10 Best UFC Fights Of 2019

The octagon inside 2019 was a great time for fighting as we saw fantastic fights throughout the year but we’ve narrowed it down to the ten best fights of the year so lets not waste anymore time and we will jump straight into it.

10) Ben Askren Vs. Robbie Lawler - UFC 235

Ben Askren made his debut at UFC 235 and there was a lot of hype surrounding his debut in the octagon as he was 18-0 dominating both the ONE Championship and the Bellator scene before heading into retirement. However, this wouldn’t be the last we see of Askren in MMA as he got traded from ONE to the UFC in exchange for the best flyweight in MMA, Demetrious Johnson. Askren’s first fight would be against former welterweight champion, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. The fight didn’t go too well for Askren when he went for a takedown that was stuffed by Lawler who would proceed to slam Askren to the ground and to hit him with about 600 punches however to Askren’s credit, he recovered and controversially submitted Lawler with a bulldog choke who looked like he passed out but apparently he didn’t. This was a roller coaster of a fight but very action packed for a fight that ended in the first round.

9) Israel Adesanya Vs. Anderson Silva - UFC 234

Imagine this was Silva in his prime fighting Israel Adesanya - what a fight that would be. This was great too and Silva did do good despite being 43 at the time, his pressure worked and his head movement was fantastic however Adesanya was just too slick for the greatest middleweight of all time. I’m sure this would be higher up on the list if this was a five round fight but it headlined a PPV and it was only three rounds but two more rounds could’ve really did this fight justice.

8) Brad Riddell Vs. Jamie Mullarkey- UFC 243

This was truly a hidden gem and not that many people talk about this fight but round three of Brad Riddell and Jamie Mullarkey was phenomenal as two men both desperately wanted the win. This fight took place on the prelims of UFC 243 - the card that was headlined by Robert Whittaker fighting Israel Adesanya. Riddell and Mullarkey are two lightweight prospects both under 30 and they return on the UFC on ESPN+ 26 in February. This was a great fight and it’s definitely worth a watch.

7) Cowboy Cerrone Vs. Al Iaquinta- UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta Vs. Cowboy

Cowboy Cerrone really had a great start to the year. He was walking into the year with a recent victory over Mike Perry, he then fought in January and defeated Alexander Hernandez in the second round with a head kick. Later in the year, he’d lose fights to Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje but before the Ferguson fight, Cerrone fought 34 days before it and fought Al Iaquinta to headline a fight night card. This was a fantastic fight between Cowboy and Raging Al. The two went back and fourth but it was Cerrone who won by decision and it was just a great fight.

6) Vincente Luque Vs. Bryan Barberena- UFC on ESPN 1

When I first watched this fight, I didn’t expect it to be as good as this. This fight took place on the first ever ESPN card and it set the tone for what ESPN signed up for. This was a back and fourth fight and it was so incredibly violent and we really saw what Vincente Luque is capable of but I’m not going to discredit Bryan Barberena who did fantastic but it was Luque who got the win with six seconds left in the fight. It was a fantastic fight though that almost went the distance.

5) Yair Rodriguez Vs. Jeremy Stephens 2 - UFC on ESPN 6

Talk about bad blood. When the first encounter between Rodriguez and Stephens ended anti climatically - I, just like the majority of the MMA community was disappointed but the UFC rebooked this fight only a month later and it lived up to the hype. It was a gruelling three round fight that was very entertaining but Rodriguez’s pressure and body shots was the key to him winning a decision victory.

4) Dustin Poirier Vs. Max Holloway 2 - UFC 236

UFC 236 was a fantastic PPV and after the outstanding fight between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya, fans weren’t ready for the interim lightweight title fight between then-featherweight champion Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. This fight went five rounds and Poirier displayed his phenomenal boxing ability and power while Holloway landed his crazy amount significant strikes. The fight could’ve been scored to either man but it was Poirier who got the nod and became interim champion.

3) Kamaru Usman Vs. Colby Covington - UFC 245

A very late entry into the list as it took place on the second last event of 2019 but Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington’s exchange of words for months culminated in a fantastic welterweight clash that almost reached the judges’ scorecards but Usman finished Covington in the fifth and final round. A lot of people were expecting a boring wrestle which I would’ve been fine with but there wasn’t any wrestling and it was pure striking. Could Usman keep up with the volume of Covington’s strikes? Could Covington take Usman’s power? That was the factor here: power vs speed and power won this as Usman not only broke Colby’s jaw but he finished him in the last round retaining his title.

2) Yoel Romero Vs. Paulo Costa - UFC 241

In another timeline, this fight happened when it was booked for a main event of a fight night and we saw the five round war it could’ve been and in that very timeline, this fight would probably be number one on the list but we only got to see the three. Don’t get me wrong, the three rounds we did see was absolutely brilliant but I do feel short changed as at one point, we were promised five rounds. Big strikes were thrown from these middleweight titans and they were thrown with bad intentions - either man could’ve won on the scorecards but it was Paulo Costa that picked up the victory further extending his undefeated streak.

1) Israel Adesanya Vs. Kelvin Gastelum - UFC 236

Where do I start with this? This was the UFC’s fight of the year, Adesanya and Gastelum both put it all on the line here to become interim middleweight champion and when it went to the fifth round, Gastelum was almost finished but he hung in there. Just like the Silva fight, Adesanya showed his abilities but this time, it was more aggressive but at the same time cautious as he didn’t want to get hit from a heavy hitter like Gastelum who tagged him throughout the fight. This fight went all five rounds and the judges gave the fight to Adesanya but it was incredibly close. This was definitely the best fight the UFC put on in 2019.