5 fighters who came back from serious injuries to win UFC gold

MMA is the fastest growing combat sport, and the UFC is the pinnacle of it. Fighters from across the globe duel for supremacy in pursuit of capturing UFC gold and marking themselves in MMA history.

As a sport of sanctioned combat, it is no surprise that fighters, at times, sustain injuries. Most injuries, however, are sustained long before fighters step into the octagon. Though most injuries are minor knicks that fighters endure and perform with, some are more crippling, ending their careers in the blink of an eye.

Some change fighters to such a great extent that they never recapture their former glory and underperform on the way to a declining career. Yet, there are fighters who have suffered serious physical setbacks and managed to not only return to the octagon, but capture championship gold, achieving legendary status.

This list looks at five of those fighters.

---

#5. Michael Bisping - Former UFC middleweight champion

Now retired, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping was once a consistent performer in the middleweight division.

While his skillset was well-rounded, Bisping's primary approach to every fight entailed overwhelming his opponents with high-volume boxing facilitated by his ceaseless cardio.

Despite his relative success, title shots seemed to elude him. Whenever he slotted into title eliminators to determine the number one contender, victory would slip through his grasp for one reason or another.

In early 2011, he faced Vitor Belfort, losing via TKO in the second round. The loss was brutal, as Bisping was on the receiving end of a left high kick that detached his retina.

To prevent doctors from potentially keeping him from fighting, Bisping refused to disclose the injury. He went on to face Alan Belcher, claiming a unanimous decision win. However, his right eye worsened. With no choice but to seek medical attention, Bisping underwent eye surgery for his detached retina. After a year away from the sport, he returned and worked his way up the rankings.

After former middleweight champion Chris Weidman pulled out of his rematch against Luke Rockhold, the man who had wrestled the middleweight title from his grasp, Bisping was chosen as a late replacement for the UFC 199 main event.

With a compromised eye, Bisping went on to KO Rockhold, a foe to whom he'd lost once before, in one of the sport's greatest upsets as he finally became the undisputed middleweight champion.

#4. Rafael dos Anjos - Former UFC lightweight champion

Rafael dos Anjos is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport. In fact, he is one of the most skilled.

Alas, those skills seem to crumble when he is not allowed to impose his primary pressure game. His heart and determination, however, can never be questioned. Back in 2010, Rafael dos Anjos faced Clay Guida, suffering a broken jaw en route to a dispiriting defeat.

The injury was serious, forcing the Brazilian to undergo surgery. After 11 months away, he returned with his jaw reinforced by four titanium plates and 20 screws. He amassed enough wins to finally challenge then-reigning lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, claiming the title in one of the most dominant championship performances in recent memory.

---

#3. Frank Mir - Former UFC heavyweight champion

Legendary MMA heavyweight Frank Mir was already a titleholder prior to the severe injuries he sustained from his 2004 motorcycle accident.

He was fresh off a memorable submission win over Tim Sylvia for the vacant heavyweight championship. Not only did Mir win the title, but he earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt for the slick armbar with which he caught Sylvia in.

His celebrations, however, were cut short. Soon after, Mir was the victim of a motorcycle accident that left him unable to compete for two years. Stripped of the title, he underwent a long road to recovery.

Finally, four years after winning his first heavyweight title, Mir worked his way into an interim title bout against his idol Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The MMA world was left stunned as Mir handed Nogueira his first TKO loss, claiming the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 92.

#2. Dominick Cruz - Former UFC bantamweight champion

Dominick Cruz is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Unfortunately, he is also one of the sport's most injury-prone mixed martial artists.

Between 2011 and 2014, an accumulation of injuries ranging from a torn ACL to a torn groin forced Cruz to relinquish his bantamweight championship. The three years he spent away from the sport saw T.J. Dillashaw establish himself as the undisputed bantamweight champion.

While Cruz was slated to face Dillashaw for the title in his return fight in 2015, he suffered another torn ACL, delaying his return to 2016. When the two finally fought at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz, 'The Dominator' showed no signs of being diminished by his many injuries, besting Dillashaw in a close fight to recapture the championship he had lost to injuries.

---

#1. Khabib Nurmagomedov - Former UFC lightweight champion

Former undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was once the sport's most dominant force. But between April 2014 and March 2016, that dominance was absent from the MMA landscape.

At the time, Khabib had suffered a string of recurring knee and rib injuries that saw him pull out of fights against Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson.

The severity of his injury issues was so great that Khabib seriously considered retirement before ever fulfilling his destiny and capturing UFC gold. Yet, he persevered.

'The Eagle' returned to run through the division, claiming dominant wins over Darrell Horcher, Michael Jackson, and Edson Barboza en route to becoming the undisputed lightweight champion at UFC 223 after besting Al Iaquinta for the vacant lightweight title, leaving behind a legacy as arguably the greatest lightweight in MMA history.