5 most shocking UFC moments of 2021

#2. Glover Teixeira claims UFC gold at the age of 42 – UFC 267

Glover Teixeira claimed UFC gold at the age of 42 in a stunning moment

Traditionally, the UFC is no country for old men. MMA fighters tend to peak at some point between the ages of 25 and 30. Prior to 2021, no fighter outside of the legendary Randy Couture had been able to win a UFC title after their 40th birthday.

That all changed at UFC 267, when Glover Teixeira choked out Jan Blachowicz to claim the UFC light heavyweight title just two days after his 42nd birthday.

Despite producing some of the best performances of his career against the likes of Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos prior to his title shot, few fans were giving Teixeira a chance of dethroning Blachowicz. The Polish fighter had looked like a world-beater in his victory over Dominick Reyes in 2020 and he’d even become the first man to defeat UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya earlier in 2021.

However, when Teixeira was able to take him to the ground, Blachowicz quickly began to look like a fish out of water. Incredibly, the aging Brazilian was able to take his back and secure a rear-naked choke to submit him late in the second round.

Was it a shock to see Teixeira win a fight via submission? Certainly not, but to see him claim UFC gold at the age of 42 by beating a fighter in the form of his life was absolutely stunning and quite rightly left the fans with their jaws on the floor.

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#1. Conor McGregor snaps his leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier – UFC 264

Conor McGregor was left furious after his shocking leg injury at UFC 264

Win or lose, Conor McGregor has been responsible for some of the most shocking moments in UFC history, from his wild knockouts of Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez to the insane brawl that followed his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It should come as no surprise, then, that ‘The Notorious’ was responsible for 2021’s most shocking moment. Unfortunately for him, the moment will probably not be one that he’ll want to relive any time soon.

McGregor’s year started off badly in general, as he was stopped by bitter rival Dustin Poirier in their rematch at UFC 257. When the UFC decided to book a third bout between the two in the headline slot of UFC 264, ‘The Notorious’ was offered a chance at redemption.

Despite a bright start to the fight, McGregor found himself in trouble when Poirier escaped a guillotine attempt and began to nail him with elbows from the top position. McGregor was able to escape to his feet, but following an exchange, the Irishman was sent crashing to the ground.

It quickly became apparent that this was not a regular knockdown, though. McGregor’s left ankle twisted bizarrely as he hit the ground, forcing referee Herb Dean to call off the fight there and then.

It transpired that McGregor had broken both his tibia and fibula. While he desperately shouted at announcer Bruce Buffer in an attempt to have his loss labeled a ‘doctor's stoppage’ rather than TKO, the moment was still a major shocker.

The event ended with McGregor being carried to the back on a stretcher following a wild, curse-filled interview that saw him throw insults at Poirier and his wife.

To say this was a stunning scene would be an understatement and it quite rightly should be recognized as the UFC’s most shocking moment of 2021.