Memorial Day madness! Ranking the last five late May UFC PPV events

The fights just keep on coming.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brass have pulled out all the stops for the annual memorial day pay-per-view (PPV) event. UFC 187, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, has turned into one hell of a mixed martial arts (MMA) blockbuster.

On May 23, 2015, Jon Jones and Chris Weidman defend their belts against Anthony Johnson and Chris Weidman, respectively, atop the monumental PPV. Fight fans are also treated to a lightweight title eliminator between the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov and the streaking Donald Cerrone.

A plethora of pulsating contests fill out the rest of the card, as seven weight classes are represented on the evening. UFC 187 became even more stacked this week with two new fights added, that include contenders Uriah Hall and Dong Hyun Kim.

With a card poised to be the most explosive memorial day event the UFC has put together in quite some time, let's take a trip down memory lane at some of the past late May specials.

5. UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill"

No title fight, and two past-their-prime light heavyweights is a recipe for a PPV disaster.

Quinton Jackson's romp over Matt Hamill wasn't the least bit exciting. "Rampage" ultimately prevailed over "The Hammer" due to his takedown defense and better overall striking game plan.

Frank Mir used Roy Nelson as a punching bag in the show's co-main event. For 15-minutes, Mir did as he pleased, taking "Big Country" down repeatedly and grinding him against the fence.

Then, there was also the stinker of a performance Rick Story put up against muay-thai specialist Thiago Alves.

UFC 130 was far from memorable, but look on the bright side. The preliminary card was highlighted by unanimous decision performances from two future champions, Demetrious Johnson and Renan Barao.

4. UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans"

You would think following a hate-fueled season on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 that "Rampage" and Rashad Evans would produce a "Fight of the Night"-caliber performance. Who were you kidding?

Aside from a knockdown by Jackson, "Suga" pressured "Rampage," and allowed him to never get comfortable. Evans took Jackson down three times, and was far more accurate striker.

Michael Bisping battered perennial tough guy Dan Miller for the three rounds prior to the Rampage-Evans scrap. The Brit beat the New Jersey native to the punch repeatedly, and clearly showed Miller to be way out of his league.

Earlier on the that May night in 2010, John Hathaway continued his rise up the welterweight ranks, while Antonio Rogerio Nogueira turned in an uninspiring effort against wrestler Jason Brilz.

No real star power, and not much in the way of finishes. We've seen much better PPVs put together by the UFC.

3. UFC 160: "Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2"

The UFC main card produced finishes in five of six fights.

In the headliner, the baddest dude on the planet Cain Velasquez took on familiar foe Antonio Silva in a rematch for the Mexican's heavyweight strap. The less nimble Brazilian stood no chance, was rocked early and finished with ground-and-pound less than 90-seconds into the fight.

Former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos faced "Super Samoan" Mark Hunt in the night's co-main event. Dos Santos out-boxed the heavy-handed Hunt for 14 minutes, before the former K-1 kickboxer fell via a vicious spinning wheel kick.

The pair were promptly awarded a performance bonus for their Fight of the Night.

Former light heavyweight title challenger began his climb to the top here, snatching up a guillotine choke victory over New Zealand knockout artist James Te Huna. T.J. Grant rose to the occasion with a title shot on the line, dusting off Gray Maynard with strikes just over two minutes into their lightweight pairing.

If that wasn't enough, "Cowboy" unleashed his outstanding overall MMA game, winning big over former Strikeforce title challenger KJ Noons. UFC 160 was nothing to sneeze at.

2. UFC 173: "Barao vs. Dillashaw"

In one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw tagged the Brazilian brute for 22 minutes until the latter ate one too many head kicks.

The Team Alpha Male product came into his main event clash with Barao a sizable underdog. What occurred throughout the next 20-or-so minutes was nothing short of extraordinary.

Dillashaw knocked down the Nova Uniao staple twice, and also landed some heavy ground punches, en route to a thrilling finish.

In the co-main event, it was a matchup of profound Olympic wrestlers. Except one is nine years older than the other.

Former Strikeforce heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier absolutely destroyed former two-division Pride Champion Dan Henderson for over 12 minutes, before locking in the rear-naked choke.

Also on the card, "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler washed away the sting of a tough title loss and blitzed perennial 170-pound contender Jake Ellenberger for the third-round TKO victory.

Former WEC bantamweight title challenger also bested Francisco Rivera in a back-and-forth battle. From the little guys, to the heaviest of heavy hitters; UFC 173 had it all.

1. UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir"

Whether it was free booze -- or free food -- these fighters sure did have to get somewhere.

The Brazilian boxer, Dos Santos, made the first successful title defense -- later would end up being his only -- of his championship tenure against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir. The profound Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Mir was no match for the elite striking of Dos Santos, and it showed as he was put down by strikes in the second round.

American Kickboxing Academy giant Velasquez wasted no time ending Silva's night, finishing him just over three minutes into their first meeting. The heavyweight fight fest wasn't done there -- in fact it was the first all-heavyweight PPV put together by the UFC -- as Stipe Miocic and Roy Nelson walked away with knockouts of their own.

Stefan Struve kicked off the main card with an armbar victory over Lavar Johnson. UFC 146 was unique, and powerful. It was a bold move that paid off for the promotion, in more ways than one.

Out of the four aforementioned memorial day events, UFC 146 drew an attendance of 14,500, good for second place behind UFC 114.

Now, who is excited for UFC 187?

For the latest fight card, rumors and news surrounding the Memorial Day weekend event click here.