5 best UFC title fights of 2021

#2. Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler – UFC 262

Charles Oliveira made a dramatic comeback to beat Michael Chandler at 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.