5 best breakout performances in the UFC in 2021

#4. Tom Aspinall (against Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till)

Tom Aspinall joined the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut against Jake Collier at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi. The Englishman needed just 45 seconds to put away his opponent, earning the Performance of the Night accolade after securing a TKO finish.

Subsequently, the former Cage Warriors fighter took on Alan Baudot at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen and former heavyweight champion Andre Arlovski at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis. A TKO victory over Baudot and a submission-win over Arlovski saw the Brit make his way into the UFC heavyweight rankings.

It was his next bout, however, that got the fans fantasizing about how a potential fight between Aspinall and the top heavyweights in the world would play out.

At UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till, Aspinall took on Sergey Spivac in a bout that many believed would be a tough test for the Englishman. Aspinall made light work of the match-up, knocking Spivak out in the first round.

Aspinall was brought to tears later on upon finding out that he had won his third Performance of the Night bonus. Check out the heart-warming video below:

Tom Aspinall is part of a new breed of heavyweights who are taking over the sport. With the emergence of Ciryl Gane, the UFC interim heavyweight champion, many believe that heavyweights who move like welterweights and middleweights are the future of the division. At just 28, Aspinall has a bright future ahead of him.

Notably, he doesn’t appear to be in a rush to climb the rankings. Following his victory over Spivac, the Brit mentioned that he wants to take his time as he continues his MMA career. Speaking to his countryman Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview, Aspinall had this to say:

“I just want to fight someone ranked above me, you know? Like I say, I’m trying to move up this thing slow. And, if I’m No. 13, give me No. 12.”

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#3. Beneil Dariush (against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262)

Beneil Dariush has been a part of the UFC roster for quite some time now. The Iran-born American joined the UFC in 2014 as an undefeated prospect, with a record of 7-0.

Dariush endured a turbulent run in the lightweight division and struggled to find any consistency as he tried to make his way into the top 15 in the rankings. After securing wins over the likes of Michael Johnson, Jim Miller and James Vick, he suffered devastating knockout losses to Edson Barboza and Alexander Hernandez.

However, the pair of knockout losses flipped a switch inside Beneil Dariush, who bounced back in emphatic fashion. He put together an incredible six-fight win streak to set up a fight with former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 262.

Dariush dominated ‘El Cucuy’ in the co-main event, winning every minute of every round en route to a unanimous decision victory. He even caught Ferguson in a nasty heel-hook in the second round, which caused the former interim champ to grimace with pain repeatedly.

Watch Beneil Dariush reflect on his win over Ferguson at the post-fight press conference below:

Now the No.3-ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC, riding a seven-fight winning streak, Dariush appears to be just one win away from a title shot. He is set to take on Dagestani prodigy Islam Makhachev in his next bout.