SUMMARY
- After securing three finishes in his last three fights, Jamahal Hill faced the UFC legend Glover Teixeira on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283.
- On March 4, 2023, at UFC 285, Grasso faced the reigning champion Valentina 'The Bullet' Shevchenko.
The goal of every fighter who steps foot inside the octagon is to claim championship gold. A title is a validation of their hard work and sacrifice. There were multiple new champions in the UFC in 2023. The action-packed year saw many upsets, dominant wins, and title changes.
While some were already considered to have championship mettle, others defied expectations by breaking the glass ceiling. Here is a rundown of all the fighters who won UFC gold for the first time in their careers in 2023.
9. UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill
The year started with a bang for ‘Sweet Dreams’ Jamahal Hill. Hill enjoyed a string of impressive victories before his title shot. After securing three finishes in his last three fights, ‘Sweet Dreams’ faced the UFC legend, Glover Teixeira, on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283.
January 21 – UFC 283
Jamahal Hill defeats Glover Teixeira via UD for the Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship
An absolute masterclass by Jamahal. Proved a lot of doubters wrong
Glover retires from MMA to coach full-time pic.twitter.com/PWS1I5Dfdw
— The Octagon Obsessed (@octagonobsessed) June 19, 2023
Jamahal defeated Teixeira by unanimous decision to win the light heavyweight crown. This was his first title in the company. Moreover, Jamahal became the first alumnus of Dana White’s Contender series to win UFC gold.
The title was relinquished by Jamahal Hill in July due to an ACL injury. Alex Perreira claimed the belt, which was vacated by Hill later in 2023.
8. UFC 284: Emmett vs Rodriguez
‘El Pantera’ Yair Rodriguez is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. The electrifying Mexican fighter has thrilled fight fans all over the world and finally saw UFC gold in 2023. He faced the hard-hitting Josh Emmett on February 11, 2023., at UFC 284.
February 11 – UFC 284
Yair Rodriguez defeats Josh Emmett via Triangle Choke in the 2nd
Yair becomes Interim Featherweight Champion
He faces Volks at UFC 290. Fight of the Year contender pic.twitter.com/kTnjzPLVqf
— The Octagon Obsessed (@octagonobsessed) June 19, 2023
El Pantera won the bout via submission in the second round, to his jubilation. Yair faced the reigning champ, Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski, at UFC 290. However, Rodriguez’s unification hopes remained unfulfilled as he lost the title unification bout to Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski via TKO in round 3.
7. UFC 285: Grasso vs Shevchenko
Another Mexican fighter earned her first UFC title in 2023. On March 4, 2023, at UFC 285, Alexa Grasso faced the reigning champion Valentina ‘The Bullet’ Shevchenko. She defied the odds by submitting Shevchenko in the fourth round via face crank. This win earned her the Women’s Flyweight Title for the first time in her career.
Many consider Grasso’s win to be a huge upset. She also defended her title against Shevchenko in a fight that ended in a draw at UFC Fight Night on September 16 of this year.
6. UFC 290: Moreno vs Pantoja
The Brazilian submission artist Alexandre ‘The Cannibal’ Pantoja is one of the most beloved fighters on the UFC roster. On July 8, 2023, Pantoja faced Brandon Moreno for the flyweight Championship at UFC 290. Pantoja won the back-and-forth fight via split decision and won the title for the very first time in his career.
The Pantoja versus Moreno fight is considered a contender for fight of the year. His post-fight comments on a deeply personal issue also garnered him the respect of the fans. Alexandre also successfully defended his title against Brandon Royval in his first title defense at UFC 296.
5. UFC 292: Sterling vs O’Malley
Sean O’Malley is one of the most popular stars in the UFC. He defeated Aljamain Sterling via technical knockout in the second round to become the new Bantamweight champion. On August 19, 2023, at UFC 292, O’Malley delivered the performance of the night to become the new king of the division.
Most experts deemed Suga to be an underdog in the title fight. O’Malley’s rise has truly been meteoric, with wins over big names like Petr Yan and Sterling. He has also cemented his status as the new star of the UFC. Will the Suga Show continue in 2024? It remains to be seen.
4. UFC 293: Strickland vs Adesanya
One of the most controversial characters in the UFC now, Sean Strickland, earned his first championship in 2023 at UFC 293 on September 9, 2023. The maverick Strickland had a tumultuous career in the company prior to winning the championship. Many regard his opponent, Adesanya, as one of the greatest fighters in the company’s history.
The pre-fight press conference was eventful, with both Strickland and Adesanya going back and forth in a war of words. The odds heavily favored Adesanya to retain the title and coast to a victory. Defying the odds, Strickland backed up his pre-fight trash talk and dominated the fight against Adesanya to win a convincing unanimous decision to become the new Middleweight champion.
Strickland has quickly gained a cult following in the UFC with his outspoken ways. Sean Strickland will face Dricus du Plessis for his first title defense in 2024 at UFC 297. Both fighters were already part of a heated press conference and almost came to blows, and their title fight is one of the most anticipated in 2024.
3. UFC 295: Pavlovich vs Aspinall
Tom Aspinall is one of the rising stars of the UFC. Like his peers from Britain, the welterweight champion Leon Edwards and the popular Paddy Pimblett, Aspinall is making his presence known in the company. He expressed his intent to be the undisputed champion of the heavyweight division by winning the interim title at UFC 295.
Tom’s return was eventful, as he took a short-notice fight against Sergey Pavlovich for the Interim Heavyweight Championship after the fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic was canceled. On November 11, 2023, Aspinall won the fight in the very first round by knockout at UFC 295 and sent British fans to raptures. This was his first title win for the company. His potential upcoming bout with Jon Jones has had fans excited all over the world.
2. UFC 295: Prochazka vs Perreira
If there is a fighter who changed the course of events within the company, then it has to be the Brazilian kickboxing star, Alex Perreira. The former Glory kickboxing champion transitioned to MMA and took the combat world by storm. Perreira reignited his longstanding rivalry spanning two different sports with Israel Adesanya and won the UFC middleweight title at UFC 281.
He soon moved up the division to compete at Light Heavyweight and defeated former champion Jan Blachowicz. The win earned him a shot at the light heavyweight title, vacated by Jamahal Hill. He faced the returning Jiri Prochazka, who had vacated the title due to an injury and was undefeated in the UFC.
Both squared off at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023. Perreira defeated Jiri by TKO in the second round to win his first Light Heavyweight Championship and his second title in the company.
‘Paotan’ has quickly become a massive fan favorite in the UFC. Fans are mesmerized by his stoic personality and his all-time great ring walk. The combat world waits eagerly to see what ‘Paotan’ does in 2024.
1. UFC 285: Jones vs Gane
Will Jon Jones ever return? This question plagues every fan of combat sports. Putting all doubts to rest, the legendary Jon ‘Bones’ Jones made his long-awaited return at UFC 285 to compete for the Heavyweight title.
Initially, the talks were for a super fight between Jones and the then-reigning champion, Francis Ngannou, but the latter left the UFC and vacated the title This set up a match for the heavyweight title between Jones and Ciryl Gane.
Jones proved to the world that there was no ring rust as he quickly submitted Bon Gamin in under three minutes of the very first round to win the Heavyweight title. Jones has now held two-division UFC titles and cements his status as the greatest of all time to step foot inside the Octagon.
Stipe Miocic is potentially next in line to face Jon Jones. The fight has excited fans all over the world, as the greatest of all time will square off against the greatest heavyweight in the UFC.