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#2 - Anthony Pettis
Before joining the UFC, Anthony Pettis fought for MMA promotions like GFS and WEC. He made his UFC debut in 2010 as a former GFS lightweight champion with a 13-1 record. It only took him five fights and a little over two years to become the UFC lightweight champion after submitting Benson Henderson at UFC 164.
Anthony Pettis defended his title successfully at UFC 181 against Gilbert Melendez but couldn't hold it for long. In 2015, 'Showtime' lost his belt to Rafael dos Anjos. Following two more losses, the former UFC lightweight champion moved down to the featherweight division in search of glory. However, he lost the interim title shot against Max Holloway in 2016 after failing to make weight.
Pettis again moved up to lightweight and went 2-2 in a little more than a year, picking up a submission and a TKO loss. In the following years, Anthony Pettis moved between divisions but could not find his prime and lost two more fights.
Giving up championship hopes in the UFC, 'Showtime' moved on to the PFL in 2021 and has lost twice in three months. The former UFC champion's peak seems to have been lost, and all that remains are regrettable losses.
#1 - Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor's fall from championship status is perhaps the most iconic. 'Notorious' became one of the biggest stars in MMA and combat sports in a very short time. His fame and glory are such that even after losing his accolades and titles, his shine has not been dimmed one bit.
Before entering the UFC, Conor McGregor was a multi-division champ in an MMA promotion based in Dublin called Cage Warriors. The Irishman made it clear that he wanted to replicate the feat in the UFC as well. Following a six-fight winning streak, he defeated Jose Aldo in 2015 in 13 seconds to become the UFC featherweight champion.
Although he faced the third loss of his MMA career after losing to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, he went on to win the UFC lightweight title eight months later. By doing so, Conor McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. The "champ-champ" had the world at his feet.
In 2017, Conor McGregor made his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather and lost. Although he earned nearly $100m in the bout, the world witnessed that 'Mystic Mac' was not as invincible as he tried to claim. He returned to the UFC in 2018 and, in the biggest UFC fight ever, lost to his rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. The loss sent McGregor into inaction and also forced him to announce his retirement in 2020.
Also Read: How many times has Conor McGregor retired?
However, after much back and forth between him and Dana White, Conor McGregor returned to the octagon against Donald Cerrone. Entering as a favorite, McGregor TKO'd 'Cowboy' inside 40 seconds of round one. A year later, 'Notorious' faced Dustin Poirier in a rematch after seven years. Coming in with a renewed persona that earned him the nickname 'Mr. Nice Guy', Conor lost to 'The Diamond' via TKO.
Also Read: 5 reasons Conor McGregor will retire if he loses to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
It was Conor McGregor's first knockout loss in his entire MMA career. Once a seemingly invincible champion now has four losses in five years across MMA and boxing, with many experts writing him off.
