A Look Back At The Best Of UFC International Fight Week

With three major fight cards in three days, the Ultimate Fighting Championship wrapped International Fight Week with its annual Hall of Fame induction, this time honoring legends Don Frye, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, Pete Williams, and founder Bob Meyrowitz.
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With three major fight cards, including four championship bouts, in three days, the Ultimate Fighting Championship wrapped International Fight Week with its annual Hall of Fame induction, this time honoring legends Don Frye, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, Pete Williams, and founder Bob Meyrowitz.

And while International Fight Week was not without its fair share of controversy, after headliner Jon Jones was removed from UFC 200, the trio of fight cards saw new champions be crowned, as well as legends of MMA coming together to push mixed martial arts further into the sports and entertainment mainstream.

Here's a look at some of the finest moments of UFC International Fight Week.

The Real G.O.A.T. Returns

Just 72 hours prior to UFC 200, Jon Jones was pulled from his headlining bout for a potential doping violation, leaving the UFC and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in a bind. With Jones off the card, UFC 200 looked significantly thinner, but leave it to former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, the "Greatest of All Time," to save the day.

Silva, who was just seven weeks removed from gallbladder surgery, stepped in on short notice to face Cormier in a three-round affair. And while Silva lost every round on every judge's scorecard, his presence and participation saved the event; only a star of his caliber could replace Jones, one of the UFC's biggest names, and Silva proved again why he is the G.O.A.T. of mixed martial arts.

Performance of the Week

Sandwiched in between UFC 200 and Ultimate Fight Night 90, was The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, headlined by strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who defended her title for the third time with a dominant decision over challenger Claudia Gadelha.

Losing the first two rounds, Jedrzejczyk dialed in her impeccable striking, unloading punch combinations and kicks to batter Gadelha in the championship rounds. Every strike Jedrzejczyk threw seemed to land, and the champion looked better with every passing round, a credit to her phenomenal conditioning.

Knockout of the Week

Leave it to Doo Ho Choi, "The Korean Superboy," to outshine the 71 other fighters competing during International Fight Week.

Fighting for the first time in the U.S., Choi needed less-than three minutes to dispose of Thiago Tavares with a picturesque one-two combination that landed flush on the Brazilian's chin, sending him to the canvas. Choi followed up with a ground strike to finish the contest, and following his Performance of the Night, the Korean featherweight is high on every MMA radar.

Submission of the Week

There were eight total submissions during International Fight Week, including a run of five straight to open up the UFN 90 event, but it was new women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes who scored the most important submission of the week.

Battering Miesha Tate with heavy punches during their brief affair, Nunes quickly took Tate's back and locked in the rear-naked choke to win the title. And while Tatiana Suarez recorded the first d'arce choke by a female fighter in UFC history, and "Irish" Joe Duffy recorded an impressive 25-second rear-naked choke of Mitch Clarke, Nunes earns top honors for forcing a tapout when it counted most, in the main event of the biggest fight card ever.

Scrap of the Week

In retrospect, UFC newcomer Belal Muhammad may have one of the more deserving nicknames in all of mixed martial arts, "Remember the Name."

A little-known former Titan FC welterweight champion, Muhammad was dropped twice in the opening round of his UFC debut, after opponent Alan Jouban landed a devastating head kick, and a flush left hook. But Muhammad battled back to hear the final bell, finding his rhythm in a wild third round.

While Jouban, who broke his hand in the fight, would win the unanimous decision, the pair delivered the most brutal back-and-forth affair of the week. Jouban continued to display his flashy striking technique and kicking arsenal, and Muhammad proved that he's definitely of UFC caliber, pushing the pace and pressuring the opposition with his impressive boxing.

Lost in the Mix

Headlining Thursday's Ultimate Fight Night 90, new UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez delivered one of the most impressive performances of International Fight Week, finishing former champion Rafael dos Anjos with a first-round standing TKO.

Alvarez, who has won three straight overall, became the UFC's eighth lightweight champion and the first fighter to ever hold titles in both the UFC and Bellator. But with two fight cards following his championship performance, Alvarez was a bit lost in the mix at International Fight Week, as the majority of the headlines focused on Jones, Silva, and Brock Lesnar.

Comeback of the Week

Fighting for the first time in 13 months, former two-time heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez earned his first victory since 2013, finishing Travis Browne in the first round.

Velasquez, once considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, was badly in need of a win, and he delivered.

Known for his pressure and wrestling, Velasquez used some new striking techniques, including a spinning heel kick, to stop Browne. Velasquez was sharp with his punches, landing an overhand right to drop Browne, and he was dominant in the top position, laying on the heavy ground and pound.

With the win, Velasquez was immediately thrust back into the title picture. And with a performance that combined his vintage brilliance and newfound agility on the feet, Velasquez made an important and impressive comeback.

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