Top 5 UFC comebacks of 2022

Every so often, a fight inside the cage could be going completely lopsided, in favour of a fighter, before his adversary steps up to the plate to deliver a scintillating comeback, and in the process, gets immortalized in the record books.

This year, we saw quite a few of those. Interestingly, however, a lot of these comebacks came in title fights, and some of them have kept the fans spellbound till date. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the top five comebacks of the 2022 calendar year.

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5. Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane

Despite being the underdog, the heavyweight champion had a point to prove in his fight against upcomer Ciryl Gane – the rivalry ran deeper, as Gane trains out of Ngannou’s former gym, MMA Factory in Paris. With words having been exchanged, it was imperative for the champion to prove his mettle.

In the first two rounds, it looked like Gane was being able to slip through Ngannou’s shots with ease, showing off his signature footwork in the process. Two rounds down, Ngannou capitalized on Gane’s lack of experience – he wrestled the Frenchman, and kept him firmly on the ground for the next three rounds, and in the process, retained his belt.

4. Drew Dober vs Terrance McKinney

Entering the fight, Terence McKinney was believed by many to get the win over an up and down Dober, who had perhaps failed to capitalize fully on his talent. That is how the first round began – McKinney unloaded a barrage of strikes to his opponent’s face, sending him hurtling down to the canvas for the first time in his career.

Rebounding strongly, Dober rallied back with vicious jabs that hurt McKinney, only to end the fight with nasty ground and pound.

3. Matt Schnell vs Su Mudaerji

Perhaps one of the greatest rounds we have ever witnessed, South Korean Su Mudaerji started off the second round with the intention to hurt his American opponent. That he did – with stinging jabs, hooks and knees, Matt Schnell looked close to be finished on atleast three separate occasions.

With steely determination, he saw his way through the storm, only to catch Mudaerji, take him down, and choke him unconscious. Fight fans shouldn’t be surprised to see this fight win many accolades at the end-of-the-year MMA awards ceremonies.

2. Jiri Prochazka vs Glover Teixeira

Perhaps one of the two greatest title fights we witnessed this year, Jiri Prochazka’s stunning last-minute KO makes it to the podium on this list. Jiri Prochazka looked to have his number read by the veteran Glover Teixeira, who neutralized his striking advantage with his grappling. More shocking, however, was the fact that Teixeira was managing to outstrike his opponent.

However, the Brazilian made a catastrophic error late into the fight – instead of finishing an already hurt Prochazka, he elected to shoot for a guillotine, which didn’t pay off ultimately. Instead, the Czechian wrapped his opponent into a choke, and from there, it was only going to be, ‘AND NEW’!

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1. Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman

This fight needs no introduction, really. Considered by many to be one of, if not the best title knockout in UFC history, the fight also managed to change the appearance of the welterweight division.

Having dominated Edwards on the ground for a good 20-odd minutes, Kamaru Usman looked to set to wring in yet another title defence. That was not to be, as Edwards correctly predicted where “The Nigerian Nightmare” would duck his head, and landed the crispest leg strike to his opponent’s dome. Truly, the stuff of highlight reels!

Those were some of the best very best comebacks fight fans got to experience this year. With luck, 2023 might bring as many, or even more such comebacks for the fighting community.

Also Read- “Very Inspiring” – Francis Ngannou CONGRATULATES Leon Edwards on title win over close friend Kamaru Usman

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