MMA has remained the most exciting fight sports in 2021 and there are plenty of big events coming up in the next few months to see fans through to next year as well.
There have been some enthralling events and fights throughout this year and the sport has not lost its popularity with fans around the world, even with a global pandemic to contend with. The amount of money involved with UFC betting has certainly shown that there has been no dip in the excitement.
Here is a quick round up of what we have seen this year – and some of the biggest and most hotly anticipated UFC events coming up in the next few months.
Best UFC Moments of 2021
UFC 261 saw Kamaru Usman retain his welterweight title by bulldozing Jorge Masvidal in the headline event back in April. While July gave us Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 in which the Irish fighter sustained a sickening leg break. Then the highlight of UFC 265 was Ciryl Gane beating Derrick Lewis to take the interim heavyweight title.
Abu Dhabi hosted UFC 267 at the end of October, where we saw Glover Teixera become the new light heavyweight champion when he defeated Jan Blachowicz, winning by submission in the second round. The most recent event was back at Madison Square Garden where Kamaru Usman successfully overcame Colby Colvington once again to retain the welterweight title.
Upcoming UFC Fight Nights
The next few months have a number of UFC Fight Nights for fans to look forward to. After the Viera vs. Tate event at the end of November, the UFC Apex plays host to a big selection of fights headlined by the heavyweight bout between former title challenger Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.
The first event of 2022 is UFC Fight Night 200 in which a featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze is expected to be the main draw. The location of this event is unknown at the current time but UFC fans have come to love these nights and it is sure to be a special occasion as they celebrate the 200th edition.
Figure 2 The T-Mobile Arena hosts UFC 269
UFC 269
The T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada is the venue for UFC 269, when there will be a double-header of title fights. Amanda Nunes – possibly the greatest female fighter of all time – will defend her bantamweight belt against challenger Juliana Pena. This should be the toughest fight Nunes has had for quite a while.
In the co-headline event, former interim champion Dustin Poirier will take on the newly crowned title holder Charles Oliveira. Many are looking at Poirier to come through in this one, but the veteran Oliveira will surely not give up the belt without a fight.
UFC 270
UFC 270 takes the short trip to Anaheim, California, as the Honda Center welcomes the next big event on January 22. Brandon Moreno and former champion Deivison Figueiredo come together in a trilogy bout with the flyweight title on the line. Another big fight on the night will be between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier in the middleweight division.
But the main headline bout of the evening will unite the heavyweight titles when reigning champion Francis Ngannou goes up against interim champion Ciryl Gane. This is sure to be a fight for the ages and will be a fitting way to kick off the main UFC events in 2022.
UFC Fighting in 2022
With more fans returning to arenas, UFC events are only going to get more exciting in 2022. This year saw some truly epic battles between some of the biggest names in the sport. But UFC doesn’t stand still for long – and there is bound to be some intriguing storylines emerging as we go into the New Year.