MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for December: Which back-and-forth brawl was best?

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best fights from December. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and the winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for December.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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The Nominees

Ryan Janes def. Andrew Sanchez at TUF 26 Finale

Canada’s Ryan Janes (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) survived a vicious first-round assault from Andrew Sanchez (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) only to battle back and score a third-round TKO win in the middleweight clash.

Never give up! Ryan Janes vs Andrew Sanchez – all heart! ?? @fightcentral_mma #tuffinale #ryanjanes #comeback #nevergiveup #mma #boxing #wrestling #jiujitsu #bjj #muaythai #kickboxing #judo #sambo #capoeira #karatê

A post shared by Just A Brazilian Girl (@barbie_brazilian_mma) on Dec 1, 2017 at 7:43pm PST

Yancy Medeiros def. Alex Oliveira at UFC 218

Yancy Medeiros (15-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has a knack for putting on exciting fights, and his lightweight clash with Alex Oliveira (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) may have been his best yet. Combining for a single-fight UFC record six knockdowns, the pair went toe to toe for a little more than 12 minutes until the Hawaiian put “Cowboy” down for the TKO.

???????? ?? ?? ????????? ???? ???, ?? ???? ??????????????, ?????????? ??????? ????????? ? ?????????? ?? #UFC218 ????Yancy Medeiros??Alex Oliveira???? ?????????? ???? ????????? – ??? ? 3? ??????! @yancymedeiros @alexcowboyoficial #yancymedeiros #alexoliveira #ufcdetroit #ufc #mma #knockout #boxing #wrestling #dagestan #????? #????? #?????? #????????? #?????? #???????? #bjj #khabib

A post shared by UFC/MMA Mixed Martial Arts (@ufc_world_best) on Dec 3, 2017 at 8:07pm PST

Eddie Alvarez def. Justin Gaethje at UFC 218

It was billed as a can’t-miss firefight to determine the most violent man in the sport. It delivered. Eddie Alvarez (29-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Justin Gaethje (18-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) battered each other in a brutal striking battle that finally ended when the former UFC and Bellator champ laid out Gaethje with a third-round knee.

@ealvarezfight v @justin_gaethje ???? . . . . . . . . #ufc #mma #boxing #kickboxing #muaythai #fight #fighting #bjj #judo #wrestling #sport #karate #taekwondo #repost #knockout #motivation #champion #training #athlete #fit #gym #body #bodybuilding #fitness #wwe #justingaethje #eddiealvarez #conormcgregor #rondarousey

A post shared by UFC Türkiye / MMA / Boxing ???? (@ufcturkiye_) on Dec 17, 2017 at 12:36am PST

Julian Marquez def. Darren Stewart at UFC on FOX 26

After a thrilling win in his Dana White’s Contender Series audition, Julian Marquez (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) impressed again in his UFC debut, downing Darren Stewart (7-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) after a back-and-forth fight that ended when Marquez cinched a tight guillotine that slept his opponent midway through the second round of the middleweight contest.

Really great fight between the UFC debutant #julianmarquez and the British #darrenstewart . They gave it all on the Octagon, always pushing forward. Marquez won by submission in the second round. Props to both fighters. It was awarded with an obvious #fightofthenight bonus. #ufc #mma #ufcfightnight #ufconfox #ufconfox26 #ufcwinnipeg #middleweight

A post shared by Joaquín MA (@kimialicante) on Dec 17, 2017 at 2:54pm PST

Cris Cyborg def. Holly Holm at UFC 219

A smart game plan from ex-champion Holly Holm (11-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) could not overcome the aggressive and precise attack of UFC women’s featherweight queen Cris Cyborg (19-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC). Cyborg showed continued evolution in waging a patient, yet persistent attack that countered Holm’s best weapons as Brazilian titleholder took home a unanimous-decision win.

#ufc219 Cris cyborg vs holly Holm #ufc #mma #criscyborg #hollyholm #darthnihilus1 #ufcnevvs

A post shared by Albert T|UFC.NEVVS |STARWARS ?? (@darthnihilus_1) on Jan 3, 2018 at 5:28am PST

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The Winner: Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira

Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira

Medeiros broke something in Oliveira – and not just his nose. After more than two rounds of raucous back-and-forth action in which both fighters were badly hurt, Oliveira winced and wilted, and Medeiros picked up the third-round TKO win.

Oliveira had Medeiros out on his feet at several points in the first round after chasing the Hawaiian around the octagon with right hands. Early on, Oliveira prioritized body work with kicks, allowing up to move upstairs and catch Medeiros clean.

Medeiros repayed the charges with a left straight that briefly dropped Oliveira and busted his nose. But as the first round came to a close, it was Medeiros who was holding on for dear life as Oliveira pounded away.

The only problem for Oliveira was that Medeiros simply wouldn’t quit.

As the second frame got underway, Medeiros again found his left and caught Oliveira coming in. For the first time, Oliveira started to backpedal. Medeiros seized the momentum with body work, and when Oliveira dove for a takedown, he reversed and unleashed hellacious elbows from mount position.

Oliveira had one last dash in the third round and chased Medeiros around the cage with more right hands. A pair of suplexes put the Brazilian in top position. But the pace of his footwork had clearly caught up; Medeiros spun out of back control and escaped submission danger.

When Oliveira exploded back to his feet, he backpedaled for no apparent reason. Not wasting a moment, Medeiros gave chase and fired off a flurry of punches. Oliveira dropped to the mat, seemingly as much from the cumulation of blows than one particular event.

It was a triumphant turnaround and sure bonus-winner for Medeiros, who’s now won three straight.