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#4. Frankie Edgar – former UFC lightweight champion
When he was at his peak – sometime between 2010 and 2012, when he was UFC lightweight champion – it was hard to deny that Frankie Edgar was not only a great fighter but one of the most durable men to ever step into the octagon.
‘The Answer’ suffered just four defeats in his first 22 visits to the octagon. Despite taking some terrible damage in his fights with the likes of Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo, he managed to avoid being stopped in all of those bouts.
Edgar suffered a bad knockout at the hands of Brian Ortega in March 2018. While he recovered from that to outpoint Cub Swanson just over a month later, it’s safe to say that the New Jersey native hasn’t been the same since.
Now 40, ‘The Answer’ has won just once in his last five bouts dating back to mid-2019. What’s more, three of his four losses have come via knockout. His most recent defeat saw him left unconscious by Marlon Vera, who stopped him with a vicious front kick.
While Edgar was justified in continuing to fight after his loss to Ortega, he probably should’ve hung up his gloves following his loss to Chan Sung Jung at the end of 2019.
That defeat followed his loss to Max Holloway in a featherweight title bout. Knowing that another title run would be unlikely, ‘The Answer’ probably should’ve chosen to step away before his famous durability was cracked any further.
Instead, Edgar dropped to 135lbs – probably putting his body under even more strain – and it’s arguable that his future health prospects may now have been harmed.
#3. Chris Weidman – former UFC middleweight champion
When he first dethroned legendary UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva – and then defeated him again in a rematch five months later – it looked like Chris Weidman was about to usher in a new era at 185lbs.
‘The All-American’ defeated Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort in subsequent title defenses before falling to Luke Rockhold.
Since then, it’s safe to say that Weidman’s career has never quite gotten back on track. In fact, there’s an argument that he should’ve retired a while ago – a decision which would’ve allowed him to avoid the horrendous leg injury he suffered in 2021.
Weidman’s loss to Rockhold – as well as other factors, including the banning of the use of an IV to rehydrate following a weight cut – seemed to have destroyed his durability. In the years that have followed, he’s suffered a further four knockout losses.
When should ‘The All-American’ have hung his gloves up? Right after his knockout loss to Dominick Reyes in late 2019 probably would’ve been the perfect time. After all, the knockout prevented Weidman from making a run at the UFC light heavyweight title, and he’d turned 36 a couple of months beforehand.
However, Weidman has continued to fight. Despite suffering that horrendous leg injury against Uriah Hall, he’s expected to return to the octagon in the future – a decision which may well prove to be an error.
