5 UFC rematches that we waited for years to see
The UFC is renowned for booking rematches and, in fact, it’s often a surprise if the UFC doesn’t book an immediate rematch whenever a title changes hands.
While the UFC does love rematches, sometimes it takes them longer than you might imagine to book them, with the upcoming Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz rematch being an example.
By the time Diaz and Lawler rematch at UFC 266, it will have been 17 years since they first clashed. That’s the longest time between an original fight and a rematch in UFC history, but there are other rematches we had to wait a long time to see.
With that in mind, here are five UFC rematches that fans waited for years to see.
#5 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier – UFC 143 & UFC 236 (7 years)
When Dustin Poirier first faced off with Max Holloway – a late replacement for Ricardo Lamas – at UFC 143 in February 2012, few people would’ve guessed that UFC fans would be clamoring for a rematch seven years later.
At the time, Holloway was just 20 years old and had only four professional MMA bouts to his name. It felt like he’d be out of his depth against Poirier - who held a record of 11-1 and had already won three fights in the UFC - and that turned out to be the case.
‘The Diamond’ quickly took Holloway down and, midway through the first round, slapped on a mounted triangle choke/armbar combination to force him to tap out. It was an entirely one-sided fight.
However, the UFC had clearly seen some potential in Holloway, and that quickly became evident when he reeled off a three-fight winning streak. After suffering two losses, ‘Blessed’ then went on a lengthy 12-fight win streak that took him all the way to the UFC featherweight title.
Poirier, meanwhile, went on a journey of his own, eventually moving up to 155lbs where he established himself as one of the best lightweights on the planet.
When the UFC required an interim lightweight champion in 2019, they signed a rematch between the two that seemed highly unlikely at the time of their first fight in 2012.
Poirier would of course win again, but this time the fight was anything but one-sided, as Holloway gave as good as he got, helping to produce one of the most memorable wars in recent years.