10 biggest MMA stories of 2021

From the UFC lightweight division moving on without Khabib Nurmagomedov to Amanda Nunes losing one of her titles, a lot happened in mixed martial arts this year.

Here are the 10 MMA stories that defined 2021:

10. Dillashaw triumphant in return

After spending two-and-a-half years on the sidelines because of his highly publicized USADA suspension, TJ Dillashaw didn't skip a beat in his return to the Octagon in July.

The former bantamweight champion came through as the underdog against Cory Sandhagen, winning a five-round split decision.

It was far from a guarantee that Dillashaw - who admitted to using a performance-enhancing drug ahead of a 2019 flyweight title bout - would still be a contender by the time he fought again. But the victory over Sandhagen put the 35-year-old right back into the mix and proved he's still one of the best in the division.

Ranked No. 2, Dillashaw will likely be gearing up for a title shot if he wins one more fight.

9. Teixeira breaks through at 42

Glover Teixeira, the oldest first-time champion in UFC history and the second oldest overall.

The Brazilian's name was added to the history books in October when he submitted Jan Blachowicz to capture the light heavyweight title, just days after his 42nd birthday.

Without a doubt, Teixeira is one of the unlikeliest champions in UFC history.

A title shot against Jon Jones in 2014 didn't go his way. After that, Teixeira experienced mixed results over the next four years, producing a 5-4 record; a loss to Corey Anderson in 2018 seemed to indicate the end of Teixeira as a contender.

Somehow, the veteran found a second wind. After winning four in a row, he upset Santos in a No. 1 contender bout in late 2020 and then choked out Blachowicz with a rear-naked choke to become the new 205-pound champion. Not only did absolutely no one think this year would end with the UFC belt around Teixeira's waist, but no one thought he'd ever be a champ this late into his career. Teixeira's coronation is easily the feel-good story of 2021.

8. Broken legs galore

Four fighters have suffered a broken leg in the UFC. Two of those incidents occurred this year.

Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman snapped his leg in the opening seconds versus Uriah Hall in April, and former two-division champ Conor McGregor broke his in the highly anticipated Dustin Poirier trilogy bout three months later.

Neither fighter has competed since, but they've both made serious progression while recovering. McGregor is expected to return to the Octagon in summer 2022, but it's unclear when or if Weidman will fight again.

7. Ngannou's conflict with UFC

Francis Ngannou is a freak of nature. He stands 6-foot-4 with an 83-inch reach, is shredded for the heavyweight division, and has more power than anyone in the UFC.

The guy looks like an action figure. On top of that, he has an incredible life story of hardship and perseverance.

His superstar potential is obvious.

Yet somehow, in the same year that Ngannou won the UFC title against Stipe Miocic, the biggest story surrounding his career was the turmoil between him and the UFC.

From the public's point of view, it started with a disagreement about the date of Ngannou's first title defense. The UFC wanted Ngannou to face Derrick Lewis in August, but Ngannou wanted to wait until September. Instead of agreeing to hold off for one more month, the promotion opted to schedule an interim heavyweight title fight between Lewis and Ciryl Gane - the interim belt wasn't necessary considering Ngannou had just fought in March.

From there, Ngannou spoke out against fighter pay and expressed frustration with his current contract. He was candid about his poor relationship with the UFC and wasn't sure what the future had in store.

Heading into his fight with interim champ Gane at UFC 270 in January, Ngannou's future with the company is very much up in the air. If he wins, his contract will be extended because he's the champ. But if he loses, he'll become a free agent.

The heavyweight champ and his management have turned down contract offers ahead of the Gane bout, holding out for a better deal. UFC president Dana White has largely shown a lack of urgency in re-signing Ngannou - which is absolutely mind-boggling - saying it's "no problem" if Ngannou doesn't want to do business with the UFC.

As interesting as the last few months of the UFC-Ngannou saga have been, things are just heating up.

6. Fans return to UFC events

Thirteen months after the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns across the sports world and eleven months after the UFC kicked off a regular schedule of events closed off to fans, the promotion hosted a full-capacity event in Jacksonville.

UFC 261 on April 24 featured the welterweight title rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal, plus two other championship bouts.

The promotion held three cards in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in January with a limited number of fans. That was the first time any number of fans were allowed at a UFC event since March 7, 2020. UFC 261 was the first full-capacity show.

The Florida event set a trend for the rest of the UFC's 2021 schedule. Pay-per-view events would take place in arenas in various cities such as Las Vegas, Houston, and Glendale, Arizona, while the Fight Night cards would remain at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas through the end of the year.

The UFC brass appears to be in no rush to move the majority of its Fight Night cards out of the Apex facility, which has seemingly proven to be a lucrative setup.

5. Yan DQ'd vs. Sterling

An illegal knee turned the bantamweight title picture into a mess.

Petr Yan was disqualified in his March title defense against Aljamain Sterling after landing an illegal knee in the fourth round. As a result, Sterling was declared the new champion.

That led to several talking points, such as whether Sterling should've gotten the belt in that scenario and whether Yan was the uncrowned champ. It also turned the Sterling-Yan rivalry up a notch.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to run it back right away, throwing yet another wrench into the bantamweight title picture. Sterling underwent surgery in April and would be out for several months.

