Hey guys

I've had this thought in my head for quite some times now, but after Dustin/Islam this week I saw people drawing comparison to Volk/Islam 1, which led me to a rewatch, and then tens of rewatches of other classic UFC fights.

The first thought was, Dustin/Islam was nowhere NEAR as competitive as Islam/Volk, which I suppose was obvious, and people were just caught up in the moment, being proud of Diamond's performance against the monster that is Islam, and the bloody elbow which painted a memorable (false) picture.

But moving to the important part, the quite frankly ASTOUNDING level and skill displayed on Islam/Volk 1 led me to rewatching many other high level classics, some of the fights mentioned on reddit were: DJ/Cejudo, Poatan/Izzy, DC/Jones, Islam/Arman, Moreno/Figgy, along with many personal choices.

The criteria is pretty nuanced, so while fights like Islam/Arman were clinics, there were no high stakes or intensity, or just plain "AURA" at play, and that comes as somewhat of a tie-breaker while comparing fights of equally high-level. By process of elimination I found myself left with Islam/Volk 1 and DC/Jones 2

DC/Jones, while it lasted, was simply put, the two greatest of all time in their divison at their absolute peak. Yes, it ended relatively early, but before the headkick, it was an intense, beautiful and violent chess match. Maybe the highest stakes fight in UFC (Conor/Khabib close). I don't think any fighter in history regardless of weight class could have ever beaten Jones OR DC that night.

Islam/Volk on the other hand were the boogeymen of their respective divisions, with less at stake than DC/Jones, it beats it in competitiveness and the element of surprise, Islam looking human, and how neither was able to fully figure out the other enough to get a finish. Volk suprising Islam on the ground, and vice versa on the feet. I think Islam won 3-2 or 4-1, but it was so close and every move felt calculated, you could see both fighters adapting in real-time to each other's genius, showcasing levels of skill never drawn from either one before. Fight of the Year.

Yes, I am traumatized by the aftermath as a Volk fan, scarred for life probably, but the level of that fight never stops amazing me every time.I had to let thing simmer and recency bias to fade, but after 18 months, I think it might actually be THE fight.

So now I'm curious, does anyone feel the same? And what does everyone think is the highest level UFC fight of all time? all things considered, with the tie-breaker when in doubt being stakes and importance.