The Best UFC Cards of 2022

Everyone is pleased to see that our world is beginning to return to normality after two years of unpredictability and difficulties, in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

For certain people, it's the freedom from masks and the luxury of going back to live events. Others are heading back to work, traveling, going for education, or resuming international fighting championships.

The fighting and grappling are once again filled with high-stakes matches, including fan-favorite veterans, rising prospects, and genuine contenders.

1. Sean O'Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz  - UFC 276

Sean O'Malley, who hails from Arizona, has consistently been regarded as the most talented young UFC competitor in the featherweight class. It is among the strongest and most intense weight divisions in the sport.

It'll be fascinating to look at the betting odds for the fight. O'Malley, famous for his quick striking, will be able to gain all the attention heading to the bout. Still, Munhoz is an enormous leap in the competition for the Brazilian. O'Malley is a good striker and has a reputation for ending fights via knockouts. While Munhoz is an incredibly durable and agile fighter, these qualities allowed him to go through the 27 fights without getting stopped. Fights against treacherous people are included in this category. Munhoz is also a master of grappling and more skilled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu than O'Malley.

2. Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington - UFC 272

Friends from the past, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington have been involved in some heated discussions. The two have grudges to settle against each other, which is why a welterweight match is scheduled to resolve this dispute and determine who is the stronger boxer.

Masvidal and Covington are just coming off their championship loss to Kamaru Usman. The ''Gamebred'''was beaten out in April 2021, and "Chaos" went through the gauntlet with the "Nigerian Nightmare"  to a unanimous loss in March.  Both fighters showcased their amazing skills in the fight. The crowd was hyped. Both fighters were unable to knock down their opponent and after the 5th round, the winner was announced by the decision. Jorge was a favourite fighter but Colby fought bravely and boldly and was announced as a winner.

3. Tai Tuivasa vs. Derrick Lewis - UFC 271

Although UFC 271's main fight featuring Israel Adesanya against Robert Whittaker to defend Middleweight Champion, was a huge one. But many fans anticipated their excitement in the co-headline featuring Heavyweight fighters Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.

The two fighters had an extensive list of knockouts, and since both were coming off wild bouts in the second quarter of 2021, it seemed like an exciting and brutal result was inevitable in this fight. As anticipated, the fight was a show for the spectators and ended with Tuivasa’s win.

At first, the fight didn't appear to be going the way it was anticipated. After some early grappling and exchanges, "The Black Beast" almost knocked out his Australian opponent with a barrage of punches. However, amazingly the Tuivasa fighter took the jabs like a pro and reloaded back.

The fight shifted to the second round. This time, the two fighters amazingly fought and put on quite a show. The former title challenger clinched and Tuivasa was on the move and struck his opponent with a powerful elbow on the left side of his head.  The fight was won by the "Bam Bam," rule. According to which, the one who struck the most powerful shots, will be declared the winner. This decision left Lewis completely stunned for a moment.

4. Volkanovski against. The Korean Zombie - UFC 273

It was a hot second. Volkanovski was scheduled to take on former champion Max Holloway in the third fight at UFC 272. However, "Blessed" revealed he was injured, and the fight card was moved around to include "The Korean Zombie" stepping into the ring to fight for gold at featherweight for the second time. The fight moved into the main show on April’s pay-per-view.

Volkanovski is currently on a haul of a fierce success run, winning 20 fights straight, including his UFC appearances, three consecutive title fights, and both of his two title defenses. Since then, he has a record of 3-0 versus past champions of the UFC. He has two dominant wins against the top competitor Chad Mendes and Brian Ortega, showing one of the industry's best skills and sharpest Fight Intelligence.

On 10th April, history repeated and after a fierce fight, Volkanovski won the fight by KO/TKO in the 4th round of the fight.

5. Miesha Tate vs. Lauren Murphy - UFC  276

Never have women's mixed martial arts (MMA) been so thrilling. With all set to take part before the final day of June, the season is appearing to be a bit sparse in the world of women's MMA.

However, there are a couple of women's matches worth watching on the schedule for the coming UFC 2022 season, they are no more exciting than Miesha Tate's (19-8) battle in the ring.

Tate is one of the pioneers in women's MMA. Her professional career goes from 2007 to the days when there were no female fighters available and earned money.

After stepping down in 2019 from MMA and having a brief stint working for the Singapore-based martial art powerful ONE Championship, Tate made an announcement of her plans to fight again in the previous year. Tate is 1-1 since her first win, defeating Marion Reneau by TKO before losing a decision in a fight to Ketlen Vieira.

Tate's fight against Murphy is intriguing because it's her first bout in the flyweight division at 125 pounds after a career that was primarily at featherweight and bantamweight - 135 and 140 pounds, respectively. The fight will be largely dismissed if she drops to former title opponent Murphy.

The fight gave the spectators a memorable Saturday night. But Lauren Murphy was dominant from the start of the fight. She was constantly creating opportunities for takedowns and executing precise techniques. Miesha did put up a good fight against her but Murphy was all over her. Murphy won the fight by unanimous decision.

6. UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards

Kamaru Usman faces the best of the best for the Welterweight Championship Title.

The champion appears to be invincible and unbeatable.

Before the explosive ascendancy of the fighter, who exploded on the scene having won all four fights, the Swedish athlete had a 15-fight win streak and had not lost a professional bout.

Due to the respective strengths of both the stand-up and floor play, a prospective title showdown between Usman Chimaev and Leon Edwards promises to be a thrilling fight. It is still one of the highly anticipated UFC bouts of 2022.

Round 1: Edwards starts the fight by landing leg kicks. Usman tried a takedown attempt but Edwards defended. He scored a trip takedown and then transitioned into full mount. He took the back of Usman and was about to attempt a choke but the horn blew.

