2023 was another wild year for MMA fans, as they witnessed many surprising and crazy moments. The year began with the return of Jon Jones and the retirement of former UFC champion Glover Teixeira. As the year progressed, some massive upsets were seen. Some of the moments were good, while others were so ridiculous that they disappointed the fans. Let’s have a look at 10 moments in the MMA world of 2023.
10. Return of the BMF Title
UFC’s BMF Title is a little similar to a WWE-style championship. In 2019, Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz fought for this title, and “Gamebred” ended up winning. However, Masvidal retired in April 2023 without even defending the title. The promotion brought the title back for a rematch between Dustin Piorier and Justin Gaethje. “The Highlight” won the match by knockout and showed interest in defending it.
9. Launch of Power Slap Promotion
Dana White announced the creation of the Power Slap promotion in late 2022. Whether or not slap fighting is a sport is still debated, as it is only sanctioned in Nevada due to the promotion’s close ties with the state. Five events have been held so far and are being pushed hard by the UFC. Nevertheless, it failed to attract fans’ attention. It was dropped by TBS and is now being aired on the free streaming service Rumble.
8. Alexa Grasso causes a big upset
Valentina Shevchenko has dominated the flyweight division of the UFC since 2018. “Bullet” was on a nine-fight winning streak before facing Alexa Grasso in March. Shevchenko fought Grasso at UFC 285 for another title defense and lost the match via submission. Everyone was shocked after the match because Valentina entered the fight as a huge favorite. A few months later, their rematch ended in a draw, but many people believed that Shevchenko deserved the victory.
7. Covington insulting Edward’s dead father
Colby Covington got a title shot at the Welterweight Championship in UFC 296 against Leon Edwards. He was out of action for almost two years following a victory over Jorge Masvidal, so it was surprising. “Chaos” gave a tough fight to Edwards and dominated him, but lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, Covington made headlines before the fight for invoking Leon’s father, implying that his murdered father was in hell.
6. Strickland winning the Middleweight title
Sean Strickland has had a good MMA career till now. However, no one ever expected him to become a UFC Champion. For most of his career, Strickland was never considered that great. However, “Tarzan” silenced everyone on September 10. Since Darius Du Plessis was suffering from an injury, Strickland faced Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. He caused one of the biggest upsets in MMA history by defeating “The Last Stylebender” via unanimous decision.
5. David Goggins coached Ferguson
Tony Ferguson entered UFC 296 on a losing streak of six consecutive bouts. “El Cucuy” was set to face Paddy Pimblett and felt he needed a change. He found this variation in the form of training with marathon runner and former Navy SEAL David Goggins. David was even present in the corner of Ferguson’s defeat to Pimblett at UFC 296. Still, the coaching arrangement was strange and odd.
4. Darius and Adesanya got into a heated face-off
As we mentioned above, Darius Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya was canceled because “Stillknocks” was injured. But the rivalry is still shaping up and their face-off at UFC 290 was one of the greatest moments of 2023. Earlier this year, Darius took aim at Adesanya, saying he was the “Real African Fighter.” Adesanya was definitely triggered by this. As a result, they had a very heated NSFW face-off following Du Plessis’ victory over Robert Whittaker in July.
3. Dana White slapped his wife
In January, a video surfaced that showed Dana White slapping his wife in public. Just a week before the start of his latest show, he was seen having a physical altercation with his wife in a nightclub. Later, the pair apologized for their actions. However, White faced no consequences and when he was asked about the same, the UFC CEO said, “This is my punishment and I have to walk around as long as I live, now I’m being labeled that way.”
2. Strickland and Du Plessis’ unofficial fight
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis are scheduled to fight in January at UFC 297. However, that fight will be an unofficial rematch of their fight outside the octagon, which took place at UFC 296. Both UFC fighters were unknowingly sitting a little close to each other at the event. They were shown on screen to the live crowd, and Plessis mocked Strickland and the “Tarzan” attacked him and both ended up fighting.
1. McGregor and Chandler coaching on The Ultimate Fighter
Conor McGregor has been out of action for almost three years. However, he returned this summer on The Ultimate Fighter. The Irishman co-coached the latest season of the show with Michael Chandler. It was a wild season, where McGregor and his team started 0-7 but were saved by a Rico DiSciullo knockout. “The Notorious” also feuded and argued with “Iron” on several occasions.
Also Read: List Of UFC Fighters Who Were Suspended For Marijuana Use
