With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best fights from December 2018: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and 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

Kai Kara-France def. Elias Garcia at UFC Fight Night 142

After a long wait to finally get his UFC opportunity, Kai Kara-France (18-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made the most of his chance with a “Fight of the Night” victory over Elias Garcia (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC).

Kara-France showed what the flyweight division is all about when he scored a unanimous decision victory over Garcia in a three-round contest that was filled with a mix of strikes, takedowns and grappling exchanges. In the end, Kara-France got the win on the scorecards.

Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Jimi Manuwa at UFC 231

From the first seconds of their light heavyweight bout, it was plainly evident that Thiago “Marreta” Santos (20-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and Jimi Manuwa (17-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) both had come to do damage.

And after a rock-em, sock-em fight that barely made it out of the first round, it was Brazil’s Santos who landed the decisive blow in the second frame to stay perfect since he moved up to 205 pounds in September.

Max Holloway def. Brian Ortega at UFC 231

As hard as he tried, and as many strikes as he landed, Max Holloway (20-3 MMA, 16-3 UFC) couldn’t put Brian Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) out or make him quit.

But after battering the face of Ortega and closing his left eye, Holloway got a little help from the cageside doctor, who urged a stoppage at the end of Round 4, resulting in a TKO victory for the defending UFC featherweight champ.

Alex Volkanovski def. Chad Mendes at UFC 232

Midway through the second round of their featherweight contender matchup, Alex Volkanovski (19-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) had taken Chad Mendes’ (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) best punches. Then, with Mendes’ energy running low, he answered with his own.

The finish to the grueling and entertaining fight was set up by a body shot and right hand that dropped Mendes in the waning seconds of the middle frame, bringing Volkanovski his biggest win to date and true contender status at 145 pounds.

Amanda Nunes def. Cris Cyborg at UFC 232

Amanda Nunes (17-4 MMA, 10-1 UFC) made history when she dethroned Cris Cyborg (20-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in one of the most stunning results of the year to claim the UFC women’s featherweight championship.

Nunes showed zero fear of the intimidating aura of Cyborg when she went right after her fellow Brazilian from the opening bell. “The Lioness” connected with haymaker after haymaker until one final clean shot left Cyborg face-first on the canvas and Nunes with the status of first female two-division champion in UFC history.

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The Winner: Thiago “Marreta” Santos vs. Jimi Manuwa

Santos was apparently planning a tactical approach to his fight against Manuwa. But, just minutes before walking to the octagon, he decided to throw his gameplan to the wayside and engage in a brawl.

Early on, it seemed as though Santos might make it a quick night, as he wobbled Manuwa with a short hook in the fight’s very first exchange, then kept the pressure on with the power punching he’s known for.

But after slowing the pace and clearing his head in the clinch, Manuwa began to battle back in the latter half of the opening round, hurting Santos with punches at one point and defending well when Santos targeted his head with kicks.

By the end of that first round, it seemed as though either man could score a knockout at any moment. But early in the second, Santos gained the upper hand when he backed Manuwa against the fence and stunned him with an uppercut. A follow-up left hook from Santos landed clean, dropping Manuwa on his face and prompting referee Todd Anderson to step in.