9 Best UFC Fighters of 2023: Main Highlights

UFC has been one of the most watched sports disciplines for quite some time. There are a lot of fighters that deserve your attention. We have gathered the top representatives of MMA, who are going to shine in the arena in 2023.

Islam Makhachev – Russia

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s best friend had a fantastic year in 2022. In February, he won an exciting match against American Bobby Green. It took Makhachev less than a round to beat the opponent with a technical knockout, which was expected by the UFC odds on Bodog, which placed him as a favorite at -400 versus Volkanovski. The Russian has won the championship title and is preparing for new challenges. We anticipate that he is going to be one of the bright starts this year.

Alexander Volkanovski – Australia

Volkanovski is a tall and strong fighter, who can easily beat his opponents. In April 2022, he was challenged by Chan Sung Jung, also known as the Korean Zombie. The opponent survived for three rounds, and in the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight.

 

The Australian did not stop there and already in July he won a fight against Max Holloway. Volkanovski completely dominated and won by unanimous decision. In February 2023, against Islam Makhachev, however, he lost the fight.

Dustin Poirier – USA

Dustin Poirier is undoubtedly one of the best fighters of all time. In 2022, compatriot Michael Chandler stood in his way. Initially, it was clear to everyone that the opponents would deliver a fantastic fight.

 

For two rounds, Poirier and Chandler fiercely fought against each other. However, Poirier took the opponent’s back and managed to defeat him. He became the first person to defeat Chandler by submission.

Alex Pereira – Brazil

The history of the Brazilian in the UFC is a real fairy tale. In 2021, he made his debut fight in the organization, and now he is the owner of the middleweight championship belt. In July 2022, the fighter had a fight against the American Sean Strickland. And he left his opponent no chance, knocking him out in the first round.

 

This all gave the UFC officials a reason to allow the Brazilian to have a third fight against Israel Adesanya. In the fifth round, the Brazilian won the match.

Leon Edwards – Great Britain

Leon Edwards was defeated by Kamaru Usman in 2015. After that, he began his path to the championship belt. In terms of drama, it was Usman who was the final opponent. Edwards was considered an outsider but delivered an incredible upset.

 

A minute before the end, he delivered a head kick and knocked out his opponent. The fighter finally achieved his goal – he won the UFC welterweight title. Now it is the Briton who is the main star of the division and the most desirable opponent for everyone else.

Jiří Procházka – Czech Republic

The Czech fighter has made a phenomenal break into the UFC. First, Procházka received a title fight with the Brazilian Glover Teixeira. He won the UFC light heavyweight title and received a bonus for “Best Fight of the Night”.

 

At the end of 2022, a rematch was supposed to take place, but Procházka received a severe shoulder injury. And then the Czech samurai once again proved that he is a noble person. Procházka voluntarily gave up the belt, making it vacant.

Khamzat Chimaev – Sweden

Chimaev ended his professional career, but could not live long without fights. Therefore, back in 2021, he returned. In 2022 he had two fantastic fights. In April, he fight against the Brazilian Gilbert Burns. The fierce match ended with a unanimous decision in favour of Chimaev. Now Chimaev expects to get a championship fight from Dana White.

Marlon Vera – Ecuador

The Ecuadorian is rapidly rushing to the top of the bantamweight division. He gets very good chances from the organization and takes advantage of them. First, Vera delivered an excellent fight against Rob Font from Puerto Rico.

 

The five-round confrontation turned out to be fiery and ended with a unanimous decision in favour of Marlon. The victory over the American Dominic Cruz, whom Vera knocked out in the fourth round, turned out to be even more convincing. Apparently, if in 2023 the Ecuadorian continues with the same passion, he may well aim at the championship title.

 

Aljamain Sterling – USA

Sterling has finally started fighting more than once a year, so 2022 has been a great one for him. First, Aljamain had a rematch with Petr Yan. He demonstrated the highest level of training, defeated the Russian by a split decision of the referee and defended his championship belt in the bantamweight division.

 

At the end of 2022, the American entered the octagon again – against compatriot T.J. Dillashaw. The opponent was injured before the fight, so Sterling made the second defence without any problems. He continues to be the best in his division.