It’s that time of year again.
The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden for its annual pay-per-view event this Saturday – UFC 322, headlined by a pair of title fights. The main event will see former UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev move up to welterweight to challenge newly-crowned Champion Jack Della Maddalena in Makhachev’s quest to earn a second belt.
The co-headliner is a women’s superfight with the distinct possibility of being an all-time classic, as Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1 MMA) tries to fend off former UFC Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang (26-3 MMA) with the winner being crowned flyweight champion at night’s end.
While the 14-fight card is what the MMA community is looking forward to this weekend, it’s important to reflect back on how the promotion got here and why the UFC highlights this specific November pay-per-view offering on such an important basis.
Including UFC 322, the UFC has hosted nine events at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” each with a unique set of stakes attached. However, for this list, UFC 322 is going to be excluded, as the event has yet to occur. Its placement will have to wait for a later date, likely next year.
Without further ado, here are all eight events ranked from best-to-worst. The criteria used is entertainment value, title fights, and the impact it had on the sport in the years that followed.
Deep Dive Into UFC’s History of MSG Events
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) celebrates in front of president-elect Donald Trump after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
1. UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor (2016)
A list of UFC events to have taken place at “The Mecca” can’t go without mentioning the card where the tradition began. Nearly a decade ago, the UFC sought to put together the biggest card in promotional history. This, of course, was topped by Conor McGregor becoming the first two-division simultaneous UFC world champion with a TKO-stoppage against Eddie Alvarez. At the time, McGregor seemed invincible, and many suggested he would go onto dominate the 145 and 155-pound divisions for several years.
Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor before fighting Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Alas, it didn’t happen. McGregor tried his hand at professional boxing and fell to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Aug. 2017. Eventually, his UFC career tumbled shortly thereafter. McGregor has not won an MMA fight since Jan. 2020, as the fateful Nov. 2016 evening was the last title fight where he got his hand raised.
Nonetheless, it set the foundation for what was to come, as the UFC continued to make its way back to MSG following its inaugural New York show.
2. UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic (2024)
Skipping ahead eight years, Jon Jones finally fought Stipe Miocic a year after a pectoral injury sidelined him and forced the fight’s postponement. Jones made it look easy against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, amidst the behind-the-scenes chaos with then-interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall’s aggressive attempts to fight Jones.
Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) fights Stipe Miocoic (blue gloves) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
READ MORE: Three UFC 322 fights that could steal the show from Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev
To this day, the fight still has not materialized, despite Jones’ message to those in attendance that he intended to stay put in the division and grant Aspinall his wish.
“As far as my future in the Octagon, I have decided maybe I will not retire,” Jones said after the win. “I have some conversations to have with Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell], and we have some negotiating to do. If everything goes right, maybe we’ll give you guys [the fans] what you want to see.”
Now, Jones’ focus remains on the White House event next year, while Miocic retired from MMA following the loss.
3. UFC 217: Bisping vs. GSP (2017)
Some MMA fans call this event one of the best in UFC history. In terms of parity, it had everything. But the night’s end saw a brief new era emerge with Georges St-Pierre ending a four-year hiatus to become the UFC Middleweight Champion, thanks to an emphatic rear-naked-choke submission against the Michael Bisping
The stacked pay-per-view card saw four of five main card fights end in a finish, which included three title changes with T.J. Dillashaw knocking out Cody Garbrandt and Rose Namajunas’s stoppage of Joanna Jędrzejczyk to win the UFC bantamweight and strawweight titles, respectively.
Georges St-Pierre during UFC 315 at Bell Centre. | Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The main card also saw the emergence of eventual title challenger Paulo Costa, as he stopped former UFC Welterweight Champion Johnny Hendricks, among other standout performances throughout the evening.
4. UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz 1 (2019)
The 2019 edition of the UFC’s return to MSG saw the introduction of the “BMF” title, which was awarded to Jorge Masvidal following his third-round doctor’s stoppage win against Nate Diaz in the night’s main event.
Jorge Masvidal (red gloves) and Nate Diaz (blue gloves) react after their fight during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. | Sarah Stier-Imagn Images
This began a tradition still seen to this day, where the promotion’s creation of the title lets it match up some of the promotion’s best who fit the “BMF” identity. The belt currently belongs to Max Holloway, who defended the title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans in July.
5. UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira (2022)
An argument could easily be made for this event to jump up at least one spot, as it’s one of the promotion’s all-timers.
Alex Pereira defeats Israel Adesanya during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. | Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images
The main event saw Alex Pereira shock the world with a thunderous TKO win against former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. A coming-out party for Pereira, it began one of the greatest title sprees in promotional history, where every fight Pereira has been in since the Adesanya win (minus the loss to Ankalaev in March) has been nothing short of unforgettable.
6. UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 (2021)
In another classic, Kamaru Usman outlasted Colby Covington in a successful defense of his UFC Welterweight Championship. It was a slugfest that, in the eyes of many, was a stylistic puzzle fans were eager to watch, given how the first fight unfolded two years earlier.
Kamaru Usman (red gloves) competes against Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Regardless, though, it capped a rivalry dominated by Usman and arguably marked the beginning of Covington becoming a non-factor at welterweight.
7. UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis (2018)
After the historical significance of UFC 229 came and went in Oct. 2018, the UFC’s next event that followed didn’t have the same flavor as previous MSG events.
Daniel Cormier reacts during weigh-ins for UFC 241 at Anaheim Convention Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Daniel Cormier successfully defended his heavyweight title against Derrick Lewis, but outside of that, not much really stood out as a vidid memory that MMA fans still carry with them today.
8. UFC 295: Procházka vs. Pereira (2023)
The UFC had to scramble mightily to save this event after Jones-Miocic was axed. Although UFC 295 ended up delivering entertainment wise with Pereira successfully move up in weight and win the light heavyweight title, it was not what the event was initially supposed to be. Therefore, a last-place finish is where it sits.
Alex Pereira (red gloves) prepares to fight Jiri Prochazka (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In a nutshell, there’s the entire history of the UFC at MSG. After this Saturday night comes and goes, it will be interesting to see how UFC 322 plays out, and whether the main card delivers the way fans are anticipating.
For now, only time will tell.
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