The fight game is not for the faint of heart. It’s true of the television product but even more true of the business. Mixed martial arts is festering with shady people and practices. Still, UFC fighters put on inspiring heroics in a year where the bad repeatedly reared its ugly head.
MMA fighters produce a unique kind of magic. A brew of dedication, defiance and execution. Watching the cream rise to the top was a remedy for MMA’s more maligned moments. Morally absent fight promotion, fighter mistreatment and a fatiguing matchmaking philosophy spoiled the year, but there was plenty to celebrate.
Let’s take a look back at the best and worst MMA moments of 2023. We’ll be excluding topics like Islam Makhachev’s banner year and Israel Adesanya’s remarkable comeback against Alex Pereira highlighted in our 2023 Fighter of the Year and 2023 Knockout of the Year pieces, respectively.
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Dana White power slaps his wife to zero repercussions
UFC president Dana White slapped his wife but did not…
