This year produced some of the more entertaining UFC fights that have ever taken place in the Octagon. Despite big names like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic not fighting in 2022, there was no shortage of greatness at the top of the weight divisions.
All of the top fights in our list provided intensity, pressure, big heart and of course, some quality knockouts. So without further ado, let’s get down to the 5 best UFC fights of 2022.
5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns, UFC 273
This fight was one of the closest of the year, with many still arguing over the real winner. After Chimaev won the first round, Burns made a convincing argument that he won the second and third.
The main highlight of the matchup was when Burns dropped Chimaev with his right hand in the third. Shocking most experts, it made Chimaev look almost human after dominating all of his previous fights. Even though Chimaev took home the win, Burns will forever be remembered for his heroics.
4. Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa, UFC Fight Night 209
This battle of heavyweights lived up to expectations. Cyril Gane was coming off a title shot loss to Francis Ngannou and the Australian Tai Tuivasa was entering red hot, after five straight knockouts.
The fight was extremely chaotic, as both fighters showed their speed and power. Tuivasa dropped Gane in the second round but the Frenchman was able to comeback and win the fight via TKO in a thrilling and bloody three-round fight.
3. Matt Schnell vs. Su Mudaerji, UFC on ABC 3
One of the bloodiest fights of recent times, Schnell vs Mudaerji was nine minutes and 44 seconds of pure violence. The fight was ultimately called when Matt Schnell used a triangle choke to submit Su Mudaerji deep into the second round.
Mudaerji fought on a torn ACL but was able to dish out some serious punishment in the first round. Shnell was able to weather the storm and comeback however in the second, enduring many big blows and a number of takedowns.
2. Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier, UFC 281
This spectacular fight was Michael Chandler’s second amazing showing at Madison Square Gardens in New York. Unfortunately for him, the fight ended similarly, taking a loss to one of the greatest heavyweights of this generation in Dustin Poirier.
The bout was an exhibition of Chandler’s explosiveness and Poirier veteran ability to take hold of fights at the perfect moment. As an MMA fan it had everything you could ask for, heavy blows, chaotic brawling, takedowns and some expert wrestling.
This could easily be the fight of the year, but fell a little short.
1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 275
The title of best UFC fight in 2022 goes to Jiří Procházka and Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. After losing the fight on the scorecards after four rounds, Prochazka was forced to go for broke looking for the knockout in the fifth, and that’s exactly what happened. Prochazka was able to force Teixeira to tap with only 28 seconds remaining in the fifth round, just beating the buzzer.
The fight was filled with non-stop striking and the stakes couldn’t have been higher, with the Light-Heavyweight title on the line. All in all, this fight will go down as one of the best in UFC history.
