5 big UFC stars who failed to win a single fight in 2021

#4 Edmen Shahbazyan – UFC middleweight

Following two losses in 2021, Edmen Shahbazyan's UFC career is now hanging by a thread

Back in 2019, there were few hotter prospects in the UFC than Edmen Shahbazyan. After appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, the Armenian-American reeled off four wins in a row in the octagon, including a head-kick knockout of veteran Brad Tavares.

Just 22 at the start of 2020, it felt like only a matter of time before ‘The Golden Boy’ moved into UFC middleweight title contention. However, he was stopped by Derek Brunson in his only appearance of 2020.

The defeat was the first of his career, and most fans expected him to bounce back in style in 2021. But the opposite ended up happening, putting Shahbazyan on the cusp of departing the UFC in 2022.

The 24-year-old took nine months off following his defeat to Brunson. When he returned he looked somewhat gunshy in his clash with Jack Hermansson, and ended up dropping a unanimous decision to the Swedish fighter.

Worse was still to come, though. Matched with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 268, in a fight he was expected to win, Shahbazyan quickly found himself outgunned. He ended up stuck in a mounted crucifix in the second round, from where it didn’t take Imavov long to stop him with a series of brutal elbows.

‘The Golden Boy’ still has time on his side and he’s still an exceptional athlete, but it’s hard to say how much those two TKO losses have taken out of him. If he can’t win his first fight of 2022, he could find himself on the UFC’s chopping block.

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#3 Frankie Edgar – UFC bantamweight

Frankie Edgar suffered two devastating knockouts in the octagon in 2021

While he turned 39 years old in October 2020, Frankie Edgar came into 2021 on something of a high. The former UFC lightweight champion moved to 135 pounds for the first time in August 2020 and looked excellent in his win over Pedro Munhoz, giving him a new lease of life in the octagon.

However, things couldn’t have gone much worse for him in 2021. So much so that many UFC fans expect the now-40 year old veteran to hang up his gloves in 2022.

Pitted against Cory Sandhagen in February, there was a very real chance that ‘The Answer’ could’ve found himself in contention for a shot at the UFC bantamweight title. However, it took Sandhagen just 28 seconds to put an end to those ideas.

‘The Sandman’ hit Edgar with a brutal flying knee, separating him from his consciousness immediately in one of 2021’s scariest knockouts.

The loss immediately brought Edgar’s future into question. The two main strengths he’d possessed at 155 pounds - speed and durability - looked to be negated at bantamweight.

‘The Answer’ returned at UFC 268 against Marlon Vera. Despite performing well in the opening round, it was his waning durability that again let him down. ‘Chito’ began to hurt him with strikes in the second round, and finished him off with a violent front kick in the final stanza.

Whether Edgar makes another return to the octagon is up in the air following that loss. While he's a surefire bet to be named as a UFC Hall of Famer in the future, it’s safe to say his 2021 was pretty awful.