Biggest talking points from boxing and MMA in 2023

Leon Edwards extends his winning streak

England's own Leon Edwards continued his winning ways in 2023, first defeating Kamaru Usman to retain his UFC welterweight title, before silencing Colby Covington to retain once again.

Plenty of supporters thought Edwards may struggle in the bout against Usman, but the Brit lasted all five rounds before winning via majority decision.

Focus then shifted to his encounter with Covington - a fight which caught headlines for all the wrong reasons after the American took a dig at Edwards' dead father.

Thankfully for the majority watching on, Edwards would handle his opponent with ease and pick up an emotional victory to close out what has been a good year for the UFC fighter.

The two victories mean Edwards has won his last four fights and - barring a no contest against Belal Muhammed - the Englishman has won every fight since December 2015 (12 out of 13).

Polarising returns for Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

Both Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder returned to boxing on the same night as part of the latest Saudi Arabia mega-card at the end of December - with fans waiting in great anticipation to see how each man would get on, particularly with a view to a potential encounter between the two heavyweights sometime in the future.

Wilder was up first against experienced boxer Joseph Parker, with the former expected to use his power punches once more to secure himself a win.

The bout panned out differently, though, with Parker controlling from the off and dominating proceedings on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

There was even a point during a spectacular eighth round where Wilder looked to be finished - withstanding a barrage of punches from his opponent and just barely surviving.

Joshua fared far better in his fight.

The Englishman cruised to victory against Otto Wallin and looked much like his old self after forcing a fifth-round stoppage.

Only Joshua would impress on a night meant for setting up a highly anticipated encounter between two former heavyweight champions.

Francis Ngannou almost shocks the world

From one Saudi event to another, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou took on WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in the boxing ring.

The bout was widely expected to be a routine victory for Fury who is yet to lose in his professional career.

Despite being a long way from his comfort zone, Ngannou more than held his own against the 'Gypsy King' and even knocked his opponent down in the third round to the shock of everyone watching.

Although he would controversially lose to a split decision, the former UFC fighter made a huge statement with an incredible performance that could easily have seen him win on another night - announcing himself to the heavyweight boxing scene and opening up an array of potential fights in the future.

Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron go head-to-head

Katie Taylor is one of the best women's boxers ever and up until May 2023 was undefeated in 21 professional fights.

The Irishwoman was set to fight in a home bout in Dublin for the first time in her seven-year pro career against Chantelle Cameron.

She went into her encounter with underdog Cameron looking to become an undisputed super-lightweight champion and continue her incredible unbeaten streak.

Cameron was also undefeated - albeit in fewer fights - and proved to be a strong opponent, securing a shock victory against Taylor via a majority decision.

A rematch was set for November 2023 which saw Taylor get back to winning ways and become undisputed super-flyweight champion, avenging her defeat.

The Irishwoman returned to Dublin and secured a famous victory, also thanks to a majority decision.

Taylor admitted after the fight that she wants to complete the trilogy - which could be something to look out for in 2024.

UFC stars cause major upsets

There were a number of impressive upsets across the UFC in 2023.

Valentina Shevchenko had been women's flyweight champion for almost five years after winning the belt against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in December 2018, and was deep into a nine-fight win streak before facing Alexa Grosso.

Many fans expected another straightforward win for the champion until Grosso pounced on a rare error and forced a submission through a rear-naked chokehold - winning the belt and shocking supporters around the world.

They had a rematch later in the year, which ended in a draw after another valiant effort from Grosso, setting up a potential trilogy fight in the future.

In the men's heavyweight division, Tom Aspinall became interim champion after a stunning knockout against Sergei Pavlovich.

The Englishman secured a superb victory in just 69 seconds, sending his opponent to the ground with a huge right hand.

Finally, Sean Strickland claimed the middleweight championship from Israel Adesanya in one of the biggest championship upsets of the year.

Strickland flew out to Australia and secured a dominant win via unanimous decision against an opponent who had lost just twice in his UFC career.

The American is set to fight Dricus Du Plessis in January 2024 - looking to retain his new title.