The Best UFC Cards of All Time

Those who are interested in martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and MMA are also familiar with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). UFC is a mixed martial arts promotion that organizes fight events in some of the most famous cities in the world. The MMA promotion has not only spread awareness about mixed martial arts and provided opportunities of entertainment to martial arts enthusiasts but has also produced some of the best fighters and fight events that the world has ever witnessed. 

The promotion has an innate ability to create outstanding fighter pairs that deliver awe-inspiring combat demonstrations, causing the spectators to be glued to their television screens and sweating it out for their favorite fighter. Some of these great events were expected to be a massive hit, while other less-popular events emerged as a major upset and an unforeseen blockbuster. Whenever the names Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Georges St. Pierre, and now Ilia Topuria appear in a UFC Fight Card, fans already know what a smashing hit the event will be. On the other hand, some fighters came as huge surprises, leaving their mark in the history of UFC with a single unforgettable performance. 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has played a vital role in the development and promotion of mixed martial arts for nearly three decades. The company organized dozens of events worldwide for the local and international fighters which are heavily featured on the card.

From 1993 till now, UFC has come up with several memorable and best fight cards. In addition to organizing the best fight cards, UFC also has the credit to put together some of the most stacked cards in the history of mixed martial arts. They are considered the best UFC cards of all time due to ever increasing and admiring fan following. The UFC cards gained hype due to the high-profile fighters and the memorable moments which turned the table. This article brings you some of the best and most stacked UFC fight cards of all time.

A UFC fight card is the roster of scheduled fights for a particular PPV/numbered event or a fight night. It includes the names of the fighters pitted against each other, weight division of the fight, and the sequence of fights or the event program. Smaller or less-hyped events are called UFC Fight Nights, while those events highlighting world-class MMA fighters are called PPV events. These high-profile events are more expensive to watch as well. All fight cards are announced by UFC ahead of time to prepare both spectators and fighters for the event. 

A stacked UFC card highlights a sequence of high-profile matches that guarantee action, entertainment, and cage drama. Most of the participants listed in the stacked card are either champions defending their titles or top-ranked fighters, having the potential to claim a UFC weight title. Oftentimes, real-life rivals who are also exceptional mixed martial artists are pitted against each other to attract fans, ratings, and PPV buys. 

As we mention the best UFC fight cards, you are bound to notice that some events have an assigned number while others are introduced as a fight night. But what is the difference between the two? Between 1993 and 2024, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has managed to organize over 650 mixed martial arts events worldwide. The MMA promotion has divided these events into pay-per-view fights and fight nights. 

UFC pay-per-view events are referred to as numbered events and are organized on a monthly basis; however, there can be exceptions. Typically, UFC organizes about nine PPV events in one year. To watch these fights, enthusiasts need to pay a fixed fee regardless of their subscription to ESPN, UFC’s broadcasting partner. These numbered events last for a few hours and feature some of the most popular fighters to guarantee a highly entertaining and action-packed show. Almost all PPV numbered events have a major titled fight. In the past decades, only a few PPV events lacked a titled match. A common example of which is UFC 279, held in September 2022, where Nate Diaz competed against Tony Ferguson in the main event. Also, in most UFC PPV events, the title fight may not be the headline of the card but it is the most anticipated bout. 

UFC Fight Nights are low-profile events, less popular than numbered events because they feature less popular or novice fighters. It is quite rare to witness an outstanding performance in a UFC fight night card. However, to increase the demand of this paid event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is now adding title fights to Fight Nights as well. To everyone’s surprise, many UFC Fight Nights have emerged as some of the most action-packed and massive events. For this reason, some cards from UFC Fight Nights are also included in this article. 

A UFC Fight Night card typically has approximately 12 bouts, but in the case of a dropout, withdrawal, or cancellation, and if there is no fighter available as a replacement, the number of fights on a card can decrease. In the UFC pay-per-view event, there are early-preliminary fights, a preliminary event, and the main card, while in the UFC Fight Night, there is a preliminary and a main card. Fight Nights are not free but they are included in the ESPN+ subscription. 

UFC 217 has been a remarkable event in MMA history. A new record was set up due to the change in three UFC championships on that night, including a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre, also known as the welterweight kingpin in the world of MMA as the main event. Under the main event was a battle between Cody Garbrandt and T.J Dillashaw for the UFC bantamweight title. Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk were pitted against each other for the UFC strawweight title. Other fights cards of UFC 217 event featured other prominent fighters, including Ovince St. Preux, Paulo Costa, Jorge Masvidal, Stephen Thompson, Johny Hendricks, Curtis Blaydes.

