In a freezing cold plunge, UFC President Dana White sat across from fitness influencer Jesse James West and opened up about his all-time favorite UFC fight back in a YouTube video posted by West on May 30, 2024.

“It’ll probably have to be Conor-Khabib. It was so big and so much at stake and so much animosity,” White responded to West's question.

Dana White was referring to the UFC 229 main event title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. This was a showdown fueled by immense animosity, rivalry, and big stakes. The two had been at each other's throats for months before the fight.

It escalated even more when McGregor attacked the bus Nurmagomedov was travelling in, causing injury to several fighters. 

It’s easy to understand why the Conor-Khabib fight was a favorite for White. This fight drew massive global attention and brought in a huge number of fans to the promotion. Khabib got the victory over McGregor via a rear-naked choke that caused the latter to tap out. And what happened after was also chaotic.

Nurmagomedov jumped out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s teammate, Dillon Danis, and a brawl broke out in the octagon as well. This fight and the lead-up to it would forever remain an iconic moment in history.

UFC 229 drew 2.4 million PPV buys, making it the #1 most-watched event in UFC/promotion history.

While the Conor-Khabib rivalry remains one of the most intense in UFC history, and White's favourite fight, as he revealed on West's YouTube channel, it’s far from the only one that defined Dana White’s era. Other rivalries with just as much intensity have shaped the promotion over the past two decades.

The biggest rivalries of Dana White’s era

The UFC under White's tenure was characterized by several major rivalries, all of which played massive roles in boosting the sport’s popularity. Some of the rivalries include Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, where Liddell won two out of three fights in 2004 and 2006.

The Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier fight began early in 2014 and was another memorable rivalry in the UFC. Two title fights in 2015 (UFC 182) and 2017 (UFC 214), both of which were won by Jones.

Although Jones won the showdowns, the UFC 214 result was later overturned to a no-contest due to a testing violation.

Other noteworthy rivalries include TJ Dillashaw vs Cody Garbrandt, Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen, and Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira.

Rivalries have always been one of the biggest reasons for UFC events, creating buzz and excitement that lasts long after the fight is over. Contention, personal differences, rivalry- there could be many causes. However, these matches have produced some of the most memorable times in the sport.

Do you agree with White’s opinion on the best UFC fight of all time, or do you have a different fight in mind to pick?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi