Best One-Off Performances in UFC History

What played out, however, shocked many fans. The undefeated Cody Garbrandt clashed with Dominick Cruz in a fight that many believed would be another Cruz masterclass over a Team AlphaMale prospect. The champion, Cruz, was coming off the back of defeating two Team AlphaMale members and was undefeated in the UFC. He was enjoying a 13 fight winning run and entered UFC 207 a -220 favourite (the biggest on the card that night).

Garbrandt was the brash, heavy-hitting underdog who, many believed, would allow his emotions to get the better of him and fall into Cruz’s traps. Anything but played out in Vegas.

Simply put, Garbrandt schooled Cruz. He was too quick, dominated the fight, danced his way through rounds and did whatever he wanted with the long-time champion. Scoring two knockdowns, No Love shut out Cruz’s attempts to hold on to his belt.

He only won the fight 48–46, 48–47, 48–46, however, the eye test shows just how big a performance this was from the challenger.

He couldn’t maintain this blistering form, however. He would go 3-7 in his next 10 fights, losing five out of his six fights after UFC 207, being finished four times. Truly one of the best one off performances in UFC history.

Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor – UFC 196

This is certainly one of the best one off performances in UFC history and one of the most famous results in the history of the company. Stepping in on short notice against megastar, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz shocked the world by completely weathering the Irish storm that McGregor brought to submit him in the second round.

Heading into the bout, McGregor was coming off the back of the epic 14 second knockout of Jose Aldo to catapult him into elite status. He was scheduled to make history and compete for a second belt in a second division against Rafael dos Anjos, however, an injury to the Brazilian ruled him out.

Up stepped Nate Diaz. Fans forget that Diaz wasn’t a huge star ahead of UFC 196. Yes, he was The Ultimate Fighter season 5 winner, however, traded wins and losses from that moment. After winning TUF, he went 12-8 in the UFC, realising a UFC title shot but coming up extremely short with scorecards of 50–43, 50–45 and 50–45. His shot at gold wasn’t even a numbered event.

Heading into the McGregor fight, Diaz was coming off just one win. The power of his callout changed his life forever.

He got the fight, weathered the storm throughout the first round, handed McGregor his first promotional loss and first loss in 15 fights and more than anything, stole some of his starpower.

After UFC 196, Diaz would go 2-3, headlining three PPVs. He will never live up to ‘that’ UFC 196 moment, however, making it one of the best one off performances in UFC history.

Kelvin Gastelum vs Israel Adesanya – UFC 236

This is an alternative pick for our best one off performances in UFC history. This is because Kelvin Gastelum didn’t win the fight. Heading into UFC 236, Israel Adesanya was the interim middleweight champion, defending his belt for the first time. He was the undefeated big star at 16-0, the elite striker who hadn’t been tested yet in the UFC.

Gastelum was the challenger, sitting at 16-3 and had missed weight multiple times. He was riding a two fight winning run, however, one of these came against a last minute replacement fighter and one was a split decision. No one gave him a chance against The Last Stylebender.

Gastelum did considerably better than anyone thought. He was able to hurt Adesanya, almost knock him down and have him scurrying away along the fence. As the final round began, both men were bloodied and swollen. The final round saw Adesanya knock Gastelum down three times to retain his belt.

The fight was so good that it was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025.

Since that fight, Gastelum has gone 4-6, bouncing around weight classes and missing weight. No longer ranked, Gastelum has never lived up to his UFC 236 form. There’s little doubt that he left a piece of himself in there that night.

Lando Vannata vs Tony Ferguson – UFC Fight Night 91

Like Gastelum, Lando Vannata didn’t win this fight, however, it’s certainly one of the best one off performances in UFC history. Ahead of the fight, Tony Ferguson was scheduled to clash with Michael Chiesa, however, the latter pulled out of the fight, and promotional newcomer Lando Vannata was given the chance at greatness.

Undefeated at 8-0, Vannata was known regionally for his finishing ability. Ferguson was enjoying a seven fight winning run, coming off a brutal submission of Edson Barboza. At -750, the odds tell you just how much of a favourite Ferguson was before the fight. He was also entering the bout off the back of three straight performance of the night bonuses and was ranked #3 in the division. To say he was in good form is an understatement.

What we saw shocked everyone in South Dakota that night. Vannata started proceedings by making Ferguson think. A half takedown attempt, a spinning back kick to the body and fast hands landed at good angles caught El Cucuy off guard. He was much quicker than Ferguson and caught him, forcing him to retreat across the octagon.

We know about Ferguson’s pace, it’s legendary, but during the first round, Vannata matched him blow for blow. Groovy had Ferguson on the ropes towards the end of the round. Catching a kick of Ferguson’s, and instead of punching, he landed a brutal high kick, dropping Ferguson heavily. A follow-up left hook and a number of other strikes had referee John McCarthy taking a very close look. Ferguson recovered by attempting to lock in a heel hook, more to waste down the clock than looking for the finish.

Unfortunately for him, Vannata couldn’t keep up the pace in the second round, having taken the fight on short notice. Ferguson began to land on him with much more regularity, bloodying his nose and eventually locking up a brabo choke to finish things. The fight did earn both men a post-fight bonus, showing just how close it was.

Vannata could never quite live up to that first round of his UFC career. Although he would go on to score a stunning spinning wheel kick knockout of John Makdessi, winning him the knockout of the year, he would never progress beyond that. A fan favourite due to his fighting style, he went 4-6-2-0 after losing to Ferguson.