The year 2021 was unforgettable and eventful: in one year, new champions were revealed in several weight categories, a change of epochs occurred. The year 2022 promises to keep the excitement going for fans. We selected the most intriguing fights that every fan will want to see.
Many viewers are aware of the last year’s conflict between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. The fight between them went on for three rounds, but it was still impossible to identify the winner, so they had to continue the fight, and in the fourth round, the Russian used an illegal knee strike on his opponent. The fight was immediately stopped by the judges, and the title was awarded to the American, Aljamein. The fans did not agree with this outcome and are still waiting for the continuation of this match. In addition, Sterling behaves in a completely childish manner – no longer takes part in fights blaming it on the injury.
Evidently, the Russian athlete is unhappy with this; he had already been awarded the title of interim champion and is waiting for a new fight with his main rival. It will happen, but there is no exact date yet. Experts have already started making predictions about the results of the upcoming clash to help fans place bets on MMA. In their opinion, Petr Yan will become more active by the end of the fight so that the fight can’t end with the intervention of the judges. He is likely to triumph since he held a sports grudge for a whole year.
Many are waiting for the fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman. The great 27-year-old Khamzat Chimaev is a Swedish MMA fighter of Chechen origin. He started as an amateur fighter and made his professional debut a year later. All his matches end only with a victory. As of 2021, Chimaev is on the 11th line of the official international rating of the sports organization in the welterweight division. He won the title of the national champion of Sweden in freestyle wrestling in 2018.
Kamaru Usman is a worthy American opponent. He scored 20 out of 21 possible victories. Both of these athletes fight so often that they have faced some rivals more than once. But the athletes have not fought each other yet. It is tough to predict the fight’s outcome because both of them are worthy of victory.
In 2022, Dustin Poirier will face Nate Diaz. The MMA fans have been waiting for this fight for four years since it was cancelled in 2018. At the moment, both of them are not in their best condition. This fight is likely to be remembered by the audience for a year ahead because no one can even predict who will be stronger.
The most sensational MMA fight
We are talking about the duel of world legends Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson. The outcome of the fight will be a sensation regardless of the outcome. Both athletes are in good physical shape and are determined to win. This confrontation is an excellent opportunity to make up for their past unsuccessful fights. Unfortunately, if Ferguson loses, he may no longer perform in the MMA. For Tony, this fight is vital for two reasons: to continue his sports career and to receive a cash prize. For his opponent, the clash and its outcome are more of a personal desire to prove his superiority to himself and the fans. The fight will probably take place on May 7.
Regarding the lightweight division, the fans will be interested in watching the fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. And it will not be easy to identify the winner here either. Oliveira is a very dangerous and experienced opponent. Makhachev is bigger and stronger than his opponent, so there is a high probability that 2022 will give the audience a new champion. And it will not be easy to identify the winner here. Oliveira is a very dangerous and experienced opponent. Makhachev is bigger and stronger than his opponent, so there is a high probability that the audience will see a new champion in 2022.
Women know how to surprise
Women also know how to surprise their audience. Last year ended very unexpectedly for the leader of the women’s league, Amanda Nunes. The athlete gave up so quickly that the spectators wondered whether it was really her in the octagon. This shocking outcome can affect the confidence of Amanda in her abilities, especially since Valentina Shevchenko had an eight-fight winning streak. The result of this confrontation will make it clear how much that defeat affected Nunes.
Although the next fight, scheduled to take place in May, is long-awaited, it is entirely predictable. Jiri Prochazka is an experienced and titled fighter. Despite the efforts and luck of his future rival, Glover Teixeira, it is unlikely he will win this match.
Zabit Magomedsharipov has not taken part in fights for two years. Experts thought the athlete had ended his sports career and excluded him from all ratings. However, the fighter did not give official information about this. During the time Zabit was absent from the MMA, a lot of things have changed: new names, champions and much more have appeared. For example, Giga Chikadze, with whom Magomedsharipov wants to fight with.
Provided that Zabit wins, he will instantly become famous. But Chikadze is in good physical shape and will not give up that easily. Experts believe that this fight is too hasty a decision for the Russian athlete. And he should take part in fights with less titled fighters first.
Many remember the fight of Brandon Moreno and Askar Askarov because it was Askarov’s debut fight in the UFC. That clash ended in a draw. At the moment, he is considered one of the main contenders for the title. The public thinks that this fight can end in a draw as well.
This fight has already become a disappointment of 2022
It had already entered the top-10 of the most awaited fights of 2022. We are talking about the fight between Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou. Experts and fans were really looking forward to this grandiose fight and compared the two opponents. It was a tough choice: power against speed. At the same time, Gane has good technique, and Ngannu has a powerful punch. Only the real experts were able to predict the fight’s outcome correctly.
The day has come. The fight itself promised to be very exciting. But the fight turned out to be very straightforward. Francis did not use his power; Gane didn’t use his speed and avoided the fight. The first two rounds were terribly dull. Lopez’s former trainee became active only in the final round. He identified his opponent’s main weakness: Cyril’s takedown defence is poor. The Cameroonian fighter simply dragged out the time of his dominance to score as many points as possible without being too forward. As a result, Francis Ngannou won by the judges’ unanimous decision.
We really hope that this fight will be an exception, and the new year will provide us with unexpected results and vivid emotions. Some of the fights mentioned above will take place very soon.
