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Every UFC fighter envisions their career following a universally ideal trajectory: a successful rise through their division's ranks en route to capturing the resident weight class' throne. Khabib Nurmagomedov embodies this perfect ascension in the UFC. The former lightweight kingpin retired from the sport undefeated.
Not only does he have a spotless record, but he's also only ever lost one round. The round was conceded against Conor McGregor but remains a topic of heavy dispute due to the Irishman's egregious cheating during the round. Regardless, 'The Eagle' has rarely struggled inside the octagon. He's never been cut, nor has he ever bled.
But the truth of the matter is that Nurmagomedov was a rarity to the norm in MMA. Some fighters go through numerous trials before fully realizing their potential. Some lost several times before becoming champions and top contenders. Such fighters are the topic of this list as it details all-time great career turnarounds.
#5. Mark Hunt, former UFC heavyweight
Most fans remember Mark Hunt as the heavy-handed master of the walk-off knockout. While he is responsible for countless highlight reels in the UFC's 265 lbs weight class, 'The Super Samoan' didn't have the best start to his MMA career. Prior to signing with the UFC, the K-1 World Grand Prix winner was struggling.
At the time, he had five wins and six losses. His promotional debut ended in disaster as he suffered a first-round submission loss. Fortunately, however, he managed to turn things around. He embarked on a four-fight win streak, with three of his wins being thrilling knockouts.
While he lost his subsequent bout against Junior dos Santos, 'The Super Samoan' took the former heavyweight champion to the limit and earned Fight of the Night honors. His subsequent bout against Antônio 'Bigfoot' Silva earned him the same honors. His next matchup, however, earned him 2014's Knockout of the Year.
Mark Hunt's career peaked that year as he challenged Fabrício Werdum for interim gold. While he never captured a promotional title, he achieved a much higher profile as one of the heavyweight division's most exciting power punchers, which is significant for a fighter who was once winless for four years.
#4. Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, former UFC light heavyweight
The late great Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson was never a loser. The 205 lbs division's most terrifying knockout artist possessed nearly every attribute necessary to succeed in the UFC. His issues stemmed from his decision to cut far more weight than was advisable when he debuted as a UFC welterweight and later middleweight.
This led to a string of weigh-in failures. He missed weight thrice during his initial run with the promotion before missing weight for a fourth time after being released. His worst weigh-in failure saw him step on the scale while being 11 lbs above the middleweight limit.
At the time, Dana White exhibited no interest in Anthony Johnson potentially returning to the UFC. Despite everything, he eventually worked his way back into the promotion at the helm of a three-fight win streak. This earned him a title fight against Daniel Cormier for the vacant divisional throne.
Despite losing the bout, he bounced back with another three-fight win streak that included a KO against future champion Glover Teixeira. Doing so led to a second title fight against 'DC,' which he lost again. For a fighter who was once cut from the UFC, being a two-time title challenger speaks volumes of how well he rebounded.
#3. Jan Błachowicz, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Prior to his promotional debut, Jan Błachowicz was the subject of a fair amount of interest. At the time, he was a KSW light heavyweight titleholder and possessed a tricky power-punching style with deceptive technical elements. Initially, the Polish knockout artist was successful.
He TKO'd Ilir Latifi in the first round but quickly found himself at a crossroads in the next two years. He lost four of his five fights before rebounding with a four-fight win streak. Unfortunately, he encountered a brick wall in the form of Thiago Santos, leading to a TKO loss. But the former KSW champion was not dissuaded.
He embarked on yet another win streak, capturing three wins to earn a crack at the vacant divisional crown. Not many gave him much of a chance to realize his dream. His opponent was Dominick Reyes, who at the time was regarded as the uncrowned champion after fans felt he was robbed of a win against Jon Jones.
Instead, the Polish power-puncher defied the odds and earned a second-round TKO against 'The Devastator' to capture UFC gold after a harrowing start to his run in the promotion.
#2. Robbie Lawler, former UFC welterweight champion
Robbie Lawler had two runs in the UFC. Back in 2002, 'Ruthless' was an MMA hopeful who was new to professional combat sports. He was undefeated and managed to win his first three fights in the promotion. Unfortunately, his next four fights ended with three losses and only one win, resulting in his release.
Years later, he spent time in Strikeforce, losing five times with only three wins over a three-year stretch. He then made his UFC return and achieved surprising success after undergoing a skill-based evolution. He embarked on a three-fight win streak before barely losing to Johny Hendricks in an interim title fight.
Fortunately, 'Ruthless' rebounded with two wins before earning another title fight. This time, however, he challenged his foe for the undisputed title. He defeated 'Big Rig' and was crowned the division's new king before defending his throne against Rory MacDonald in one of the greatest fights in MMA history.
It was an incredible turnaround. He went from having nearly half as many losses as he had wins, to becoming one of the most unlikely champions in the promotion's history. He secured an additional title defense against Carlos Condit before losing to Tyron Woodley.
#1. Charles Oliveira, former UFC lightweight champion
Years ago, Charles Oliveira was an undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist. He made his promotional debut with a first-round submission before missing weight in his subsequent bout. While he still won, he was winless in his next three bouts, with two losses and one no-contest after he landed an illegal knee.
His next two bouts were successful, but the two that followed were losses, including another weigh-in failure. While he rebounded with a four-fight win streak, he missed weight once more against Jeremy Stephens. His next six bouts were disastrous, leading to four losses and two weigh-in failures.
Since his UFC debut, 'do Bronx' suffered eight losses while missing weight five separate times. He was regarded as a lost cause and became an afterthought in the promotion. In 2018, however, he made a change that led to an 11-fight win streak, during which he became the lightweight champion.
Not only did he capture the title, but he defeated the likes of Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje while breaking the record for the most finishes and the most submission wins in UFC history. While 'do Bronx' eventually lost against Islam Makhachev, his turnaround was unlike any other.