Round 2: Edwards’ foot strangled against the cage, Usman took the opportunity and fired a barrage of punches. Usman kept the pressure and attempted the 2nd takedown. Edwards looked tired.

Round 3: In the 2nd minute of this round Usman secured a takedown. Edwards stood up swiftly but Usma was not ready to forgive his opponent. Edwards landed some good jabs but Usman secured another takedown and got the back control of Edwards and transitioned into the full mount position.

Round 4: Edwards started this round bold, landed some good punches, and tried to take down Usman but He defended and Usman secured another takedown of Edward.

Round 5: In the fifth round Usman was all over Edwards, he was unable to intimidate Usman, who had clearly dominated the fight. Suddenly Edwards landed a kick on the head of Usman and knocked him out of the whole arena.

7. Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina - UFC Fight Night 204

The March trip to London was among the greatest UFC events of recent times. The promotion handed an unprecedented $50,000 in post-fight bonuses, thanks to the quality of performances from the contestants on the card.

"Meatball" was never intimidated by an opponent inside the Octagon and she was more than ready to battle against Luana Carolina. However, she was already prepared for a memorable finish.

After winning against her Brazilian opponent in the initial two rounds, it seemed as if the native from Liverpool was heading towards another victory via decision. But as the third round was nearing its halfway point, everything changed.

McCann released a spectacular turning back elbow, connecting perfectly to Carolina's jaw before shutting off her lights instantly. "Meatball" didn't even have to continue because it was obvious the 'Dread' had far more than finished.

This knockout not only turned into a big star for McCann and his band but also showcased an entertaining show before an enthusiastic crowd - which makes it one of the best bouts of 2022 so far.

8. Lando Vannata vs. Charles Jourdan UFC Fight Night

Just because two lunatics, and I say that in the most positive way possible and with absolute respect for both -- will take on the Octagon together, doesn't it bring a smile to your face?

After years of thrilling fights and inconsistent results as a welterweight, Vannata moved to featherweight in the last year and came away with a split decision victory in the face of Mike Grundy at UFC 262 in his first fight. Vannata outclassed the British wrestler across all rounds by a significant margin, but he never remained on the mat for more than one minute in any round. The battle should not have resulted in a decision that was split down the middle.

Jourdain put his money on himself and ended up fighting his contract back in December. He delivered an impressive performance, which was capped off with a shout and the "Sparta kick" in his victory against Andre Ewell. With a brand-new contract and victories in two of his three fights in the last three, the 26-year-old French-Canadian hopes to continue his progress by securing a major win over another all-action fighter in this fight.

Charles proved himself as a fierce and bold fighter as he initiated a takedown in the first round and got the submission of the opponent. The fans were expecting more from Vannata but Jourdain dominated himself and won the fight.

9. UFC Fight Night: Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa is adored for his antics out of the Octagon and his fights inside it. When the drunken Australian beat Lewis away with a series of 2 round elbows during his final fight, he went from an entertainer to a legitimate title challenger. Tuivasa is expected to make his final move toward a shot at the heavyweight title when he fights France's Ciryl Gane in September. 

The Frenchman has a great IQ in the fight, world-class strike-delivering skills developed through a long Muay Thai pathway, and an unstoppable athleticism.

It's yet to be determined what his tactical and technical style is compared to Tuivasa's aggressive method of fighting. Still, there will be plenty of excitement and entertainment to watch regardless.

Although Tuivasa has 15 wins out of 19 fights and Ciryl has 11 wins out of 12 fights It was expected to be a nail-biting competition. Both fighters put on a fierce fight. But Ciryl dominated the fight from the start, he landed more significant strikes and was leading on the points table. In the third round, Ciryl knocked out Tuivasa and won the fight.

10. UFC Fight Night: Rob Font vs Marlon Vera

Bantamweight could be the deepest and most competitive division at present, and this fight is a good example of this argument. 

The Font will be making his third main event appearance after losing in a unanimous choice to Jose Aldo last December. Before facing "The King of Rio," who knocked out Marlon Moraes at the end of 2020, he had won four bouts in a row and was a part of the New England Cartel. Additionally, he was victorious against the previous champion Cody Garbrandt in the spring of 2017.

Following his defeat at the hands of Aldo, Vera has won two matches in a row, which has allowed him to crack the top ten for the first time.

After beating Brit Davey Grant in June, "Chito" turned in a great fight in the face of Frankie Edgar in November, taking out the former champion of lightweight by a front kick, check UFC 268.

Both fighters fought bravely and neither of them was successful in submitting or knocking down the opponent. During the fight, Marlon has attempted three takedown attempts. The decision was announced in the favour of Marlon Vera.

11. Final Thoughts

The UFC space does move with the speed of light. There is always someone who thinks he is invincible but got beaten by some underdog. That’s the beauty of UFC, Kumaru Usman KOed by Leon Edward in a fight that was dominated by Usman right until the last minute of the fifth round. The whole crowd went ablaze. There is one element which distinguishes the UFC, its top contestants have decades of sheer hard work and determination to become the best of the best. They are willing to give whatever it takes to achieve their goals.

They live a very tough life. Everyday, they have to get up, go through the same old, and boring process of extensive training. But they know the worth of every minute and every second of their training.

 Last year there were Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both were on top of their games and entertained the whole world. In 2022 there are also some names who caused high altitude waves like the bout of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns and the highly anticipated match of Khamzat Chimaev vs Nate Diaz. Nate submitted the Conor in 2021 via RNA and Khamzat is on an unbeaten winning streak of 11-0-0. The bout is scheduled to be held on 11 September 2022 under UFC 279. UFC is the space of elite champions and people love to watch and applaud a good fight.