Top 5 MMA fights of 2022

Fighters across the UFC, Bellator, and beyond treated MMA fans to exciting clashes throughout 2022, but a few high-octane matchups stood out from the rest.

Here are theScore's top five bouts of 2022.

5. Matt Schnell def. Sumudaerji

Event: UFC Long Island
Date: July 16

Had it not been for Schnell's miraculous ability to recover from getting hit with strikes, this fight would've likely gone into the books as a breakthrough, highlight-reel performance for Sumudaerji. But in the end, the first matchup on our list is also a contender for the biggest comeback of 2022.

Following a close first round, Sumudaerji put Schnell through a wood chipper in the first half of the second frame, knocking him down once and hurting him multiple times. During one particular sequence, Sumudaerji landed three vicious elbows on Schnell's head that would've surely put some fighters out cold.

But Schnell survived and shifted the momentum a bit later in the round when he backed Sumudaerji up with a heavy left hand. Schnell got an easy takedown, immediately moved into full mount, and started raining down nasty ground-and-pound shots that cut open Sumudaerji and made UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier scream at an octave no one knew existed.

Sumudaerji somehow bucked his opponent off him and reversed the position, but Schnell was still in the driver's seat at that point. He sunk in a triangle choke and, after an adjustment, put Sumudaerji to sleep in one of the year's most shocking moments.

4. Stephen Thompson def. Kevin Holland

Event: UFC Orlando
Date: Dec. 3

Thompson and Holland went gangbusters. That's the easiest way to describe the third-last UFC main event of 2022.

The pace the welterweight contenders set - and kept up for essentially the entire fight - was remarkable. Holland had success early on, wobbling Thompson with a right hand in the first round and busting him up with elbows and punches in the clinch.

But "Wonderboy" took over in the later rounds, producing a vintage performance on the heels of a two-fight skid that had the MMA world wondering whether the 39-year-old former title challenger was out of contention for good.

He used his patented kicks to batter Holland and throw him off his game. Thompson's kicks to the body badly hurt Holland, who was forced almost solely into defensive mode by the fourth round. Thompson nearly finished his opponent at the end of the frame before Holland's corner stopped the fight between rounds.

Days later, Thompson and Holland were both confirmed to have suffered hand injuries in the fight. That's how you know a matchup is worth remembering and watching more than once.

3. Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler

Event: UFC 281
Date: Nov. 12

Poirier and Chandler have each had their fair share of epic bouts over the years, so it's no surprise their highly anticipated fight was an absolute banger.

The lightweight contenders came out of the gate at a frenetic pace, and things never really slowed down. Chandler took an early lead, landing a handful of hard shots and then connecting cleanly on Poirier with a barrage of punches up against the fence.

But Poirier stole the frame - and turned it into a "Round of the Year" candidate - by stunning Chandler with a hard right hand and then almost finishing him at the very end.

Poirier left Chandler in a world of trouble, so one would've thought he'd be able to use that momentum to cruise to a win. Wrong. Instead, Chandler came out in Round 2 with a different strategy. He took Poirier down early and looked for a rear-naked choke. He controlled Poirier for most of the round and pounded him with shots on the ground. After 10 minutes, it seemed like Chandler was in full control.

Wrong again. Chandler dumped Poirier onto the mat to open up Round 3, but the latter quickly rolled out of the position and hammered away on his opponent with ground-and-pound. He then took Chandler's back, sunk in a rear-naked choke, and closed the show. From start to finish, the dramatic shifts in momentum made Poirier-Chandler one of the year's most thrilling contests.

2. Khamzat Chimaev def. Gilbert Burns

Event: UFC 273
Date: April 9

This fight was about Chimaev overcoming adversity.

For the first time in the UFC, the popular Chechen fighter was seriously tested. Before this matchup, he'd been hit by one significant strike in his first four UFC bouts combined. Burns landed 119. While it still wasn't enough to pull off the upset, the former title challenger took it to Chimaev for all three rounds.

Chimaev got off to a good start, dragging Burns to the mat, stalking him on the feet, and sitting him down with a hard right hand toward the end of Round 1. But Burns had already done better than any of Chimaev's previous opponents, countering him well in the stand-up department. That was only a sign of what was to come.

"Durinho" opened up a lot more in the second round, landing powerful punches and making Chimaev look beatable. But Chimaev fired back, and the bout quickly turned into an all-out slugfest, with UFC color commentator Paul Felder saying it was the best fight he'd ever called. As if there wasn't already enough drama, Burns wobbled Chimaev late, putting a stamp on the round and leveling all three judges' scorecards.

This fight was all about heart and grit, and in the end, Chimaev outlasted his opponent. He badly hurt Burns up against the fence and ultimately put his foot on the gas when he needed to most. Chimaev got his hand raised by unanimous decision and remained undefeated, but Burns gave it his all and arguably also walked away a winner.

1. Jiri Prochazka def. Glover Teixeira

Event: UFC 275
Date: June 12

The light heavyweight title fight between Prochazka and Teixeira will go down as an all-time UFC classic.

On paper, it was a fascinating stylistic matchup: Teixeira, a grappling wizard whose tight squeeze will submit anyone (and quickly), against Prochazka, an unorthodox, varied striker whose power matches anybody's at 205 pounds. Most believed either Teixeira would win by submission or Prochazka would win by knockout. Fairly straightforward.

But the fight didn't play out that way whatsoever - it was wilder and more shocking than anyone could've imagined.

Teixeira opened the fight by getting Prochazka to the mat. He advanced to full mount and landed ground-and-pound shots. It was a great start for Teixeira, who was the underdog despite also being the defending light heavyweight champion. But Prochazka reversed the position and ended Round 1 by tagging Teixeira with vicious shots on the ground. That was one of many shifts in momentum to come.

In the second round, Prochazka showed off the flash he's known for in the striking department, rocking Teixeira with heavy punches. But on this occasion, it was Teixeira who turned the tide and had a strong end to the round. He once again mounted Prochazka and this time managed to slice him open with heavy blows.

They continued to battle it out, with Prochazka pummeling Teixeira from top control in a dominant third round before the latter did good work with his own jiu-jitsu skills - including a strong submission attempt that Prochazka ultimately defended - in the fourth.

As they entered the fifth round, it seemed like it was either 3-1 Teixeira or 2-2. In other words, it might've been anyone's fight. Neither could be confident they were ahead. Both needed to go for it in that fifth round.

And they did. Teixeira badly rocked Prochazka with punches up against the fence but then went for an ill-advised guillotine and wound up on the bottom of his opponent.

Teixeira got back up and continued to touch Prochazka with punches before taking him down, reaching full mount yet again. With about 90 seconds left, time was running out for Prochazka, who was surely losing the round.

Somehow, Prochazka scrambled out from underneath Teixeira and got on top. With 28 seconds to go, Prochazka jumped on a rear-naked choke - with no hooks in - and forced the tap. It was the first time Teixeira had been submitted in 20 years as a professional fighter. The commentators couldn't believe it.

It was later confirmed that the scores were 39-37 Teixeira (twice) and 38-38 going into the fifth round. Had Teixeira lasted 28 more seconds, he likely would've retained his title. With the momentum swings, near finishes, stylistic surprises, and the miraculous comeback at the end, the drama of Prochazka's title victory was unparalleled to anything else we witnessed this year. It was pure magic, and there's no doubt Prochazka-Teixeira was the greatest fight of 2022.