The year 2023 has been an action-packed year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This year UFC’s 30th anniversary has been a testimony to how big the organisation and the world of combat has grown. From increased viewership to massive billion-dollar profits, UFC has reached its fans worldwide.
The year 2023 proved to be a golden year even in terms of profits and expansion. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) merged together and formed TKO Group Holdings that has the valuation of $21.4 billion.
This year started with UFC Fight Night Strickland vs. Imavov and then UFC 283 Teixeira vs. Hill and more. The year also witnessed the return of Jon Jones after three years. He defeated Ciryl Gane and won the heavyweight championship.
We also witnessed an absolute killer performances from Underdogs Sean Strickland and Alexa Grasso. Grasso shocked the entire MMA community after defeating Valentina Shevchenko and becoming the UFC women’s flyweight champion. Strickland on the other hand captured the men’s Middleweight title by dethroning Israel Adesanya.
However, there were many fights that got cancelled but few fighters saved it the last minute. One of the best examples is what we witnessed at UFC 294 when Kamaru Usman and Alexander Volkanovski agreed to step in and fight on short notice.
What a year it has been but as we move towards the end of it, let’s take a look at upcoming fights in December 2023.
UFC Fights Coming Up this December
The recent UFC Fight Night on December 2, 2023, concluded with a spectacular show. But there are two more events to come before 2023 bids us farewell. The lined-up events are UFC Fight Night and UFC 296.
The Fight Night is scheduled to take place on December 9, 2023, at UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, United States. The main event has a bantamweight bout between Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez. The co-main event is a light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree.
The last event of this year will be UFC 296. It is scheduled to take place on December 16, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, United States.
The main event will be a much-awaited welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. The challenger has promised big things for the show. Whereas the co-main event includes a flyweight bout Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval.
It will be exciting to see how the two events will turn out as we prepare to enter the year 2024.
UFC has expanded itself more than ever both financially and in its fanbase. We can’t wait to see what fights and events the coming year have in store for all combat fanatics.
