5 fighters who capitalized on late-notice opportunities in the UFC

#2. Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold – UFC 199

Michael Bisping pulled off a major upset to down Luke Rockhold on late notice in 2016.

When Michael Bisping agreed a late-notice shot at the UFC middleweight title in the summer of 2016, it looked like he was up against insurmountable odds. That’s because he was replacing Chris Weidman in just under a month’s notice. Moreover, the champion he would face – Luke Rockhold – had whitewashed him in a previous clash.

Nevertheless, ‘The Count’ essentially had nothing to lose. At the time, he was heading towards the tail end of his career, and was widely recognized as one of the best fighters never to have receive a shot at UFC gold. Basically, this fight was his last roll of the dice. Despite Rockhold being installed as a huge betting favorite for the bout, incredibly, Bisping’s big gamble paid off in spades.

As soon as the fight began, it was clear Rockhold was almost too confident for his own good. Evidently, his earlier win over Bisping had made him decide that ‘The Count’ posed no threat to him whatsoever.

That turned out to be a huge mistake. Just over three minutes into the first round, Bisping took advantage of Rockhold failing to protect his chin. Bisping clobbered him with a huge left hand that sent him reeling. Another put the champion down, and ‘The Count’ quickly followed up to seal the victory.

To say this was a huge upset would be an understatement. However, for Bisping, it turned out to be the culmination of years of hard work and determination – as well as a reward for taking a risky bout on late notice.

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#1. Jon Jones vs. Mauricio Rua – UFC 128

After beating Ryan Bader, Jon Jones received a late-notice title shot - and made the most of it.

Nate Diaz’s big win over Conor McGregor turned him into a genuine superstar, while Michael Bisping’s victory over Luke Rockhold gave him the UFC title he’d always craved. However, it’s arguable that no fighter made the most of a late-notice opportunity than Jon Jones.

‘Bones’ held the UFC light heavyweight title for four years during his first reign as champion. He made a total of eight successful defenses, breaking a record held by the legendary Tito Ortiz.

However, it’s easy to forget that his first title victory, which came over Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011, was a late-notice bout that Jones wasn’t initially supposed to be a part of.

Rua was in fact booked to fight Jones’ then-teammate Rashad Evans in the event’s headline bout. However, ‘Suga’ blew his knee out during his training camp, forcing him out of the fight.

Incredibly, the promotion didn’t announce that until after Jones had choked out Ryan Bader to pick up the then-biggest win of his career. That happened just six weeks before UFC 128 was due to take place.

In one of the most memorable incidents in the octagon in the promotion’s history, Jones was offered the title shot during the post-fight interview that followed his win over Bader. Unsurprisingly, the then-23-year old accepted. The rest, as they say, is history.

Despite Rua’s experience, Jones utterly destroyed him, finishing him with strikes in the third round to become the new champion. Considering the dominant title reign ‘Bones’ then went on to produce, he remains the greatest example of a fighter who capitalized enormously on a late-notice opportunity in the octagon.