The 2023 MMA season has come to an end, and there was no shortage of electrifying matchups for fans of the sport. To crown this excellent year, the SUPER LUTAS team got together and put together a top-5 list of the most exciting duels, and we bring you the results. Let's get to the list.
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1 – Justin Gaethje x Rafael Fiziev – UFC 286
Justin Gaethje (left) defeated Rafael Fiziev (right) at UFC 286. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The co-main event of UFC 286 , which took place in London (UK), brought an exciting lightweight (up to 70,3kg) duel to the O2 Arena audience. One of the biggest names in the history of the category, Justin Gaethje was coming off a loss to Charles Oliveira in a title fight and was going to face prospect Rafael Fiziev , who was undefeated in six appearances in the organization.
The two athletes delivered a highly exciting clash, worthy of two of the greatest strikers in the category. After 15 minutes of high-level striking and great balance, Gaethje emerged victorious in the judges' majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28). Deservedly, the confrontation won the ‘Fight of the Night’ award given by the organization.
2 – Alexandre Pantoja x Brandon Moreno – UFC 290
Brandon Moreno (left) and Alexandre Pantoja (right) fighting at UFC 290. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC
After defeating Deiveson Figueiredo in Rio de Janeiro and regaining the flyweight title (up to 56,7kg), Mexican Brandon Moreno would defend his reign against another Brazilian who had already defeated him twice: Alexandre Pantoja . For the anticipated trilogy, the organization placed them in the co-main event of UFC 290 , which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA).
Dreaming of the opportunity to fight for the title for a long time, Pantoja stepped into the Octagon willing not to let his dream slip away. The Brazilian managed to go toe-to-toe with Moreno's elite boxing and knew it was time to change levels and put it down to use his jiu-jitsu. Moreno still showed a good performance, but not enough to stop the Brazilian, who finally realized his dream of winning the Ultimate belt by winning the fight via split decision from the judges.
3 – Islam Makhachev x Alexander Volkanovski – UFC 284
Volkanovski (left) and Makhachev (right) at UFC 284. (Photo: Reproduction/Instagram)
After defeating Charles Oliveira and winning the lightweight title, Islam Makhachev agreed to go to Australia to face featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg) Alexander Volkanovski , who dreamed of a double championship. The highly anticipated duel between the two best in the pound-for-pound rankings took place at UFC 284.
In the fight, Islam Makhachev proved that he wasn't 'just' a fighter with top-level grappling skills. The Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé went toe-to-toe with Volkanovski in the striking exchanges as well, and even with a scare in the fifth and final round, emerged victorious by unanimous decision after 25 minutes of intense fighting.
4 – Alexa Grasso x Valentina Shevchenko 2 – UFC Night
Alexa Grasso (left) and Valentina Shevchenko (right) fought to a draw at Noche UFC . Photo: Reproduction/Twitter UFC
Six months after shocking the world and finishing off the 'undefeated' Valentina Shevchenko , Mexican Alexa Grasso wanted to show that her first victory was no fluke. The new flyweight champion (up to 56,7kg) and the Kyrgyz veteran were chosen to headline the first Noche UFC , an event created by the organization to commemorate Mexico's Independence Day.
Inside the octagon set up in Las Vegas (USA), Alexa Grasso had good and bad moments against the legendary Valentina Shevchenko , who, at times, came close to victory. After five even rounds, with twists and turns in certain scenarios, the draw by split decision was announced, keeping the title holder at the top of the division according to the rules.
5 – Irena Aldana x Karol Rosa
Karo Rosa (left) receives a blow from Irene Aldana (right) at UFC 296. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC
The fight that closes out the top 5 took place at the last event of the year and surprised sports fans. At the end of the preliminary card of UFC 296 , bantamweight (up to 61,2kg) fighters Karol Rosa and Irene Aldana delivered a true war to the audience present at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (USA).
Showing boxing with a lot of speed and power, Aldana punished Karol and the Brazilian fighter responded with blows to the head and low kicks. However, from the second round onwards, the Brazilian athlete slowed down and appeared tired, which made the Mexican fighter grow even more and dominate the confrontation, emerging victorious in the judges' unanimous decision.
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