The UFC had their final event and fight of the year with Jared Cannonier earning a split decision victory over fellow Middleweight contender Sean Strickland. 2022 has been a mixed year for the UFC with questionable judging and several devastating injuries in main events.
But as always, there were incredible moments with Jiri Prochazka, Leon Edwards and Alex Pereira claiming UFC Championships with 5th round knockouts in fights they were losing.
With the UFC done for the year, it is time to look forward to what the UFC has in store for 2023. The UFC has already announced a slew of fights and events for the first quarter of 2023, including the first two PPVs of the year – UFC 283 and 284. There are also several fights that are expected to be announced, such as a Bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. And, of course, some fantasy matchups everyone would love to see. We have decided to compile our top 10 across all three categories.
Here is our list of the top 10 UFC fights that you can look forward to in 2023.
1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill for the Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, UFC 283, January 21.
The first UFC PPV main event of 2023 will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 283 headlined by a recently announced fight between Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill for the still-Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Teixeira was meant to rematch Jiri Prochazka for the Title before Prochazka suffered a shoulder injury causing the bout’s cancellation. In it’s place, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought for the Title to a split draw at UFC 282.
With the belt still vacant after UFC 282, the UFC handed Teixeira a dream fight in his home country with the chance to regain the UFC Light Heavyweight Title for a second time. Teixeira will take on rising knockout artist Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill, who has been fast tracked to a title shot with no other options to face Teixeira on such short notice.
Assuming a draw does not happen again, we should see a new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with either Teixeira adding another chapter to his fairytale career, or Hill shooting his way to the top of the Light Heavyweight Divisions.
2. Deiveson Figueiredo (C) vs. Brandon Moreno (IC) for the UFC Men’s Flyweight Championship, UFC 283, January 21.
Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno will meet for the record 4th time in a title fight in the UFC 283 co-main event. The Flyweight’s were scheduled to headline the event before the late addition of the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout. As is tradition in the UFC, the heavier weight class will headline the event.
The two men are currently 1-1-1, with the first bout being a draw, Moreno winning the Title via submission in their second bout, and Figueiredo coming back to win their third fight via decision. The fight will take place nearly a year to the day of their most recent bout, with Moreno winning the Interim Championship since.
Figueiredo and Moreno are the two best Flyweight’s in the world, and while this is already their 4th fight, it most likely will not be their last unless Figgy moves up to Bantamweight. One of the great rivalries of this generation will get a new chapter in January at UFC 283.
3. Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (FTW C) for the UFC Lightweight Championship, UFC 284, February 12
In one of the biggest-possible super fights, current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will take the step up to the Lightweight division and challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship in Perth, Australia. The fight will see the top 2 pound-for-pound fighters face each other in the primes of their career.
Makhachev goes into the fight riding an 11-fight win streak, which culminated in claiming the UFC Lightweight Championship from Charles Oliveira in 2022. Volkanovski, the number-one P4P fighter on planet earth, comes into the fight undefeated in the UFC with an overall 22-fight win streak. This is a true battle between two of the best fighters in the world, with Volkanovski having a chance to become a double-champ alongside the likes of Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Amanda Nunes.
Makhachev, on the other hand, will get the chance to add to his already impressive record and continue one of the all-time great UFC runs. Either way, Perth gets to witness a true superfight.
UFC 283 was set to feature a co-main event bout between Australian Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa which would have been next on the list. However, it has been confirmed that the fight has been cancelled.
4. Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon “Chito” Vera, UFC Fight Night 219, February 18
The UFC has announced a banger Bantamweight matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon “Chito” Vera, set to main event the UFC Fight Night on February 18. The Fight Night will take place in the UFC APEX.
The bout will see two of the UFC’s best strikers lock horns for 5 rounds. Sandhagen is coming off of a bounce back TKO of Song Yadong after losing two title fight eliminators against T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan. Chito enters the fight on a 4-fight win streak including highlight reel knockouts of UFC legends Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz.
Sandhagen and Chito were potentially in line for title shots, but with Henry Cejudo returning, and Sean O’Malley seemingly next in line, both men will have a long wait before challenging for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. The winner of this bout may well challenge for the title towards the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024.
5. Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield, UFC Fight Night 219, February 18
The final bout of the ‘Announced Fights’ section of this list is an interesting meeting of UFC Women’s Flyweight contenders Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield. Taila Santos is coming off of a controversial split decision loss to Flyweight Queen Valentina Shevchenko.
In the closest fight of Shevchenko’s Flyweight reign, many thought that Santos had done enough to win the fight. As a result, many also expected a rematch to be announced. Instead, Shevchenko is expected to face rising French striker Manon Fiorot.
Blanchfield is coming off of a career-best submission of Molly McCann which solidified her spot as one of the sport’s brightest prospects at only 23 years of age. In a significant jump in competition, Blanchfield will take on Santos in what should be a title-eliminator in the shallow Flyweight division.
In Part 2 of our Top 10 fights to look forward to in 2023 where we will go through some expected fights that have not yet been announced and some fantasy matchups that we would love to see in 2023.
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