5 best UFC fights of 2022 so far

#2. Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC 273

Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev locked horns in a pivotal welterweight clash in April 2022. The 170-pound scrap was undoubtedly the most highly anticipated matchup on the fight card of UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie, and the fight expectedly delivered on all fronts.

Burns earned the respect of the MMA community by accepting a fight against the much lower-ranked Chimaev. 'Durinho' previously held the No.2 spot in the welterweight rankings, and as such, if he'd turned down this matchup, nobody would've batted an eyelid.

However, Burns is among a handful of fighters who truly embody the 'anyone, anywhere, anytime' spirit. The Brazilian was a sizeable underdog going into the bout with many expecting Chimaev to steamroll him like he'd done with previous opponents.

Prior to the fight against Burns, Chimaev had only been hit twice in the octagon. The fight against 'Durinho' turned out to be the toughest test of 'Borz's career by a long shot as the welterweight duo combined to produce one of the greatest three-round fights of all time.

In the opening ten minutes, both fighters won one round each and going into the final round, victory was up for grabs.

Chimaev showed championship mettle in the third frame, keeping his composure and walking down Burns with his non-stop forward pressure. 'Borz' came away with a unanimous decision victory to vault himself into the top five at 170 pounds, setting himself up for some massive matchups down the line.

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#1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC 275

Since Jon Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020, the 205-pound division has sprung back into life. Jan Blachowicz won the vacant title, but was dethroned by MMA veteran Glover Teixeira last year. In his first title defense, Teixeira took on rising star Jiri Prochazka.

The championship bout, which headlined UFC 275 in Singapore, turned out to be one of the greatest title fights of all time.

Glover Teixeira was able to weather the early storm from Jiri Prochazka and finished the opening round in a strong position. Prochazka rallied back in the second frame, catching the champion with some powerful shots before ending the round in top position.

Teixeira showed tremendous heart in the third and fourth rounds, and came agonizingly close to finishing the fight with a tight head-and-arm choke. Somehow, Prochazka scrambled out and pushed the light heavyweight king to the absolute limit.

In the final round of the fight, Teixeira dominated the first four minutes and was seemingly en route to successfully defending his title. With a minute left on the clock, the Brazilian was in full mount, raining down heavy ground-and-pound strikes.

Incredibly, Prochazka wall-walked out of the precarious position and latched on a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap with just 28 seconds remaining.

Dana White wasn't able to make the trip over to Singapore to witness the memorable clash. Nonetheless, his reaction to Prochazka's unbelievable fifth-round finish went viral on social media.