Nine men have held the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title since its inception in February 2001, from Jens Pulver, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar to Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor. Their respective reigns have resulted in some of the most memorable fights in UFC history.

Despite Penn’s desire to go big-game hunting throughout his stellar but uneven career, no one has done more to raise the profile of what has become arguably the deepest weight class in the sport. The Hawaiian held the lightweight championship for a record 812 days, successfully defending it on three different occasions before relinquishing his hold on the throne. McGregor stands as the current standard bearer at 155 pounds, the charismatic Irishman having taken the sport by storm less than four years after he made his UFC debut.

The latest installment of the Sherdog Top 10 series examines the best of the best among UFC lightweight title fights:

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OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez (UFC on Fox 7), B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno (UFC 41), Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian (UFC 64), Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis (UFC 164), B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (UFC 112), Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos (UFC 185), Sean Sherk vs. Hermes Franca (UFC 73), Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar (UFC 150), Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz (UFC on Fox 5), Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn (UFC 118), Jens Pulver vs. Caol Uno (UFC 30), Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone (UFC on Fox 17), B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian (UFC 101)

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