Athletes
The 10 Best UFC Fights To Happen In Houston
Take A Look At The Best Fights To Ever Go Down In Houston, Texas.
Over the years, the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets has played host to eight UFC events, and last summer, the promotion and the Toyota Center announced a multi-event partnership that kicked off with UFC 265 in August.
Next month, the UFC returns to Houston for the second pay-per-view of the year, UFC 271, headlined by a middleweight championship rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, and with that fight on the horizon and an extensive history between the two sides, now feels like a good time to comb through the archives and identify some of the biggest moments to transpire inside the Octagon in “Hustle-Town.”
Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre (UFC 69)
Folks can argue about whether this, Holly Holm’s win over Ronda Rousey, or Julianna Pena defeating Amanda Nunes is the biggest upset in UFC history, but there is no question that it was the first signature moment to take place inside the Octagon at the Toyota Center.
St-Pierre was less than five months removed from claiming the welterweight strap from Matt Hughes in their second meeting. He was viewed as the future of the division, the sport, and expected to reign for an extended period of time. Serra was 9-4 as a pro and earned the chance to challenge for the title by edging out Chris Lytle by split decision in the finals of the welterweight tournament on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter.
This was supposed to be a one-sided contest that ended early, and it was, just not in the way that anyone anticipated.
St-Pierre used his reach advantage and more diverse skill set early, picking at Serra with kicks and jabs from range, keeping the veteran outside and making him pay whenever he tried to wade in close. But 90 seconds into the opening round, Serra started working the body, landing whenever he closed the distance, and doing a good job of avoiding St-Pierre’s return offerings.
Three minutes into the contest, Serra clubbed the French-Canadian champion with a right hand on the side of the head that caused St-Pierre to stumble, and the massive underdog swarmed. Rather than seek out space and try to clear the cobwebs, the newly minted champion looked to engage, and Serra took full advantage, clipping St-Pierre again and knocking him down multiple times, unloading on the fallen titleholder until referee John McCarthy was forced to step in and stop the fight.
This was a jaw-dropping moment when it happened and still remains hard to comprehend nearly 15 years later.
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III (UFC 136)
The first time Edgar and Maynard faced off, they were both aspiring lightweight hopefuls, working their way up the divisional ladder. Maynard earned a clean sweep of the scorecards for his third straight victory since emerging from Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter and knocked Edgar from the ranks of the unbeaten in the process.
They met again at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day 2011, but this time, Edgar stood atop the lightweight division and Maynard was the title challenger. That night inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the familiar foes delivered the Fight of the Year, with Maynard battering Edgar from pillar-to-post in the opening round, only to have “The Answer” show incredible resilience and heart while battling back, resulting in the fight being scored a split draw.
Maynard was gobsmacked by the result, but it meant an immediate rematch and a third fight between the two was guaranteed, and after a spring engagement was pushed back to October, they finally settled things at the Toyota Center in Houston at UFC 136.
Incredibly, the fight played out like their second encounter, with Maynard hurting Edgar midway through the opening stanza and battering him throughout the remainder of the round, leaving his face covered in blood when the horn sounded to signal the end of the first round. But once again, Edgar survived and came out fresh to start the second round, getting back on his bike and having success with his hands to show that he was very much still in the fight.
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Edgar continued to get the better of things without doing any real significant damage in the third, getting all the way back into the fight despite the hellacious first round, just like their second encounter, and in the fourth, the champion gave the rivalry a definitive ending.
A minute in, Edgar clocked Maynard with a right hand, and 30 seconds later, he landed flush again, clearly hurting the challenger. Edgar continued to mix things up and pick away at Maynard, leaving “The Bully” swinging at air when he looked to respond. With a little over a minute remaining in the round, Edgar looked to change levels and secure a takedown, but when Maynard looked to stand after defending, the champion connected with an uppercut that knocked him backwards to the canvas.
