The UFC has been forced to make major adjustments during the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped fighters from delivering inside the octagon.
Since UFC on ESPN+ 28 on March 14, the promotion has carried eight other events behind closed doors, with five of them taking place in the 25-foot octagon at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
There’s something about that smaller cage that has resulted in increased action, faster finishes and absolute wars, as the fans watching at home have been treated to some of the best fights in recent memory.
Here are the five best we’ve seen during the pandemic.
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UFC 249: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
There was no doubt this fight would deliver, but few imagined it would be as one-sided as it was.
Tony Ferguson faced Justin Gaethje on May 9 at UFC 249 for the interim lightweight title and No. 1 contender spot to face champion Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year.
Ferguson was on a 12-fight winning streak going into the fight and was initially scheduled to face Nurmagomedov before the fight fell through yet again.
After suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, Gaethje turned things around by stopping his next three opponents all in the first round.
Gaethje’s less gung-ho approach ended up paying dividends once again as he was able to dominate Ferguson for the most part with his superior boxing before eventually stopping him in the fifth round. Ferguson’s durability and cardio made this an entertaining battle, as he continued to press forward despite taking a plethora of Gaethje’s best shots.
Ferguson was even able to badly rock Gaethje with a beautifully timed uppercut at the end of Round 2, but “The Highlight” made the right kind of adjustments to take over the remainder of the fight. As well as the interim title, Gaethje earned two bonus checks for his efforts on the night, picking up his eighth and ninth bonuses in just seven UFC fights.
UFC 249: Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
The first time these two men fought it was a battle, and their rematch was no different.
When Vicente Luque submitted Niko Price in 2017, it kick started an incredible six-fight unbeaten run for the Brazilian. But, after running into Stephen Thompson, it was back to the drawing board for Luque, who ended up drawing Price one more time at UFC 249.
While booking the rematch may have been a little unexpected, few complained due to the fan friendly nature of the matchup. The fight certainly didn’t disappoint.
Luque threw some hard inside leg kicks that had Price off balance early, but Price was able to counter well with the overhand right. Both men threw leather, and Price connected with a beautiful front kick to the face, followed by a flurry and a takedown against the fence. Luque got right back up, stunning Price with a big right hand at the sound of the Round 1 horn.
In Round 2, Luque started finding a home for his right hand, briefly dropping Price with a counter right. He continued to effectively work the calf kicks, slowing Price’s movement down. Price was starting to wear the damage on his face, stacking Luque against the fence to try and stifle his offense.
Price pushed a furious pace in Round 3, throwing some hard leg kicks, which forced Luque to switch stances. Both men continued to exchange violently in the pocket until Luque dropped Price with a big left hook.
After Luque let Price up, referee Jason Herzog called a timeout to have the doctor check on Price’s eye, which was completely swollen shut. It didn’t take long for the doctor to decide that Price shouldn’t continue.
It was another incredible performance by Luque against a very tough and game competitor in Price, who showed no quit and never stopped pressing forward.
UFC on ESPN 8: Song Yadong vs. Marlon Vera
Rising star Song Yadong looked to remain unbeaten when he faced surging Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 8.
Going into the fight, both men had never been finished, and they showed why during a tightly contested 15 minutes.
Power puncher Yadong cracked Vera with a few hard shots in the first round, while Vera calmly tried to figure out his timing. Vera fought long, throwing an array of calf kicks and body kicks, with Yadong primarily throwing heat, trying to find Vera’s chin.
As the fight progressed, Vera started to press forward, as the two clinched and engaged in some phone-booth fighting, where both men landed solid shots.
In Round 3, Vera changed things up, landing multiple takedowns to rally late. But it was too little too late, as Yadong was awarded the unanimous decision win in a back-and-forth battle.
UFC on ESPN 11: Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos
Rising featherweight contenders Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos faced off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 11 in a matchup that proved how incredibly tough both men are.
Just 17 seconds into the fight, Emmett blew out his knee and had to battle on one leg. He threw everything and the kitchen sink at Burgos, dropping him on numerous occasions, but Burgos kept getting back up with a smile on his face.
It’s remarkable how much power Emmett packs, even on a compromised leg, as he showed incredible grit. Burgos was game throughout all 15 minutes, firing back at Emmett, as the two delivered an all-action contest.
Emmett was awarded the unanimous decision, later revealing that he suffered a completely torn ACL, an MCL sprain with partial tearing, a Baker’s cyst rupture, a focal impact fracture of his femur, and a chondral defect on his tibia.
UFC on ESPN 12: Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker
Dustin Poirier never fails to deliver.
Poirier, the former interim lightweight champion, was handed another tough test in the streaking Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12.
Although he was a betting favorite going into the fight, Poirier knew he was in for a battle, and that’s exactly what Hooker gave him in their main event.
It was a strong start for Hooker, who tagged Poirier with various pinpoint combinations, chopping away at his legs and body. Poirier wore the damage well, firing back some hard shots of his own in a wild first two rounds that ended with a rock-em-sock-em flurry against the cage.
But as the fight wore on, the battle-tested Poirier started making some adjustments to turn the tide. Hooker started to slow down, and Poirier used his championship experience to weather the early storm and land some big shots.
The fifth round was a definitive win for Poirier, who was able to stuff Hooker’s takedowns and mark him up on the feet in a throughly entertaining bout that is a candidate for “Fight of the Year.”
