Author: Dan Hiergesell

Last year produced a slew of new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titleholders from the smallest divisions to the largest. New kings and queens were crowned while former champions took a back seat entering the new year.

While there were a bunch of new champions in 2021 a few fighters stood out more than the rest. The first is Francis Ngannou, who finally captured the undisputed UFC heavyweight title with a knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is the second as “Venezuelan Vixen” shocked the combat sports world with a submission win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. Last but not least is Rose Namajunas, who found a way to head kick finish Zhang Weili at UFC 261 and then beat her at UFC 268 in a rematch just six months later.

Fortunately, UFC has compiled a pretty cool video montage of all of the new UFC champions crowned in 2021. It can be seen in the above video player.

As we enter 2022 which fighters do you think will hoist UFC gold over the next 12 months? Will Khamzat Chimaev continue his dominance and claim the welterweight title? Will Conor McGregor return to action to reclaim the lightweight championship?

Let us know in the comments below!

As we continue to take a look back at 2021 we can’t help but relive some of the best UFC commentary moments of the year.

While UFC’s broadcast team often changes from event to event the promotion still offers some of the most unique and memorable cageside voices in the game. From the legendary Joe Rogan to former UFC fighters like Daniel Cormier, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping, and Paul Felder, the commentary teams delivered across the board last year.

Luckily, UFC has compiled a lengthy video montage of all the best commentary moments of 2021. Whether it was incredible knockouts, unfortunate injuries, or improbable upsets, UFC’s broadcast squad had a reaction for everything.

Check it out in the above video player.

After taking a look at all of these calls which team do you prefer? It’s hard to pass up a pay-per-view (PPV) event being called by Rogan, but Bisping has become quite the commentator and may be the best option for the promotion heading into 2022.

We rolled out the first half of UFC’s 2021 Year in Review earlier today and now it’s time to take a look at the second half of action.

Unlike most of the fights that occurred in the first six months of 2021 the second half widely took place in front of live fans. Chalk it up to COVID-19 limiting the first half of action, but the promotion pulled out all the stops for the final stretch.

Leading the way was Dustin Poirier’s trilogy bout with Conor McGregor, Glover Teixeira’s improbable submission win over Jan Blachowicz to win the UFC light heavyweight title, Julianna Pena’s massive upset over Amanda Nunes, and a Fight of the Decade showing between lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.

As always, let us know if there is anything missing from this list that stands out more than the rest. Maybe Petr Yan’s bantamweight title clash with Cory Sandhagen?

Sound off!

Now that 2021 is in the books we’re able to take a look back at the very best knockouts carried out inside of the UFC’s famed Octagon.

Despite the ups and down of the past 12 months fight fans bore witness to some of the best knockouts in recent memory. From Kamaru Usman’s crippling finish over Jorge Masvidal in their welterweight title fight rematch to Ignacio Bahamondes’ insane spinning back kick with seconds left on the clock, the Octagon action delivered in waves this past year.

Check out UFC’s official Knockout of the Year nominees below and all of the video footage in the above player, courtesy of UFC.

• Kamaru Usman def. Jorge Masvidal via second-round KO (punch) at UFC 261
• Jiri Prochazka def. Dominick Reyes via second-round KO (spinning back elbow) at UFC Vegas 25
• Rose Namajunas def Zhang Weili via first-round KO (head kick) at UFC 261
• Ignacio Bahamondes def. Roosevelt Roberts via third-round KO (spinning back kick) at UFC Vegas 34

What do you think, Maniacs? What was the best UFC knockout of 2021?

Sound off!

The new year will begin with a heavyweight bang later tonight (Sat., Jan. 1, 2022) live on FOX PPV/FITE TV from inside Seminole Hard Rock and Hotel Casino in Hollywood, Fla., as former WBC heavyweight title challenger Luis Ortiz meets veteran knockout artist Charles Martin in the main event.

Ortiz, who has only lost to Deontay Wilder in his professional career, is coming off a blistering first-round knockout win over Alexander Flores. However, that happened back in Nov. 2020 so Ortiz will be trying to fight through some ring rust later tonight. Martin, on the other hand, will put his three-fight win streak on the line as he tries to climb the heavyweight ladder and lock down a shot at the IBF heavyweight title.

In addition to the Ortiz vs, Martin headliner, the PPV card will feature four other heavyweight matchups, including the return of Cuban prospect Frank Sanchez. Check out the full main card lineup below:

• Heavyweight: Luis Ortiz (32-2, 27 KO) vs Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25 KO)
• Heavyweight: Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 KO) vs Christian Hammer (26-8, 16 KO)
• Heavyweight: Jonnie Rice (14-6-1, 10 KO) vs Michael Coffie (12-1, 9 KO)
• Heavyweight: Gerald Washington (20-4-1, 13 KO) vs Ali Eren Demirezen (14-1, 11 KO)
• Heavyweight: Viktor Faust (8-0, 6 KO) vs Iago Kiladze (27-5-1, 19 KO)

While New Year’s day will feature a slew of college football games and holiday movies fight fans will still be looking to find their fix with some good old fashioned violence. Check out below for all the ways to watch the ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ fight card from the comfort of your own home:

Start Times

• Sat., Jan. 1, 2022, from inside Seminole Hard Rock and Hotel Casino in Hollywood, Florida
• Main card begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ main event begins around 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

Online Viewing

• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can be purchased via FOX Sports PPV for $39.99.
• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can also be viewed through FITE TV.

Television Viewing

• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can be purchased through the FOX Sports App via Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Android TV, PlayStation, or Xbox. Check out full viewing details HERE.
• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can also be purchased via FITE TV app. Click HERE for full details on how to watch using your Smart TV, Chromecast, and/or Amazon Fire TV.

Mobile Viewing

• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can be purchased through the FOX Sports app. Click HERE for details.
• ‘Ortiz vs. Martin’ PPV main card can be purchased via FITE TV app. Click HERE for full details on how to watch using your mobile device

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of tonight’s card below, starting with the FITE PPV broadcast at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The past 12 months were some of the more memorable for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). From mega pay-per-view (PPV) cards to sold-out crowd amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion provided consistent action from start to finish.

In order to look back at the past year the promotion has compiled the best of the best from the first six months of 2021. The video footage can be seen in the above player.

Some of the shining moments from the first half of 2021 include Dustin Poirier’s knockout win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257, Max Holloway’s record-setting performance against Calvin Kattar at UFC on ABC 1, and Francis Ngannou’s knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to claim the undisputed UFC heavyweight title.

If something is missing from the first half of last year please let us know in the comments below. There were simply too many memorable moments to cover so lets discuss to start the new year!