Year-End Sports Recap: The Five Unforgettable MMA Fights Of 2021

The year was particularly kind to the mixed martial arts (MMA) community after putting on some tremendous events across different promotions.

Here are the five best fights of 2021.

5. Ahmed Amir vs. Amin Ayoub - BRAVE CF 54

The first fight on this list comes from Bahrain-based promotion BRAVE Combat Federation and features the amazing five-round grappling masterclass from lightweight champion Amin Ayoub defending his title against Egypt’s Ahmed Amir.

The challenger Amir put on a wrestling clinic against Ayoub, scoring takedowns in each round of the fight, but the champion was not willing to go of his title that easily.

Once the two fighters were able to experience the other’s skills on the ground, they opted for some striking exchanges that showed off their abilities on the feet as well.

Due to his efforts in neutralizing Ayoub’s wicked power, Amir took home the gold and the distinction of Egypt’s first-ever mixed martial artist to win a major world title.

With a lengthy list of challengers awaiting the new champion in 2022, it will be interesting to watch who Amir faces first in the coming year.

4. Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov - PFL Finals 2021

Professional Fighters League (PFL) had itself a wonderful year of fights, best exemplified by the long-awaited rematch between Ray Cooper III and Magomed Magomedkerimov in the finals of the welterweight bracket.

The first round was a pretty even fight between the strikers with both men having their moments, but round two was mainly Cooper’s round before Magomedkerimov swung the momentum back in his favor.

Despite the 31-year-old Russian repeatedly peppering him with shots, even stunning him at one point, Cooper was able to keep his wits about him and caught Magomedkerimov with a right hook to the jaw that surprised the Russian before the Hawaiian went in for the knockout.

With the victory, Cooper avenged his defeat nearly three years ago and took home the PFL welterweight title and a cash prize of $1 million, cementing himself as one of the best fighters to come out of Hawaii alongside the likes of Max Holloway.

3. Timofey Nastyukhin vs. Saygid Arslanaliev - ONE: Winter Warriors

The most recent fight to happen on this list is the encounter between Timofey Nastyukhin and Saygid Arslanaliev, which completely stole the show at ONE: Winter Warriors on December 3.

Nastyukhin was the first to draw blood in this contest, and Arslanaliev returned the favor when he threw a massive bomb that opened a cut under the No. 5-ranked lightweiht’s eye in the opening round.

Arslanaliev smelled blood in the water and aggressively went after Nastyukhin, stunning the latter and almost finishing the fight in the second round, but the Russian was able to return to his feet before the Turkish behemoth took him down again.

Despite Nastyukhin’s best efforts to keep up, Arslanaliev was simply just too much and won the fight via TKO after he caught the former lightweight title contender with two meteoric right hands.

The 27-year-old Arslanaliev moved up to No. 2 in the lightweight rankings of ONE Championship after his stellar performance.

2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega - UFC 266

This fight was certainly one for the ages as Alexander Volkanovski and a defiant Brian Ortega threw everything at one another in their main event fight for the featherweight title at UFC 266.

Volkanovski and Ortega fought as if their lives depended on it, and MMA fans were treated to some of the most brutal displays of striking and a masterclass on how to transition between submission attempts.

A key moment in the fight that no one would forget is when a battered and bloodied Ortega almost put Volkanovski to sleep with a guillotine choke in the third round, only for the champion to fight back and secure his title by way of unanimous decision.

Ortega and Volkanovski’s match-up will go down in UFC history as one of the most entertaining back-and-forth fights that the promotion has ever seen.

1. Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler - UFC 268

No surprises here as the three-round war between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler is at the top of most, if not everyone’s, people’s best MMA bout for 2021.

An almost one-for-one recreation of a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots fight, Gaethje and Chandler did their best to knock each other’s heads off for the better part of three rounds.

The pair were like exact mirror images of each other thanks to their strong wrestling acumen and heavy-handed strikes that swung the fight in both ways.

There were no signs that the two were tired at all throughout the three-round fight as they both kept up the pace, but it was Gaethje who pulled out the victory via unanimous decision when it was all said and done.