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UFC 263 looked like one of 2021’s biggest UFC shows on paper, with two title fights and the return of Nate Diaz highlighting the card. The PPV event turned out to be a highly entertaining show, with one title change and numerous other dramatic fights and finishes.
Here are the five most explosive moments from UFC 263: Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 2:
#1 Paul Craig snaps Jamahal Hill’s arm in a sick visual
In terms of explosive moments at UFC 263, nothing could possibly top what happened in the main card opener between Paul Craig and Jamahal Hill.
Craig was clearly wary of Hill’s striking game and surprised fans by pulling guard early on in the fight. The move turned out to pay off big time. Within seconds, the Scotsman had Hill caught in a shoulder lock variant, and when Hill escaped that, 'The Bearjew' switched to a nasty armbar.
Hill attempted to escape, only for his left arm to snap in the process.
Somehow though, referee Al Guinee failed to spot the injury, and when Craig switched to a triangle choke, we were treated to the disgusting visual of Hill’s broken arm flapping around like a piece of spaghetti.
Hill eventually tapped out, giving Craig his third victory in a row. Undoubtedly, though, this will stand as the most memorable and sick win of his UFC career to date.
#2 Brandon Moreno chokes out Deiveson Figueiredo to win the UFC flyweight title
When Brandon Moreno first fought Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 256 in December 2020, he probably would’ve lost were it not for the Brazilian suffering a point deduction owing to an errant low blow.
Because of this, most fans expected Moreno to be outgunned in their rematch last night. However, that wasn’t the case at all.
Not only did Moreno start explosively by dropping Figueiredo with a jab in the first round, but he outfought the Brazilian throughout, eventually choking him out in the third round.
To say this was a shock, given Figueiredo’s extensive grappling background, would be an understatement. But then again, Moreno has always been a highly explosive finisher given the chance.
Whether Moreno can go on a dominant run as champ is a question mark, but for now, he’ll always have this genuinely excellent win to his name.
#3 Nate Diaz almost pulls off a miracle comeback against Leon Edwards
Nate Diaz’s fight with Leon Edwards was an epic one, punctuated by a deafening crowd throughout and tons of action. However, most of the action saw Edwards beating Diaz up, landing clean punches, heavy low kicks, and even abusing him with punches and elbows on the ground.
In the fifth round, though, the tide turned, and Diaz almost pulled off a miracle win with the fight’s most explosive sequence. Diaz landed his patented Stockton slap on 'Rocky' with the right hand, followed by a crushing left cross that had Edwards on rubber legs.
Edwards seemingly couldn’t regain his footing, and Diaz swarmed him with more punches, only to run out of time before he could find a finish.
In the end, Edwards came out with a clear-cut win, but it was undoubtedly Diaz, as usual, who nearly stole the show with the fight’s most memorable moment.
Also Read: Nate Diaz reveals when he wants to fight next after UFC 263 loss
#4 Drew Dober and Brad Riddell put on a war
While it didn’t feature a wild knockout, UFC 263’s best fight was probably the lightweight bout between Drew Dober and Brad Riddell.
The styles of both men seemed to suggest we could be in for fireworks, which definitely turned out to be the case. Dober came out strong in the opening round, hurting Riddell with numerous heavy punches and nearly putting him away at one point.
But 'The Quake' came roaring back in the second round, and we were treated to some wild exchanges with both men landing huge punches. How neither went down was anyone’s guess.
The third round was equally exciting and dramatic, with both landing more bombs, but by this point, it was clear that Riddell was the slightly sharper striker, and he was the one landing the heavier shots.
Riddell ended up taking a unanimous decision win and will probably find himself in the UFC’s top fifteen come Monday. In a fight this good, neither man was a loser.
Also Read: UFC 263 bonuses: which fighters won $50,000?
#5 Terrance McKinney debuts with a bang and injures himself in the process
To say Terrance McKinney won’t forget his UFC debut any time soon would be a wild understatement.
Taking his fight with Matt Frevola on just four days’ notice, McKinney came storming out of the gate and dropped Frevola with a flurry of punches. 'The Steamrolla' went down and out, and 'T-Wrecks' secured his first UFC win in just seven seconds.
This was UFC 263’s only knockout finish, in addition to being the fastest knockout in UFC lightweight history.
Incredibly though, when McKinney dropped down after scaling the cage in celebration, he appeared to blow out his knee, leaving him in worse shape than Frevola!
This was a completely bizarre incident, but it was also a massively memorable knockout and, in terms of the result, a hell of a debut for McKinney.
Also Read: Jorge Masvidal reacts to Terrance McKinney joining an exclusive club of UFC knockout artists
