5 best UFC events of 2021

#2. UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

The UFC closed out 2021 with a banger of a fight card. The final pay-per-view of the year delivered on all fronts, with four out of the five fights on the main card ending in finishes.

Dustin Poirier took on Charles Oliveira for the undisputed lightweight belt in the main event. Despite being the underdog and losing the first round, Oliveira secured a third-round submission victory over 'The Diamond'. This was the Brazilian's first title defense.

Many believed that Oliveira wouldn't have the toughness and durability to manage Poirier's power and pressure. However, 'Do Bronx' proved the doubters wrong for the second time this year, seven months after he won the title against Michael Chandler.

The co-main event saw one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history as Julianna Pena dethroned Amanda Nunes. Nunes, the former two-division champion, was a heavy favorite going into the championship bout. Nevertheless, Pena submitted the Brazilian in the second round to shock the world.

Cody Garbrandt suffered a horrific debut in the flyweight division, losing to Kai Kara-France by TKO. The former bantamweight champion struggled against the power of Kara-France, who dropped him multiple times in the bout.

The finish came three minutes into the first round as Kara-France landed a deadly combination on Garbrandt. The Kiwi called for a title shot in his post-fight interview.

Sean O'Malley kicked off the pay-per-view with a sensational performance against Raulian Paiva. The rising bantamweight delivered yet another highlight-reel knockout and has emerged as one of the most exciting fighters to watch right now.

The event was a fitting finale to a sensational year for the world's premier MMA promotion.

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#1. UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 at Jacksonville, Florida

UFC 261 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, was a milestone event for the promotion and for live sports in general. It marked the first time a sporting event welcomed back a full-capacity crowd into an arena since the initial lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic were imposed, creating an electric atmosphere.

The main card featured three championship bouts. Welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman took on Jorge Masvidal in a rematch in the main event, Rose Namajunas squared off against strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the co-main and flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko locked horns with former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.

Astonishingly, all three title fights ended in finishes. Shevchenko dominated Andrade to retain her title, finishing the fight from the crucifix position, dropping heavy elbows on her opponent. In the co-main event, ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas shocked the world with a spectacular first round head-kick to become a two-time strawweight champion.

The main event saw Kamaru Usman further extend his championship reign in unbelievable fashion, handing Jorge Masvidal the first knockout loss of his career. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ landed a flush right cross straight onto the jaw of ‘Gamebred’, who many believed possessed the superior striking acumen.

All in all, the promotion's first event with a full capacity crowd in attendance produced an action-packed night of fights in Florida, culminating in one of the knockouts of the year.