5 best UFC fights of June 2022
June was arguably the best month of UFC action in 2022 so far. The world's premier MMA promotion put on three Fight Night events and one pay-per-view in June, comprising some incredible matchups that delivered on all fronts.
We even witnessed a definite 'Fight of the Year' contender, but more on that later.
Across four UFC fight cards in June, fans were treated to some memorable bouts, many of which were short explosive bouts, while others were highly competitive five-round affairs.
Here are the five best fights of June 2022.
#5. Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ramazan Emeev – UFC 275
Jack Della Madallena's UFC career got off to a scintillating start in January earlier this year with his exquisite striking display against Pete Rodriguez at UFC 270. The Australian finished Rodriguez in the very first round with his crisp boxing skills standing out as his best asset.
In his second fight inside the famed octagon, Maddalena took on Russian welterweight Ramazan Emeev. Experienced wrestlers like Emeev tend to pose massive problems for strikers and this was undoubtedly the toughest test of Della Maddalena's career so far.
The 25-year-old started the fight tentatively, likely wary of the threat of Emeev's takedowns. A little over two minutes into the bout, the Aussie 170-pounder found himself in a tight head-and-arm choke and his head was seemingly starting to turn purple.
Out of nowhere, Della Maddalena scrambled out of the choke and forced his Russian counterpart back to his feet. He backed Emeev into the fence and unleashed a barrage of accurate hooks, finishing him with a powerful body shot.
While the fight only lasted two-and-a-half minutes, the back-and-forth nature and sequence of dramatic moments before the finish made it quite memorable.
Della Maddalena displayed incredible resolve to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and with his latest performance, expect this fighter from Down Under to break into the rankings at some point down the line.
#4. Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodriguez – UFC Austin
As soon as the Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodriguez fight was announced for UFC Austin, fans knew they were in for a guaranteed barn burner. More often than not, Marquez fights with reckless abandonment and likes to pressure his opponents, while Rodriguez's accurate striking often leads to entertaining fights.
Gregory Rodriguez started strong, pushing Julian Marquez into the fence before landing some powerful shots. 'Robocop' looked on point right from the start of the fight and barely missed any of his strikes.
Two minutes into the bout, Marquez rallied back and caught Rodriguez with some strikes of his own. However, 'Robocop' was able to recover quite quickly and turned up the pressure. Seconds later, the Brazilian landed a thunderous right hook, forcing the referee to intervene as Marquez came crashing down.
The win over Julian Marquez marked Gregory Rodriguez's third win in the octagon, and the Brazilian is now 3-1 in the UFC. On the flipside, this was Marquez's second loss in the promotion.
#3. Michael Trizano vs. Lucas Almeida – UFC Vegas 56
At UFC Vegas 56, unranked contenders Michael Trizano and Lucas Almeida squared off in a featherweight bout. Trizano has been on the roster for over four years and boasted of a professional record of 9-2 going into the bout with Almeida, who held a 13-1 record prior to their clash.
With both well-rounded featherweights looking to edge one step closer to breaking into the rankings, this was always going to be a memorable fight.
Lucas Almeida's striking looked phenomenal in the first few minutes of the bout. He picked apart Michael Trizano on the feet and even stuffed the American's takedown attempts. With just 30 seconds to go in the opening frame, Almeida got dropped with a thumping left hook and as such, Trizano stole the round.
Almeida bounced back impressively in the second frame, returning the favor and dropping Trizano with the same strike that caught him. The Brazilian followed his counterpart to the ground and accumulated tons of control time, bagging the round as a result.
With the scorecards more than likely at 1-1 going into the third and final round, the featherweight duo came out guns blazing. Almeida showed tremendous heart to weather a series of hard shots and landed a massive hook, which floored Trizano. After some hard follow-up ground-and-pound strikes, the referee stepped in.
Lucas Almeida advanced his professional record to 14-1 with his win over Michael Trizano and is among the most intriguing unranked fighters at 145 pounds. Both featherweights came away with the 'Fight of the Night' bonus for their efforts.
#2. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot – UFC Vegas 57
The upper echelons of the UFC lightweight division are notoriously hard to break into.
With the likes of Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, Michael Chandler, and Beneil Dariush occupying the top tier of the 155-pound rankings, the next wave of promising lightweights need statement-making wins to break into the public consciousness.
Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot may not be well known to casual fans, but they are, without a doubt, the future of the lightweight division. Both fighters are extremely well-rounded, making their five-round headliner at UFC Vegas 57 an absolute treat to watch.
Arman Tsarukyan started strong, catching Gamrot with multiple body kicks that echoed around the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It appeared as though Tsarukyan's youth gave him the edge in the early stages of the fight and he won the first two rounds, according to all three judges.
The grappling exchanges in particular were incredible to see as both fighters possess explosive scrambling abilities and takedown defense. Additionally, both lightweight contenders have solid stand-up, making this bout essentially a supremely technical chess match, with dire physical consequences.
Gamrot showed his experience in the next three rounds, largely banking on his wrestling and Tsarukyan's inexperience in five-round fights. The Polish national eked out a unanimous decision win after a closely contested five-round affair.
This highly technical bout likely isn't a 'Fight of the Year' contender. Nevertheless, it was a showcase for the future of the lightweight division, and more importantly, a beautiful display of high-level mixed martial arts.
#1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC 275
UFC 275 turned out to be one of the most impressive pay-per-view events in recent memory. Top-to-bottom, the fight card delivered the goods, producing multiple jaw-dropping moments and some unforgettable fights.
The main event largely stole the show, as light heavyweight juggernauts Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka duked it out with UFC gold on the line.
The championship bout was a rollercoaster from start to finish, with both fighters enjoying moments of success before finding themselves in precarious positions. Glover Teixeira's wrestling and submission threat was strong throughout the first four rounds, as was Jiri Prochazka's undeniable fight-ending power.
Texeira was seemingly ahead going into the fifth round as the Brazilian champon dominated the first four minutes of the final frame. With a minute to go in the fight, the 42-year-old secured full mount and rained down heavy ground-and-pound strikes.
Somehow, Prochazka managed to wall-walk and reverse the position. Out of nowhere, with just 28 seconds remaining in the fight, the Czech challenger sunk in a rear-naked choke and forced the tap to become the new light heavyweight champion.
Dana White wasn't in attendance at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to witness the astonishing back-and-forth barnburner. The UFC president's live reaction to Prochazka's finish went viral on social media, highlighting just how crazy the final sequence was.
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