Sterling and Yan finally agreed to meet at UFC 267 in October, but the champ withdrew due to lingering neck issues following the surgery. Yan went on to capture the interim title in a short-notice bout against Cory Sandhagen.

Sterling and Yan are expected to settle the score in 2022, though the rematch hasn't been finalized.

4. Jones sits out

This could've been the year Jones finally challenged for a second title.

Instead, the former light heavyweight champion didn't even step into the cage as the financial dispute between him and the UFC reached new heights.

Jones was expected to face the winner of the March title bout between Miocic and Ngannou. But after the fight happened, Dana White quickly cast doubt on his interest to move up in weight to take on the new heavyweight champion.

Jones was interested. He just wanted more money - and rightfully so, considering all his accomplishments in the promotion and the daunting opponent that is Ngannou.

Similar to how the spat between Jones and White played out in 2020, Jones wasn't afraid to let the entire world know about his quarrels with the UFC. He said he wanted out of his contract. White said he could retire. Jones said $10 million wasn't enough to fight Ngannou. White claimed the ex-champ wanted $30 million.

And in the end, Jones remained on the sidelines.

Many would argue the UFC fumbled the bag. Ngannou-Jones would've been a massive fight for the sport - it would have been worth it to pay Jones to take it. Besides, doesn't White always say he puts on the fights the fans want to see? Well, Ngannou-Jones was one of them, and there's no good excuse that it didn't happen.

Now, with Ngannou set to defend his title against Ciryl Gane in January, the heavyweight champ has said he's moved on from Jones. The fight may never happen.

3. Paul faces MMA stars

Jake Paul took the boxing world by storm in 2021, becoming a brilliant heel who's constantly in the headlines and outsells most prizefighters on pay-per-view. But it'd be a lie to say his newfound venture didn't have an impact on the MMA landscape, too.

In fact, you could argue Paul embedded his name in the MMA world more so than in boxing.

The two people he fought this year are from the MMA space: former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and former Bellator champ and UFC contender Ben Askren.

Paul's plan was quite smart: fight notable combat sports figures in a sport they weren't good at. Neither Woodley nor Askren had any boxing experience, and they were both at the end of their careers. But they'd still garner attention because of their past MMA success, and it at least appeared as if they were stiffer tests than Paul's previous opponents.

"The Problem Child" went 3-0 in 2021, ending the year with a "Knockout of the Year" candidate in a rematch with Woodley that propelled him even closer to superstardom.

Now Paul has the likes of Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and even UFC president White saying his name. Everywhere you look, a UFC fighter is calling him out. All roads seem to be leading to a megafight with Conor McGregor in a year or two - that's what Paul wants.

Whether you like it or not, there's no doubt Paul is disrupting MMA, too.

2. Nunes loses bantamweight title

Amanda Nunes was invincible.

From the time she knocked out Cris Cyborg to become a UFC two-division champion in 2018 to Dec. 11, 2021, that's what people thought. That second date is when Julianna Pena slayed "The Lioness."

Pena pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, submitting Nunes in the second round of the UFC 269 co-main event to capture the women's bantamweight title.

The impact of Pena's victory on the bantamweight division can't be overstated, and that's what makes this one of the biggest stories of 2021. For years, Nunes held the title without a challenger capable of beating her in sight. The division grew stale.

This freshens things up and adds some excitement to the division. An immediate rematch between Pena and Nunes seems to be next, and that'll be the biggest fight in the post-Ronda Rousey era of women's MMA. If Pena wins, many other challengers await. If Nunes gets the belt back, that sense of invincibility will still be gone, and there'll be some intriguing matchups on the horizon.

But for now, Pena is the bantamweight queen, and no one saw that coming.

1. Lightweight moves on without Khabib

Some NBA or NHL franchises take a season - or two or three - to rebuild their roster.

In the UFC, this was a rebuilding year for the lightweight division.

Nurmagomedov retiring as champion in late 2020 left a void in the weight class - his successor would have big shoes to fill. The year started with White trying to get Nurmagomedov back, even though Nurmagomedov made it clear he was happy in retirement and didn't intend to fight again.

Months later, the booking of a vacant title fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler signaled the end of the UFC brass' pursuit of Nurmagomedov. The matchup was an odd choice, as Poirier and Justin Gaethje were ranked ahead of both Oliveira and Chandler. But it also made sense because Poirier wanted to fight McGregor for a third time after knocking him out in January and Gaethje had just lost to Nurmagomedov.

OIiveira became the new champ at UFC 262 in May, and thus the "Olive Era" had begun.

Oliveira's win over Chandler and Poirier's second victory against McGregor culminated in a highly anticipated meeting between the two of them. Many felt it would decide the true No. 1 lightweight with Nurmagomedov out of the picture.

That man was Oliveira, who submitted Poirier in the third round of the UFC 269 main event. "Do Bronx" left no doubt he is the best lightweight in the world and deserves to hold the title.

It took over a year for the lightweight division to fully rebuild in the wake of Nurmagomedov's retirement, but it's finally in a good place. The UFC navigating the uncertain waters at 155 pounds, making good and bad decisions before crowning an unlikely new king in Oliveira, has to be the story of 2021.