UFC Fight Pass
Desert Island Fights | Part 3
If You’re Trapped On An Island And Had To Choose A Handful Of Fights You Couldn’t Live Without, What Would You Choose?
When I first joined UFC.com back in April of 2018, I truthfully could count the number of UFC fights I’d ever seen on one hand. Since then, I haven’t missed a fight – or if I have due to something that conflicted with a fight, I went back and watched what transpired on sport’s greatest proving ground.
For me, the desert island fight series is all about those fights or moments that you somehow still bring up years later or you show a friend who is just starting to dip their toes into the MMA world.
In part one of this series, longtime UFC.com editor Thomas Gerbasi limited himself to fights that he witnessed in person. In part two, UFC.com writer E. Spencer Kyte stuck to fights that he watched either in person or as they happened.
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My desert island list is comprised of fights that have happened since I came to UFC, the ones I simply can’t forget no matter how many times I’ve seen them.
So here we go – my all-time, gotta have ‘em desert island fights.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje
UFC Fight Night - Glendale, Arizona – April 14, 2018
This fight took place less than 24 hours after I had accepted the position on UFC’s digital team, so naturally I decided to tune in.
What a crazy first fight to watch. Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje absolutely laid it all on the line and basically made me fall instantly in love with the sport. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. These guys were dealing damage and taking damage with no signs of slowing down. The crowd was into it and both Poirier and Gaethje were talking smack. It was a banger.
Thanks to this fight, I walked into the UFC headquarters feeling excited about my new position and thinking that every fight had the possibility to be something special – a feeling that I still have today.
Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero 2
UFC 225 - Chicago, Illinois – June 9, 2018
UFC 225: Whittaker vs Romero 2 was the first live event that I ever attended, and boy, was it a good one. The card featured big names from top to bottom and finished off with a Fight of the Year candidate.
Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero went to war. There isn’t a better way to put it, as both men had wild moments that had every fan in the place screaming.
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Sitting there on media row, I recall trying not to react or show emotion, but the truth is that I’d never seen live fights before and to have this amazing showcase of skill and heart taking place just 15 feet in front of me had me in utter disbelief.
I just didn’t understand how “The Reaper” battled through all that adversity in the championship rounds and survived the terrifying onslaught of Romero. I tried to describe my experience to my mom the next day and she didn’t quite get it, but that fight made the UFC go from my job to one of my favorite things.
Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg
UFC 232 – Inglewood, California – December 29, 2018
To this day, I’ve never heard an arena get as loud as it did that night at The Forum.
The anticipation leading up to Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg was extensive and all the promos had worked their magic on me. I was not only excited for the fight, but I was anxious.
Nunes’ 51-second knockout win over Cyborg felt like it took forever, and with each punch landed, the crowd let out massive reactions. I was standing in the tunnel watching and there wasn’t a person sitting in that place for over two minutes. It was madness and I’ll never forget the way Nunes’ last punch landed and sent Cyborg spinning to the canvas. Pure magic.
Vicente Luque vs Bryan Barberena
UFC Fight Night – Phoenix, AZ – February 17, 2019
This very well could be one of the most underrated fights of all-time.
I recall just staring at the TV screen wondering how the hell both men were still fighting. Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena were going strike-for-strike with one another for almost 15 straight minutes.
“Bam Bam” absorbed damage in the first round before knocking Luque down in the first. That’s when the toughness of Barberena shined, as Luque recovered quickly and nearly submitted him twice during the round’s closing moments.
But the first round wasn’t even what made this fight great. It was everything that happened next and the way it ended.
More Desert Island Fights: Part 1 | Part 2
I was counting Luque out as the fighters started back up in the second frame. Barberena was teeing off and beginning to make the fight an ugly one. A true brawl broke out – with Luque using his elbows and knees to break Barberena down while Barberena smothered him. The pace was insane.
Luque capped off a wild third round with a devastating knee up the middle that knocked Barberena out of the fight with just six seconds left. Then Luque hit his trademark bow celebration. I was off my feet, and I couldn’t believe Luque was actually able to finish Barberena.
This fight made me a big-time fan of both Luque and Barberena. It was a crazy awesome fight that often is forgotten about.
Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum
UFC 236 – Atlanta, Georgia - April 13, 2019
Some fights just feel like a movie and, to me, that’s exactly what it was like to watch Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236. Five full rounds of nothing but heart, skill, and championship-caliber competition.
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Back-and-forth big moments, such as Gastelum landing a head kick that had me out of my seat and Adesanya reeling are what made this fight great. It was also a fight that truly showcased Gastelum’s toughness and Adesanya’s star power. Both men fought admirably, and I would gladly watch this fight with my feet in the sand.
Hearing Adesanya say, “I am prepared to die,” before the fifth round of the fight still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 1
UFC 245 – Las Vegas, Nevada – December 14, 2019
The amount of heat behind Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington made this fight one I couldn’t wait to watch. The fight itself turned out to be even better than I could have hoped, as these bitter rivals absolutely went after each other. This fight had me on the edge of my seat the whole way.
I felt like the fight was super close and, heading into the final round, I didn’t know who was winning. That’s when Usman closed the door on Covington’s championship aspirations.
For Usman to vanquish his greatest rival in such dramatic fashion, it was really a defining moment for him and paved the way for him to become the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I’m a big fan of big moments and it truly doesn’t get any greater than that.
Zhang Weili vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk
UFC 248 – Las Vegas, Nevada – March 7, 2020
Simply put, Zhang Weili and Joanna Jędrzejczyk put on the best fight that I’ve ever seen.
For 25 minutes I swear I couldn’t blink or look away. Each strike was captivating, and I had no clue which fighter was going to leave T-Mobile Arena with the strawweight title.
The overall display of sound mixed martial arts was off the charts in this fight and that’s one of the reasons why this fight was so special. Not only was there a ton of heart on display, but the fight really shows just how far women’s MMA has come since becoming a UFC staple in 2013.
Zhang vs Jędrzejczyk came down to a split decision, which went in favor of Weili, but the truth is that fight fans were the big winners.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega
UFC 266 – Las Vegas, Nevada – September 25, 2021
UFC 266: Volkanovski vs Ortega was the first MMA fight that I was able to go to as a fan, and thanks to amazing performances by Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega, it was better than I could have ever hoped it to be.
WATCH: Recap The Wild Round Three Between Volkanovski And Ortega
Volkanovski, with his freshly shaved head somehow wiggled his way out of that Ortega guillotine in the third round. I was losing my mind the whole time and to see the way Volkanovski bounced back and smothered Ortega after his submission attempts had me in awe of the featherweight champ.
That round three might be one of the craziest rounds I’ve ever seen, and to be able to experience it from the T-Mobile stands with a Modelo in my hand made that fight one I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about.
Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler
UFC 268 – New York, New York – November 6, 2021
I remember being out a house party during UFC 268 and telling everyone that we had to stop playing card games and go sit in the living room and watch Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler.
Everyone expected it to be a Fight of the Year type of scrap and it absolutely delivered. If you listen closely to the Madison Square Garden crowd, there is almost a constant buzz of noise that goes along with fever pitch reactions each time a fighter landed a strike.
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It was the same way for me in that living room. I was literally standing up watching the fight with such admiration for both Gaethje and Chandler. The entertainment factor was off the charts for this fight – not to mention it had such high stakes.
What an amazing fight.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns
UFC 273 – Jacksonville, Florida – April 9, 2022
Up until this moment, there were no signs that Khamzat Chimaev was remotely human.
Chimaev had decimated his Octagon competition and it almost seemed like Gilbert Burns was being handed an impossible task at UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie.
That’s what made this fight so intriguing for me. I thought to myself, “Burns has flourished since moving up to the welterweight division and his well-rounded skill set could give Chimaev problems, but then again Chimaev is just so big for the weight class.”
What ensued was an absolute war in which Burns exposed some of Chimaev’s weaknesses. The back-and-forth in this fight was so crazy that I wasn’t sure what was going to happen if it made it to the judges’ scorecards.
In the end, Chimaev was given the nod, and he proved without a doubt that he can compete with the welterweight elite. And even though it was Chimaev that got his hand raised, my appreciation for Burns reached an all-time high.
High-stakes and high-drama doesn’t always mean that a fight will deliver. But this one had everyone backstage, in the arena, and at home picking their jaws off the floor.
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