UFC 2023 - Year in Review
A cracking year for mixed martial arts and the UFC are over. The UFC closed the curtains on 2023 at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, when Leon Edwards defended his welterweight title against Colby Covington, but that was a bit of a dull affair.
So what is there to talk about when we look back on the year? A plethora of great fights, some stunning knockouts and of course new fighters breaking through while some old veterans bowed out. I want to look at the very best that the UFC had to offer in 2023, naming my personal winner in different categories while also giving out some honourable mentions.
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR: ISRAEL ADESANYA vs ALEX PEREIRA (UFC 287)
There may have been more spectacular knockouts this year, but the significance of Israel Adesanya’s knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287 makes most other entries pale in comparison. Having lost 3 times to the Brazilian (1 in MMA and 2 in kickboxing), this was his chance to get revenge for what happened at MSG, and boy did he get his revenge. After a though first round where Pereira once again chewed up Adesanya’s legs, he was pinned up against the cage and Pereira started to tee off. A lightning quick counter from Adesanya staggered the Brazilian and the next two punches put him out cold, with another hammerfist for good measure. So while the knockout itself was quite spectacular, the circumstances made it very hard to top this year.
Honourable mentions: Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell (UFC 296), Edson Barboza vs Billy Quarantillo (UFC on ESPN 44), Justin Gaethje vs Dustin Poirier (UFC 291), Sean O’Malley vs Aljamain Sterling (UFC 292)
SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR: ALEXA GRASSO vs VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO - FACE CRANK (UFC 285)
While this is not the most spectacular submission of the year, this once again has to do with circumstance and calibre of opponent. Valentina Shevchenko hadn’t lost since the second Nunes fight in 2017, and although she showed some cracks against Taila Santos the previous year no one seriously thought Grasso would get it done. It was a fourth round stoppage for the Mexican, and up until that point it had been a closer fight than most anticipated. One misstep from Shevchenko, and Grasso pounced and took her back. She eventually managed to sink in a face crank, and Shevchenko was forced to tap. Again, I feel slightly bad not giving this to someone who produced a more spectacular submission, but the shock value of Grasso’s win edged it for me.
Honourable mentions: Da’Mon Blackshear vs Jose Johnson - Twister (UFC on ESPN 51), Davey Grant vs Raphael Assuncao - Inverted Triangle (UFC on ESPN+ 79), Diego Lopes vs Gavin Tucker - Triangle Armbar (UFC on ESPN 50), Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett - Triangle (UFC 284)
UPSET OF THE YEAR: SEAN STRICKLAND vs ISRAEL ADESANYA (UFC 293)
This was honestly one of the easiest picks. No one, including myself, gave Sean Strickland a chance against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. He took the fight on short(ish) notice, had to go into enemy territory and Adesanya himself was coming off of the biggest win of his career. Even the UFC weren’t giving Strickland much of a chance, as we could all see that Strickland was just there to keep Adesanya active while Dricus Du Plessis healed up. But Strickland flipped the script, and dominated Adesanya at his own game for 25 minutes, something not even Alex Pereira had been able to do. It is one of the biggest upsets of all time, so it was only natural that it topped my list also.
Honourable mentions: Dricus Du Plessis vs Robert Whittaker (UFC 290), Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko (UFC 285), Bobby Green vs Grant Dawson (UFC on ESPN+ 87), Rob Font vs Adrian Yanez (UFC 287)
FIGHT OF THE YEAR: BRANDON MORENO vs ALEXANDRE PANTOJA (UFC 290)
Ever since the UFC planned on scrapping the flyweight division it has produced some of the most exhilarating fights every single year, and this year was no different. Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja put on a scrap worthy of any title fight, which ultimately ended with Pantoja getting his hand raised and becoming the new champion. Pantoja seems to be some kind of boogeyman for Moreno, as this is now the third time he has beaten the Mexican (one of them on TUF). And while the flyweight are very rarely the most talked about, they often make up for it with brilliant fights, as shown here.
Honourable mentions: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski (UFC 284), Geoff Neal vs Shavkat Rakhmonov (UFC 285), Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev (UFC 286), Cody Gibson vs Brad Katona (UFC 292)
FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: ALEXA GRASSO (1-0-1 in 2023)
Alexa Grasso technically only won one fight in 2023, but beating long reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko to win the belt, and then earning a draw in the rematch to retain her belt is enough for her to be named female fighter of the year in my opinion. It was an overall fantastic year for Mexican MMA, and though Brandon Moreno also won (and lost) a title this year, a lot of that is thanks to Alexa Grasso. Noche UFC was a huge success, and has already been given a spot for 2024 as well. Whether they do the trilogy between Grasso and Shevchenko or a super fight with Grasso and Zhang, The UFC have some good options for her next year as well.
Honourable mentions: Erin Blanchfield, Loopy Godinez, Amanda Nunes, Tatiana Suarez
MALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: SEAN STRICKLAND (3-0 in 2023)
This was very close as there are a few fighters who could quite easily take this spot, but Sean Strickland going 3-0 in 2023 while winning the belt in the biggest upset of the year makes him the frontrunner. Beating Imavov at the start of the year, and Abus Magomedov a few months later isn’t necessarily the biggest wins, but the shock value of him beating Adesanya more than makes up for that. The outgoing and controversial nature of Sean Strickland makes it so people either love or hate him, making him a quite marketable champion as well (to a certain extent at least). He’s fighting Dricus Du Plessis later this month, in what looks to be a very intense buildup and fight.
Honourable mentions: Islam Makhachev, Leon Edwards, Alexandre Pantoja, Benoit Saint-Denis, Brendan Allen
