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#4. Brock Lesnar – 4-3 UFC record (1 NC)
While his time with the UFC didn’t last long at all, it’s safe to say that Brock Lesnar is well remembered as a legend of the octagon.
The former WWE champion made the move from the world of pro-wrestling into MMA in 2007. After winning one fight with K-1, he signed with the UFC ready for a debut in early 2008. Lesnar lost that debut, suffering a submission loss to Frank Mir, but his star power meant that he quickly became a huge attraction for the UFC. After a win over Heath Herring, the promotion decided to strike while the iron was hot.
They gave Lesnar a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture in just his third fight in the octagon. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ came through, knocking out the long-time champion to become the new titleholder.
Despite suffering from diverticulitis, which kept him on the shelf for lengthy periods of time during his title reign, Lesnar was still able to make two successful title defenses against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin. That gave him a UFC record that stood until it was broken by Stipe Miocic in 2018.
Lesnar lost his title to Cain Velasquez in late 2010 and fought just once more in the octagon, suffering another loss, this time to Alistair Overeem. He then retired in late 2011. By that point, though, he’d headlined some of the best-selling pay-per-views in UFC history, cementing him as a legend.
While a positive drug test tainted his 2016 return victory over Mark Hunt, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ remains well-remembered as one of the biggest stars in UFC history despite a mediocre record.
#3. Vitor Belfort – 15-10 UFC record (1 NC)
While Vitor Belfort only managed to win one title during his UFC career, which came due to a fluke injury suffered by Randy Couture, ‘The Phenom’ remains widely recognized as a genuine UFC legend despite his spotty record.
Belfort first debuted in the octagon back in the promotion’s infancy at UFC 12, where he quickly knocked out two opponents to win the show’s heavyweight tournament. He followed that up with an equally violent win over Tank Abbott just three months later. A loss to Randy Couture at UFC 15 shattered his invincible aura, but Belfort still picked up a further two wins before leaving the promotion for Pride for a period.
‘The Phenom’ returned four years later and won the UFC light heavyweight title in a rematch with Couture after ‘The Natural’ suffered an unfortunate eye injury. It wasn’t the best way for Belfort to claim UFC gold, but it still wrote his name into UFC history.
However, Belfort’s title reign didn’t last long. He dropped it back to Couture in a rematch. He then left the UFC again before returning four years later for a third stint with the promotion.
This one was arguably his most successful. He won eight fights and made an unsuccessful challenge for the middleweight title. However, he also lost another six bouts, taking his overall UFC record to 15-10.
Despite that, Belfort remains known as a UFC legend and it’s easy to see why. Just one of his 15 wins came by decision, making him the third-most prolific finisher in the UFC. For the most part, he only ever faced tough competition, too, making him the perfect example of a UFC icon with a mediocre record.
