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The UFC has enjoyed yet another sensational year of fights. There were several ups and downs, but it is fair to say that the promotion put on some jaw-dropping events.
With many jaw-dropping showdowns throughout the year, we take a look at five of the best fights that took place in 2022.
5. Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler
Heading into this fight, many were highly anticipating this lightweight showdown.
Despite UFC 281 being headlined by an eye-catching middleweight bout between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, MMA fans were eagerly looking forward to the lightweight fight between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
Coming into the fight, Poirier was going into the bout off of a win against Conor McGregor. As for ‘Iron Mike,’ the veteran defeated Tony Ferguson with a brutal head kick KO.
The permutations of this fight were massive. The winner could see themselves in contention for the next shot at the lightweight. As both men made their walks to the octagon, fans were in sheer awe that this fight was actually about to go down.
Michael Chandler started guns blazing straight off the blokes, landing some brutal shots on ‘the diamond.’ With Poirier on the ropes, he then had some success on the feet towards the end of the first.
The second saw Chandler dominate as he utilised his wrestling. However, in dramatic fashion, Poirier came out in the final round and shocked many by securing the submission win in what will go down as one of the best fights of the year.
4. Stephen Thompson vs Kevin Holland
From top to bottom, it is fair to say that UFC Orlando was stacked. The bout was headlined by a welterweight showdown between Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland.
Leading up to the main event, every fight on the main card resulted in a finish. Therefore, both Thompson and Holland had a fair bit of pressure to deliver a spectacle for the fans. Holland was a slight favourite going into the fight due to his significant height and reach advantage.
Immediately, the fight turned into a bloody brawl, which meant that Thompson had to opt to go for a different approach than he is used to. In what was a true back and forth fight, Holland broke his hand early on. Towards the final rounds, Thompson edged out the fight, with Holland’s corner throwing in the towel.
It quickly devolved into a bloody brawl that forced 'Wonderboy' to adopt a grittier approach to his striking. Eventually, 'Trailblazer' could take no more. Having sustained a broken hand during the bout, he was unfit to continue. His corner threw in the towel, a rare moment in MMA, awarding 'Wonderboy' a TKO win.
3. Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley
Heading into the epic bantamweight showdown, many were shocked that the fight was made. Yan was coming off of a split-decision defeat to champion Aljamain Sterling, whilst O’Malley was coming off of a no-contest against Pedro Munhoz.
With O’Malley being ranked just outside the top ten, fans were wondering if he was ready for that big of a test. Yan was a big favourite going into the fight, with many quick to discredit ‘Suga.’
What happened next was quite simply jaw-dropping. Everyone knew that O’Malley was a top striker, but Yan has been dubbed the best striker in the division.
From the off, O’Malley was quick to establish his gameplan in the stand-up, whilst Yan had success utilising the jab. Towards the middle of the fight, Yan’s tidy combinations and takedowns started causing real problems. However, in the end, Sean was able to get the nod in what was a brilliant fight.
2. Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev
This fight will go down as one of the best fights of the year.
Everyone was keeping close tabs on Chimaev to see if he was truly the big deal. With many fighters keen on not facing him, Burns was the one to step up. Burns has been a top contender in the welterweight division for some time and was never going to say no to this fight. Chimaev was the slight favourite going into the fight just based on how dominant he has been throughout his career so far.
From the off, Chimaev’s jab and grappling were in full force as he caused the Brazilian a world of problems early on in the fight. With that being said, Burns came back to seriously hurt Chimaev in the brutal exchanges, dropping Khamzat towards the end of the round.
In the final round, Chimaev was a little calmer in his approach as he seal the decision in what was a crazy fight.
1. Jiří Procházka vs Glover Teixeira
At the age of 42, Glover Teixeira became the light heavyweight champion of the world, which shocked a fair few MMA fans.
After defeating Jan Błachowicz, Glover had a tough test in the first defence of his light heavyweight title. Jiří Procházka was described as the next ‘top contender’ in the division. His frightening knockout power put his name on the map.
With both Glover and Jiri going head to head, many favoured the knockout artist to get it done. However, the fight would go on to shock many. From the off, Jiri was able to land on Glover but was unable to put the Brazilian away.
No matter how many times Jiri landed, Glover kept coming back and caused real havoc throughout the fight. Despite being well known for his grappling, Glover’s striking was on point throughout the fight. With both men looking down and out during the fight, somehow, the fight made it to the championship rounds.
In the end, Jiri had to go to deep waters and was able to chase the submission win to secure the light heavyweight title.
