While there is always heated debate as to what fighters should go into the UFC Hall of Fame, there is hardly any talk about what fights should be immortalized by this huge honor. As of right now, there are only three fights in the Hall of Fame, and there is ample room for several others. Without further ado, here are five fights that I think should be inducted into the hall of fame eventually.
1. Lawler vs. MacDonald 2
If you were to ask an MMA fan what the best modern fight of all time is, 99% of them are going to say this Fight of the Year winner. This is likely to be the most brutal fight in UFC history, and certainly one of the best since Griffin vs. Bonnar, which happens to be in the Hall of Fame itself. Even though MacDonald is no longer in the organization and Lawler lost his belt, these two deserve to be immortalized by their extreme exhibition of striking greatness.
2. Rousey vs. Holm
When it comes to women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey is the most dominant, virtually unbeatable champion. That is, until Holly Holm took all of that from her with a single head kick. While the fight didn’t last long, this was no easy feat, and Holm’s victory should be recognized as one of the greatest in the sport. She toppled a titan, and even Ronda being in the Hall of Fame for losing her belt isn’t farfetched to say. This fight marked a turning point for the Women’s Bantamweight division, and saw the fall of one of the biggest stars in the UFC. That alone is enough for this fight to be mentioned among the greats.
3. Diaz vs. McGregor 2
I know the fight just happened this year, but not only did it exceed Pay-Per-View expectations, it could very well be Fight of the Year. This is one of the best MMA fights that I have ever seen, and no matter whose side you were on, you have to admit that both men could have easily been the winner. Ultimately McGregor got his revenge, but it could have very well been a draw or gone to Nate on the scorecards, and it holds a Pay-Per-View record that is unlikely to be beaten any time soon, except for maybe by their trilogy fight. I believe that this fight will stand the test of time, and could very well be held up as one of the greatest of all time.
4. Silva vs. Weidman
Anderson Silva will go down as the greatest Middleweight of all time, and everyone knew that Chris Weidman was supposed to lose the first time that they fought, however, no one told him that. Weidman knocked out Silva and took the belt that was defended more times than any other from him, and this is still probably the biggest moment in UFC history. While the knockout wasn’t phenomenal, Weidman showed that even just a glancing punch can knockout the best in the world, and accomplished what seemed to be an impossible feat. Silva is bound to be in the Hall of Fame anyways, so putting the biggest win of Weidman’s career in the fight wing is completely plausible.
5. Gracie vs. Shamrock
The conclusion of the first ever UFC tournament, of course this fight will end up in the Hall of Fame. Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock are both Hall of Famers already, and are truly the first pioneers of the sport. The first time these two fought is legendary in the fact that it practically created an entire sport, and inspired everyone who is fighting today. Royce showed that you don’t have to be built like a brick wall to know how to fight, and proved that there’s more than one way to finish a fight as well. This one fight is the whole reason we have MMA today, and certainly should be recognized as such.