Top Five Most Hyped Fights In UFC History
Promotion is key to selling a fight, and the UFC has done this very well at some points, as have fighters. Whether it be through trash talk, physical confrontation, or intense advertisement, hype is sometimes required to get fans intrigued.
On the other hand, some fighters are not accustomed to hype, and either can sell a fight based solely on their skills, or have trouble selling fights. Throughout UFC history we have seen some fighters do a great job of hyping up a fight, and we have also seen the UFC give more hype and promotion to some fights over others. With that being said, check out LowKickMMA’s Top Five Most Hyped Fights In UFC History:
Honorable Mention
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz I & 2
Pitting two of the biggest stars in UFC history against each other, Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, and their rematch, which went down at UFC 47 and UFC 66 respectively, were some of the most hyped up bouts in the history of the UFC. Liddell and Ortiz are two of the best 205-pounders to ever compete in the sport, and they were actually training partners at once, which Ortiz repeatedly used as an excuse for not wanting to fight Liddell, which led “The Iceman” to say Ortiz was ducking him.
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” known for his outspoken personality, ramped up his trash talk for both of these fights, and the UFC promoted the hell out of them, which led millions of fans to be intrigued. The feud ended up being one of the biggest rivalries in history, with Mike Goldberg famously saying “the friendship is over!” as the two fighters met in the middle of the Octagon at the start of the first bout. The fact that their rivalry lasted two fights, despite both were extremely hyped, is the only reason this saga lands as an honorable mention as opposed to single fights.
5. UFC 158: Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz
Known as one of the most prominent trash talkers in the history of the sport, “The Stockton Bad Boy” Nick Diaz was one of the only fighters to somewhat get under the skin of the usually calm, cool, and collective former welterweight king Georges St. Pierre ahead of their heavily hyped UFC 158 title fight.
It all started with Diaz famously yelling “Where you at Georges? Where you at mother f***er?” into the camera after his UFC 137 win over BJ Penn, an event where Diaz and GSP were originally scheduled to meet. “The Stockton Bad Boy” then said that GSP was scared during the post-fight interview, stirring up a rivalry that would last almost two years.
With St. Pierre usually being quite quiet, fans were surprised to hear him fire back at Diaz, calling the Stockton native fake, and saying that Diaz had brought out a dark side in him. Fans were intrigued, and the UFC jumped on the chance to hype up the fight as one of the biggest of the year.
Although the fight itself didn’t necessarily live up to the expectations, it remains as one of the most hyped up fights in the history of the UFC.
4. UFC 100: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II
Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest stars the UFC has ever had, but he didn’t get off to a great start, losing by knee bar in his UFC debut to Frank Mir after he had dominated Mir up until that point. However, this result only lead to a huge rivalry that would conclude in a rematch, one of the biggest fights of all time, at arguably the biggest pay-per-view of all time at UFC 100.
The two clearly weren’t fond of each other, and Lesnar’s star power, coupled with Mir’s trash talk made the rematch huge. People were on the edge of their seats eager to see if Lesnar had improved around his phenomenal physical skills to get revenge on the more technical Mir.
The UFC promoted this fight extremely well as the headliner of a gigantic card, and the fight delivered, with Lesnar handing out a one-sided beat down, dismantling Mir, and even continuing the trash talk after the bout, leaving fans very satisfied.
3. UFC 147: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II
At the point of this fight, Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II was the biggest rematch in UFC history. “The Spider” was considered to be the best fighter in the world, and the most dominant champion in the sport, but Sonnen had almost gotten the best of him in their first meeting at UFC 117. “The American Gangster” repeatedly took Silva down and used ground and pound to win every round. Then shockingly with just a few minutes left in the final round, Silva locked in a stunning triangle choke to steal the victory, leaving fans drooling for a rematch.
However, the ending of the first fight wasn’t the only thing used to hype up the rematch, as Sonnen’s notorious and relentless trash talk was put to work, as he insulted Silva in every way possible, and even called himself the real champion.
“The Spider” was sick of Sonnen’s talk, and the UFC billed it as the biggest fight in history, a fight that Silva would make a statement in, finishing “The American Gangster” in the second round. This fight will forever remain as one of the most hyped fights, possessing a very big build up.
2. UFC 182: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
At this very point in time, this has been the biggest fight of the year just because the next one our list hasn’t happened yet. With Jon Jones being a dominant champion, and Daniel Cormier being a former Olympian capable of challenging Jones, the interest was there, but fans had no idea what they were in for as far as a rivalry and hype.
Originally scheduled to meet at UFC 178, Jones and DC took part in one of the most controversial events in mixed martial arts (MMA) history as the two actually brawled at a pre-fight press conference, with punches being throw, and sets being destroyed.
That was only the beginning, however, as the two would go on to bash each other in a now infamous “hot-mic” incident when the fighters didn’t know the cameras were rolling.
The UFC took every bit of confrontation and talk they could to promote, and build this fight up, and they succeeded. The fight turned out to be a rather dominant victory for Jones, but the hype surrounding it was unparalleled.
1. UFC 189: Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
This fight is set to go down in just a few weeks at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015, with Jose Aldo set to defend his long-held featherweight title against Irish sensation Conor McGregor. Despite reports of a potential rib injury to Aldo that could put the fight in jeopardy, the hype, buildup, and promotion has already occurred and it has been like no other.
Known as the best trash talker the sport’s ever seen, the “Notorious” McGregor has been able to bring out a very intriguing side of Aldo, a side we’ve never seen. The UFC has also done their part, putting together a massive world media tour to promote the fight in which the fighters traveled to many different cities and countries, something that has never been done before.
With just a few weeks to go, the UFC brass is expecting to break records with this fight, and do a whopping million buys on pay-per-view. The numbers are yet to be seen, but the promotion and the fighters have definitely done all they’ve could in making this the most hyped fight in the history of the UFC.
