5 best UFC Fight Nights of 2021

#4. UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till

UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till was more like a British invasion of the UFC Apex as the fight card featured numerous fighters based out of the UK. The event was headlined by middleweight contenders Derek Brunson and Darren Till.

The bout had serious title implications, with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya sharing that if Till came out on top, the Brit would get the next title shot. The Englishman struggled with the wrestling prowess of his American counterpart and was eventually submitted in the third round.

The co-main of this UFC Fight Night saw the emergence of a bonafide contender in the UFC heavyweight division as Darren Till’s teammate Tom Aspinall made light work of Sergey Spivak. Aspinall has since been touted as a future champion of the division.

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:

However, the standout performer of UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till was none other than Paddy Pimblett, who made his much-anticipated UFC debut. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion had turned down the UFC twice before in his career, revealing that he ‘wasn’t ready’ to move to the premier MMA organization in the world at such a young age.

The 26-year-old from Liverpool finally signed with the UFC in 2021 and took on Luigi Vendramini in his promotional debut to kick off the main card of this UFC Fight Night.

Despite being caught multiple times early on, Pimblett finished Vendramini in the first round with a sensational knockout. ‘The Baddy’ secured a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his efforts.

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#3. UFC Fight Night: Sanghagen vs. Dillashaw

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw featured one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the year as Cory Sandhagen welcomed back the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw, to the octagon.

The latter was coming off a two-year suspension following a failed drug test in 2019 and was eager to get back into title contention.

Cory Sandhagen and T.J. Dillashaw went to war for five rounds in one of the best fights of the year. Sandhagen caught Dillashaw in a heel-hook in the first round which damaged the latter’s knee.

Despite the injury, Dillashaw continued to push the pace over the next four rounds. Sandhagen definitely dished out a lot more damage than he received, but Dillshaw’s control against the cage walls secured a narrow split-decision victory for the former champion.

The judges scored the contest 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of Dillashaw. However, many fans and analysts believed that Sandhagen should come out on top.

The co-main event of this UFC Fight Night was a barnburner of a fight as well. UFC bantamweights Kyler Phillips and Raulian Paiva squared off in a back-and-forth three-round bout, with the latter emerging victorious. The full fight was even posted to the UFC’s official YouTube channel as part of its new Sleeper Hits series.

You can watch the full fight below:

The main card of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw also featured a classic come-from-behind Darren Elkins win (over Darrick Minner), a pivotal fight in the women’s flyweight division between rising stars Maycee Barber and Miranda Maverick, and a striking spectacle between Adrian Yanez and Randy Costa.