MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 2022 honors – The very best competitor, coating, possibility and also even more

December 22, 2022

The sporting activity of blended fighting styles is never ever boring and also 2022 was an excellent instance of that.

In the period of 4 months, 3 of the leading pound-for-pound competitors on the planet weren’t simply defeated, yet ended up.

The year began with Francis Ngannou, the hardest puncher in UFC background, making use of fumbling and also hurting– of all points– to defeat competing Ciryl Gane, as a result of a torn knee. It proceeded with an animosity suit in between previous friends Colby Covington and also Jorge Masvidal that later on presumably proceeded outside the Octagon. Charles Oliveira shed his UFC light-weight title on the range in Might. Glover Teixeira and also Jiří Procházka had among the most effective battles ever before in June. Amanda Nunes obtained her title back from Julianna Peña a month later on, a pay-per-view card after Alexander Volkanovski sealed himself as traditionally outstanding.

After that, August struck and also all heck broke out. Leon Edwards knocked senseless Kamaru Usman, the most effective pound-for-pound competitor on the planet, with much less than a min entrusted to win the UFC welterweight title. In October, Islam Makhachev basically went through Oliveira, one more pound-for-pound elite competitor, to win the uninhabited light-weight belt. And also a month later on, Alex Pereira, that had 2 gain 185-pound king Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, defeated Adesanya once more, this moment in mixed martial arts by means of fifth-round ko in November to win the UFC middleweight title.

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Take a trip with the UFC’s best minutes of 2022.

The year finished with the UFC light heavyweight title uninhabited, thanks to Procházka’s torn shoulder and also a split draw result in between oppositions Jan Blachowicz and also Magomedov Ankalaev. That was suitable for 2022, a 12-month stretch that was darn near foreseeable in its changability.

ESPN mixed martial arts experts Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Megan Anderson, Carlos Contreras Legaspi and also Sam Bruce highlight the honor victors and also finest minutes of 2022. Right here’s a consider ESPN’s honors for the wild year that was:


Male’s Competitor of the Year: Alex Pereira

There are no collection requirements on what makes a Competitor of the Year, which’s why this classification is seldom a global choice. Points like task, battle highlights, broad view influence, and so on– there are various methods one can watch this.

However if I informed you at the beginning of 2022, a competitor would certainly contend every 4 months, put together a 3-0 document, go from unranked obscurity to UFC champ and also do so by knocking senseless the No. 2 pound-for-pound competitor on the planet in a fifth-round return– would not you have informed me that’s reached be Competitor of the Year?

Pereira was basically unidentified when the year began. Yes, he had a lengthy return to in expert kickboxing, yet he was entirely unverified in mixed martial arts. Also after he grabbed 2 success and also the UFC scheduled him a title battle versus Israel Adesanya, the story was that he was just obtaining the possibility due to his background with Adesanya in kickboxing– which, incidentally, had not been imprecise at the time!

What Pereira managed in 2022, was truly amazing. Consider it: This sporting activity was beginning to lean in the direction of Adesanya as its best middleweight ever before, and also Pereira defeated him and also took his belt in his 8th mixed martial arts battle. Wild. — Okamoto


Female’s Competitor of the Year: Zhang Weili

What a year for Weili. Coming off of back-to-back title battle losses to Rose Namajunas in 2021, it was difficult to picture her course back to the top of the ladies’s strawweight department in 2022. However Weili carried out in reality redeem the belt, and also she did so absolutely. In her 2 efficiencies this year, both of which she won by means of coating, Weili had incredible efficiencies. After defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk with an excellent rotating back hand at UFC 275 in June, she made a second-round entry sway fumbling ace Carla Esparza for the title in November.

In both of those battles, even more especially her battle with Esparza, Weili had the ability to reveal simply just how much she’s established her video game throughout the 8 months she had off in between her latest loss to Namajunas and also her battle with Jedrzejcyzk. At UFC 281, Weili took care of to defeat Esparza at her very own video game by regulating her with her rate, stress and also power. Currently Weili is back on top of the department, yet this could just be the start for her. As a local of China, there is a substantial market of battle followers in Asia, if she and also the UFC can use that properly, Weili might turn into one of the greatest celebrities in the promo. — Anderson


The Majority Of Enhanced Competitor of the Year: Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera

Allow’s be clear concerning one point: Vera was currently a wonderful bantamweight going into 2022. However entering into 2023, assumptions go to an all-time high due to the experienced and also psychological maturation he revealed this previous year. Vera, that simply transformed 30 in December, is peaaaaaking. He has an obvious self-confidence concerning him today, and also he has every one of the method and also physical expertise to back it up. If you take a look at Vera’s 2021 project, it was strong, yet absolutely nothing stunning. He won 2 of 3 rounds over Davey Give and also remained in an extremely carefully disputed battle with a close-to-retired Frankie Edgar up until he landed a KO late.

