5 huge mistakes by UFC fighters in championship fights

UFC championship bouts are high stakes affairs. Sometimes, even the most seasoned veterans of the sport suffer a lapse in judgment. The margin for error at the highest level is minimal. On numerous occasions throughout the history of combat sports, elite professional fighters have made glaring errors that ended up costing them.

At the recently concluded UFC 270, a heavyweight title fight was underway in the main event. Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane locked horns for undisputed gold at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Gane picked apart Ngannou in the first two rounds with his elusive striking. ‘The Predator’ rallied back in the third and fourth rounds with his much-improved wrestling.

Gane secured a takedown in the final round. With Ngannou noticeably exhausted, ‘Bon Gamin’ would’ve won the fight if he held on to top position till the final bell. However, the Frenchman opted to go for a heel-hook, giving up top position in the process. This allowed the reigning champion to reverse position, win the round and come away with a unanimous decision victory.

That said, here are five huge errors made by fighters that cost them a championship fight.

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#5. Anderson Silva doesn’t take Chris Weidman’s power seriously at UFC 162

Anderson Silva, at the height of his powers, was untouchable inside the octagon. 'The Spider' won the middleweight championship in his second fight in the UFC and subsequently racked up 16 straight wins. The Brazilian secured sensational victories over the likes of Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen.

At UFC 162, he took on Chris Weidman. Weidman held a perfect 9-0 record and was coming off a statement-making TKO victory over Mark Munhoz. Few could have predicted the stunning nature of the American's eventual KO win.

Silva employed his trademark taunting tactics in the second round, mocking his opponent while showboating. Unfazed, Weidman closed the distance and finished the Brazilian legend with a barrage of punches.

Anderson Silva's tendency to showboat during fights was going to catch up with him eventually. His loss to Chris Weidman was so much more than a number on a professional record. The remainder of Silva's career was heartbreaking to watch and he went on to win just one more fight before retiring from MMA.

Watch highlights from the fight below:

#4. Petr Yan throws an illegal knee against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259

At UFC 259, Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling locked horns with the bantamweight title on the line. Many believed Sterling would pose a tricky test for Yan, considering the former's wrestling prowess. However, what ensued when the duo locked horns left fans watching in disbelief.

Sterling came out like a house on fire in the first round and put an incredible pace on the then-champion. However, he wasn't able to maintain it. Yan took over in the next three rounds and was clearly en route to victory. Then, a bizarre illegal knee from the Russian rendered Sterling unable to continue.

As a direct result of what happened, Sterling was awarded the victory via disqualification and also managed to secure the title – becoming the first fighter in UFC history to win the strap this way.

It certainly was an embarrassing mistake on Yan's part. For a champion to be unaware of the rules in a contest of this magnitude is unheard of in the modern era. Simply put, it was an extremely disappointing way to lose the title.

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#3. Chris Weidman throws an ill-advised head-kick against Luke Rockhold at UFC 194

Chris Weidman put his title on the line against top contender Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. Weidman, the then-undefeated middleweight champion, was looking to defend his title for the fourth time while Rockhold earned his shot at the belt following a sensational submission victory over Lyoto Machida.

The fight between the two 185 lbs fighters was dead-even in the first two rounds. In the third, Weidman threw a telegraphed spinning heel kick at Rockhold. Before the slow kick could get to its target, the challenger closed the distance and grabbed the champion.

Rockhold intelligently utilized his own body-weight to drag Weidman down to the canvas and proceeded to secure the mount position from there. He spent the remainder of the round raining down a relentless barrage of punches, elbows and hammer-fists on the champion.

Weidman, bloodied and battered, somehow managed to survive the round and make it back to his corner. Rockhold took him down in the fourth round and secured a TKO finish soon after.

The aforementioned ill-advised kick turned out to be the clear turning point in the fight as the defending champion hardly looked the same after the error.

Watch the full fight below:

#2. Jose Aldo lets emotions get the best of him against Conor McGregor at UFC 194

Conor McGregor took on Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in one of the most anticipated bouts in the history of the featherweight division. McGregor, the then-interim champion, verbally attacked Aldo's skills, championship credentials, family and home country of Brazil throughout the build-up towards their title-unification bout.

Watch a compilation of all of Conor McGregor's trash talk directed at Jose Aldo below:

When the duo finally squared off inside the octagon, it took McGregor just 13 seconds to knock the Brazilian legend out cold.

Most experts noted that McGregor's mind games played a huge role in his easy win over Aldo. After all, it was one of the rare instances where 'The King of Rio' abandoned his footwork and charged towards his foe in a straight line instead.

A perfectly placed pull-back left hand by McGregor landed flush on the chin of Aldo, which saw the then-champion crumble to the canvas.

Going into their fight, Jose Aldo was undefeated for nearly nine years. He was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world at the time, having defended his belt seven times.

While his legacy will stand the test of time, it'll forever be somewhat tainted. What makes matters worse is the fact that it was such an uncharacteristic performance and goes to show that Conor McGregor's ability to get under people's skin was hugely influential.

Watch the full fight below:

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#1. Chael Sonnen doesn’t play it safe after dominating Anderson Silva at UFC 117

Chael Sonnen earned a shot at the title after putting together a three-fight winning streak in the middleweight division. Anderson Silva, the champion at the time, had already defended his 185 lbs belt six times and was the most dominant title-holder in the UFC.

Sonnen and Silva locked horns in the main event of UFC 117, with many expecting 'The Spider' to record another title defense in dominant fashion. The Brazilian had hardly lost a round so far in the UFC and the public consensus was that he would breeze through 'The American Gangster'.

The bout that ensued left fans stunned. Sonnen dominated the champion for four rounds after repeatedly taking him down and delivering non-stop ground and pound. Those in attendance at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, undoubtedly believed they were about to witness one of the biggest upsets in UFC history going into the final round.

The first half of the fifth round was identical to the previous four. Sonnen held top position while sitting in Silva's guard. The American was en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory until, out of nowhere, the champion threw up a triangle choke.

Sonnen was forced to tap and Silva somehow managed to defend his title.

Chael Sonnen would've been crowned the new champion had he just played it safe in the final two minutes of the fight. Moreover, Anderson Silva's grappling prowess was well-documented. His victories over the likes of Demian Maia and Dan Henderson are testament to this. Overzealousness cost Sonnen dearly on the night.

Nevertheless, Sonnen managed to put his own spin on what went down at UFC 117. In the lead-up to his rematch with Silva, he explained his hilarious reasoning for tapping in the final round of their first fight.

Watch Chael Sonnen explain why he tapped below:

Watch the full fight below: