The fans have spoken. The best fight in UFC history is Robbie Lawler's epic welterweight title defense against Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015.
Lawler vs. MacDonald narrowly edged Jon Jones' light heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in the Final Four portion of fan voting, which drew more than 18,000 votes on ESPN.com.
Lawler-MacDonald II is best summed up by what happened immediately after the conclusion of the fourth round.
Lawler dropped his head and spewed blood from his mouth onto the canvas. He then looked directly past referee John McCarthy and met eyes with MacDonald's, even though MacDonald could barely see through swelling around his eyes and nose.
The champ took several steps toward the challenger after the bell sounded. MacDonald defiantly stood in place, returning Lawler's gaze the whole way.
It's not easy stealing the show on the same night of a Conor McGregor fight, but Lawler and MacDonald arguably did just that. Later that evening, McGregor would win an interim featherweight championship against Chad Mendes.
MacDonald is still dealing with residual effects from the traumatic damage he suffered to his nose that night. Lawler has fought just twice since. That battle clearly took something from both men, but it's one that won't soon be forgotten.
