Top 10 UFC events

The staff of CoveringTheCage.com will present a list each day leading up to Saturday’s UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena. Top 10 events:

10. UFC 196: Upsets ruled the night, as Nate Diaz followed Miesha Tate’s dramatic submission victory over Holly Holm with one of his own over Conor McGregor.

9. UFC 92: Two belts changed hands, as Frank Mir knocked out heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Rashad Evans stunned light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin with a third-round knockout. All five fights on the main card ended by knockout, three in the first round.

8. UFC 166: Cain Velasquez won the rubber match with Junior dos Santos with a dominating performance, and fight fans got a taste of everything with two quick knockouts on the main card, a cerebral and strong performance by Daniel Cormier in a unanimous decision over Roy Nelson and an all-out brawl for 15 minutes as Gilbert Melendez beat Diego Sanchez.

7. UFC 189: The Irish fans that had the Strip rocking were there to see Conor McGregor, and he didn’t disappoint them with a knockout of Chad Mendes in the main event. They also were treated to one of the best fights in UFC history, as Robbie Lawler retained his welterweight title with a late knockout of Rory MacDonald.

6. UFC 1: The event is memorable for Royce Gracie’s tremendous run through three opponents on one night, but this card is on the list for the historical significance. This is where it all began.

5. UFC 22: Frank Shamrock submitted Tito Ortiz in the fourth round of what still stands as one of the best fights in UFC history. Chuck Liddell scored a first-round knockout on the card, and Hall of Famer Matt Hughes debuted with unanimous decision over Valeri Ignatov.

4. UFC 79: A long-awaited light heavyweight bout between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva finally came to fruition and didn’t disappoint, as Liddell won a decision in an epic slugfest. Georges St. Pierre claimed the interim welterweight title with a win over Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida recorded his first stoppage win in the UFC, and Melvin Guillard memorably confronted Rich Clementi after their fight.

3. UFC 129: A then-record 55,724 at Rogers Centre in Toronto watched Jose Aldo and Georges St. Pierre retain their titles after Lyoto Machida crane-kicked Randy Couture to sleep.

2. UFC 52: Chuck Liddell avenged a loss to Randy Couture with a first-round knockout, and Matt Hughes secured a spot on every highlight reel ever produced with an epic comeback that saw him carry Frank Trigg across the cage and slam him to the mat.

1. UFC 100: An easy call, as the historic night featured not only the memorable antics of Brock Lesnar but also a Georges St. Pierre victory and one of the top knockouts of all time, as Dan Henderson floored Michael Bisping.