Furthermore, UFC 217 was also one of the most stacked UFC cards that were also quite entertaining because in every fight spectators witnessed exceptional grappling skills, submission prowess, and striking power. Out of the 11 fights,only two fights, Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masdival and Randy Brown vs. Mickey Gall went the distance, lasting for five rounds as neither fighter secured a submission or knockout finish. Even though the results of these two bouts were based on the judges’ decision, these fights were action-packed and kept the spectators fully engaged from start to finish.

The event was held in the famous Madison Square Garden in New York and is considered UFC’s best event in New York till date.

On 4th November 2017, the legend who was under the spotlight was Georges St Pierre who returned after a four-year hiatus and claimed promotional gold in a category he never fought before.

GSP won the first round easily but Canadian legend Bisping fought back to freak out his opponent. But the bout came to an end due to endless attacks of elbows on Bisping and then Rear Naked Choke caused Bisping to senseless.

The achievements of Tj Dillashaw and Joanna Jedrzejczyk ranked UFC 217 as the best card. Dillashaw won the Bantamweight title and knocked out Cody Garbrandt. Joanna Jedrzejczyk surprised everyone by striking Rose Namajunas. The results were definitely shocking but the fights are still remembered.

The UFC 205 event was held in Madison Square Garden, New York. It was recognized as a historic event because MMA tournaments were legalized that year. The UFC 205 event was highlighted as the best and most-stacked MMA card due to many reasons.

Firstly, Conor McGregor was the first fighter to simultaneously secure two UFC title belts. McGregors’ timely executed techniques nailed Alvarez against the octagon fence.

Secondly, the world-class champions Frankie and Khabib were fighting in the preliminary rounds. Both secured major victories which won the hearts of the audience.

Michael Johnson while fighting Khabib made some technical faults which resulted in an inevitable takedown. Later he tried to defend himself through a guillotine choke but Khabib secured victory via kimura.

Edgar revealed his injury, Medial Collateral Ligament ( MCL ) requires an epidural to continue practice in the future.

The most emotional aspect of the UFC 205 card was Tate's retirement. Tate lost the match against Raquel Pennington. She shared: "I’m announcing my retirement, you guys," Tate told Rogan and the fans in the cage. "I love this sport forever, but it’s not my time anymore. It’s the future’s time."

Yoel Romero's win is still celebrated after so many years. He knocked out Chris Weidman by applying a flying knee taking advantage of being an Olympic wrestler. Elsewhere, Joanna Jędrzejczyk was able to defend her strawweight title. Kowalkiewicz punches and knees cause hematoma near the Jędrzejczyk eye. Perhaps Kowalkiewicz's offensive methods were not enough to win the battle. She shared the words: "I am very proud because I came and gave a good fight," she said to Rogan in the cage after the fight. "Maybe next time we can fight in Poland."

Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson's fight ended in a draw. It was an incredibly tough match with a lot of offensive and defensive techniques remaining undecided till the end. Thompson shared the words with Rogan after the fight. "it is what it is. I want to do it again."

The great UFC 189 card fight was organized in Los Vegas. This card is in highlights still today due to the blood-spattered war between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald. Lawler defeated Macdonald with punches and gained a top position in a gift round. Macdonald received huge appreciation in 189 UFC cards due to his highly skilled performance.

Then comes the fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes under the Featherweight title. McGregor unexpectedly defeated Mendes with punches in Round 2. Most of the audience was supporting Mendes being a wrestler but McGregor’s techniques worked. The Irish man surprised the audience with his diverse attacks. Brett Okamoto shared his thoughts:

McGregor's confidence was remarkable before the match. He predicted to Mendes:

In this fight Stephens was an underrated fighter but he managed to defeat Bermudez.

Brandon Thatch was considered an aggressive striker and Nelson was a terrific grappler. Thatch was not able to stand for a long time in the octagon, the reason might be one year break from the fight due to a toe injury. Thatch lost the fight in round 2 when Nelson applied a Rear Naked choke.

Then comes the breathtaking fight between Pickett and Almeida. Almeida is aggressive and he knocked out Pickett in Round 1 by applying TKO. Almeida is ranked at No.4 in overall MMA rankings.

Matt Brown is an unstoppable champ when in the ring. He is famous for his grappling techniques and wrestling remains his weakness. Brown and Means are labeled as head hunters that even mouthguards cannot protect the fighters from bleeding.

