When Diego Sanchez was matched against Clay Guida in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, many expected fireworks. They weren’t disappointed.

The matchup between the two high-energy lightweights seemed like a guarantee of all-action violence, and the intense staredown between the pair before the action got underway served as a tantalizing teaser for the chaos that was to follow.

Sanchez came out the gate seemingly hell-bent on securing a quickfire finish as the inaugural winner of The Ultimate Fighter threw everything he had at “The Carpenter” in the early exchanges. Guida was dropped, and badly rocked, when Sanchez connected with a huge head kick early in the round. But, despite swarming his opponent, Sanchez just couldn’t find a way to finish the ludicrously durable Guida as the bout somehow made it to the end of the first round.

The fight looked a mere formality for Sanchez at that point, but Guida returned like a man possessed in Round 2 and turned the tables on Sanchez in dramatic fashion. Guida’s relentless attack eventually saw him take “The Nightmare” to the canvas, where he dominated from top position. But the action was still back and forth, even though Sanchez was pinned to the mat. A flurry of Sanchez elbows from his back ensured Guida didn’t come away from his period of positional dominance unscathed as the pair returned to their respective corners at the end of the round bathed in blood.

It put the fight on a knife-edge and set up a thrilling final round as the two all-action lightweights left everything in the octagon in a breathless finale. Guida had arguably the edge in terms of wrestling, but Sanchez’s approach was perhaps more geared to earning the finish as he landed the harder shots and threatened with submissions.

Eventually, the judges were called into action and, perhaps understandably, they returned a mixed bag of scores, with Sanchez taking the split-decision verdict with scores of 28-29, 29-27, 29-28 after one of the most incredible battles ever seen inside the octagon.

The fight has since been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, with the pair accepting the honor at the 2019 ceremony during International Fight Week last July. It remains one of the octagon’s classic battles and one that continues to thrill, even on multiple viewings.

Relive the classic battle between Sanchez and Guida via the video above.