'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC 267 is in the books and, incredibly, this was a highly anticipated event that ended up living up to every bit of the hype. Not only did UFC 267 feature some seriously amazing finishes, but it also featured one of the best title fights of 2021 thus far.
This was one event from Abu Dhabi's Fight Island that will not be forgotten in a hurry, that’s for sure.
With that considered, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC 267: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira.
#5. Petr Yan decks Cory Sandhagen with a spinning backfist en route to regaining UFC gold
The only reason this explosive moment doesn’t rank higher is that somehow Cory Sandhagen absorbed the best shots Petr Yan had to offer and went the distance with him.
Quite how ‘The Sandman’ managed that is anyone’s guess. The fight was a relatively close one. It was chock-full of action from start to finish – making it one of 2021’s best UFC title fights.
However, after a tricky first round that saw him struggle to deal with Sandhagen’s length, Yan found his range and delivered a striking clinic, battering ‘The Sandman’ from pillar to post.
The most explosive moment of the fight, though? Easily the brutal spinning backfist that ‘No Mercy’ connected with late in the third round. It landed cleanly and, along with a glancing follow-up blow, sent Sandhagen crashing to the ground.
Sandhagen showed true toughness and resilience to escape the ground-and-pound that followed – even willing himself back to his feet.
At that stage though, the fight was only going in one direction. Despite ‘The Sandman’ surviving another scare in the fifth round thanks to a clean head kick, Yan was crowned the interim UFC bantamweight champion thanks to one of his most thrilling and explosive showings to date.
#4. Glover Teixeira rocks and strangles Jan Blachowicz to become a UFC champion
Glover Teixeira came into his second shot at the UFC light-heavyweight title – this time against Jan Blachowicz – as a sizeable underdog. After all, the Brazilian turned 42 earlier this year, while Blachowicz was on the run of his life following his win over Israel Adesanya.
However, despite Blachowicz’s vaunted ‘Polish power’, it was Teixeira who had the punching power to win this fight. Sure, he ended up strangling the champion into submission, but he had Blachowicz on his back for the majority of the first round and couldn’t put him away.
The difference in the fight-ending second round was simple. Teixeira landed a clubbing left hook that wobbled Blachowicz’s knees and clearly had him in trouble. The Polish fighter fired back, but clearly wasn’t fully with it, and once a takedown followed, the fight was over.
Was this Teixeira’s most explosive UFC performance? Probably not, but it was yet another finish for his overall ledger. Given that it made him the oldest first-time champion in UFC history, it’ll be the one he’ll savor most.
#3. Lerone Murphy uses a perfectly-timed knee to take out Makwan Amirkhani
English striker Lerone Murphy was bringing an unbeaten record into UFC 267, but he was also faced with his toughest opponent to date. Makwan Amirkhani might not have been ranked in the top ten at 145lbs, but ‘Mr Finland’ has always been explosive enough to take out any fighter in a sudden rush.
Last night, though, he was the one being taken out. Murphy didn’t win a $50k bonus for his efforts, but based on what he did, there’s no doubt that Dana White likely rewarded him handsomely under the table.
The first round went to Amirkhani, who used his grappling to force Murphy on the defensive for the majority of the stanza. Between rounds, it was clear that ‘The Miracle’ didn’t want that to happen again.
So when Amirkhani shot in for a takedown in the second, Murphy countered with a perfectly-timed knee, landing it directly to the jaw and knocking the Finn senseless.
‘The Miracle’ followed with a couple of extra shots but, to be frank, they were unnecessary as Amirkhani clearly wasn’t about to get up any time soon.
On any other UFC card – particularly one of the recent lacklustre Fight Nights – this kind of knockout would’ve had everyone talking today. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed, but it should still net Murphy a spot on the main card next time around.
#2. Islam Makhachev attempts to remove Dan Hooker’s arm from his body
Submission wins aren’t always considered to explosive in the UFC. They’re more of a thing of beauty, particularly when they’re done in the slick fashion usually preferred by Islam Makhachev.
Last night, however, Makhachev went down a different path – and submitted Dan Hooker with a kimura that was so brutal it made ‘The Hangman’ cry out in agony.
Hooker was supposed to provide Makhachev with his toughest test to date. A battle-hardened veteran, ‘The Hangman’ had survived some horrendous moments against the likes of Paul Felder and Edson Barboza.
When Makhachev took him down in the early going of last night’s clash though, it quickly became clear that he was miles out of his depth with the Dagestani on the ground. Sure enough, Makhachev began to work him over with strikes – and when he had the opportunity, he locked up a kimura on the right arm.
Hooker attempted to fight the hold off – only for Makhachev to advance to side mount, step over his head, and then attempt to detach the arm from the Kiwi’s body.
Unable to tap out due to his left arm being behind his waist, Hooker’s cry of pain was the signal used by referee Dan Movahedi to stop the fight. While ‘The Hangman’ attempted to protest, it was painfully clear that he was done.
This was probably Makhachev’s most impressive showing so far – and was definitely his most explosive finish. It may well end up netting him a UFC title shot in the near future, too.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev returns to the UFC with a bang and takes out Li Jingliang
After struggling with COVID-19 to the point that he announced his retirement at one point, many fans wondered exactly what Khamzat Chimaev would bring in his return to the UFC.
The Chechnyan had garnered the most hype since Conor McGregor following his first three octagon wins in 2020, but last night was clearly his toughest test to date. Unlike his previous three opponents, Li Jingliang was a highly touted, top-fifteen ranked fighter with some big wins to his name.
Incredibly, even ‘The Leech’ was unable to do a thing to Chimaev en route to a one-sided loss. The Chinese fighter didn’t even land a strike on ‘Borz’ before he was taken out in the first round.
Chimaev’s win came via submission, but it was explosive all the same. ‘Borz’ grabbed Jingliang in the fight’s early moments and from there, he simply manhandled him. He lifted him into the air and walked him towards UFC president Dana White – who he then spoke to while slamming ‘The Leech’ down.
From there, Chimaev beat Jingliang down and then choked him unconscious, all in just over three minutes. It was a truly eye-opening performance that showed exactly why there’s so much hype around him.
Sure, this wasn’t a brutal knockout like Lerone Murphy’s, but it was clearly the most explosive and outstanding moment on what was one of the best UFC events in recent memory.