The fight ended in a unanimous decision or split decision under the preliminary cards.

Under the 129 UFC card, in Canada, Georges St Pierre defended his welterweight title with an incredibly smart style of striking against Jake Shields. This was the fifth win Pierre in pound-for-pound ranking which positioned George as one of the greatest MMA fighters in history.

In the fight, Aldo gunned Hominick resulting in a huge hematoma. Hominick, being a tough guy, bore the attack and tried to take down the opponent but the fight ended in a unanimous decision.

On the UFC 129 card, Machid defeated Couture by Crane kick. The Hall had an equal number of supporters for both of the fighters. Both were applying punches and kicks. The fight became memorable due to Machida’s front kick and Couture lost the fight in Round 2. The rest of the bouts on the card were left behind with the historic victory of Pierre and Shields.

Held in 2009, the UFC 100 event had the highest pay-per-view buy rate of 1.6 million buys until Conor McGregor came along and broke the record. This highly entertaining event is considered one of the best stacked events of UFC with the best fight card as two of the most popular and seasoned mixed martial artists, UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar defended their titles. In this event, the fighter Jon Jones gained popularity by defeating Brien with the Guillotine choke in Round 2. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jon Fitch's impressive bouts won the hearts of the crowd which marked UFC 100 as the best card.

After these two fights, Henderson and Bisping's techniques in the octagon cannot be forgotten. Contrary to popular belief, UFC 100 did not reach the zenith of success only because of Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre. The event also featured a brutal contest between Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping - a fight that gave these two fighters a chance to settle the score. Since their rivalry was not hidden from the MMA world, spectators were equally excited about this bout. 

Lensar defeats Mir and secures his Heavyweight Championship Belt. The card gained popularity due to the big pay-per-view record on the most hyped fight between Brock Lensar and Frank Mir. Pierre was successful enough to retain his welterweight title. The undercards of the event also spotlighted Mark Coleman - best known as the former UFC heavyweight champion, and Jim Miller.

The UFC 100 event also marked the beginning of the promotion’s “International Fight Week” that has now become a tradition. After this new programme, UFC’s buy-rate continued to increase unabated. 

Nate Diaz was successful enough to defeat McGregor in the last seconds of the second round. In the first round, McGregor injured Diaz’s eye but the fighter seemed much not worried about the bleeding. In the second round, daze remained dominant. He attacked McGregor's chin from which the fighter took time to gain momentum. In the last seconds when McGregor hit the ground Diaz suddenly attained mount but McGregor rolled turning back to the opponent. Diaz applied a choke and McGregor's fight was over.

Daze in the interview with Rogan shared words that " I knew it would be a slow start for me, so I knew I would have to start slow and pick up and let go."

McGregor said:

What makes UFC 269 card most famous is the fight between Oliveira and Poirier and then Pena's continuous energetic attempts to force Nunes into submission.

Poirier remained dominant in the first round because of his first-class boxing skills. The Fighter's hard jabs on Charles Oliveira were quite clear and strong. In the second round, Oliveira defended himself on the mat by applying punches and elbows continuously for 3 minutes. And then finally in the third round, Oliveira won the fight by applying a rear naked choke.

Nunes remained dominant on Pena in the first round forcing submission but remained unsuccessful. Then, comes the second round, totally unexpected. Pena attacked Nunes with a series of shots and then played trickly to choke her.

The UFC 202 main event was held in Las Vegas. McGregor wanted to win this bout after losing in UFC 196 and Nate Diaz wanted to prove himself as a pro Fighter. The moment the fight started McGregor striked his leg repeatedly. At first, Diaz was successful enough to defend himself but after brutal attacks from McGregor, Diaz was pushed towards the fence. In the second and third rounds again Diaz tried to make the situation worse for McGregor. The bout speed was slowed in offending and defending. But the interest of the audience increased in every round. Finally, in the fifth round, McGregor tripped Diaz on the ground and mounted him.

In an interview with Joe Rogan McGregor said:

"He took them better than I expected. He didn't show. He didn't let me know. I won the first three rounds. I proved the class difference, but then that toughness and durability that he has crept back in the later rounds. I'm still happy to come away with the win.”

"It was a hell of a fight. He's a hell of a competitor. He brought out the best in me.

"Like my coach said, we win or we learn. I learned from that last contest."

