5. UFC 129 (April 30, 2011, Toronto) Witnessing a then-record 55,724 people fill the Rogers Centre was a surreal spectacle. There’s never been a louder moment than when national hero Georges St.-Pierre entered the arena ahead of his title defense against Jake Shields.

4. UFC 196 (March 5, 2016, MGM Grand) It was only appropriate that the UFC’s second-best-selling pay-per-view of all-time came with a reminder of mixed martial arts’ unpredictability. After 3-to-1 underdog Miesha Tate came back with a near buzzer-beating submission win over Holly Holm, 4-to-1 underdog Nate Diaz staggered and submitted Conor McGregor.

3. UFC 116 (July 3, 2010, MGM Grand) I might have witnessed the greatest top-to-bottom collection of fights in the very first UFC event I ever covered. The main event featured Brock Lesnar defending his heavyweight title by coming back from a first-round beatdown to submit Shane Carwin—and that might not have even been one of the night’s four best fights.

2. UFC 165 (September 21, 2013, Toronto) The main event stands as the greatest fight I’ve ever seen in person. Neither Jon Jones nor Alexander Gustafsson could walk after a back-and-forth 25-minute battle; Jones nudged out a slim victory, then both men were transported to the hospital.

1. UFC 189 (July 11, 2015 at MGM Grand) The two best things about the UFC are the fights and its live production, and last year’s International Fight Week headlining event showed off both in excess. The final six fights produced dramatic stoppages, and McGregor’s makeover from potential star to matchless megastar with a knockout victory over Chad Mendes was preceded by a chill-inducing live walkout performance from Sinead O’Connor.