made the most impact on the UFC. It also featured an all-time classic bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. However, on the whole, the event wasn’t all that great.
In fact, the second TUF Finale of 2005 was far better, and featured three fights that arguably came close to matching the greatness of Griffin vs. Bonnar, even if they didn’t quite make the same mark on the sport.
One of the shortest events in the promotion’s history, the TUF 2 Finale featured just seven fights overall. All of them were excellent, from the preliminary bouts to the main card.
Those prelims saw three violent finishes, including a rare leg kick stoppage from Keith Jardine over Kerry Schall, and a knockout via slam from Josh Burkman in his bout with Sammy Morgan.
The two TUF finals themselves – which saw Joe Stevenson face Luke Cummo in the welterweight division, and Rashad Evans face Brad Imes in the heavyweight division – both went the distance. Like Griffin vs. Bonnar before them, they saw a crazy amount of back-and-forth action.
Cummo knocked Stevenson down and hurt him on numerous occasions, but still fell prey to the superior grappling skills of ‘Joe Daddy’. Evans and Imes, meanwhile, brawled for all three rounds, with Evans landing a series of crazy knockdowns to claim victory.
After the success of Season 1 of the Ultimate Fighter, the UFC signed on for Season 2. Season 2 featured Welterweights & Heavyweights.
This was where the world was introduced to Rashad Evans. Evans defeated 6 ft 7 Brad Imes in the finale to earn a UFC contract. https://t.co/ZVpmxVCFgk
The icing on the cake, though, was the headline bout between young welterweight stars Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz. Plenty of bad blood had been brewing prior to this one. Diaz reportedly even threw a shoe at Sanchez backstage. The fight did not disappoint, as the two men put on a grappling clinic, with ‘The Nightmare’ coming out on top due to his superior wrestling.
Essentially, every fight on offer here was tremendous. While the event seems to have been forgotten over the years, it certainly stands as one of the best non-pay-per-view cards in the promotion’s history.