This year, Vera was a juggernaut. He brought upon a lot damages on fellow competitor Rob Typeface in April, that Typeface has still yet to schedule his following battle 7 months later on. And also although he left to his hallmark slow-moving begin versus Dominick Cruz in August, it seemed like it was just an issue of time prior to Vera opened because battle. When he did, he handed Cruz among the most awful beats of his job. Once again, Vera has actually constantly been excellent and also he’s definitely constantly been enjoyable, yet this classification has to do with significant enhancement. It has to do with elevating one’s condition by a total rate. Vera did that in 2022. He went from seasonal leading 10 to an extremely feasible champ. — Okamoto


UFC Guys’s Newbie of the Year: Jack Della Maddalena

Della Maddalena squandered little time transforming his Competitor Collection victory right into UFC success correct, sweeping his 3 rounds in an excellent 2022 period. Combating out of Perth, Western Australia, Della Maddalena required just an integrated 8 mins and also 59 secs to beat Pete Rodriguez, Ramazan Emeev and also Danny Roberts each by means of TKO [punches] this year. The precision of Della Maddalena’s striking, particularly, has actually won kudos throughout the UFC, while he has actually additionally taken marginal penalty as a result of his creative maneuvering and also technological protection.

ESPN Australia comprehends that Della Maddalena will likely be contributed to the UFC 284 card, where he will certainly combat before his home town followers at RAC Field in Perth. With the Oceania area behind him and also a tendency to end up battles, the future appearances could intense for Della Maddalena in the UFC. — Bruce


UFC Female’s Newbie of the Year: Yazmin Jauregui

It was a lengthy year off for Yazmin Jauregui as she tried to authorize with the UFC after battling under the Combate Global Banner, yet it deserved the delay.

At 23 years of ages, the Tijuana local had her launching with an unusual major card port and also she made use of the possibility. Jauregui had a 15-minute battle with fellow novice Iasmin Lucindo that made Dana White stand from his seat and also welcome them as quickly as they left the Octagon in August. 4 months later on, she revealed perseverance by getting over a first-round knockdown to gain her initial coating in the UFC with a TKO triumph over Istela Nunes, therefore enhancing her document to 10-0 as a pro.

Her emphasize reel could reveal a hefty quantity with busy strikes, yet the Entram Health club item has a BJJ and also battling history that’s yet to be examined. She is usually contrasted to present UFC acting flyweight champ Brandon Moreno by her colleagues and also will certainly seek to combat a rated challenger quickly. — Legaspi


Battle of the Year: Teixeira vs. Procházka at UFC 275

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Jiri Prochazka stuns Glover Teixeira and also the whole group with an extraordinary entry of Glover Teixeira at UFC 275.

When it pertains to swerves, spins, transforms, near-finishes and also energy swings, you would certainly be hard-pressed to discover a far better battle than Jiří Procházka vs. Glover Teixeira from UFC 275 in June. Not simply in 2021, either. Like ever before.

Procházka vs. Teixeira could not be the most effective battle of perpetuity, yet regarding dramatization and also enjoyment worth, it gets on that elite degree. Both Procházka and also Teixeira had opportunities to end up over virtually 5 complete rounds. Both made calculated mistakes at various factors, yet they both fought with a lots of hardship – and also blood. Lastly, in the 5th round, it appeared like Teixeira had Procházka dead to legal rights. The Brazilian expert bludgeoned Procházka with large strikes prior to going with the completed with a guillotine choke. Procházka, however, took care of to get away the choke, jump on top of a worn down Teixeira and afterwards require him to touch with a choke that did not precisely have the best method. That’s the excellent personification of the battle, isn’t it? Possibly a little bit careless, yet an outright wonder to view. — Raimondi


Ko of the Year: Usman vs. Edwards II at UFC 278

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The Salt Lake City group and also the commentators can not think what they’re seeing after Kamaru Usman is knocked senseless cool by Leon Edwards.

Each year, there is an argument that has to be evaluated when it pertains to Ko of the Year. What obtains evaluated larger: the level of trouble or risks? There are a lots of unbelievable, special, spinning-technique kos in blended fighting styles annually. And also all of them need to be admired and also used repeat. After that there’s Leon Edwards’ ko of Kamaru Usman from UFC 278 in August.

