2021 is almost over, but luckily, we have already seen some exciting bouts this year. Needless to say, that with so many amazing UFC fights it’s quite hard to select the best ones of the year. However, we tried, and finally, we have managed to narrow down our favorites to 10 classic fights.
Let’s see the top 10 UFC fights in 2021 that we will remember for a while!
10. UFC 257: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2
The bout between Poirier and McGregor was just enough to get into the top 10 UFC fights in 2021. Poirier defeated “The Notorious” McGregor in the main event of UFC 257. Despite getting some tough punches from McGregor, midway through the second round, the fight ended with a TKO victory for Poirier.
9. UFC Vegas 20: Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera 2
In 2015, the fight between Munhoz and Rivera didn’t go as Munhoz has previously imagined. So, this time “The Young Punisher” came to get redemption. Even though Rivera’s leg looked pretty bad at the end of the fight, “El Terror” didn’t give up. Munhoz won the fight due to the unanimous decision of the judges.
8. UFC 263: Drew Dober vs. Brad Riddell
The 8th fight on our list is the Dober vs. Riddell. What makes this bout so special? The two fighters have torn the house down in Glendale, Arizona. Right after the opening bell, Riddell showed that he came to the Octagon to win. Undoubtedly, both of them fired some heavy shots during the fight. But according to the scorecards, Riddell was the better fighter this time.
7. UFC Fight Island 8: Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones
When it comes to the Davis vs. Jones fight at UFC Fight Island 8, we can say that there was no rest given to either “Beast Boy” or “The Dragon”. During the three rounds, an impressive number of 225 strikes were landed. Due to the judges’ unanimous decision, Davis left the Octagon as a winner.
6. UFC Vegas 28: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Miguel Baeza
After the Ponzinibbio vs. Baeza fight at UFC Vegas 28, many people referred to the jaw-dropping battle as a possible “Fight of the Year” candidate. It’s not so surprising considering the fact that the two welterweight fighters turned the fight into a real war.
Ponzinibbio found himself in trouble in the first round but then in the next rounds, he bounced back quite impressively. In the end, he defeated Baeza by unanimous decision.
5. UFC 262: Shane Burgos vs. Edson Barboza
The fight between Burgos and Barboza came out thrillful. In the first two rounds, both fighters went back and forth. Then, in the third round, Barboza managed to knock out Burgos. Although at first Burgos seemed to absorb the punch well, a few moments later he collapsed.
4. UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega
The Volkanovski vs. Ortega was another epic UFC fight where featherweight champion Volkanovski successfully retained his title against Ortega. Volkanovski had an outstanding performance and controlled the bout from the start. Even though the third round was tough on him, he managed to win against “T-City” via 5 round decision.
3. UFC 262: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
The Oliveira vs. Chandler was a great, exciting fight that got third place on our list. In the first round, Oliveira took Chandler’s back and got his body locked up in a triangle. However, at one point Chandler managed to get off the body triangle. Then, Chandler landed a powerful punch in Oliveira’s face. In the second round, with a strong punch, Oliveira left Chandler wobbling. From there for Chandler there was no coming back, Oliveira finished him and won the UFC’s lightweight belt.
2. UFC Vegas 25: Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes
The Prochazka vs. Reyes fight at UFC Vegas 25 ended with one of the most violent KOs in recent years. Certainly, we will talk about that brutal knockout for a while!
The light heavyweight fighter Prochazka took control early in the bout by bloodying Reyes’ face. However, Reyes didn’t want to give up so easily, so he made a comeback with a series of counterpunches. Unfortunately, the comeback was short-lived, as Reyes was left unconscious by Prochazka’s spinning back-elbow.
1. UFC Fight Island 7: Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar
The number one on our list of best UFC fights in 2021 is the Holloway vs. Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7. Both Holloway and Kattar are among the best fighters in the featherweight division.
This particular fight can be remembered for many reasons. First of all, the intensity of the fight was absolutely impressive as Holloway was pressed to prove his talent after his previous two losses. Ultimately, Holloway was able to keep the pressure on for the full 25 minutes of the bout and beat Kattar. One of the most memorable moments of the fight was when at one point Holloway shouted, “I’m the best boxer in the UFC, baby!”.
There you have it! These were the best UFC fights so far in 2021. Make sure to not miss out on the upcoming fights either. Who knows, maybe the best fight of the year will come out from those bouts.
If you want, you can make these UFC fights more exciting by online betting. Bet on the winner of the fight at one of the best online betting sites – you can do that at FansBet as well – and enjoy the event!