He further said: "All I know is it's 1-1. Regroup. We'll do it again, this time at 155 pounds. I came up to 170, faced the bigger man, and overcame my adversity. Now you want this trilogy, it happens on my terms. Come back down to 155. We'll do it."

After that Diaz gave an interview with Rogan. He shared: "Good job today, Conor, but we going for three," Diaz noted. "For real."

As Dominick shared the views about McGregor: “I don’t know if Conor McGregor has a fighting style that can go for five rounds.”

Under the 229 UFC Card, Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully retained his Lightweight belt. He defeated McGregor in Round 4 via submission. McGregor forced Khabib to tap out in round 4 through a rear naked choke but at the end, Neck Crank from Khabib forced McGregor to submission.

McGregor and Khabib were suspended for the post-fight drama. Khabib attacked the corner man of McGregor Dillon Danis after winning the fight in some grudge. In exchange McGregor also targeted khabibs fellows which resulted in the huge fine and suspension of both players.

Then comes an amazing brawl between Tong Ferguson and Anthony Pettis. Ferguson won the bout by TKO when Anthony told the coach that his hand had broken.

UFC 239 is remembered as lively, furious and the fastest knockouts in MMA history. The most incredible aspect of this card was featuring the best male and female Mixed Martial Artists live. Jon Jones defeated Thiago Santos in Round 5 through a Split decision. In the post-fight interview, Jon Jones shared about Santos: “Most powerful guy I have ever faced.” He further commented: “ Santos pushed him to his limits with heavy shots”.

Fighters showed a wide variety of strikes in their bouts which includes head kicks, flying knees and spinning back kicks. But in the end, victory was for Jon.

Masvidal's flying knee on the Ben Askren chin was the deciding moment for the bout. Then the other interesting bout was between bantamweight champions Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm which marked Nunes as the queen of women's Mixed Martial Arts.

Held on November 19, 2011, at HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S.A, UFC 139 - Shogun vs. Henderson is considered another one of the best UFC fight cards ever. This event came as one of the surprises, considering the featured fighters were not as hyped. However, the San Jose event ended up being a huge success that no one could have predicted.

The headline of UFC 139 event was a light heavyweight contest between Dan Henderson and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. These two ambitious fighters have seen a similar route towards progression in their careers; however, this event marked the first time they were pitted against each other in the octagon. And the result was what is called one of the most majestic encounters in the history of the MMA promotion, which was later also inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. For five continuous fight rounds, the two mixed martial artists hit, punched, and kicked each other violently. This bloodied fight concluded with a unanimous decision by the judges in favor of Dan Henderson. Surprisingly, the result of the fight gained even more attention, becoming one of the most debated and controversial decisions in UFC. 

In this low-profile card, Shogun vs. Henderson was not the only epic confrontation. In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva competed against Cung Le and secured victory with a jaw-dropping knockout finish in round two. The UFC 139 fight card is one of the few exceptions where two fighters bagged a UFC Fight of the Night award in different bouts. Usually, there is only one Fight of the Night award winner in a UFC fight card.

Another worth-mentioning occurrence of the event includes the commendable submission and knockout finishes from Ryan Bader, Urijah Faber, and Chris Weidman. Having a PPV buyrate of 290,000 - according to Tapology - this 12-bout UFC event emerged as one of the best fight cards. 

UFC 199 was scheduled on June 04, 2016, at The Forum, Inglewood, California, United States. Originally, the UFC 199 fight card was headlined as Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman; however, the latter had to withdraw from the middleweight title fight due to a serious injury. Consequently, Michael Bisping appeared on the card as a replacement. Up until this match, Michael Bisping had been working hard to earn a UFC title but always fell short of accomplishing his goal. His supporters were positive that this is the chance Bisping had been looking for all these years. Since Bisping was competing against Rockhold who had bested him in the octagon approximately two years prior, the critics were not very confident that Bisping will be able to bag the UFC middleweight title.

Even though the odds were apparently not in favor of Bisping, he managed to snatch the middleweight title from the hands of Luke Rockhold, changing the course of UFC history with a major upset. Bisping bagged the gold by securing a smashing knockout finish in round one. While the main event became the reason the UFC 199 emerged as one of the best UFC fight cards, there were other bouts and events that also added to its success. Though the co-main event: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber and the former’s decision win failed to impress many, the main card event Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas was a spell-binding match.

