2023 was an exciting year for the UFC, as the promotion celebrated 30 years in the MMA world. This year saw many interesting and surprising things happen at the company. UFC saw fighters like Amanda Nunes and Mauricio Rua retiring from the sport. While many new fighters stepped into the octagon and impressed everyone with their skills and abilities, On that note, let’s have a look at the 10 best fights of 2023.
10. Kelvin Gastelum Vs. Chris Curtis
Gastelum and Curtis faced each other at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023. Both gave their all in the fight and proved that they did not belong in the preliminaries and should have been on the main card. The two threw everything at each other in order to win. In the end, the fight went into the hands of Kelvin Gastelum, who won via unanimous decision. But no one can deny that the bout was extremely close.
9. Deiveson Figueiredo Vs. Brandon Moreno
Both fighters faced each other at UFC 283 on January 21. The bout was competitive for both fighters from the start to the finish. Moreno landed some excellent strikes on his opponents and Figueiredo responded with his strikes to take the lead in the second round. “The Assassin Baby” hit Figueiredo with a powerful hook in the third round that caused his eye to swell. The swelling got worse and the fight was eventually stopped on doctor’s orders. The fight may have ended this way, but it was entertaining for the audience right up to the conclusion.
8. Jon Jones Vs. Ciryl Gane
Jon Jones made his UFC return on March 4, 2023, after a long hiatus of three years. He faced Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 for the vacant UFC Heavyweight championship. “Bones” was dominant throughout the fight and he knocked down “Bon Gamin” in the very first round to win the title. This bout made it clear that Jones is back and ready to continue his illustrious career. Jones has lost only one fight in his professional MMA career till now and it looks like he will dominate the sport for a long time.
7. Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 and made a dominant start in the first round. However, Gaethje fought back against Fiziev’s tactics and began to have better success in the second round, striking back with some strong strikes to the upper body and head of his opponent. “The Highlight” dropped down the Azerbaijani fighter with some powerful hooks before executing a spectacular takedown to end the third round. Gaethje won the fight via decision giving, a great entertainment dose to the fans.
6. Alex Pereira Vs. Israel Adesanya
After losing the Middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in 2022, Israel Adesanya got a rematch against him in early 2023. This time “The Last Stylebender” went on in the fight with full strength and showcased his incredible skills, technique and tenacity. Adesanya knocked down Alex Pereira in the second round. He allowed “Poatan” to give his all in the fight and exhausted him until it was time to deliver the final blow.
5. C.J. Vergara Vs. Daniel Lacerda
Vergara faced Daniel Lacerda in March of this year and this fight was interesting because it saw C.J.’s triumphant return. Initially, Lacerda was controlling the fight as he dropped Vergara down many times. In the second round, Vergara geared up and mounted a powerful comeback. Ultimately, Vergara won the fight by TKO. The good part was that both fighters walked away with Fight of the Night honors in this amazing battle.
4. Jared Cannonier vs. Marvin Vettori
Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori’s bout was an entertaining one, with Vettori opening the early rounds strongly countering everything his opponent did. “The Killa Gorilla” took a southpaw stance in the second round, then landed a flurry of strikes on the self-proclaimed Vettori. “The Italian Dream” showed his ability and took everything Cannonier threw at him in every round. However, Cannonier won the fight via unanimous decision, but both fighters earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
3. Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
Arnold Allen was on a 12-fight winning streak before this fight and looked to reach his 13th win if he managed to defeat Holloway. Despite Allen’s full determination, Holloway displayed a heavy arsenal of kick combinations that dominated his opponent. “Blessed” continued his dominance till the fifth round and was declared the winner of the match via unanimous decision.
2. Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal
Shavkat Rakhmonov faced Geoff Neal at UFC 285 and initially “Handz of Steel” landed some strong blows. However, in terms of range, Rakhmonov landed several kicks to the body and head, respectively. In the third round, Neal did his best to put “Nomad” away, but Rakhmonov fought back and eventually took command in the final moments of round three. Shavkat applied a rear naked choke to his opponent and made him submit.
1. Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
The stakes of this fight were very high, as Volkanovski was attempting to become a double champion. This was a big reason why this bout is considered UFC’s Fight of the Year for 2023. Initially, “The Great” landed some incredible strikes before switching to the ground game. Despite this, both fighters were extremely competitive and gave each other a tough time. Advancing to the last round, the Australian dropped Makhachev and then continued the ground-and-pound game until the bell rang. The match ultimately went in Makhachev’s favor. The match was so impressive that both fighters got a rematch in October, where Makhachev won again, but this time via knockout.
Also Read: 10 Craziest MMA Moments of 2023
