5 of the best featherweight fights in MMA history

1. Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi at UFC 206

Maybe you’d feel we cheated a little bit by placing the only featherweight fight in the UFC Hall of Fame at number 1 but this is easily the best fight ever at the weight class and we would argue perhaps the greatest fight of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading this, go watch it, and then come back. Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi is the greatest 145-pound fight ever. 

The context might not be there like it was in other fights. Swanson was taking a huge risk by accepting this matchup. Ranked at no.4 in the world, he was willing to face a man that was on a 12-fight win streak that included 11 KOs and was undefeated in the UFC. Choi was also only ranked at no.11, making it difficult to see exactly what incentive Swanson had to take this fight.

We are sure am glad he did accept it because throughout the 15 minutes, they put each other through hell and then some. The pace of the fight is ridiculous and somehow never lowers despite the two trading hard shot after hard shot in the center of the Octagon. They were simply two guys who wanted to trade leather and had the chin to hold their own.

By the second round, Swanson was beginning to take control when he dropped Choi, except that Choi caught him with a counter and almost dropped Swanson. With both men stunned, the only logical next step is to stand in the middle and trade punches. The 10 minutes of action I witnessed felt like an eternity given how close each man was from being finished and the third didn’t drop the pace at all.

They met in the middle once again and restarted their slugfest. Swanson seemed to be out on his feet at one point yet somehow lands a takedown before they get up. Then Choi seems to be going out but still finds some energy to fire back. In the end, Swanson almost finishes it off and with an extra 30 seconds he might have. Or we might have another 30 seconds of pure chaos.

Swanson would pick up a deserved victory but neither man would ever truly be the same. They’re both still in the UFC but had not been close to competing for a title although they have both made it a habit to put on fight of the night bonus winners throughout their careers. The context might not be as important as that of Aldo vs. McGregor or other title fights but objectively, this is without a doubt the greatest featherweight fight of all time.