Three right hands followed as Maynard staggered to his feet and back to the cage, and when the challenger tumbled to his knees along the fence, Edgar unleashed a torrent of lefts that ended the fight and the rivalry.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez (UFC 166)
Here’s a strange fact: after arriving in the UFC with a 21-2 record as the Strikeforce lightweight champion, Melendez would only earn one victory inside the Octagon.
Now, some will want to argue that he beat Benson Henderson when they met for the UFC strap on FOX in San Jose, but the official record shows a split decision win for “Smooth” and a 1-6 run under the UFC banner for “El Nino.”
But man was that one victory an electric performance.
For much of the first 10 minutes of the contest, Melendez controlled the action, boxing up Sanchez, leaving him swollen, bloody, and looking like he was completely outmatched. But each time it felt like Sanchez was falling too far behind, the indefatigable Ultimate Fighter winner found some success, continuing to press forward, and make things competitive.
In the third, the lightweight warriors really got after it, trading punches in the center of the Octagon early in the frame, bringing the crowd to their feet. Despite being a bloody mess, Sanchez never stopped pressing, taking the fight to Melendez and dropping him with a little less than two minutes remaining in the contest.
The former Strikeforce champion defended and survived, and the two men closed out the contest by planting their feet and swinging from their heels for the final 10 seconds, rightfully earning a massive ovation from the audience in Houston.
Melendez earned a unanimous decision victory, the duo took home Fight of the Night honors, and the bout ended up on the medal podium in the Fight of the Year race for 2013. While Melendez would only make five more UFC appearances and go without a victory, Sanchez competed 13 more times, continuing to show his indomitable spirit and unmatched desire to compete.
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos III (UFC 166)
The second trilogy bout on this list, the setup to this one was drastically different than in Edgar-Maynard III.
After Dos Santos felled Velasquez to claim the heavyweight title in 64 seconds on the inaugural UFC on FOX broadcast, Velasquez brought the series level at one win each by doling out a hellacious beating to the Brazilian to reclaim the title 13 months later, setting up this third encounter.
Both competitors earned impressive victories between each of their three meetings — Velasquez toppling Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in both a non-title and title fight, while “Cigano” successfully defended the belt against Frank Mir and rebounded from his loss at UFC 155 with a third-round knockout win over Mark Hunt — making it difficult to say with any certainty how things would play out this time, but the answer became clear pretty early on.
This bout played out as a continuation of their second encounter, with Velasquez picking up where he left off 10 months earlier, taking the fight to Dos Santos from the outset and never allowing his chief rival to gather any kind of momentum. He suffocated the Brazilian standout with his pressure and pace, remaining in his face every second of every round until finally collecting a stoppage late in the fifth round.
For years these two ran on parallel tracks to the top of the division, destined to collide and wage war for supremacy in the heavyweight ranks. Dos Santos won the opening battle, but Velasquez ultimately won the war.
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson (UFC 192)
A little more than four months after claiming the vacant light heavyweight title, Cormier had to face the same crucible his nemesis Jon Jones encountered on the way to cementing his place atop the 205-pound weight class — Gustafsson, the Swedish standout who pushed Jones to his limit two years earlier in Toronto.
And just like he did against Jones, "The Mauler" made Cormier work harder than anyone had before him in order to secure the victory.
This was a five-round war of attrition where neither man gave an inch. Each time one looked to be building a little momentum, the other would land something sharp that shifted the balance. It was a fight of attacks and counters, each man looking dominant at times, and when the final horn sounded, opinions about who won the fight were split... as were the judges.
Cormier ultimately got the nod by split decision, solidifying his claim to being the top man in the light heavyweight division at the time, while UFC 192 marked the second time Gustafsson had come incredibly close to capturing gold while still having to walk away empty handed.
Gustafsson's battle with Jones at UFC 165 has been enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame and is heralded as arguably the greatest light heavyweight title fight in UFC history, but this one isn't far off. Cormier was forced to show his grit and heart in Houston, and did, and the crowd at the Toyota Center went home that evening knowing they had witnessed something special.
