ICYMI: 2021 is halfway over, and already it’s been a historic year for the UFC, which crowned the first Mexican-born UFC champion ever last weekend.
This year, GIPHY worked with the UFC to deliver all the GIFs, Stickers, and Clips (GIFs with sound!) straight from the Octagon, from UFC 257 to UFC 263.
As we approach the halfway point of 2021, we asked GIPHY Sports Editor, Jake Martella, for his top UFC moments of the year so far. Here’s a look at some of his favorite moments.
UFC 257: Michael Chandler calls out Conor Mcgregor at his UFC debut
2021 kicked off with a bang: Former Bellator champion Michael Chandler made his UFC debut, taking out Dan Hooker in two minutes and 30 seconds at UFC 257. Chandler had fighting words for Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirer, and Khabib after the fight. Martella said this all-caps moment was “WILD.”
UFC 261: Kamaru Usman: “Super Necessary.”
Post-fight press conferences are always a treasure trove of great UFC moments, including this quip by Kamaru Usman after UFC 261.
Here’s some context from Martella: “When Jorge Masvidal defeated Ben Askren at UFC 239 in a record-breaking 5 seconds, Masvidal was asked if those ‘extra shots’ were ‘necessary.’ Masvidal replied ‘Super Necessary.’ It was cheeky to see Usman give Masvidal a taste of his own medicine and use his line against him.”
UFC 261: Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang — “I am the best.”
Rose Namajunas, AKA “Thug Rose,” reclaimed the UFC strawweight championship in a standout fight, knocking out Zhang Weili in one minute and 18 seconds. This moment was “vindicating for Rose because many people thought she couldn’t reclaim the title.”
Martella: “It was awesome to see Rose manifest that line pre-fight to herself and repeat it after she won. Proof that you must believe it to achieve it!”
And, this Clip of Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan and Jon Anik reacting to the fight speaks for itself.
UFC 262: Beniel Dariush — “Elon! Elon Musk!”
Beniel Dariush called out an unlikely person right after his win in UFC 262: Elon Musk. Dariush quipped, “where’s my wife’s car, bro? I’ve been waiting six months.”
This moment, per Martella, was “hilarious, but it worked. To Dariush, Elon apologized on social media and by Tuesday, Dariush and his wife were seen on social media with their brand new Tesla.”
UFC 263: Brandon Moreno makes history as first Mexican-born UFC champion
Last but not least: Brandon Moreno made history in UFC 263, winning the flyweight championship and becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champion ever.
Martella: “Their first fight was insane and ended in a draw. Everyone wanted to see how the sequel would go. In the UFC embedded vlogs, Figuiriedo claimed he would make Brandon ‘the Assassin Baby’ into a ‘crybaby’ at UFC 263. In some ways he was right! Moreno gushed tears of joy after defeating Figueiredo.”
