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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) saw some spectacular title and non-title fights this year. Two vacant divisions - Light heavyweight and Heavyweight got new champions - Alex Pereira (Brazil) and Jon Jones (United States). Islam Makhachev (Russia), the Lightweight champion, defended his title against Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (Australia) twice.

India made its entry into the world's biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league for the second time with Lightweight contender Anshul Jubli taking on American Mike Breeden. Even though Anshul lost, he has cemented India's name in the UFC.

Here are the biggest highlights in 2023:

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> Justin Gaethje is the BMF title holder

Lightweight second-ranked Justin Gaethje (United States), who is the former interim champion of the division, won the BMF title at UFC 291 after defeating Dustin Poirier (United States) by knockout. Gaethje finished Poirier with a beautiful side-high kick which the latter didn't expect.

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Gaethje also won the performance of the night and has now become one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC.

> Jon Jones: The GOAT makes a return to the Octagon

Jon Jones is arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters the combat sport has ever seen. He became the youngest UFC champion in the league's history at the age of 23. A two-time former Lightheavyweight champion, Jones' record inside the octagon is insane- the longest win streak, most number of wins, and title defences. 

In 2023, Jones stepped back into the octagon after three years and shocked the MMA community as he won the Heavyweight title after defeating Ciryl Gane (France) by submission (guillotine choke) in just the first round of the fight. 

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There were concerns that this three-year gap could affect Jones' efficiency. But he proved everyone wrong. He was set to make his first title defence against Stipe Miocic (United States) at UFC 295. However, Jones suffered a pectoral injury and the fight was cancelled. UFC 295 saw a bout for the interim title between Tom Aspinall (United Kingdom) and Sergei Pavlovich (Russia). Aspinall was crowned the interim champion.

It is not yet known when will Jones fight next. But he is currently ranked second in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

> Alex Pereira: A kickboxing champion who shocked the UFC

Just a few years ago, not many people in the MMA community would have heard of Brazil's Alex Pereira, a Glory kickboxing champion in two different weight classes- Middleweight and Light heavyweight. Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021 and since then, he has become a fans' favourite due to his exceptional striking and a devastating left hook that would knock his opponents cold.

After just a few fights in the UFC, Pereira took on then Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (New Zealand) at UFC 281 in November 2022. The Brazilian defeated Adesanya, his long-time kickboxing rival via knockout and became the new division champion. Months later, Pereira had his first title defence against Adesanya but lost the fight.

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Pereira then announced his move to the Light heavyweight division and faced Jan Blachowicz (Poland) at UFC 291. Pereira defeated the Polish by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28.)

Next, the Brazilian signed up for the Light heavyweight title fight against former division champion Jiří Procházka (Czech) at UFC 295. Pereira clinched the title by knocking out Procházka in the second round.

> India in the house: Anshul Jubli makes UFC debut

In a country largely obsessed with cricket, MMA or any other combat sport has a niche audience. But in recent years, the popularity of MMA, mainly the UFC has grown. This year, India entered the UFC for the second time with Lightweight contended Anshul Jubli fighting Mike Breeden. Jubli entered Road to UFC in 2022 and went to the semi-finals, defeating South Korea's Kyung Pyo Kim via split decision.

The Indian then faced Indonesia's Jeka Saragih in the finals at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Spivak. Jubli defeated Saragih via knockout in the second round, earning performance of the night and a contract with the UFC.

Jubli is the second Indian fighter to be signed by the UFC after Bharat Kandare. Though Jubli lost his debut fight at UFC 294, he still has a long way to go.