UFC: 171 Knockouts and 9 Title Changes in Action Packed 2022

• The UFC had an action-packed year as 2022 saw plenty of memorable moments in the Octagon
• 511 fights were contested during the year, including 171 knockouts and 98 submission victories
• Titles changed hands nine times in 19 fights and only five champions retained through the year

The UFC is celebrating another year of crazy action.

The world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion enjoyed another successful year, which saw new champions crowned, other champions retaining, and many fighters knocked out.

The UFC recently released its stats for 2022, and they make for interesting reading.

More than 500 fights

The UFC hosted 511 fights this past year, with the most coming in the Lightweight division (66). The Middleweight section was the next most competed division with 64 fights.

What is Jake Paul’s professional boxing record? Here is the list of all the big names he has defeated in the ring to date

Boxing

There were also 19 title fights during the year, with nine title changes taking place.

Five champions went undefeated

While nine different fights saw titles change hands, five champions stayed the same through the year. Aljamain Sterling, Alexander Volkanovski, Francis Ngannou, Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes are still champions. However, Nunes didn't defend her title in 2022.

A year of knockouts

There were 269 finishes in 2022, with 171 coming by way of knockout.

There were also 98 submission victories. The fastest submission took just 30 seconds, as Sodiq Yusuff tapped out Dan Shainis in a half-minute.

The judges have their say

242 fights had to be decided by the judge's scorecards. 176 were unanimous decisions in favour of one fighter, while 53 were split decision victories. There were also three draws, one no-contest and one disqualification.

Ready for action in 2023

Action in the UFC will resume on January 14 when Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum headline UFC Fight Night.

UFC lightweight rankings: Who is the best lightweight fighter?

UFC

The first pay-per-view of the year will be held a week after that, when Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill fight for the vacant Light-Heavyweight title.

Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will also clash for the fourth time in the Octagon as they compete for the undisputed Flyweight title.

UFC mourns legendary fighter's passing

Sports Brief reported that while many are celebrating Christmas, the MMA world is mourning the loss of Stephan Bonnar.

Known as 'the American Psycho', the 45-year-old was a retired mixed martial arts fighter and a UFC Hall of Famer.

The UFC announced that Bonnar had passed away on Thursday, but the announcement only came on Christmas Eve.