5 UFC fighters who gracefully handled a loss

#2. Chael Sonnen

UFC Fight Night: Shogun v Sonnen

"Sure, you know, I'm devastated. I came in second. I worked hard and did what I can do and all that nice stuff, but at the end of the day, you either get your hand raised or you don't, and I didn't..."

Following a breakthrough performance at UFC 117 where Chael Sonnen lost his first fight to Anderson Silva, he had every reason to be heartbroken. Sonnen lost in the worst way, as he was caught with a Hail Mary triangle choke submission in a fight where, had he not been caught, he was minutes away from winning.

'The Bad Guy' is one of the best trash talkers the UFC has seen. This was put on display in the build-up to this UFC 117 bout. It's one thing to lose, but to eat crow in front of the world, it's easy for one to make excuses as to why they didn't pull through. Sonnen delivered but didn't win, and although he could've written this loss off as a fluke, he gave Silva all the credit he deserved.

#1. Dominick Cruz

UFC 269 Weigh-in

Dominick Cruz's career has been riddled with inactivity due to injuries. Although he's not been the most frequent fighter, Cruz proved time and time again that he's one of the best bantamweights to ever compete. Winning so much has got to exacerbate what is already a hard pill to swallow in losing.

After having his 13-fight win streak snapped by Cody Garbrandt, 'The Dominator' took to his post-fight press conference and gave a series of impactful answers. Candid about his health and confidence going into this fight, Cruz made no excuses for this loss.

"Loss is part of life. If you don't have loss, you don't grow. This isn't tough, this is life."

A rough loss predicated this press conference showing that left everyone in awe of how admirable Dominick Cruz is. Winning or losing, fans can always count on the former bantamweights greatest to be his genuine self.