On this day in 2021, the mixed martial arts leader staged the memorable UFC 263 pay-per-view.
The event, which marked just the third since the UFC’s return to arenas for PPVs during the back end of the pandemic, went down at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Two titles were on the line at the top of the lineup, with Israel Adesanya defeating Marvin Vettori in the main event to defend his middleweight gold and Brandon Moreno forcing Deiveson Figueiredo to tap out in their flyweight championship co-headliner.
From Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz to returns for the likes of Belal Muhammad and Jamahal Hill, plenty of other prominent matchups and names were on offer at the June 12 event.
And they came together to make history with a notable UFC record — and it wasn’t a positive one.
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UFC 263 had the most decisions for a single UFC event in history
Prior to UFC 263, five events were tied for the most decisions at a single event in the promotion’s history. Those were UFC 169, UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi, UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping, UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura, and UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Edwards.
The event on June 12, 2021, broke that tie with a colossal 11 decisions on the 14-fight card. The record was later tied by UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate in November 2021.
Among those to walk away with victories on the scorecards were Adesanya, Edwards, Belal Muhammad, Brad Riddell, and Movsar Evloev.
And the decision tally wasn’t the only record that UFC 263 broke. The event also set a new record for duration, with its 3:19:32 of fight time topping the charts.
Those unwanted records didn’t mean the event lacked entertainment, though.
Before Moreno thrilled in his title crowning against Figueiredo, the card saw Terrance McKinney break a better record when he recorded the fastest finish and knockout in UFC lightweight history by starching Matt Frevola in just seven seconds.
And that’s not to mention the memorable five-round clash between Edwards and Diaz, which saw the crowd on their feet after the Stockton star came close to an incredible comeback in the final round.
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UFC 263 included one of the most gruesome submission moves ever
Another man who did what he could to prevent UFC 263 entering the history books for the wrong reasons was Paul Craig, who required short time to put an end to his fight.
‘Bearjew’ opened up the PPV main card against then-future champion Jamahal Hill. The Scottish fighter needed less than two minutes to finish the bout in brutal fashion.
Craig dislocated Hill’s elbow with an armbar, but the injury initially went unnoticed by the referee.
The veteran contender ultimately had to release the hold and throw punches at his hurt rival until the TKO stoppage arrived.
Craig will be looking for a similar result in his return to the light heavyweight division at the UFC Fight Night event in Atlanta on June 14, 2025.