50 MMA Fights You Must Watch Before You Die

Take a trip down memory lane as we look back at MMA's most iconic fights.

By Aundre Jacobs /

Ever since the UFC held their first ever event back in 1993, mixed martial arts has gone from being described as "human cockfighting" to becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world. This is mostly down to the fighters and the incredible bouts they've had.

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The most memorable scraps all have special moments that make them must-see viewing for any fight fan. However, with so many incredible clashes already in the books, trying to go back through the vaults to find the best of them would be a tough task.

To make the most entertaining and down right crazy scraps in the sport easier to find, we've put together a list of the finest fights in MMA history. From world class grapplers taking on savage strikers to back-and-forth brawls between versatile warriors, we take a look at some of the best battles ever.

So whether you're a newbie fight fan and want a bit of an education on what you've missed or you're a long-time MMA follower looking to reminisce on fights gone by, this list has everything you're looking for. Let the violence begin!

50. Vicente Luque Vs. Bryan Barberena - UFC On ESPN 1

If it wasn't for the magnificent scrap between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, this fight would be a shoe-in for 'Fight of the Year'. Even though it was predicted that this would be entertaining, no-one imagined it would be quite as exciting as it turned out to be.

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While Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena aren't household names, they're both all-action, blood, guts and violence type fighters. Their two similar styles meant both men refused to take a backwards step from the start, trading blows right in the middle of the Octagon.

Despite his opponent having eight knockouts on his record, Barberena gave Luque's punches zero respect. The extremely durable 170lber simply walked forward, taking every savage strike he could, just to land one of his own. However, his tactic of using his head to block punches proved to be his downfall as Luque refused to be phased by his opponent's toughness.

Although he was clearly exhausted, Luque manged to rally in the third round and somehow landed the power punch that was able to put his opponent away.

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