Top 5 fights of the year

It was a great year to be a fight fan.

In 2019, we saw the crowning of new champions, highlight-reel knockouts, and great comeback stories. Picking the five best fights proved to be a difficult task, but here's what stood out.

5. Jorge Masvidal def. Darren Till via TKO - UFC London

Coming off his first career loss last year, Darren Till was supposed to bounce back against Jorge Masvidal. Who knew this would be the birth of Jorge Masvidal as a UFC superstar?

On paper, Till was the much bigger fighter and the more powerful striker. That proved true in the opening round, as the 26-year-old landed clean shots and rocked Masvidal early. Toward the end of the round, Masvidal hit counter shots while also eating strikes himself.

But Masvidal figured out Till’s timing in the second round. The ATT product avoided Till’s overhands while Masvidal's counters landed more often. Eventually, a switch-cross and rolling hook connected on the button as Till fell to the canvas, sealing his first career knockout loss.

Masvidal would go on to megafights against Ben Askren and Nate Diaz, while Till's second straight loss prompted a successful move to the middleweight division.

4. Henry Cejudo def. Marlon Moraes via TKO - UFC 238 (vacant bantamweight title fight)

With former champion TJ Dillashaw serving a PED suspension, the vacant bantamweight title was up for grabs as flyweight champion Henry Cejudo moved up to the 135-pound division to face Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event.

Moraes took control in the early portion of the fight, landing leg kicks with ease and battering the former Olympic gold medalist. Moraes has always been a knockout threat, but this game plan appeared to be working as he dominated the first round.

However, everything changed in the second frame. Cejudo made some key adjustments and began to put pressure on Moraes, landing some big knees that made the former WSOF champion appear lethargic. We saw more of the same in the third as the tide had clearly shifted. Cejudo continued to apply pressure, eventually landing a takedown and hard shots on the Brazilian.

It proved to be too much, as Cejudo captured his second UFC title in less than a year.

3. Dustin Poirier def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision - UFC 236 (interim lightweight title fight)

In an unexpected rematch, Dustin Poirier's second fight against Max Holloway enabled him to reach a career milestone.

With lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov suspended following his postfight antics toward Conor McGregor’s team at UFC 229, former featherweight champion Holloway surprisingly moved up a weight class to battle Poirier for the interim lightweight title. It was a chance for the Hawaiian to avenge his first career loss in 2012, when Poirier submitted him in the first round at UFC 143.

Poirier's improved technical striking paid off, as he landed the better shots throughout the five-round title bout. His size and power proved to be too much for Holloway who struggled to find his range, despite pressuring the ATT product several times.

When the dust settled, Poirier captured his first UFC championship and handed Holloway his first loss since August 2013.

2. Vicente Luque def. Bryan Barberena via TKO - UFC Phoenix

With 292 combined strikes, welterweights Bryan Barberena and Vicente Luque put on a fight for the ages.

Luque was billed as nearly a 4-1 favorite heading into the matchup, but someone forgot to tell Barberena that. "Bam Bam" hurt Luque badly in the first round, only to see the Brazilian survive and counter with a submission attempt that nearly put the American out with seconds left in the round.

The 28-year-old Luque made adjustments in the following two rounds, effectively using his right kick and hurting his opponent to the body. Barberena displayed an iron chin throughout, but a flurry toward the end of the third and final round knocked him out.

Both fighters deservingly took home $50,000 after winning "Fight of the Night" honors.

1. Israel Adesanya def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision - UFC 236 (interim middleweight title fight)

As it turns out, an injury to Robert Whittaker in February helped produce the best fight of 2019.

Whittaker was forced to withdraw from his UFC 234 title defense against Kelvin Gastelum less than 24 hours before the fight due to a hernia. In order to keep the division moving, the UFC booked rising star Israel Adesanya against Gastelum for an interim title bout as the co-main event of UFC 236.

The bout exceeded expectations, with both fighters showing no quit during the five-round affair. In the opening stanza, Gastelum landed a left hook that sent Adesanya crashing into the cage, but "The Last Stylebender" countered with a spinning elbow in the second that rocked the "TUF 17" winner. Adesanya found a home for his right hand in the third and appeared to be in full control as the championship bout progressed.

That was until the fourth round when Gastelum landed a head kick that rocked the City Kickboxing product and led many to think the fight was over. However, Adesanya survived and claimed a unanimous decision victory to capture the interim middleweight belt.

If the damage on Adesanya’s face was any indication, this five-round war was the farthest the 30-year-old has been pushed during his UFC tenure.