J. Aldo (photo) emerged victorious in what was voted the best fight of the year by SUPER FIGHTS. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
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Virtually holding weekly events in 2014, the UFC provided a large number of fights for fans throughout the year. Naturally, several of them stood out and went down in history, and the SUPER FIGHTS highlights the five most memorable fights of the season.
Interestingly, three of them were worth the UFC belt, with three featuring Brazilian fighters. As the number is low given the large number of events, we also list some others that are worth mentioning.
Check out the list of “Fights of the Year” from SUPER FIGHTS:
1: José Aldo x Chad Mendes
Aldo (left) and Mendes (right) waged war at UFC Rio 5. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Our first place on the list had a special meaning for Brazilian fans. José Aldo, the only Brazilian UFC champion at the moment (Fabricio Werdum had not yet won the interim heavyweight belt), he defended the belt in front of his fans, in Rio de Janeiro, against an opponent who had shown great progress since the first fight between the two, in 2012.
The fight was marked by several dramas, from the first to the last round. Both fighters applied knockdowns, and Aldo was close to knocking out Mendes at the end of the first period. The North American, however, was not intimidated, and bothered the Brazilian with his sharp striking. At the end of the fight, Aldo kept the belt according to the judges' decision, but his severely bruised face was a symbol of the war that raised spirits among the public present in the Maracanãzinho gym.
2: Johny Hendricks x Robbie Lawler 1
Lawler (left) and Hendricks (right) had an intense duel at UFC 171. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
After a long time, the light heavyweight division would meet a new champion, and John hendricks e Robbie Lawler They didn't want to waste the chance to win the title. The fight, held in March, at UFC 171, was marked by the great aggression and power of absorption of both athletes, who fought an intense five-round fight.
At several moments during the fight it seemed like a matter of time before one of them succumbed. In the end, Hendricks prevailed in the decision, but the close fight was already an indication that the two would soon meet again – which happened in December, with a different result.
3: Abel Trujillo x Jamie Varner
Trujillo knocked out Varner in a historic fight at UFC 169. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Third place on the list is not a fight involving today's big names, as Varner, former WEC champion, was not going through the best of times. However, the war fought by the lightweights, which opened the main card of UFC 169, was worthy of being included in the list of best moments in recent MMA history.
THE two athletes showed rare aggression, driving the crowd at the gym in New Jersey (USA) crazy. In the second round, it looked like Trujillo was about to be knocked out, as he had received hard blows from Varner. However, “Killa” pulled out a cross at the perfect moment, hitting Varner's chin and sending his rival to the canvas, face down. The fight received the “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” awards, and certainly caught the eyes of MMA fans around the world.
4: Chris Weidman x Lyoto Machida
Weidman (right) beat Lyoto (left) at UFC 175. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
The second defense of the Chris Weidman surprised a lot of people. At UFC 175, in July, the North American would face Lyoto Machida, and what was expected was a fierce fight, with a lot of study. To the delight of the fans, the fight went beyond that.
Weidman managed to maintain good control of the fight at the beginning, but Lyoto reacted in the final rounds and choked the champion. However, the American won the decision, in a fight that showed that both fighters, in addition to being strategists, also have a thirst for knockouts.
5: Júnior Cigano x Stipe Miocic
Cigano (left) strikes Miocic (right) in the main fight of UFC on FOX 13. Photo: Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Cigano's return to the UFC after more than a year away provided one of the great fights of the final stretch of 2014. With his sharp boxing and intense movement, Miocic gave Cigano a huge headache, even dominating part of the action.
However, Cigano responded in kind, turning the fight in his favor with a knockdown in the third round. Despite the Brazilian's victory, the fight was one of the rare cases in which the loser also came out on top, as Miocic proved to be an elite athlete in the heavyweight division.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
E. Silva (left) ended up getting the worst of the exchange against M. Brown (right). Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Matt Brown x Erick silva: The Brazilian was close to a knockout in the first round, but the “Imortal” turned the tide and applied a harsh punishment, winning by technical knockout.
Pat Curran x Daniel Straus: Dramatic fight for the Bellator belt, with Curran achieving the upset in the final seconds with a submission.
Yoel romero x Tim Kennedy: Another fight with an impressive turnaround. Kennedy almost knocked him out in round 2, but, after the famous “stool controversy”, Romero rose from the ashes and took down the American in the third round.
Zingano cat x Amanda nunes: The Brazilian applied intense punishment to her rival, but Zingano showed courage by resisting the blows and turning the game around with a technical knockout in the third round.
Tarec saffiedine x Hyun Gyu Lim: In the UFC's first visit to Singapore, the former Strikeforce champion debuted in the octagon with a tough battle. The South Korean Lim did not give Saffiedine peace, and the fight, which extended to the judges' decision, had good moments for both athletes. In the end, the Belgian won the first event of 2014.
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