2022 was a huge year for the UFC. We had new champions, epic knockouts and unforgettable moments. Across 46 events, 13 of them pay-per-views, fight fans were treated to some truly incredible fights over the course of the year. The hard part is looking back at all those fights an picking out the very best of the year. I have put together my favorites in a few categories to really celebrate 2022 in the octagon.
Knockout of the year
Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman
This was one of those moments in sports that you could see being turned into a movie one day. And it’s fitting that Leon Edwards’ nickname is “Rocky.” With just about a minute left in their 25-minute, championship fight, it looked like dominant champ Kamaru Usman was going to grind out another one-sided decision victory. Edwards may have snuck out one round on the scorecards but it was very clearly going to be Usman getting his hand raised once again.
And then Edwards shocked the world. Known for his striking, the challenger faked with his right to get Usman to react. And once he did, Edwards landed a massive head kick that immediately got everyone out of their seats. Usman hit the mat and it was clear he was instantly out and we had a new welterweight champion. If the Rocky music had started playing in that moment, no one would have questioned it.
Submission of the year
Jessica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos
Submissions may not be as inherently memorable as knockouts but every now and then we get one that just stands out in our minds. Jessica Andrade met Amanda Lemos in the main event of a fight night back in April and she delivered exactly that.
Lemos is a dangerous striker and she was really giving the veteran Andrade trouble, particularly with her leg kicks. It seemed as though Lemos was always getting off her strikes first and she really kept Andrade off balance. That was until Andrade countered a combination by lunging into a grab an arm triangle choke. The commentary team discussed how she could get Lemos to the ground to potentially finish the fight and before they could get their throughs out, Andrade forced her opponent to tap out while still on her feet. A standing arm triangle submission is not something you see every day in the octagon and it earns Andrade the submission of the year.
Fight of the year
Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira
It happens all the time. A UFC card will come out and fans will look at it and think “meh, I’m not really excited about this one.” That card will inevitably be your favorite of the year. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka was far from the most exciting main event the UFC could put on and yet here we are. This fight was one of the most wild and fun of all time, never mind just this year.
Teixera is a crafty veteran with power in his hands and world-class grappling skills, but when he gets tired, he can get a little sloppy. Prochazka is an incredible athlete with some creative and dangerous striking, but when he gets tired, he can get a little sloppy. This fight embraced the sloppy and it was awesome. The last couple of rounds were just one near finish after another. It was a wild back and forth battle that kept fans screaming a jumping out of their seats. And yet, even in their exhaustion, both guys displayed some amazing technique, purely based on instinct. No question this was the fight of the year.
Fighter of the year
Alex Pereira
This was by far the toughest decision to make because there were so many fighters worthy of the title. Alexander Volkanovski continued to dominate the featherweight division and claimed the top pound-for-pound ranking. Zhang Weili recaptured the women’s strawweight championship and looked dominant doing it. Islam Makhachev rolled through the lightweight division and earned the crown. The difference maker for me was, Alex Pereira won one more fight.
With three wins in 2022, Pereira is my pick for fighter of the year. It’s so much more than just three wins though. Coming into 2022, Pereira had just one UFC bout under his belt. This year, he won a decision over Bruno Silva and then really got everyone’s attention when he knocked out Sean Strickland. That set up a rematch with Israel Adesanya, an old rival whom he met in his kickboxing days. Adesanya had been a dominant middleweight champ in the UFC and was eager to put to rest the talk of Pereira’s knockout victory in their first meeting.Unfortunately for him, it happened again. Pereira scored a knockout in the fifth and final round of a fight that it looked like Adesanya was winning. It was yet another shocking moment in a year full of them and it resulted in a new middleweight champ. It was one heck of a year for Alex Pereira.
The UFC will return for another big year on ESPN+ in 2023.