Jessica Andrade vs. Angela Hill (UFC Fight Night 104)
This scrap between Andrade and Hill served as the opening bout of the main card on the lone non-pay-per-view event to take place in Houston thus far, which went down on Saturday, February 4, 2017, the night prior to the New England Patriots rallying to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI eight miles down the road at NRG Stadium.
The contest served as Andrade’s debut in the strawweight division after spending her first seven UFC fights competing two weight classes north at 135 pounds, while also marking Hill’s return to the Octagon following a terrific four-fight run under the Invicta FC banner where she won and successfully defended the strawweight title.
Andrade won the fight by unanimous decision, sweeping the scorecards, but it was a more competitive fight than the 30-27 tallies may suggest and proved two things: first, that the Brazilian dynamo was poised to be a factor in the 115-pound weight class, and second, that Hill had grown by leaps and bounds since her first two UFC appearances and was ready to consistently compete against the best in the world.
Trevin Giles vs. James Krause (UFC 247)
This is one of those “if you know, you know” type of deals where anyone that remembers the circumstances surrounding this contest knows exactly why it has to be included here. For those that don’t, allow me to explain:
Krause was in Houston to corner Youssef Zalal, who was making his promotional debut in the very first fight of the evening. On the day of weigh-ins, Antonio Arroyo, who was scheduled to face Giles on the prelims, withdrew due to medical issues. In town and walking around walking around close to the middleweight limit, the welterweight raised his hand to fill in for the Brazilian, stepped on the scale at 183.5 pounds, and picked up an assignment against Giles for the following evening.
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And then the two went out and had an entertaining and competitive bout that landed them Fight of the Night honors, with Giles collecting a controversial split decision win, a verdict that still understandably rankles some to this day.
Krause got back into the win column eight months later and hasn’t fought again since, opting to focus on coaching, becoming one of the best in the game. This was an absolute stud move by one of the most respected dudes in the business, and one of those fights that will always stand out for those that remember how everything went down.
Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes (UFC 247)
On paper, this looks like just another successful title defense for Jones, as he came away from the UFC 247 main event with a unanimous decision victory. It was his fourth straight win and a third victory in 12 months, but while the three scores in favor of the champion paint a particular picture, this was anything but a clear triumph for “Bones.”
The undefeated challenger Reyes came out sharp, staying at range and landing to all three levels, avoiding any real tricky or dangerous spots early in the contest. While nothing he landed did any discernable damage, Reyes was the more active of the two, out-landing Jones in each of the first three rounds. He allowed the champion to come forward and attacked him on the way in and the way out, exiting to safety before Jones could land anything of force in return.
By the fourth round, Reyes began fading and Jones picked up the pace, decisively winning the final two frames on all three scorecards and in the eyes of at-home judges, but when the final horn sounded, no one could say for certain whether Bruce Buffer would be declaring “… And Still!” or “… And New!”
ATHLETE PROFILES: Jon Jones | Dominick Reyes
Jones retained his title, but the verdict is still up for debate today.
Of the 21 media members and sites that submitted scores to the results website MMADecisions.com, 14 scored the bout 48-47 in favor of Reyes, while the remaining seven had the same total for Jones. The three judges in Houston that evening — Chris Lee, Marcos Rosales, and Joe Soliz — all agreed on Reyes winning the first, and Jones taking the final two frames, with Rosales and Soliz giving Jones the second, and Lee and Soliz giving the champion the third.
It was the closest Jones ever came to losing the light heavyweight title in competition, and as of this writing, remains the last time he’s competed inside the Octagon.
Andre Muniz vs. “Jacare” Souza (UFC 262)
Maybe it’s recency bias because it took place less than a year ago and remains fresh in my memory or maybe it’s because Muniz’ win earned him Submission of the Year honors from this website and countless others.
