5 best UFC fights of April 2022

#2. Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera – UFC Vegas 53

Top-ranked bantamweight contenders Rob Font and Marlon Vera squared off in a pivotal main event clash at UFC Vegas 53. Font was coming off a decisive loss to Jose Aldo, while Vera was fresh off his sensational knockout victory against Frankie Edgar.

The bantamweight division has sprung back into life since Aljamain Sterling shocked the world by retaining his belt. With Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Aldo all having a meaningful claim to a shot at gold, Font and Vera knew that the victor would put himself in a strong position in the pecking order at 135 pounds.

UFC Vegas 53 poster [Image via @BigMarcel24 on Twitter]

Rob Font clearly won the first round, outboxing Marlon Vera throughout the opening five minutes. Vera bounced back and took a commanding lead in the next three rounds, dropping Font multiple times with his vicious and wide arsenal of strikes. 'Chito' bloodied and battered his opponent en route to a unanimous decision victory to break into the top-tier of the division.

Vera is now likely one or two wins away from a championship opportunity. The durable Ecuadorian appears to be peaking at the right time and has emerged as an intriguing addition to the title mix.

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

In the immediate aftermath of the incredible barnburner between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev, there was a feeling that we not only witnessed one of the best fights of the month, but also potentially the best fight of the year.

Gilbert Burns earned the respect of the MMA community by accepting a fight against the much lower-ranked Khamzat Chimaev. Burns previously held the No.2 spot in the welterweight rankings. If he'd turned down the Chimaev fight, nobody would've batted an eyelid.

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

Prior to the fight against Burns, Chimaev had only been hit twice in the famed octagon. At UFC 273, 'Borz' endured the toughest fight of his career by a long way as the welterweight duo delivered one of the greatest three-round fights of all time.

In the opening ten minutes, they won one round each and going into the third, the win was up for grabs.

Chimaev showed championship mettle in the final round, keeping his composure and walking down Burns with his relentless forward pressure. He 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.