UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and No. 1 contender John Dodson are set for a rematch of their five-round battle from two years ago, which saw Johnson edge Dodson to retain his belt.
Saturday’s UFC 191 main event promises to be another unforgettable bout, so with that in mind here are five of the most memorable championship rematches (where the previous fight was also for a title) in UFC history.
Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Serra II, UFC 83 (April 19, 2008)
After being on the wrong end of the greatest upset in UFC history, St-Pierre methodically destroyed Serra to reclaim his belt in front of a record-setting (at the time) 21,390 boisterous fans in Montreal. It was also the UFC’s first event in Canada. The fight marked the start of GSP’s stranglehold on the UFC’s welterweight division. He also displayed a new calculated, defensive fighting style, which has led to many differing opinions amongst MMA fans.
Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes II, UFC 179 (Oct. 25, 2014)
This championship rematch was near perfection. Aldo previously defeated Mendes by the skin of his teeth with a perfectly timed knee in the dying seconds of the first round at UFC 142. Mendes would take the loss to heart and with help from Duane Ludwig would significantly sharpen up his striking and demolish every fighter put in his way to earn another shot at the featherweight champ. After heated verbal exchanges, the two engaged in a highly technical and furious back-and-forth five-round war that was one of the greatest championship fights ever seen in the UFC.
Matt Hughes vs B.J. Penn II, UFC 63 (Sept. 23, 2006)
For roughly five years from 2001-2006, Hughes ruled the welterweight division like an unchallenged apex predator. He was virtually unbeatable. Except against one man: B.J. Penn. In 2004, the Hawaiian moved up from the lightweight division to upset Hughes, who would get his revenge two years later in a rematch. Like in the first fight, Penn would gain the upper hand early and come close to finishing Hughes. But as he had done so many times in the past, Hughes toughed it out and eventually defeated an exhausted Penn as he avenged his only loss as a champion at that point.
Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture III, UFC 57 (Feb. 4, 2006)
This was historic in every sense of the word. Liddell and Couture were the UFC’s two biggest stars and their third meeting drew the UFC’s largest grossing gate at the time. Couture defeated Liddell in the first meeting at UFC 43 becoming the UFC’s first two-division champion then Liddell exacted revenge at UFC 52 by becoming the first man to knock out Couture. In their third and final meeting, Liddell would prevail by capitalizing on a slip from Couture and knocking him out a second straight time and further cemented himself as the UFC’s biggest star. Couture moved back to the heavyweight division after his trilogy bout with Liddell.
Matt Hughes vs Frank Trigg II, UFC 52 (April 16, 2005)
This is UFC president Dana White’s favourite fight of all time and it was the first fight to be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame. Hughes defeated Trigg two years earlier and the two men had developed a bitter rivalry. During the fight, Trigg landed a low blow that went unnoticed by the referee and came extremely close to finishing Hughes. Instead the champion weathered Trigg’s onslaught and finished him off in what would be Hughes’s gutsiest performance and one of the greatest comebacks ever in a UFC championship fight.
Honourable mentions: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard III, Georges St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes II, Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate III, Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II, Benson Henderson vs Frankie Edgar II, Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler II, Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber II, Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua II, T.J. Dillashaw vs Renan Barao II