With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best fights from November. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for November.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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The Nominees

T.J. Dillashaw def. Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217

The bad blood between Cody Garbrandt (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and T.J. Dillashaw (15-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) finally got a chance to boil over, and an ex-champ got his title back in the grudge match with a former teammate.

Dillashaw stunned Garbrandt with a head kick, then moments later planted him again with a right hand before finishing him with a series of punches on the ground. The end came midway through the second round – and came after Dillashaw was saved by the bell in the first round when Garbrandt nearly had him finished.

Georges St-Pierre def. Michael Bisping at UFC 217

Georges St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) promised to make history against Michael Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC), and he delivered by becoming just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win belts in two weight classes when he claimed the middleweight belt.

Former longtime welterweight champ St-Pierre was successful in his return to the octagon after nearly four years when he defeated Bisping by third-round technical submission, tying the record for most wins in UF history.

Dustin Poirier def. Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 120

After faltering in his first UFC main event, Dustin Poirier (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) thrived in his second when he defeated former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (20-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a thrilling bout.

Poirier’s solid run since returning to the 155-pound division in early 2015 continued with the victory over Pettis. It was a back-and-forth affair, and while the finish was anticlimactic due to an injury, “The Diamond” won a highlight entertaining bout.

Frank Camacho def. Damien Brown at UFC Fight Night 121

In a no-brainer “Fight of the Night,” Frank Camacho (21-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Damien Brown (17-11 MMA, 2-3 UFC) beat each other up for 15 minutes in a lightweight affair.

In the end, however, it was Camacho who got the most work done, and bloodied Brown up on his way to a split decision win. The judges rewarded his output with scores of 30-27 and 29-28; Brown got a dissenting 29-28 score.

Fabricio Werdum def. Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 121

Not many were expecting the heavyweight main event between Fabricio Werdum (23-7-1 MMA, 13-4 UFC) and Marcin Tybura (16-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) to go the distance. But that’s exactly what happened.

Werdum and Tybura went five rounds, combining for a single-fight heavyweight record 282 significant strikes landed. In the end it was Brazil’s Werdum, a former UFC heavyweight champion, who took the unanimous decision.

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The winner: Dustin Poirier vs. Anthony Pettis

Poirier and Pettis delivered on the expectations, engaging in a wildly entertaining fight that saw “The Diamond” take home a third-round TKO in a blood-soaked affair.

Poirier took the center at the start, looking to press, but Pettis was there to open with a few powerful kicks to the legs and then up high. A Pettis flying knee just missed, and Poirier then changed levels and quickly drove the action to the floor. Poirier kept the legs wrapped as Pettis patiently worked to a sitting position and looked to crawl to his feet. Poirier stayed heavy on top, and Pettis turned to a kimura, but Poirier reacted well and was able to pull free and move to his opponent’s guard. A slick Pettis sweep created a scramble, and the two moved back to the feet, where both men landed crisp right hands.

Poirier came up short on another takedown, but a nice right hand followed and briefly stumbled Pettis. Poirier turned up the head, and combinations rocked his opponent. Pettis answered with a spinning backfist that stunned his opponent, but Poirier and continued with the assault until the bell.

Pettis seemed fully recovered to start the second, coming out aggressive and looking to strike. Poirier again turned to the takedown, getting the fight to the floor and battling through a triangle attempt from his opponent. Poirier scored with a few big elbows from the top, slicing open Pettis, who was forced to roll and expose his back. With blood streaming down his face and impacting his vision, Pettis was able to spin inside and take top position, scoring a few big punches and elbows of his own. Wild scrambles followed, with both men covered in blood and battling for position. Eventually, they returned to the feet, where Pettis scored a takedown but was unable to control Poirier, who slipped out the back door and took top position. With blood pooling on the face of Pettis, referee Keith Peterson called time and brought the doctor in to take a look.

Despite a few nasty cuts in dangerous spots, the fight was allowed to continue, and Pettis locked in a dangerous triangle choke in the final seconds. Poirier survived the hold and wound up on top, striking until the bell.

Both men looked battered to start the third, and after a few back-and-forth strikes, Poirier again pushed inside for a takedown. Pettis looked to scramble free, but Poirier was able to slip around to the back and lock in a body triangle. Pettis did well to battle the hands, but as he again tried to spin inside the hold, Poirier transitioned over to mount. The torque was too much for Pettis, and he verbally submitted due to an apparent injury, resulting in a TKO finish.

“It was weird,” Poirier said of the finish. “I thought I was going to get the head-and-arm or rear-naked choke. He was hurt, and I felt the power leave him. You know the point in a fight when a guy gets broken. I do that to a lot of these guys.

“I’m a nasty dude. I love this. This is what I live for. The talking, calling people out and acting crazy? That’s not what I do. I fight.”

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