Similarly, the UFC 199 undercard bout featuring Polo Reyes and Dong Hyun Ma was another surprisingly entertaining and action-packed match that garnered both attention and praise. Polo Reyes’s knockout win was one of the best finishes witnessed in the UFC octagon. Additionally, Dan Henderson’s knockout win against Hector Lombard was another unforgettable moment for UFC fans. Overall, this 13-bout UFC fight card is one of the most memorable cards to date. 

UFC 194 Fight Card was held on December 12, 2015, in MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The main headline of this fight card was a featherweight bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Through this fight card, Conor McGregor emerged as the new UFC featherweight champion whose one punch was enough to finish his opponent in under 13 seconds in round one. At the start of the bout, the Irish mixed martial artist took the center of the octagon and delivered a left hook punch, targeting Aldo’s chin. It appeared that McGregor’s strike did not do much damage, but suddenly Aldo collapsed forward abruptly, declaring McGregor the champion. John McCarthy, the referee, took Aldo’s condition as a cue and announced the winner of the fight.

“It is like I have always said. No one can take that left-hand shot.” Conor McGregor told Joe Rogan during a post-fight interview. Up until this point, Jose Aldo had successfully defended the UFC featherweight belt and title since 2005, but one strike changed everything for him.

Similarly, in the middleweight division, Luke Rockhold became the new UFC middleweight champion after defeating Chris Weidman, using his range kicking techniques in round two of the bout. Weidman desperately tried not to lose round two and attempted a spinning wheel kick which Rockhold countered easily and capitalized on it to throw Weidman to the ground.

“Once I get it on the ground, I am operating on a different level than I think, anyone right now.” Rockhold told Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview.

In the last 45 seconds of round three Rockhold became unstoppable, delivering strikes one after the other from the top position. Under Rockhold’s attack, Weidman’s face and forehead were terribly bruised. By this point, it was being expected that the referee would intervene and stop all action; however, Herb Dean let it progress into round four, something Rockhold didn’t like one bit.

“I sucked it up and had to go another round. But whatever.” Luke Rockhold

Round four of the battle was only more brutal for Weidman who now had multiple cuts on his face. At last the referee ended the fight and declared Luck Rockhold the UFC middleweight champion.

In addition to these two nerve-wracking fights, there were several other incredible performances that made the UFC 194 Fight Card a memorable one. These bouts include a preliminary match between Leonardo Santos vs. Kevin Lee, a main card fight between Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens, and another preliminary fight between Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington. 

UFC 261 Usman vs. Masvidal MMA event was held on April 24, 2021, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Though many consider it a stacked card but it still remained an underappreciated event that deserves a place in the list of best UFC fight cards ever, primarily because of its co-main event featuring Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang and main event featuring Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal.

The preliminary fights featuring Randy Brown, Danaa Batgerel, Ariane Carnelossi, and Brendan Allen were anything but spectacular, dimming the excitement and hype of the event. However, the main card, co-main event, and main event pumped up the energy and changed this event into a success.

In the main card fight, Anthony Smith’s strikes in the calf resulted in a serious leg injury for Jimmy Crute, leaving him incapacitated and immobilized. On the other hand, Chris Weidman broke his shin only 17 seconds into the first round of the fight against Uriah Hall. Valentina Shevchenko put up an amazing fight against a seasoned mixed martial artist, Jessica Andrade, and became the UFC Flyweight Champion. 

Rose Namajunas claimed the UFC strawweight title for the second time in a row by defeating Zhang Weili with a lethal head kick 78 seconds into round one. Finally, in the main event, Kamaru Usman defeated Jorge Masvidal with a stunning KO punch finish and became the UFC welterweight champion. 

UFC Fight Night 46 was held on July 19, 2014, at O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Unlike other fight nights, this was UFC’s one of the most hyped events and the main reason behind all this popularity and attention was none other than the Irish mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor, who created a magical atmosphere at the event venue with his crisp strikes and sharp moves.

In the opening match, Paddy Holohan competed against Cathal Pendred and defeated him with a smooth rear naked choke submission finish. This fight was followed by another entertaining preliminary fight between Neil Seery and Phil Harris. The main card saw a thrilling co-main fighting event between another Irish MMA fighter Gunnar Nelson and Zak Cumming. As the UFC Fight Night 46 event continued into the main event, the excitement, heart beats, and energy of the spectators and the venue as a whole continued to increase.

As soon as McGregor entered the octagon, the crowd cheered him on and he did not disappoint. In the first round, McGregor took full control of his rival, Diego Brandao, and defeated his opponent with an effortless knockout delivery. 

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