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#4. Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler joined the UFC in 2021, which felt long overdue. Diving right into the deep end, 'Iron' debuted against a very dangerous fan-favorite, Dan Hooker. The bout saw 'The Hangman' being more patient than usual, likely out of respect for the power coming his way off of Chandler's attacks. The UFC newcomer landed a bomb and the subsequent blows halted the fight. A performance like this, backed by his resume, warranted a title fight.
With Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring, Chandler fought Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. While his sophomore UFC outing saw a successful first round in the title fight, the tides were quick to turn come round two. Oliveira landed a perfect lead-hook that floored the Bellator veteran. Chandler was obviously upset about the loss, but continued his role-model ways in a very respectful post-fight press conference.
"I really feel like I'm living a dream. Win, lose or draw. But, here we are -- got a busted up eye and another loss on my record. But hey, I've come back from worse."
Defeat often shows a fighter's true colors, and the Sanford MMA fighter showed once again that no matter the outcome, he's all class. Rather than making excuses, Chandler gave kudos to Oliveira for his grit, which was often criticized as the missing link to his game.
#3. Michael Bisping
Polarizing is Michael Bisping before and after a fight. The Brit will often, almost always, talk trash to his scheduled opponents (or even anyone in his general vicinity). In this particular case, his opponent was the returning Georges St-Pierre. One of the best fighters to compete in the UFC, 'GSP' returned to the UFC's middleweight division after a 4-year hiatus.
While things started poorly for 'The Count', he found most of his success in the third-round, but was ultimately dropped and choked unconscious as the round was nearing its end. Again, very brash in his approach, this fight seemed incredibly personal. Regardless, Bisping was as classy as one could be after losing a world title.
With no excuses made, the former middleweight champion declared that 'Rush' was the better of the two on that given night. He even crossed paths with Cody Garbrandt, who also lost on this UFC 217 card and offered words of encouragement.
