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After a tricky 2020 thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 has been a genuinely excellent year for the UFC.
The UFC has put on some spectacular events during 2021 and many of these events have seen epic title fights headlining them.
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So with a total of 18 UFC title fights having already taken place during 2021, which were the most memorable overall?
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It’s difficult to decide, but after much hand-wringing, here are the five best UFC title fights of 2021.
#5. Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns – UFC 258
Reigning UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman was the only champion to defend his title on three occasions during 2021.
A violent knockout of Jorge Masvidal was almost definitely the best finish produced by ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, but the best fight from Usman overall came at UFC 258 in his defense against Gilbert Burns. What made this fight more memorable than Usman’s other two title fights in 2021 was the fact that he had to dig deep in order to come away with the gold around his waist.
Burns, who was somewhat of an unheralded challenger despite beating Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley in 2020, did what Masvidal and Colby Covington couldn’t. He dropped Usman with a big right hand in the first round.
Usman looked to be on the verge of losing his grip on the title, but he somehow recovered, showing an amazing chin, and then began to work his way back into the fight by hammering Burns with his jab.
As the fight ticked on, it was clear that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was beginning to take control. Sure enough, early in the third round he landed a stiff jab that put ‘Durinho’ down.
Burns did his best to attempt to recover, but couldn’t get back to his feet and Usman didn’t let up until the fight was over.
Despite not being as highly anticipated as Usman vs. Masvidal 2 or Usman vs. Covington 2, this welterweight title bout proved to be an underrated classic and remains the closest that Usman has come to being unseated thus far.
#4. Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – UFC 260
UFC 260 was headlined by a UFC heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. While the fight was surprisingly one-sided, it was still hugely entertaining and featured a truly shocking ending.
The two big men had fought previously at UFC 220 in January 2018. While many fans had favored Ngannou coming in, Miocic used his wrestling skills to grind out ‘The Predator’, cementing himself in the eyes of many as the UFC’s heavyweight GOAT.
However, if Miocic had hoped to replicate that gameplan here, he was painfully mistaken. The champion did attempt to take Ngannou down early in the fight, but unlike in their first clash, ‘The Predator’ was ready. Not only did he stuff the attempt, but he turned the tables on Miocic, dumping him down before taking his back to land some punches.
The first round ended with Miocic looking frustrated, but things would only get worse for him in the second stanza. Within seconds of the round beginning, Ngannou stunned the champion with a jab, knocking him into the fence. Somehow, Miocic got to his feet and then fired back with a right hand that appeared to have Ngannou stunned in return.
The champion waded in to look for a finish but walked directly into a crushing left hand that instantly switched his lights off, causing him to fall back at a terrible angle, bending his legs in the process.
The fight was naturally called off. Not only had Ngannou taken violent revenge over Miocic, but in a memorable title bout, he’d also proven that he was the baddest man on the planet, no questions asked.
#3. Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen – UFC 267
Petr Yan began 2021 as the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion following his title win over Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in 2020.
However, in his first defense, ‘No Mercy’ delivered an illegal knee to his opponent Aljamain Sterling's head. The result was a disqualification and Yan lost his title despite being clearly ahead in the fight.
However, the Russian was given a chance to regain some UFC gold later in 2021 at UFC 267, albeit in the form of an interim title introduced when Sterling was unable to fight due to injury.
Yan’s opponent was a curious choice, as Cory Sandhagen had actually lost his previous fight, albeit due to a questionable decision against T.J. Dillashaw. On paper, however, it sounded like an amazing clash of strikers. In execution, the fight delivered hugely.
Both men went toe-to-toe from the beginning, with ‘The Sandman’ looking to work Yan’s body in the early going before ‘No Mercy’ turned the tide with a vicious spinning backfist that dropped Sandhagen in the third.
That knockdown largely gave Yan the advantage and he ended up edging a tight decision in a fight that saw the momentum swing back-and-forth on more than one occasion.
With an insane amount of action on offer and both men throwing a ludicrous amount of strikes, this was an instant classic and more than made up for Yan’s reign as undisputed champion ending in such bad fashion.
#2. Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler – UFC 262
While it wasn’t the outright best UFC title fight of 2021, Charles Oliveira’s clash with Michael Chandler for the vacant UFC lightweight title was definitely the craziest.
Both men were coming off big wins leading into the fight. Oliveira was on a lengthy eight-fight winning streak and had beaten former interim champ Tony Ferguson. Meanwhile, former Bellator kingpin Chandler had exploded into the UFC with a brutal knockout of Dan Hooker.
Early on, it looked like Chandler’s explosive nature would net him another victory, giving him his first UFC title in the process.
‘Iron’ decked Oliveira in the first round with a brutal left hand. After the Brazilian narrowly survived a guillotine attempt, the former Bellator champion began to pound him with punches and then knocked him down for a second time later in the round.
‘Do Bronx’ practically wobbled back to his corner when the round was over and it felt like only a matter of time before Chandler sealed the deal and finished him off. However, when the second round began, something switched on for Oliveira. He came right out and dodged a combination before landing a left hand to drop ‘Iron’ hard.
Chandler rolled and got back to his feet, but he was badly hurt and ‘Do Bronx’ wasn’t in the mood to let up. He followed up with a wild flurry that had Chandler all over the place. Once another left hand put him down for a second time, the fight was over.
Not only had Oliveira pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat, but he’d also shattered his reputation as a glass cannon and proven himself as the best 155lber in the world in the process. Simply put, this was an instant classic.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – UFC 266
The best UFC title fight of 2021 thus far may well have been the greatest featherweight title bout in UFC history, too.
Alexander Volkanovski’s clash with Brian Ortega was given a season of The Ultimate Fighter to build their rivalry. While it didn’t quite take off as the UFC might’ve hoped, fans were quickly sucked into the bout once it started.
The first two rounds saw Volkanovski just about edge ahead with his striking, but the fight was moving at a frenetic pace and it was hard to predict what might happen next. Sure enough, the third round stunned everyone and quickly became recognized as one of the greatest rounds in UFC history.
Ortega caught a kick in the early going and then took Volkanovski down before locking up a mounted guillotine. ‘The Great’ began to turn purple, but as his title reign appeared to be slipping away, he somehow managed to kick his legs and wriggle free.
From there, he looked to turn the tables on ‘T-City’ with some ground-and-pound, only for Ortega to somehow catch him in his trademark triangle choke. Incredibly, though, Volkanovski managed to escape even that submission and then began to beat Ortega down mercilessly until the round ended.
It was a shock that both men had survived the round. From there, the action continued with Volkanovski taking the fight to his challenger, eventually coming away with a unanimous decision.
Even without that dramatic third round, this fight had enough action to be considered a classic UFC title bout, but that stanza tipped it over the edge to make it an all-time great. Even in a tremendous year like 2021, this fight stands out above the rest.
