'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABlAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAEDAwMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDBAUAAhEGFEISEyEiQQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAURAQACAgEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECEQADIQQSEzE0/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDOUKtp2aet3yEKg3G8ebgH3Knds6LDnxkg1H5N+iZJ5hkhjcK8bRyPwWgUpQ9C+fcd0qjwcvq3LfVfJomAM6ZIBaxM/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
2022 was a landmark year for ONE Championship and the in-cage action perfectly reflected the massive growth the organization experienced in that period.
The home of martial arts, as ONE Championship labels itself, was truly the embodiment of the art form, with more than several matches rightfully delivering fireworks during the calendar year.
Trending
World title matches, blood feuds, and debuts had their moments under ONE Championship’s bright spotlight, but only five made it to the promotion’s best MMA bouts of the year.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
While some matches could make their case for the year’s inclusion, these five fights perfectly captured the essence of the promotion’s brand of MMA.
#5. Jeremy Miado vs. Danial Williams
This fight, if summed up in two words, was utterly crazy.
Jeremy Miado and Danial Williams put on a striking brawl disguised as an MMA match at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October 2022.
The two strawweight contenders have always carried a firebrand style in their fights and their showdown in Kuala Lumpur did not disappoint.
Miado and Williams threw haymakers throughout the contest, bludgeoning each other with some of the nastiest shots of the night.
The Filipino star, however, found the target early in the third, tagging ‘Mini T’ with four straight punches to the face forcing referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the contest barely a minute into the round.
#4. Chen Rui vs. Mark Abelardo
Chen Rui’s bantamweight match against Mark Abelardo in February 2022 was one of the closest bouts of the year in ONE Championship. It was also one of the most entertaining.
The first round of their ONE: Bad Blood encounter started slowly with both fighters content with just gaging each other in the opening five minutes. The fight, though, started heating up in the second, with Chen darting in and out while Abelardo tried to land a crisp haymaker.
Things eventually hit a crescendo in the third,with Abelardo pulling out all of the tricks up his sleeve while Chen continued his forward assault.
Though Abelardo managed to score a couple of takedowns and several seconds of control time, Chen’s striking proved to be the difference maker for his unanimous decision win.
#3. John Lineker vs. Bibiano Fernandes
John Lineker proved that all dynasties will have their downfall.
Bibiano Fernandes is one of the most dominant world champions in ONE Championship history, but his time atop the bantamweight division came crashing down when Lineker barraged through his defenses.
The two Brazilian stars met at ONE: Lights Out in March 2022 and Lineker more than accomplished his mission by becoming the ONE bantamweight world champion.
Fernandes is regarded as one of the best submission experts in MMA, but he willingly traded leather with Lineker. That was, until ‘Hands of Stone’ showed why’s called as such in the second round.
Lineker landed a perfectly timed left hook that quickly shook the cobwebs out of Fernandes. The punch was one of the highlight strikes of the year and it led to Lineker claiming the ONE bantamweight world title.
#2. Christian Lee vs. Kiamrian Abbasov
Christian Lee once again proved that he’s, arguably, the best pound-for-pound fighter in ONE Championship when he moved up a division and claimed the ONE welterweight world title.
The 24-year-old practically cleaned house in the 170-pound division as the ONE lightweight world champion. With that, he decided to have a go at welterweight and take on the always dangerous Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4.
Lee, who started his ONE Championship career at featherweight, visibly struggled in the first round against Abbasov.
After absorbing some of the hardest shots he’s ever faced in his career, Lee found his footing in the fourth and proceeded to showcase the aggression that has made him such a tough fighter.
Battling through fatigue, Lee battered Abbasov with almost a dozen elbows before ending the match with thunderous ground-and-pound.
#1. Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex
The match between Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex for the ONE women’s atomweight world title was historic in all facets of the word.
The two fighters headlined ONE Championship’s 10th-anniversary show ONE X. Their fight itself was a reflection of just how immense the promotion and women’s MMA have grown in the past decade.
Their March 2022 fight had everything an instant classic needs, with Lee surviving Stamp’s early onslaught and taking the inspiring second-round submission win.
Lee pulled out all the stops in the second round trying to lock Stamp in a submission hold. The Singaporean-American star even pulled off a twister in an attempt to force Stamp to tap, but the Thai superstar hung on.
It wasn’t until the final 10 seconds of the round when Lee locked in the rear-naked choke to retain the gold.
