The cfu is known for featuring some of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters on the planet, and after the WEC shut down, fans were treated to bantamweight competitors entering the octagon at UFC Fight Nights and numbered PPV events. .
With fighters being smaller than their counterparts in other divisions, bantamweight competitions can be explosive affairs with deadly fast striking and relentless pace.
Some of the biggest bantamweight fights in UFC history are some of the best in company history, and we’ve compared fan-voted contests with our own favorites to produce a top 5 for you to check out. !
Here are the fan picks and our own favorites for the 5 greatest bantamweight fights in UFC history, including Cody Garbrandt, Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber.
Read more: UFC Fight Night: How to watch, schedule, UK time and everything you need to know
Best UFC Bantamweight Fights
Tapology has a wide fan vote system for top rankings in a number of different elements of MMA.
One of the metrics is “greatest bantamweight fights of all time,” and we’ve taken the top 5 and will rank them ourselves in this article.
5. Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw – UFC 217 (November 2017)
Get ready to see both of these names appear multiple times in this list, and for good reason, as Garbrandt and Dillashaw are two of the greatest 135-pound fighters in the history of the sport.
Dillashaw would eventually pick up the win via KO/TKO at 2:41 of Round 2, handing the then-lightweight underdog a massive win over PPV.
The fight is currently ranked as follows on Tapology:
- #5 Greatest bantamweight MMA fight of all time
- #89 Greatest Comeback Ever
- #8 Best MMA Fight of the Year 2017
- #26 Best MMA knockout of the year 2017
- Performance of the night at UFC 217
4. TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz – UFC Fight Night 81 (January 2016)
This epic contest, not even on PPV, would go on for all five rounds and see Cruz earn the split decision victory.
The fight is currently ranked as follows on Tapology:
- #93 Greatest fight of all time
- #4 Greatest bantamweight MMA fight of all time
- #5 Best MMA Fight of the Year 2016
- UFC Fight Night 81 Fight of the Night
3. Renan Barão vs. TJ Dillashaw – UFC 173 (May 2014)
This contest was so close to going the distance and is considered by many to be one of the biggest upsets in UFC history as Dillashaw would claim victory via KO/TKO with a head kick and punches to 2:26 of Round 5.
The fight is currently ranked as follows on Tapology:
- #6 Biggest Upset Ever
- #3 Greatest bantamweight MMA fight of all time
- #5 Best MMA fight of the year 2014
- #6 Best MMA knockout of the year 2014
- UFC 173 Fight of the Night
- Performance of the night at UFC 173
2. Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber II – UFC 132 (July 2011)
This fight won the Fight of the Night award in July 2011, and it is considered the second best UFC bantamweight contest of all time. Dominick Cruz would eventually earn the unanimous decision victory.
The fight is currently ranked as follows on Tapology:
- #2 Greatest bantamweight MMA fight of all time
- #7 Best MMA Fight of the Year 2011
- UFC 132 Fight of the Night
1. Cody Garbrandt vs. Dominick Cruz – UFC 207 (December 2016)
The fan-voted (and we agree) greatest bantamweight contest of all time saw Cody Garbrandt defeat Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision after a grueling 5 rounds.
The fight is currently ranked as follows on Tapology:
- #28 Biggest Upset Ever
- #1 Greatest bantamweight MMA fight of all time
- #8 Best MMA Fight of the Year 2016
- UFC 207 Fight of the Night
Read more: UFC: Top 10 Highest-Gaining PPV Events In History (Ranked)
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