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While UFC fighters have quit on the stool before, they sometimes quit in different ways. Perhaps a submission isn't fully locked in, but due to exhaustion or some other variable, fighters surrender. In other instances, fighters give up in different ways that might not be as visible.
For example, a fighter struggling to close the distance against a mobile foe might give up on their attempts to crowd them. This is often noted when they begin complaining to the referee about their opponent's perceived unwillingness to engage with them.
Instead, this is merely a product of their inability to force their opponents to engage. With no other alternative, they give up and turn to the referee. Given how varied these situations can be, this list compiles five such moments in the UFC.
#5. Chris Curtis vs. Jack Hermansson, UFC Fight Night 208
Chris Curtis is a serviceable middleweight with good boxing skills. Before crossing swords with Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 208, he was on an eight-fight win streak. Only two of those wins were decisions. The rest were either KOs or TKOs. Thus, when he faced the Swedish grappler, he hoped to land another KO.
Unfortunately, 'The Action Man' found 'The Joker' to be a far more elusive foe than he anticipated. The Swede's defensive footwork and lateral movement denied his foe the chance to land any crippling blows. Before long, the American power puncher grew frustrated.
He wasn't able to stop his opponent from slipping out of range. With nothing else in his repertoire, he began complaining and jawing at the referee. Without the ability to engage him, Curtis gave up on trying. Instead, he simply talked trash and complained to both Hermansson and the referee.
The enduring image showed Curtis throwing his arms up in frustration after his tactics failed. He ultimately lost the bout via unanimous decision. It was his first loss since 2019 and he gave up halfway.
#4. Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson, UFC Fight Night 173
At one point in time, Edmen Shahbazyan was an undefeated prospect that the likes of Ronda Rousey once touted as a future UFC champion. That was back in 2019. Now in 2022, those predictions no longer seem applicable. 'The Golden Boy' only recently bounced back from the first losing streak of his career.
That three-fight losing streak began with a brutal defeat against Derek Brunson. While the opening round of the bout was a more even affair than the rest of the fight, things quickly turned against the Glendale Fighting Club standout. Halfway through the first round, the former NCAA Division II wrestler secured a takedown.
While he didn't land too many damaging strikes, the second round was different. Brunson battered his foe and seemed to be on the cusp of a TKO win right as the second round came to an end. Shahbazyan had a difficult time getting off the stool for the third round but managed to do so.
Right as the third round began, he visibly gave up. He seemed broken and completely unwilling to continue fighting. He didn't throw a single strike nor did he mount any resistance when Brunson dragged him to the mat. Thankfully, he was spared further punishment as the referee stepped in after two unanswered shots.
#3. Darren Till vs. Dricuss du Plessis, UFC 282
Darren Till hasn't been on the right side of things inside the octagon for a while now. The former welterweight is a one-time title challenger that the UFC once hoped was a star in the making. Unfortunately, he failed to dethrone the then-welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley.
Since then, he's had very little success in the cage. Since his loss to 'The Chosen One', he's only enjoyed one win: a split-decision victory against Kelvin Gastelum. His decline has been stark and his efforts inside the octagon seem to be more in vain the longer he keeps fighting.
At UFC 282, he faced Dricuss du Plessis, his lowest-ranked foe since his move up to middleweight. During their bout, 'The Gorilla' was outwrestled by an opponent who previously had a an 18% success rate when it came to takedowns. In the third round, he tapped out to a jaw crank within seconds.
Tapping out to jaw cranks is frowned upon in MMA and BJJ circles. They're often regarded as incomplete submissions and a lesser alternative to rear-naked chokes. Not only was it not a rear-naked choke, but du Plessis had almost no time to crank on his neck crank, yet Till still tapped very quickly.
He didn't try to fight the choke, opting instead to surrender. It was the Englishman's fifth loss in his last six fights.
#2. Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña, UFC 269
Amanda Nunes is the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time. Thus, when Julianna Peña was booked to face her at UFC 269, the Venezuelan’s chances of winning were immediately written off. When the two finally crossed swords, no one could have predicted what ensued.
Although 'The Lioness' began the bout in typical fashion by stunning her foe with her power-punching combinations, things soon took a turn. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' began interrupting her opponent's one-two combinations with her own jabs. Within moments, Nunes was tired.
Every time she stepped forward, Peña countered her with a stiff jab to the chin. By the second round, Nunes was gasping for air. With no energy to continue fighting, she gave up once the fight was dragged to the mat. There, Peña secured a rear-naked choke.
However, the choke didn't have hooks, so it wasn't complete. Nevertheless, 'The Lioness' tapped out within seconds and conceded due to sheer exhaustion.
#1. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiří Procházka, UFC 275
Glover Teixeira is the preeminent Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert in the light heavyweight division. It's one of his most fearsome skills and many often try to avoid engaging with him on the mat. This was not the case when he faced Jiří Procházka at UFC 275. The bout was contested for the 205 lbs title.
Prior to the matchup, many analysts and fighters believed that the Czech phenom would have a prominent advantage in the striking department. Alternatively, the Brazilian grappler's advantage is thought to be in the grappling phase of combat. Instead, the two fighters were competitive in all aspects of combat.
The two clashed in a chaotic affair that saw both men hurt and wobbled several times throughout the bout. In the end, however, Teixeira was more exhausted than his foe. In the fifth round, Procházka secured a rear-naked choke. The choke, however, had no hooks in.
Furthermore, Teixeira didn't even try to defend the choke. Instead, he tapped out immediately, to a white belt no less.
