Top 5 UFC events of the year 2020
While 2020 was a difficult year for the sports world, the UFC was able to rise to the occasion and put on a full year of exciting fight cards. With just a few days left before the year comes to a close, it's time to take a look back at the top 5 UFC events for the year of 2020.
Powering through a global pandemic that resulted in lockdowns and travel restrictions all over the world, the UFC still managed to give fight fans their mixed martial arts fix and put on 41 events including through 12 months, including 11 pay-per-views across ten venues in four different countries.
5 of the best UFC events of the year 2020
From Las Vegas to Auckland, Brazil to Fight Island, and then back to Las Vegas, let's take a look at the 5 best UFC events for the year 2020:
UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno (December 12, 2020)
The final event pay-per-view event of 2020 provided a multitude of memorable moments, headlined a flyweight world championship fight for the ages.
The main event of UFC 256 saw defending UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and number one contender Brandon Moreno go to war for five rounds in a bout that ended in a majority draw. Expect the two to run it back in a rematch in 2021.
In the co-main event, Charles Oliveira cemented his status as a top contender in the intriguing 155-pound division with a dominant unanimous decision win over former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
UFC 256 also marked Kevin Holland's record-tying fifth win in 2020 with a first-round KO against Jacare Souza.
UFC: 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy (January 18, 2020)
The UFC kicked off 2020 with the return of the Irish MMA superstar Conor McGregor, as he faced veteran Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246.
The returning McGregor needed just 40 seconds to finish Cerrone off by TKO and announce his triumphant return to the Octagon.
In the co-main event, former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington by unanimous decision.
UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje (May 9, 2020)
UFC 249 marked the Octagon's return after a two-month hiatus due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the UFC stacked the card with a pair of world title fights.
In the main event, two of the UFC's top 155-pounders went head to head, as Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson battled for the interim UFC lightweight championship. Gaethje outlasted Ferguson and won by TKO in the fifth round to secure a lightweight title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo finished former champion Dominick Cruz by TKO in the second round to successfully defend the UFC bantamweight title. After the fight, Cejudo announced his retirement from MMA.
The event also saw Francis Ngannou cement his status as the top contender in the heavyweight division with a 20-second KO of Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer (June 6, 2020)
UFC 250 saw the return of MMA's most dominant female fighter today, as two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes defended the UFC women's featherweight championship against top contender Felicia Spencer.
Spencer fought valiantly but in the end, it was still a flawless outing for Nunes, who cruised to a unanimous decision win after five rounds of action.
In the co-main event, Cody Garbrandt produced one of 2020's best knockouts when he stopped Raphael Assuncao at the end of the second round. Plus, Aljamain Sterling secured his spot as the number one bantamweight contender in the UFC with a Submission of The Year candidate performance against Cody Sandhagen.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal (July 12, 2020)
The UFC's debut in Fight Island, Abu Dhabi was also the UFC's biggest and most stacked card in 2020, with three world title fights.
In the main event, Kamaru Usman successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship against top contender Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision after five rounds.
A UFC featherweight championship rematch served as the co-main event, with Alexander Volkanovski taking a split decision win against former long-time champion Max Holloway to retain the UFC's 145-pound title.
A new UFC bantamweight champion was also crowned, as Petr Yan stopped former featherweight king Jose Aldo by fifth-round TKO.