2022 has seen massive success for a number of fighters in the UFC, but there’s no question that some have done better than others.
In particular, a handful of fighters on the UFC roster have completely exceeded the expectations that fans had for them coming into 2022. These fighters have made major moves in the rankings, with some even claiming gold in the octagon when nobody expected them to.
Whether they keep up this kind of form in 2023 remains to be seen, but here are five UFC fighters who exceeded expectations in 2022.
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#5. Aljamain Sterling – UFC bantamweight champion
While Aljamain Sterling came into 2022 holding the UFC bantamweight title, it’s probably fair to say that a number of fans didn’t expect him to end the year with it. In that sense, it’s fair to say that he exceeded the expectations of many.
The reason ‘Funk Master’ was largely being written off coming into 2022 was the controversial way in which he claimed his title. Sterling became the first fighter to win gold in the octagon via disqualification after then-champion Petr Yan knocked him out with an illegal knee in the first half of 2021.
Sterling had then been on the shelf due to neck surgery, and so when the promotion set up a rematch between him and Yan, few people gave him a chance. After all, ‘No Mercy’ had impressed in an interim title win over Cory Sandhagen while ‘Funk Master’ was out.
When the two men faced off, though, the fight was very different to the first encounter. Not only did Sterling’s striking have more success, but he utterly dominated the Russian when the fight hit the ground.
In the end, ‘Funk Master’ was awarded a decision win, cementing himself as a genuine champion.
Incredibly, though, many fans again wrote him off in his second title defense of the year, which came against T.J. Dillashaw. Despite this, Sterling once again proved his worth, destroying the former champ on the ground in the second round.
THE BW KING REIGNS SUPREME ?@FunkMasterMMA gets it done over TJ Dillashaw!! #UFC280 https://t.co/UGjTI0YBQC
Whether Sterling can hold onto his title throughout 2023 remains to be seen, but it’s fair to say nobody ought to write him off again.
#4. Jamahal Hill – UFC light heavyweight contender
Plenty of fighters went 2-0 in the UFC in 2022, but few made the same impact that light heavyweight Jamahal Hill did. ‘Sweet Dreams’ scored a pair of knockout wins in his first two headline bouts, and will now fight for gold in the octagon in 2023.
Hill’s first fight of the year came back in February against Johnny Walker. While ‘Sweet Dreams’ was coming off a win over Jimmy Crute, his bout with Walker was still considered a pick’ em, largely because of the Brazilian’s dangerous striking skills.
However, in under three minutes, Hill shut his lights off with a violent right hand – scoring one of the best knockouts of the year in the process.
That win was enough to vault ‘Sweet Dreams’ into the top 10 and into a second headline bout, this time against Thiago Santos.
Once again, under the big spotlight, Hill delivered the goods. This time it took a little longer and Santos gave him plenty of problems. In the fourth round, though, ‘Sweet Dreams’ put the Brazilian down and was relentless in attacking him on the ground, eventually finishing him with elbows.
The victory moved Hill up to No.7 in the division, but better was yet to come at the end of the year. Following UFC 282, Dana White announced that ‘Sweet Dreams’ will face Glover Teixeira for the vacant 205-pound title in January 2023.
So can Hill win his first title next year? It’s definitely possible, and given that he wasn’t even ranked at the start of this year, it’s safe to say that he exceeded expectations.
#3. Belal Muhammad – UFC welterweight contender
While his current unbeaten run actually dates back to April 2019, Belal Muhammad’s two wins in 2022 mean that he has definitely exceeded the expectations of most fans.
‘Remember the Name’ had been written off on plenty of occasions before this year, largely because of a perceived dull fighting style. However, his 2021 wins over Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson were still enough to vault him into the top 10 at 170 pounds.
However, when he was booked in a rematch with Vicente Luque, who knocked him out back in 2016, few fans expected him to come through with his unbeaten streak intact.
Muhammad proved those doubters wrong, though, by completely outworking ‘The Silent Assassin’ and coming away with a decision win in just his second UFC headliner.
Better followed in October, though, when he defeated the highly touted Sean Brady, becoming the first man to hand him a loss in the octagon. More importantly, ‘Remember the Name’ won the fight via TKO, his first finish since 2019.
With other hot contenders like Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington sniffing around the welterweight title, it feels like Muhammad is somehow still being overlooked.
Despite this, there’s no denying that he’s a genuine title contender, and that’s something very few fans expected him to become when 2022 began.
#2. Sergei Pavlovich – UFC heavyweight contender
When 2022 began, it was arguable that heavyweight prospect Sergei Pavlovich was actually ranked too highly. The Russian hadn’t fought in the UFC since 2019, but due to the relatively thin nature of his division, he began the year ranked at No.15.
Very few fans would’ve expected him to end the year in the division’s top three, but that’s exactly what he’s done. Pavlovich has claimed three wins this year, all via stoppage. He’s now heading into 2023 as a legitimate title threat.
His first win was largely an expected one. The Russian faced off with Dagestan’s Shamil Abdurakhimov in March and dispatched him with strikes after just over four minutes. The win was violent enough to net him a $50k bonus.
When he was booked to face Derrick Lewis in Lewis’ home state of Texas, though, he was largely written off.
That proved to be a major error. While some fans claimed the stoppage was an early one, Pavlovich needed just 55 seconds to finish ‘The Black Beast’, swarming him with a flurry of huge punches to put him down.
Those two wins alone would’ve been enough for a successful year, but when the Russian capped things off by knocking out Tai Tuivasa in less than a minute this month, he made himself impossible to ignore.
Can Pavlovich go onto claim the heavyweight title in 2023? Stranger things have definitely happened, and with his punching power, anything is possible. It’s definitely fair to say, though, that after over two years on the shelf, he exceeded expectations this year.
#1. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight champion
Given that he had just one UFC win to his name as 2022 began, the fact that Alex Pereira will end the year as the promotion’s reigning middleweight champion is nothing short of miraculous. With that considered, he’s definitely the fighter who most exceeded expectations this year.
Pereira’s banner-year began in March, as he outpointed fellow Brazilian Bruno Silva in the opening bout of a Fight Night event.
Given that ‘Poatan’ had some issues with Silva, few fans would’ve seen his eventual rise coming. However, when he needed just over two minutes to finish the top 10-ranked Sean Strickland in July, he was immediately vaulted directly into the upper echelon of the division.
Even so, under usual circumstances, Pereira probably would’ve needed at least one more fight before a title shot.
That wasn’t the case here, though, as the UFC were desperate to find a fresh challenger for Israel Adesanya, who had practically cleaned out the division.
Given that ‘Poatan’ had beaten ‘The Last Stylebender’ twice in kickboxing, the bout seemed ripe for Adesanya to finally take his revenge, particularly given he’d had more fights in the octagon than Pereira had in his entire career.
Shockingly, though, despite struggling at points, ‘Poatan’ ended up stunning the world by knocking out the dominant champion in the fifth round in one of 2022’s most memorable moments.
Whether Pereira can hold onto his newly-won title in 2023 is anyone’s guess. However, the fact that practically nobody would’ve predicted him to end the year as champion means he definitely exceeded everyone’s expectations.
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