Usman was travelling to a consentaneous choice triumph, one that would certainly provide him 16 straight UFC success, connecting Anderson Silva’s promo document winning touch. Usman was the most effective pound-for-pound competitor in the world and also was controling Edwards after a first-round misstep. With a min left in a battle that appeared like an inevitable verdict, Edwards let loose the excellent method. He connected to feint with a best stab, Usman little bit on it and afterwards came behind it was a great left high kick that left Usman subconscious on influence. Edwards’ ko– an outright phenomenon on the greatest phase feasible versus an all-time excellent competitor with secs continuing to be– will certainly stand the examination of time. — Raimondi


Entry of the Year: Oliveira vs. Gaethje

If you bring up entry highlights from this year, you will conveniently discover surfaces that were slicker and also harder than Charles Oliveira’s rear-naked choke of Justin Gaethje. You will certainly not as conveniently discover one, nonetheless, that will certainly be kept in mind or admired as much 10, 20, or thirty years from currently. This sporting activity enjoys to go on and also look in advance much more so, probably, than any type of various other. And also due to that, we often tend to fail to remember points. This need to never ever be neglected, though. Oliveira, among one of the most consistent, well-deserving champs in UFC background, shed his belt on the range of UFC 274 on May 6 in Phoenix Az, Arizona, as a result of a debatable half-pound fine that likely would not have actually taken place in the majority of states.

The conditions Oliveira entered into UFC 274 were exceptionally tough. In his challenger’s residence state. Under the darkness of uncertainty, which has actually become the style of his whole job. And also he still sent Gaethje faster than also the excellent Khabib Nurmagomedov did a pair years prior. Although Oliveira took place to shed to Islam Makhachev later on in the year, in one more title battle he absorbed opponent region, this was the masterpiece of his title power. It was practically suitable that suspicious conditions formally burglarized him of his belt, yet the sporting activity commemorated him as a champ greater than it ever before had. It was just one of the leading minutes of the year, duration. — Okamoto


UFC Occasion of the Year: UFC 281 Adesanya vs. Pereira

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Alex Pereira beats Israel Adesanya for the 3rd time in their battling job, the initial in the UFC, to end up being the brand-new middleweight champ.

It was a hard selection for UFC Occasion of the Year in 2022, especially as a result of the March UFC Combat Evening at the O2 in London.

Generally, it’s difficult to contrast a UFC Battle Evening schedule to a UFC pay-per-view, yet the English group was so electrical that evening, and also the English competitors executed so well, that UFC head of state Dana White altered his very own routine to go back to the area quicker. That evening certainly measured up to any type of PPV offering of 2022.

At the end of the day, nonetheless, UFC 281 on Nov. 12 inside Madison Square Yard was truly historical. The occasion saw 11 surfaces, 7 of which happened in the preliminary. Both of those numbers connected all-time UFC documents.

Along with the historical activity on the card, the real risks of the battles were unbelievable. This occasion saw Adesanya shed for the very first time as a UFC middleweight, however, for the 3rd time to Pereira throughout mixed martial arts and also professional kickboxing. It additionally saw the 2nd crowning of Weili as the UFC’s strawweight champ and also included the last stroll of all-time excellent Frankie Edgar’s job. Include Dustin Poirier and also Michael Chandler’s Battle of the Year prospect and also Renato Moicano’s impressive ‘Moicano Wants Cash!!’ post-fight speech? This was one for the ages. — Okamoto


Finest On-The-Mic minute of the Year: Renato Moicano at UFC 281

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Renato Moicano compels Brad Riddell to touch out at UFC 281 in the included prelim battle.

We would certainly have liked to publish a records of Moicano’s energised and also funny postfight meeting at UFC 281, yet truthfully, it was much also profane. Which’s okay. It will certainly be kept in mind in its rawness without all the bleeps or dashboards.

There was a whole lot to unbox after Moicano unloaded on the mic. For one, he’s a substantial follower of Joe Rogan, whom he called the most intelligent guy on the planet. Second of all, he truly desires even more cash, as he explained numerous times while talking in the 3rd individual. The bottom line was that Moicano desired much more regard, to obtain bumped up in the positions and also discover himself in a large battle following. The initial 2 of those points have actually currently been attained. The 3rd is most likely to materialize itself, also. Yes, quiting Brad Riddell by means of first-round entry went over, yet after UFC 281, it was Moicano’s promotion that everybody was speaking about. It aids to claim your item after a big win, also if it’s evocative an off-kilter meeting with the Ultimate Warrior in 1991. — Raimondi

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