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The UFC has seen the making of many champions and superstars. The octagon isn't an arena where respect comes cheap. One has to earn it. Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman, among many others, have established themselves as tough competitors with incredible skill.
While some earn it with their dominance, others earn it with their resilience.
To borrow a few lines from the movie Rocky Balboa: "It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward."
The UFC octagon has hosted many barnburners and slugfests that have ended with the fighters exhausted and bloodied. UFC 268 saw bitter rivals Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington embrace after surviving an intense five-round war against one another.
While the fighters undergo training to endure the pounding in the octagon, the resilience of some stands out.
Here are five fighters who showed immense resilience and survived until the final bell.
#5. Nate Diaz, against Conor McGregor at UFC 202
Nate Diaz is one tough nut to crack and he has shown it time and again.
He squared off against Conor McGregor for the second time at UFC 202. The stakes were high as Diaz handed McGregor his first loss in the UFC during their previous encounter at UFC 196.
Despite eventually losing via unanimous decision, the Stockton-native showed tremendous resilience. McGregor was precise with his combinations and knocked Diaz down on three occasions. However, the American refused to give up and managed to claw his way back into the fight.
As per UFC stats, McGregor landed 164 shots on target out of the 286 he attempted. Nate Diaz got caught multiple times and was bloodied and heavily cut up going into the fourth round. Somehow, the Californian dominated the fifth round as McGregor was noticeably gassed out.
Interestingly, Diaz landed a higher volume of strikes than Conor. The final bell at the end of five long rounds came as a relief. The two were seen embracing and giving respect to each other soon after, despite their heated rivalry.
Speaking to Joe Rogan after the fight, McGregor praised Nate Diaz for the toughness he showed in the octagon. Answering if his leg kicks were decisive, 'The Notorious' said:
"You’re damn right, it was. He [Nate Diaz] took them better than we expected. He didn’t show, didn’t let me know. That toughness and durability that he has, crept back in during the later rounds, but I’m still happy to come out with a win. It was a hell of a fight; he was a hell of a competitor, and he brought the best out in me."
Watch Conor McGregor's post-fight interview here:
#4. Dan Hooker, against Dustin Poirier at UFC Vegas 4
Coming off his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier returned to winning ways after defeating Dan Hooker via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 4. It was his first fight back since his hip injury. The intense five-round back-and-forth main event won Fight of the Night and was in contention for Fight of the Year as well.
Although both fighters absorbed heavy blows from each other, it was clear that Hooker took the harder shots. 'The Hangman' pulled ahead in the first two rounds, but Poirier came back strong in the third round. It was a tough round for the Kiwi as he had to fight off three submission attempts from Poirier.
'The Diamond' was relentless in the last three rounds. As per UFC stats, he landed 77 significant strikes on Hooker's head in the final 15 minutes.
Post-fight behind the scenes footage showed Hooker looking battered as he was stretchered off to the hospital.
Both fighters missed out on post-fight media duties to receive medical treatment. Dan Hooker later went on Instagram to give a quick update on his situation.
#3. K.J. Noons, against Donald Cerrone at UFC 160
This lightweight fight turned out to be one of the bloodiest bouts in the promotion's history. 'Cowboy', in his prime, was a beast in the octagon. Prior to UFC 160, only four of his twelve wins had come via decision.
In the first round, K.J. Noons suffered a small cut near his right eye. Cerrone was quickly onto him, landing a variety of strikes as he looked to finish off his opponent. Somehow, Noons managed to make it to the second round.
The onslaught continued as Noons was taken down twice in the second round. From top position, Cerrone kept landing explosive ground strikes. By the end of the second round, 'King' had blood all over his face.
Cerrone took Noons down again in the third round and pounded his face with elbows.
Although Noons lost the fight, it remains a classic example of a fighter refusing to wither away in the octagon.
#2. Michael Chandler, against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268
The first fight on the main card of UFC 268 was also the most enthralling of the lot. From the moment the fight between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler was announced, up until the duo stepped into the octagon, all eyes were on this matchup as a potential Fight of the Year contender. And it delivered.
To square off against a warrior like Justin Gaethje is no easy task, but surviving three rounds against him speaks volumes about Michael Chandler's resilience. It was thoroughly entertaining and went on to win Fight of the Night.
It was difficult to say who was better in the first round. Chandler showed tremendous determination as he absorbed 10 of Gaethje's powerful leg kicks. The pounding from Gaethje left Chandler with a cut - the first of many - in the very first round.
'The Highlight' produced a powerful uppercut that sent Chandler down to the mat in the second round. Many would've expected this to be the end of the fight, but what happened next was a testament to Chandler's resilience. 'Iron' continued to absorb the ground strikes as he held on to Gaethje's leg.
The cameras showed blood dripping out of Michael Chandler's mouth at this point but he refused to give up.
Although 'Iron' could only land 38% of his strikes on target in the last round, he soldiered on. Gaethje was at his best as he landed 80% of his strikes to close out the fight.
Chandler was rushed to the hospital and reportedly received 22 stitches to his face. The two fighters later shared a light moment at the hospital by posing for a picture.
#1. Yair Rodriguez, against Max Halloway at UFC Fight Night
Arguably the best entry on this list also happens to be the most recent. Yair Rodriguez and Max Halloway's featherweight bout entered the record books for various reasons.
Their back-and-forth encounter in the octagon resulted in the fight registering 389 strikes between the fighters - the third-most strikes in a UFC fight.
It was yet another barnburner that went to the judges' decision. The former UFC featherweight champion landed 230 strikes on Rodriguez throughout the course of the fight.
To absorb that many strikes from a fighter of Max Halloway's callibre is no mean feat. 'El Pantera', though, wasn't someone to back down. He had 159 shots of his own land on target, causing significant damage to Holloway.
Facing the top-ranked fighter in the division after a two-year absence from the octagon was always going to be tough. Regardless, Rodriguez rose to the occasion and didn't allow ring rust to become a factor.
Both fighters left the octagon bloodied and battered. Post-fight pictures of Rodriguez's right foot showed what he had endured in the cage. Both fighters had to skip their post-fight duties to nurse their injuries.
