With the UFC currently churning out cards across multiple platforms such as ESPN, ESPN+ and ABC, it can be easy to forget about the promotion’s history on previous networks that helped launch the world’s MMA leader into the juggernaut that it is today.
Initially reaching a broadcast deal with FOX Sports in August of 2011, the UFC went on to air live fight in primetime from November of that year until December of 2018. This also included additional UFC Fight Nights and broadcast content for FOX’s various cable properties, which included FOX Sports 1, FX and FUEL TV.
Not only would this agreement lead to the UFC’s first televised events on network television in the U.S., but it also sparked a more “corporate era” of the company in regard to the uptick of its show schedule and more mainstream marketing tactics that quietly contributed to its capability to make a multibillion-dollar sale to WME-IMG in 2016.
During this time, the UFC obviously looked to its top talent to fill these cards, even leaning on underappreciated and/or underpaid fighters such as Demetrious Johnson and Nate Diaz (whom the promotion traditionally butted heads with at the negotiating table).
This post pays homage to some of the UFC fighters who made the FOX era an incredibly fun follow-up to the organization’s “Golden Era.” Note: It would be too difficult of a list if I included Fight Nights from FS1, so this list will strictly be focused on the fights that aired on the big FOX network.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 fights that aired on FOX …
10
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Lyman Good at UFC on FOX 25 (July 22, 2017)
Despite this fight between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Lyman Good taking place on the prelims, UFC on FOX 25 was a card that aired the final four prelims on FOX’s main network, qualifying it for this list.
But what really qualifies it, however, is the fact that this battle between dos Santos and Good was an incredibly violent and fun affair for a fight that went the distance.
Dos Santos, a hardcore fan favorite who was criminally buried on undercards, found himself in a grueling firefight with another underrated talent in Good (who definitely looks the part of a puncher).
Both men shoed flashes of their ground game in an attempt to get the jump on the other, but it’s the back-and-forth striking dynamics on the feet that earned this fight “the hipster spot” on my list.
9
Anthony Pettis vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC on FOX 21 (Aug. 27, 2016)
Even though I was initially gonna make this an honorable mention, there’s no way I don’t give Anthony Pettis and Charles Oliveira some love on this list.
In what was essentially a battle between former and future lightweight champions at 145 pounds, Pettis chose a dangerous foe for his featherweight debut.
Pettis landed the body kicks and counters that many suspected, but Oliveira was relentless with his underrated offensive wrestling, constantly finding the back of “Showtime.” Thankfully for Pettis, escaping back mounts are somewhat of a specialty of his, as he was able to successfully scramble to superior positions and eventually catch Oliveira in a guillotine in the chaos.
Official: Anthony Pettis def. Charles Oliveira by submission (Guillotine) at 1:49 of the 3rd round pic.twitter.com/J3Zbh4w1rW
— Cheap Sports Talk (@CheapSportsTalk) August 28, 2016
Oliveira, who had already been stereotyped as “a quitter” at this point of his career, appeared to be crushed by the defeat despite putting on valiant effort and pushing through some very difficult points. Pettis would move on to a failed bid for the featherweight title while Oliveira went on to lose to Ricardo Lamas before moving up to 155 pounds.
8
Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera at UFC on FOX 4 (Aug. 4, 2012)
Coming in as one of the more violent-yet-forgotten offerings on this list is a brutal battle between Mauricio Rua[/auotag] and [autotag]Brandon Vera.
Akin to Oliveira in the previous selection, Vera also (unfairly and unfortunately) carried the stigma of someone who quits when the going gets tough. However, despite still officially suffering a defeat in the record books here, Vera valiantly pushed through the pain he was in to arguably put on one of his more complete performances in a losing effort.
#OTD in 2012
Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera – UFC on FOX 4 pic.twitter.com/NvZMvrdWgj
— Neo Vale Tudo (@NeoValeTudo) August 4, 2022
Vera, who came out slinging from southpaw, found success with classic kicks and counters from that stance before getting crowded with punches and clinch knees. Vera appeared to welcome grappling entanglements that, in turn, allowed Rua to get to his underrated wrestling and top game (that became even more of a crucial tool at that point of his career).
It’s not the prettiest fight from Rua, but it came off the heels of his first fight with Dan Henderson and worth a rewatch if you want to see a post-prime Shogun’s last hurrah.
7
Max Holloway vs. Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX 15 (April 18, 2015)
In one of the most memorable coming-out parties to take place on the FOX network, I’d be remiss if I left Max Holloway’s upset of Cub Swanson off this list.
At the time, Swanson was fresh off having his impressive six-fight winning streak snapped by Frankie Edgar and was thought to be a big step up for the young Hawaiian given that Holloway had half the experience on paper.
However, as I often reference whenever writing about Holloway, this encounter with Swanson ended up being a crucial turning point in the future champion’s career.
April 18th, 2015
Max Holloway defeats Cub Swanson
via Submission (guillotine choke) at 3:58 of Round 3.Max's ground game is no joke pic.twitter.com/KpyG5p9cgB
— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) November 9, 2021
Holloway may have already shown some of the shifting combos and bodywork that hallmark his style on highlight reels, but this was the first fight where we really got to see his building qualities take shape – particularly from southpaw.
6
Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein at UFC on FOX 7 (April 20, 2013)
As a fan of bodywork, you could’ve probably bet your house that Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein would make this list.
A semi-regular fixture in the FOX era, the UFC knew that they could depend on Brown for violence, and they had a matchmaker in Joe Silva who was smart enough to feature “The Immortal” on the main card. That said, for as tough as Brown was, the Ohio native was not beyond being hurt to the body – something that Mein targeted beautifully with his left hook.
