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2022 has been a memorable year for the UFC. The promotion has enjoyed the highest of highs and on occasion, the lowest of lows. It sets the tone for what 2023 will be like for Dana White's banner. With the promised return of Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, next year seems full of potential.
However, 2023 will have a lot to live up to when compared to 2022. This year, the promotion featured countless unforgettable moments and events of shocking uniqueness. Potential new PPV stars have emerged in the form of Khamzat Chimaev and Paddy Pimblett.
Legendary careers fell from grace, and scandals erupted that rocked the status quo. After UFC 282, a title fight ending in a draw is now one in a series of incidents this year. However, this list compiles five of the craziest things that happened in the UFC in 2022.
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#5. Khamzat Chimaev missing weight by seven and a half pounds before UFC 279
UFC 279 was originally devised as a starmaking moment for Khamzat Chimaev. The undefeated Chechen has captured the imagination of MMA fans across the globe with his blend of unstoppable wrestling and sheer dominance. With many still clamoring for Khabib Nurmagomedov to return, there was a rare opportunity for Chimaev.
'Borz' could fill the void left by 'The Eagle'. At UFC 279, he was scheduled to face the promotion's second-biggest superstar, Nate Diaz. It was a stylistic mismatch, with many fighters and analysts predicting a slaughter. Unfortunately, right before the matchup, Khamzat Chimaev stunned the MMA world by missing weight.
However, he didn't merely miss weight. He missed weight by a staggering seven and a half pounds. It was such an ill-timed offense that Dana White scrambled to reshuffle the event's scheduled fights. Instead of a main event bout, 'Borz' was demoted to a catchweight bout in the co-main event against Kevin Holland.
#4. Nate Diaz submitting Tony Ferguson with 2:09 minutes left in the fourth round
After Khamzat Chimaev missed weight at UFC 279, Nate Diaz was spared what could potentially have been his most one-sided loss in his career. Instead of facing the powerful Chechen wrestler, Stockton's finest fought Tony Ferguson, who was a much better stylistic matchup.
While Diaz emerged victorious against Ferguson, it was the circumstances of his win that etched the bout into UFC history. In defeating 'El Cucuy', Diaz became the first fighter in the promotion to submit him.
Furthermore, the 'BMF' title creator often reps the 209 area code of his hometown. This made his win truly inimitable as he choked out Ferguson with 2:09 minutes left on the clock in the fourth round.
With the win, Stockton's finest exited the promotion in a manner only found in Hollywood scripts. Instead, what Diaz accomplished was rooted in reality.
#3. Jiří Procházka submits Glover Teixeira at UFC 275
At UFC 275, Jiří Procházka crossed swords with Glover Teixeira. It was the Czech phenom's first title fight in the promotion and he more than rose to the occasion. As both men shared the octagon, the Fight of the Year ensued. Prior to the bout, the matchup was considered a typical striker versus grappler clash.
Instead, the two men found success in every facet of MMA. The Brazilian 205'er, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with serviceable striking, found considerable success kickboxing with his foe. Meanwhile, Jiří Procházka, who is a former national Muay Thai champion, stunned the world by successfully grappling with his opponent.
Reversals and sweeps were frequent throughout the bout whenever it hit the mat. With only two minutes left in the fifth round, Teixeira mounted Procházka. Yet with his feet on the fence, the Czech phenom pushed against it to land on top of his foe as Teixeira tried to roll.
The two scrambled and in a shocking turn of events, Procházka found himself looming over Teixeira. With little time left, he secured a rear-naked choke. However, without hooking his legs, a submission seemed unlikely. Yet, after accumulating nearly 25 minutes of exhaustion, Teixeira tapped to a white belt.
#2. The top three P4P UFC fighters all lost
There is a reason why Alexander Volkanovski reigns as the P4P king in the promotion's rankings. While 'The Great' deserves credit for his unbeaten featherweight run, he ascended to his new throne only after Kamaru Usman lost. The Nigerian was the previous P4P holder in the promotion.
However, at UFC 278, the welterweight great suffered the second loss of his career courtesy of a thunderous head kick from Leon Edwards. At UFC 280, the number three P4P fighter, Charles Oliveira, also suffered a defeat. Only, 'do Bronx's' defeat was a one-sided submission to Islam Makhachev.
In the penultimate PPV of the year, the number two P4P fighter, Israel Adesanya, suffered a defeat as well. 'The Last Stylebender' faced longtime kickboxing nemesis Alex Pereira and was TKO'd in the fifth round. Not only did the number one, two and three P4P fighters lose, but they were all finished.
#1. The James Krause betting scandal
James Krause is not having the best end to 2022. A former fighter who became a commendable coach at his gym, he has since become embroiled in the largest betting scandal in the promotion's history. The UFC recently introduced a new anti-gambling policy to prohibit its athletes from betting on the promotion's fights.
Given how much success James Krause enjoyed due to his gambling aptitude, it was only a matter of time before the promotion's new stance clashed with him. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, the Glory MMA coach spoke candidly about how lucrative betting on fights can be.
He spoke about the amount of money he's earned by gambling and how well it compares to the money he earned as a coach. 'The James Krause' owned a subscription service where users of his Discord server paid a monthly fee to receive betting tips from him, which were allegedly informed by insider information.
Krause allegedly used information he had on his fighters to point gamblers in specific directions. This information could be an injury suffered by one of his fighters during their training camp, rendering them far less likely to win their upcoming bout.
Additionally, if the users of his service deposited a minimum of $5,000 every time their account balance reached zero, he'd enter their accounts and personally place bets on their behalf. Due to his actions, the UFC revoked his cornering license and prohibited any fighter who trains at Glory MMA from fighting in the UFC.
Other MMA promotions have followed in the UFC's footsteps, forcing Krause to retire as a coach. Unfortunately, the investigation into the suspicious betting patterns of his fighters' bouts has intensified, leading to the seizure of his phone, computer, etc.
