5 best UFC events of 2022 so far

The UFC delivered on all fronts in the first half of 2022 [Image via @ufc on Instagram]

The UFC has churned out one stellar event after another in 2022. In the first half of the year, the world's leading MMA promotion put on 21 events, of which 15 were regular weekly Fight Night shows and six were pay-per-views.

The UFC is set to kick off the second half of 2022 in style, with UFC 276 shaping up to be a blockbuster event, featuring mouth-watering matchups and big names across the fight card.

UFC 276 fan-made poster [Image via @needingart on Instagram]

Over the first six months of 2022, fans witnessed some truly spectacular events. Of course, not every fight card delivers, but the ones that do tend to leave a lasting impression on the MMA faithful.

On that note, here are the five best UFC events of 2022 so far.

#5. UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Emmett, Moody Center, Austin, Texas, USA

Just two weeks before the pivotal featherweight championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway at UFC 276, top-ranked 145-pound contenders Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett locked horns in a high stakes main event clash at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

The event suffered a major blow a few hours before it kicked off as the co-main event between Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon fell through for the second time this year.

Nevertheless, the rest of the fighters on the card delivered the goods, contributing to one of the best UFC Fight Nights of the year so far.

Out of the 13 fights on the card, nine ended with a finish, including eight knockouts.

🚨 #UFCAustin tied the record for most KO/TKO's in a UFC event with 8️⃣! Which one was your favorite?? https://t.co/FC6rdlByxH

Roman Dolidze, Phil Hawes, Cody Stamann, Ricardo Ramos and Jeremiah Wells lit up the prelims with highlight reel stoppages. Brazilian flyweight Natalia Silva also produced a dominant showing in her unanimous decision win over Jasmine Jasudavicius on the featured bout of the preliminary card.

Texas native Adrian Yanez kicked off the main card with a bang, finishing Tony Kelley in the first round of their bantamweight clash. Damir Ismagulov eked out a split decision win over Guram Kutateladze in a highly technical affair. Gregory Rodrigues, Joaquin Buckley and Kevin Holland picked up stoppage victories, which served as appetizers before the mouth-watering main event.

ALL 9 FINISHES received POTN bonuses tonight! 👏💰 #UFCAustin https://t.co/sIcfByTKyx

Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett duked it out in a highly competitive and evenly matched five-round showdown. Kattar was clearly wary of Emmett's fight-ending power and largely used his jab to maintain distance.

Every time Emmett connected with a strike, however, it was having a significant impact on Kattar, which seemingly swayed two out of three judges. Emmett was awarded a split decision win to round out an incredible evening of fights.

Nothing but respect after 5 HARD-FOUGHT ROUNDS! 👏👏 #UFCAustin https://t.co/uPH38q12f8