The UFC is officially on hold after indefinitely suspending all events Thursday because of the global coronavirus pandemic. When the promotion will return to action is anyone’s guess.
So, with the sport on hold for the foreseeable future, let’s take a look at what the year has delivered.
Here are the Top 10 finishes of 2020 so far.
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10. Drew Dober stops highly-touted Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 246
Despite being the far more experienced fighter, Drew Dober entered his matchup with Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 246 as the betting underdog.
But Dober was able to make Haqparast pay quickly, clipping him with a short left hand off the leg kick counter and sending him to the canvas just over one minute into the fight.
Dober, who has spent plenty of rounds sparring with the likes of Justin Gaethje at Elevation Fight Team, has won five of his last six and has some serious power in his hands, making him a dangerous threat in the division.
9. Diego Ferreira hands Anthony Pettis his first career submission loss
Submitting Anthony Pettis is no joke, and Diego Ferreira proved why he’s one of the lightweight division’s elite fighters by becoming the first man to achieve that feat at UFC 246.
Ferreira is on an impressive six-fight win streak, but none were bigger than his finish of former UFC lightweight champ Pettis, who has been able to hang on the ground with some of the very best, having submitted the likes of Charles Oliveira, Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.
Ferreira was able to pressure Pettis from the get-go, and eventually took the former champion’s back in Round 2, before locking up the rear-naked choke.
8. Megan Anderson shows off her power with knockout of Norma Dumont
Megan Anderson possesses some serious power in the women’s featherweight division.
Anderson faced Norma Dumont at UFC on ESPN+ 27, and knocked her out with a huge right hand in the first round, as she staked a strong claim for a title shot at 145 pounds.
Though Felicia Spencer would end up getting the shot at champion Amanda Nunes, it certainly wasn’t as a result of Anderson’s performance, as the Aussie produced one of the most breathtaking finishes of the year with her finish of Dumont.
7. The ‘Suga Show’ is back
After a two-year layoff, Sean O'Malley returned to the octagon and showed he hasn’t skipped a beat.
He faced Jose Quinonez at UFC 248 and looked as loose and confident as ever, switching stances and dropping him with a push kick to the body early on in the matchup.
With Quinonez aggressively moving forward, O’Malley countered with a big right, followed by a head kick and a few more strikes as he stopped his man inside the first round.
It was a near-flawless performance by O’Malley, who showed new wrinkles to his game and demonstrated why he’s one of the brightest rising talents on the UFC roster.
6. Gilbert Burns hands Demian Maia first stoppage loss in over 10 years
Since moving up to 170 pounds, Gilbert Burns has been on a roll.
He got his wish when he was matched up with fellow jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia at UFC on ESPN+ 28, but it was his striking that would make the biggest difference.
Burns connected with a left hook midway through the first round, as he dropped Maia, before proceeding to rain down a barrage of punches to finish the fight.
It extended Burns’ win streak to five in a row, with three of those wins coming at welterweight as “Durinho” showed that he’s ready to mix it up with the division’s best at 170 pounds.
5. Deiveson Figueiredo finishes Joseph Benavidez
Deiveson Figueiredo scored an impressive finish over Joseph Benavidez, but ultimately wasn’t rewarded for his efforts.
That’s because the Brazilian missed weight ahead of his flyweight championship fight against Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 27, making him ineligible to win the title.
After a back-and-forth battle, Figueiredo eventually made Benavidez pay for lunging forward as, shortly after they clashed heads, Figueiredo walked Benavidez down and dropped him with a huge right hand.
Figueiredo may not be the champion, but his performance over Benavidez proved why he’s one of the best at 125 pounds.
4. Charles Oliveira submits Kevin Lee
It’s about time people started giving Charles Oliveira some respect.
One of the most underrated lightweights on the roster, Oliveira finally got his shot at a big name opponent when he was matched up with Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN+ 28, and “Do Bronx” made sure he took his chance.
Oliveira came out throwing a wild array of strikes, including a jumping switch kick, as he showed off the diversity in his stand-up game. But, with Lee exerting a lot of energy in his takedowns, Oliveira was able to capitalize early in the third round, as he snatched Lee’s neck on a takedown attempt, and submitted him with a guillotine choke.
Oliveira’s win extended his UFC record for most submission victories to 14, and took his active win streak to seven as he made a big statement to the division’s top names at 155 pounds.
3. Beneil Dariush flattens Drakkar Klose
Once Beneil Dariush was caught in a firefight at UFC 248, he thrived.
With most of his wins coming by submission, Dariush showed that he’s not just well-versed on the ground, as he showcased his punch power in an explosive performance.
After Klose had backed him up against the fence, Dariush connected with a big overhand right that wobbled his opponent. Dariush saw his opportunity and connected with a huge overhand left that sent Klose crashing to the canvas.
It extended Dariush’s win streak to four in a row and continued his resurgence following back-to-back stoppage losses earlier in his career.
2. Jan Blachowicz emerges as top contender with knockout of Corey Anderson
With UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in attendance at UFC on ESPN+ 25, Jan Blachowicz made sure to let him know that he was coming.
Both Blachowicz and Corey Anderson were campaigning for a title shot at 205 pounds, and were matched up in a pivotal No. 1 contender clash in February.
Blachowicz was able to show off his legendary Polish power just three minutes into the bout as he connected with a short right hand, that badly hurt Anderson. Just one more follow-up shot was needed to close the show as Blachowicz extended his impressive run of form with his seventh win from his last eight outings.
Now the big Pole is ready to fight for the gold and says he won’t accept anything but a title shot for his next fight.
1. Return of the Mac
With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Conor McGregor returned in emphatic fashion.
McGregor faced Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, and with many critical of the choice of opponent for the former UFC dual champ, McGregor knew he had to deliver.
Infamous for his first-round stoppages, McGregor earned another spectacular one, this time using the unusual technique of shoulder strikes to throw Cerrone off his game.
Then, with a killer instinct like no other, McGregor followed up with a beautifully-timed head kick, a flying knee, and a salvo of punches that sent Cerrone tumbling down.
McGregor’s accuracy and precision was displayed in full force in his 40-second victory as the Irishman thrust himself right back into lightweight title picture.