Whatever the reason, this finish had to be included in this list because it was a tremendous display of jiu jitsu and a passing of the torch between Brazilian grappling standouts in the middleweight division.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’19, Muniz entered having won each of his first two UFC appearances and six straight overall, taking a considerable step up in competition to face Souza. While no longer the contender he’d been for much of his UFC run, “Jacare” remained an established name and dangerous assignment for anyone looking to make headway in the 185-pound weight class at his expense.
On the broadcast, Joe Rogan was perplexed by Muniz’ pre-fight assessment that he was the better grappler of the two, citing Souza’s lengthy and impressive resume, and it was the veteran who first initiated the clinch and secured the opening takedown of the contest. But Muniz defended well and got himself back up to his feet quickly before driving through a well-timed takedown in space to put Souza on his back.
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Souza worked his way back to standing, but Muniz maintained a waist lock from behind, only for the veteran to break free and return to the center a few seconds later. Muniz again drove through a level change in space with 90 seconds remaining in the opening round, and while Souza again worked to his feet quickly, Muniz remained sticky around his waist as they trundled towards the fence, climbing onto his back once they got there.
While Souza did well to try and dump Muniz over the top, the DWCS grad adjusted and grabbed onto an armbar on the way to the ground, quickly securing the tap. When the two separated, it was discovered that Souza’s arm had been broken.
Not only did Muniz become just the third man to take Souza down in MMA competition, but he became the first to submit him, as well, all while announcing himself as a fighter to pay close attention to in the middleweight division.
Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (UFC 262)
This fight lasted five minutes and 19 seconds, but still managed to have multiple shifts in momentum and a handful of instances where you thought the end was near.
Paired off to compete for the vacant lightweight title, Oliveira arrived on an eight-fight winning streak, while Chandler was four months removed from a first-round knockout win over Dan Hooker in his promotional debut at UFC 257, and it didn’t take long for things to get rolling.
Oliveira knocked Chandler off balance and forced him to the canvas with the first strike of the fight, sweeping his lead leg out with a heavy low kick. Before the opening minute was up, Chandler had started working the body and clipped Oliveira with a left hook that prompted the Brazilian to change levels and look for a takedown, only for the compact powerhouse to clamp onto a tight guillotine choke in the center of the cage.
See What's Happening In The UFC Lightweight Division
“Do Bronx” extricated his head and took Chandler’s back in the ensuing scramble, sinking in his hooks while hunting for a choke. Chandler stood and drove himself backwards, chasing into the canvas with Oliveira as his backpack, failing to get the Brazilian to release the body triangle he had secured around his waist. Oliveira landed a heavy elbow and tried to soften Chandler up, only for the University of Missouri product to twist into top position and climb out of Oliveira’s guard.
All of this transpired in the first half of the first round.
Chandler waded back in and landed a couple hard shots on Oliveira while the Brazilian laid on his back, and then clipped him with a similar left hand as the one that felled Hooker on Fight Island a few seconds after Oliveira returned to his feet. A right to the temple had Oliveira reaching for a leg and Chandler looked to swarm, unloading shots and trying to get the streaking UFC mainstay out of there. He willingly climbed into Oliveira’s guard and unloaded from top position, cutting him with an elbow, forcing the now 32-year-old to be the nail when he had grown accustomed to being the hammer.
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After five minutes, Chandler had all the momentum. Less than 20 seconds into the second round, the fight was over and Oliveira was the new UFC lightweight champion.
The Brazilian marched out to the center confidently to start, with Chandler hustling out to meet him. As they traded punches at range, Oliveira clipped the American with a left hand that sent him to the canvas. Chandler scurried to his feet along the fence, but Oliveira gave him no space, sticking a sharp right hand in his face and dropping him again with another left as Chandler looked to exit into open space.
A string of unanswered lefts followed, and referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the bout, giving Oliveira his ninth straight victory and one of the most memorable triumphs ever to take place inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
UFC 271: Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 took place on Saturday, February 12, 2022, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses — and relive all of the action on UFC Fight Pass.
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