5 most disappointing UFC performances of 2021

#4. Johnny Walker vs. Thiago Santos – UFC Fight Night 193

It was hard not to be disappointed by the fight between Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker

Sometimes the UFC books a fight that just sounds like guaranteed fireworks. Most of the time, those kind of fights live up to the hype.

Everyone thought Justin Gaethje’s fight with Michael Chandler would be a classic, for instance, and they were largely proven right. The same could be said for Alexander Volkanovski’s clash with Brian Ortega.

However, in October, the UFC booked a fight that felt like a brutal finish was guaranteed, only for both fighters to seemingly choke in the moment and fail to produce their usual form.

Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos had combined for a total of 15 KO’s or TKO’s in the UFC leading into their headline bout at UFC Fight Night 193. More to the point, neither man seemed to know any other way to fight outside of simply attempting to take their opponent’s head off.

When it came to fight time, though, both fighters shocked and disappointed the fans by utilizing a highly tentative style, largely staying at a lengthy distance from one another.

It felt like both Walker and ‘Marreta’ simply respected one another a little too much, with neither man really wanting to risk a KO loss. In a way, it made sense. Both men had been knocked out before and the winner was likely to move into title contention.

In the end, the result was a lukewarm fight that went the distance, ending in Santos picking up a unanimous decision win.

However, the fight was so forgettable that ‘Marreta’ probably found himself further away from a crack at the title than he’d been prior, meaning that both he and Walker had one of the most disappointing UFC showings of 2021.

---

#3. Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – UFC 267

Jan Blachowicz admitted to mentally struggling during his fight with Glover Teixeira

2021 started in truly remarkable fashion for Jan Blachowicz.

One of the most unlikely champions in UFC history, the Polish power puncher won the UFC light heavyweight title in 2020 by knocking out Dominick Reyes. He then followed that with another surprise win, stopping Israel Adesanya’s attempt at becoming a double champion at March’s UFC 259.

However, despite being firmly favored to make another successful title defense against Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, Blachowicz appeared to fold under the pressure and ended up losing his crown in one-sided fashion.

The Polish star simply couldn’t get his usual imposing striking game going and in the second round, he was taken down and choked out.

To say this was a disappointing showing, particularly after his win over Adesanya, would be an understatement, something that Blachowicz himself seemed to agree with in a recent interview.

The former UFC champion stated that everything had gone wrong in the fight and while he wasn’t injured, it simply wasn’t his night. He even stated that he probably would’ve “lost to anyone that night” and largely blamed his mental state.

Whether Blachowicz has now peaked or whether he can get back into title contention in 2022 is unknown, but there’s no denying that this was one of 2021’s most disappointing UFC performances.