Matt Brown vs Jordan Mein (UFC on Fox 7)
A very underrated fight with a whole lot of fun bodywork on both ends pic.twitter.com/NdKRGRSRRp— Cricket and Footy Highlights Posting (@KickpunchP) July 31, 2022
Thankfully for Brown, he had a penchant for rallying under fire and was able to compose himself on the floor by fighting from his guard. And once they returned to their feet, Brown’s second wind allowed him to surge on a fading Mein with heavy punches and clinch offense.
The fight ended shortly after the start of the second round with some of the most brutal body elbows you will ever see, earning it a firm spot on this list.
5
Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares at UFC on FOX 3 (May 5, 2012)
Despite this fight only being a one-round affair, I have a major soft spot for Alan Belcher’s upset over Rousimar Palhares back at UFC on FOX 3.
If you look at the history of UFC offerings on big FOX, things didn’t really start cooking until the third show, which was the promotion’s first four-fight main card headlined by lightweight stalwarts Nate Diaz and Jim Miller. That said, Belcher and Palhares arguably stole the show that night.
Belcher, who shared some similar parallels with one Darren Till, was a fighter who had all the potential talent in the world but struggled to string together consistency. However, after overcoming a detached retina and a controversial split decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100, Belcher found himself on another three-fight winning streak as he approached his scariest test to date.
Palhares, at this point, already had a reputation for bad behavior in regard to hooking submissions and was riding his own three-fight streak heading into this meeting. The Brazilian was able to quickly get things to the ground via a snatch single leg, but Belcher immediately reversed Palhares a la “the truck” position (which, of course, led to Joe Rogan going crazy on commentary).
Even though Palhares was able to get free and search for his patent leg locks, Belcher demonstrated excellent defensive fundamentals when it came to weight distribution and leverage en route to scoring a ground-and-pound stoppage. This was Belcher’s last win under the UFC banner.
4
Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens at UFC on FOX 30 (July 28, 2018)
As a fan of liver shots and Jose Aldo alike, it should come as no surprise to see his one-round war with Jeremy Stephens make this list.
Aldo, who closed as a slight underdog, didn’t exactly have the highest stock with the general public after coming off of two potentially career-altering stoppages to Max Holloway. Stephens, on the other hand, was finding the best form of his career as the UFC’s junkyard dog seemingly figured out how to work his own chain.
Stephens came out like a bat out of hell, pressuring the former champion and hurting him along the fence.
But as Brian Stann said during his call of Aldo’s second battle with Chad Mendes, “This is the danger when you make the champ (Aldo) work; this is how he works.”
As sweet as the liver shot is, the emotional celebration after hits just as hard.
3
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson 1 at UFC on FOX 6 (Jan. 26, 2013)
In what was one of four headline appearances on FOX, Demetrious Johnson’s first meeting with John Dodson is probably my favorite title defense from the pound-for-pound great’s catalog.
Dodson, who was the first person to meaningfully contend with Johnson in the speed department, was basically the flyweight version of Chuck Liddell given his devastating counterpunching and getup ability.
Dodson was able to catch Johnson on multiple occasions throughout the first two rounds, but “Mighty Mouse” and his team made some smart adjustments down the stretch by incorporating some beautiful clinch warfare.
UFC on FOX 6 (2013.01.26) – Title defence #1
John Dodson (14-5)
The only opponent that held a speed advantage over Mighty Mouse. Multiple flash knockdowns landed but DJ tears apart Dodson with knees in the clinch during R4 and R5
48-46 Johnson pic.twitter.com/L6As8QFzjt
— Alexander Volkara France (@VolkaraFrance) May 1, 2023
Not only did you get the first glimpses of Johnson’s vaunted clinch game, but this is arguably the first fight where D.J. begins to put it all together.
2
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner at UFC on FOX 4 (Aug. 4, 2012)
Coming in high on this list is an incredibly fun lightweight war between Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner.
Despite stepping in on short notice to replace Terry Etim, Varner came out like hell on wheels in regard to his offensive output and pace.
Lauzon, who was more than willing to oblige, patiently marched forward behind a high guard while looking for his spots to counter. Varner smartly adjusted with some slicing elbows and beautiful body punches (that were arguably before his time), but it wasn’t long before Lauzon’s patent aggression quickly turned things into a dogfight.
#OTD in 2012
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner – UFC on FOX 4 pic.twitter.com/FTqL92wh3E
— Neo Vale Tudo (@NeoValeTudo) August 4, 2022
It was an incredibly fun time in both men’s careers and well worth the rewatch.
1
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC on FOX 29 (April 14, 2018)
Coming in at No. 1 is an unforgettable fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
As I’ve said many times before, this era of lightweight matchups that involved fighters like Poirier and Gaethje arguably made for the strongest parallels that MMA can provide in regard to the “Four Kings”/boxing’s middleweight division in the early 1980s.
This classic took place in Gaethje’s home state of Arizona and had all the hallmarks of a fight involving “The Highlight.”
Akin to his previous outing opposite another violence king in Eddie Alvarez, Gaethje’s fights from this era often resemble two race cars that are struggling to stay intact before hitting the finish line – and this was no different. Poirier struggled to stay standing due to Gaethje’s relentless leg assaults, but still managed to make reads and adjustments down the stretch.
#OnThisDay in 2018: Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje went to battle and it was as good as we all expected! 🔥
📺 Watch in full on @UFCFightPass now! pic.twitter.com/YqWCpu7LCh
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 14, 2023
Even though I can always fall back on subjectivity and personal bias for my reasoning, I feel pretty good about this battle being in the top spot.
*Honorable mentions: Edson Barboza vs. Dan Hooker at UFC on FOX 31; Robert Whittaker vs. Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FOX 24
