5 best UFC fights of 2022 so far

The UFC put on a stellar run of events in the first half of 2022, selling out multiple arenas in the United States in addition to hugely successful shows in England and Singapore. Over the course of these events, fans were treated to some mind-blowing fights that'll be etched in our memories for a long time to come.

We even witnessed some sure-shot 'Fight of the Year' contenders and a select-few that are worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame at some point down the line as well.

The UFC put on 21 events in the first six months of 2022, including 15 regular weekly Fight Nights and six massive pay-per-views, all of which delivered some memorable barnburners.

Here are the five best UFC fights of 2022 so far.

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#5. Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena – UFC Columbus

The incredible fight between Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena at UFC Columbus can only be described as a brawl. The duo went toe-to-toe at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus on the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus.

Matt Brown, a Columbus native, has been in the UFC since 2008. He has always been an entertaining fighter to watch. Barberena also has a reputation for engaging in slugfests with his opponents, having won 'Fight of the Night' honors for his fight against Jason Witt and his memorable meeting with Vicente Luque.

This matchup was expected to blow the roof off the arena and it delivered on its promise. Both welterweights barely took a backward step and sustained quite a bit of damage courtesy of one another.

It seemed as though Brown clearly won the opening round and Barberena won the third. The second frame was a very close affair and could've gone either way.

Ultimately, Barberena came away with a split-decision win, much to the anger and dismay of the crowd in attendance. The judges scored the contest 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 in favor of 'Bam Bam'. Both fighters came away from UFC Columbus $50,000 richer as well, as their three-round bout won 'Fight of the Night' honors.

#4. Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Sergey Morozov - UFC 271

One of the best fights of the year so far went down on the prelims of UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 in Houston, Texas. Douglas Silva de Andrade and Sergey Morozov squared off in a three-round bantamweight bout that left fans in awe.

The action-packed bout delivered right from the get-go. Morozov came out like a house on fire in the first round and picked apart Silva de Andrade in the early striking exchanges. He even knocked down his Brazilian counterpart with a powerful uppercut.

Douglas Silva de Andrade rallied and returned the favor in the second round by knocking down Morozov, who managed to scramble back to his feet, and the duo continued to exchange heavy blows in the pocket.

Silva de Andrade later landed another powerful strike and secured a takedown. The Brazilian subsequently locked in a rear-naked choke, putting his opponent to sleep to conclude an exhilarating bantamweight scrap, which won the 'Fight of the Night' bonus.

de Silva and Morozov won the 'Fight of the Night' bonus [Image via @ufc on Instagram]

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#3. Charles Oliviera vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC 274

For as long as this scintillating bout lasted, it was a thrilling sight to behold.

Two of the most lethal finishers in the UFC, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, locked horns in the main event of UFC 274. Oliveira was stripped of his lightweight belt after controversially missing weight by 0.5 pounds, and only Gaethje was eligible to walk away with the title if he emerged victorious.

Nevertheless, Oliveira further extended his scorching win streak, finishing Gaethje inside the very first round.

Justin Gaethje started strong and even scored a knockdown inside the first minute. However, likely out of fear of his opponent's grappling prowess, 'The Highlight' opted to allow Charles Oliveira back to his feet rather than join him on the mat.

With both lightweights clearly looking for a quick finish, 'The Higlight' started loading up on his punches and knocked down the former titleholder for a second time. Oliveira bounced back soon after, dropping his American foe with a crisp right straight before pouncing on him on the ground.

Despite being bloodied, 'do Bronx' worked his way to Gaethje's back swiftly and locked in a rear-naked choke to further cement his popular war cry – "The champion has a name and it's Charles Oliveira."

#2. Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC 273

Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev locked horns in a pivotal welterweight clash in April 2022. The 170-pound scrap was undoubtedly the most highly anticipated matchup on the fight card of UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie, and the fight expectedly delivered on all fronts.

Burns earned the respect of the MMA community by accepting a fight against the much lower-ranked Chimaev. 'Durinho' previously held the No.2 spot in the welterweight rankings, and as such, if he'd turned down this matchup, nobody would've batted an eyelid.

However, Burns is among a handful of fighters who truly embody the 'anyone, anywhere, anytime' spirit. The Brazilian was a sizeable underdog going into the bout with many expecting Chimaev to steamroll him like he'd done with previous opponents.

Prior to the fight against Burns, Chimaev had only been hit twice in the octagon. The fight against 'Durinho' turned out to be the toughest test of 'Borz's career by a long shot as the welterweight duo combined to produce one of the greatest three-round fights of all time.

In the opening ten minutes, both fighters won one round each and going into the final round, victory was up for grabs.

Chimaev showed championship mettle in the third frame, keeping his composure and walking down Burns with his non-stop forward pressure. 'Borz' came away with a unanimous decision victory to vault himself into the top five at 170 pounds, setting himself up for some massive matchups down the line.

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#1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC 275

Since Jon Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020, the 205-pound division has sprung back into life. Jan Blachowicz won the vacant title, but was dethroned by MMA veteran Glover Teixeira last year. In his first title defense, Teixeira took on rising star Jiri Prochazka.

The championship bout, which headlined UFC 275 in Singapore, turned out to be one of the greatest title fights of all time.

Glover Teixeira was able to weather the early storm from Jiri Prochazka and finished the opening round in a strong position. Prochazka rallied back in the second frame, catching the champion with some powerful shots before ending the round in top position.

Teixeira showed tremendous heart in the third and fourth rounds, and came agonizingly close to finishing the fight with a tight head-and-arm choke. Somehow, Prochazka scrambled out and pushed the light heavyweight king to the absolute limit.

In the final round of the fight, Teixeira dominated the first four minutes and was seemingly en route to successfully defending his title. With a minute left on the clock, the Brazilian was in full mount, raining down heavy ground-and-pound strikes.

Incredibly, Prochazka wall-walked out of the precarious position and latched on a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap with just 28 seconds remaining.

Dana White wasn't able to make the trip over to Singapore to witness the memorable clash. Nonetheless, his reaction to Prochazka's unbelievable fifth-round finish went viral on social media.