Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk and 4 other UFC fights that eclipsed the main event
The main event of a UFC card is the crown jewel of the promotion's event. It often features champions defending their titles against the latest challenger who, more often than not, has amassed a lengthy win streak to earn a crack at championship glory.
For this reason, the promotion often props up their headline acts as the most exciting fight on the card. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case, especially when a champion opts to implement a cautious fighting style to successfully defend their title.
This affords other fights on the card, be it the co-main event or a bout lower down the ladder, to outshine the headline act. This has happened several times throughout UFC history, and these are five instances.
#5. Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 2, UFC 263
UFC 263 was headlined by a middleweight title bout between 185-pound kingpin Israel Adesanya and contender Marvin Vettori, who was having a streak of good results.
It was a rematch of their 2018 encounter, but failed to live up to expectations. This was one of several bouts wherein Adesanya jabbed and low kicked at range to an uneventful decision win.
The bout was eclipsed in both action and significance by its co-main event, which featured Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo squaring off in the second matchup of a future quadrilogy. Their previous bout had ended in a draw, so fans were eager to see who between the two was the better fighter.
Furthermore, the two men fought over the flyweight title. Their contest was an action-packed thriller that saw Moreno score a knockdown before defeating his rival with a rear-naked choke to enthrone himself as the first Mexican champion in UFC history.
#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2, UFC 251
Alexander Volkanovski's greatest rival is Max Holloway, the Hawaiian great from whom he wrestled away the featherweight title. His first encounter with 'Blessed' was a masterclass in using calf kicks as effective counters to Holloway's jab, disabling his foe's ability to build combinations from his jab.
Their second encounter served as the co-main event for UFC 251, where Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal had their first clash in the main event. Unfortunately, the event's headliner was a lacklustre, low-output affair defined by Usman pinning Masvidal to the fence and stomping on his toes en route to a decision win.
Meanwhile, Volkanovski and Holloway had a battle for the ages. Holloway had adapted to Volkanovski's calf kicks by faking the jab and then landing combinations over the top after pulling his leg back. He even dropped the Australian to a knee with a head kick.
Despite losing the first two rounds, Volkanovski rallied in a highly competitive bout to win via a controversial split-decision. Not only was the bout entertaining, fan outrage over the outcome set the stage for a trilogy bout that left nothing in doubt.
#3. Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2, UFC 273
The main event at UFC 273 was between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung. While the bout wasn't boring, by any means, and was an exciting and dominant performance for 'The Great' which ended with a fourth-round TKO, no one expected 'The Korean Zombie' to win.
He was 35 years old and had won just one fight since being thoroughly outstruck by Brian Ortega, of all people. Thus, there wasn't much intrigue in the bout. However, the co-main event, which featured a rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan, was a completely different story.
Sterling had previously captured the bantamweight title from Yan via controversial disqualification after the Russian illegally kneed Sterling in the head when he was still a downed opponent. It led to Sterling being subjected to a large wave of mockery from the MMA community and accusations of ducking from Yan himself.
So, when the two men squared off, anticipation was high. It was a frantic bout, full of action on both feet and ground, with the bout far closer than their initial matchup. In the end, Sterling won via split-decision, but many have decried it as a robbery that punctuated the controversial nature of the pair's rivalry.
#2. Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush, UFC 289
The simple truth of the matter is not many people were all that drawn to the idea of Amanda Nunes facing Irene Aldana as the headliner of UFC 289. 'The Lioness' has a disappointing record as a pay-per-view draw, and no one believed that Aldana was even capable of beating Nunes, to begin with.
So, a significant amount of attention was given to Charles Oliveira's co-main event clash with Beneil Dariush. The Brazilian is a former lightweight champion, and it was his first bout since a UFC 280 loss to Islam Makhachev. Meanwhile, Beneil Dariush was at the helm of an 8-fight win streak and on the cusp of title contention.
Fans were excited by the prospect of seeing how Dariush's grappling would fare against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist like Oliveira. The event's headliner was an unremarkable affair that saw Nunes score a comfortable decision win, while Aldana did next to nothing in terms of pressing the action.
Neither woman showed any urgency to finish the fight. Meanwhile, Oliveira's win over Dariush was a fast-paced thriller that saw him march his foe down and TKO him with a head kick to ultimately earn a rematch against Islam Makhachev.
#1. Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk 1, UFC 248
UFC 248 has gone down in history for having one of the worst-ever title fights, while simultaneously having one of the promotion's greatest championship bouts. The main event, which featured Israel Adesanya making his first-ever title defense against Yoel Romero, was widely panned for its inactivity.
Neither man committed to any striking engagements, which is a natural outcome whenever two counter-strikers are paired up. The co-main event, however, was one of the most celebrated fights, with many hailing it as 2020's Fight of the Year. The bout featured Zhang Weili making her first-ever strawweight title defense.
Her opponent was former 115-pound champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The two women dragged each other to the deepest of waters in a violent brawl that saw Jędrzejczyk's forehead inflate from one of the largest hematomas the promotion had ever seen. At the end, 'Magnum' emerged victorious, winning over the fans.
That the action-packed bout was immediately followed by Adesanya's lacklustre effort against Romero further soured fans on the main event.