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UFC fighters have brutal, high-risk journeys. When victorious, they enjoy a world of fame and glory. However, the sport of MMA takes a heavy toll on athletes, both physically and mentally, when they find themselves on the wrong end of a result.
Several UFC athletes have enjoyed a successful career until they suffered a huge loss. Often, fighters undergo a significant change in their attitudes soon after losing their winning momentum. The aftermath of such phenomena usually involves even the biggest of MMA stars slipping out of their element and declining.
In this article, we look at five UFC fighters who lost their edge after a loss.
#5. Johny Hendricks - UFC welterweight
One thing that immediately comes to mind when one reflects on the career of Johny Hendricks is his controversial loss to Georges St-Pierre. Another is his epic battles with Robbie Lawler. During his encounters with 'Ruthless', Hendricks displayed the heart of a champion. Defeating Lawler at UFC 171, Hendricks claimed the vacant UFC welterweight title in 2014.
Unfortunately, 'Bigg Rigg' was never the same after he lost the rematch and his title to Robbie Lawler nine months later via split decision. Whether Johny Hendricks lost his edge due to the physical damage he sustained during the Lawler fights or due to the mental anguish of losing the welterweight title, one cannot say for sure.
But as a result, Johny Hendricks lost five of his next seven UFC fights, getting knocked out by Stephen Thompson, Tim Boetsch, and Paulo Costa. What's worse is that he missed weight three times during that phase as well. After realizing that cutting weight to reach welterweight had become unattainable for him, Hendricks abandoned the welterweight division and settled in the middleweight ranks.
Not much later in 2018, the struggling Oklahoma-native, at 35 years of age, decided it was time to hang up his gloves.
#4. Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson made his UFC debut in 2011 riding on a 10-2 MMA record. He became a superhit sensation after winning the TUF finale against Ramsey Nijem. He faced a hiccup when he suffered his third MMA loss (first in the UFC) against Michael Johnson in 2012. But 'El Cucuy' came into his own and put-up a legendary 12-fight winning streak that stretched over a period of seven years soon after.
Ferguson was set to face Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was replaced by Justin Gaethje at the last moment at UFC 249. Training for one fighter and entering the octagon against another cost Ferguson dearly. He suffered one of the most overpowering losses of his career.
His first knockout loss, which came against Gaethje, caused Ferguson to lose his edge. The former UFC interim champion hasn't looked like himself in the octagon since.
Tony Ferguson faced Charles Oliveira seven months later and was toyed with for three rounds. While Oliveira received praise for his dominant performance at UFC 256, fight fans were surprised by how diminished 'El Cucuy' looked during the fight. Six months on, Ferguson suffered his third consecutive loss, this time to Beneil Dariush, taking his total losses to six.
#3. Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
Anderson 'The Spider' Silva is widely considered to be the greatest fighters of all time. The elusive striker held the UFC welterweight title for over seven years. Over the course of his reign, the Brazilian racked up victories over stars like Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen.
His legendary title run came to an end at UFC 162 when Chris Weidman knocked out 'The Spider' in the second round. To make matters worse, Anderson Silva suffered a gruesome leg injury when he met Weidman five months later at UFC 168.
Given the severity of the injury and the fact that Silva was 38 when he first faced Chris Weidman, it's unsurprising that the legend's skills seemingly diminished. While Anderson Silva still looked competitive in the following bouts, the former champion put up an unfortunate 1-5-1 record following his losses against Weidman.
After suffering three back-to-back losses, Silva left MMA for good in 2020.
#2. Conor McGregor - former UFC double champ
Conor McGregor made his UFC debut in 2013 and soon established himself as the biggest superstar in the history of the MMA promotion. The Irishman became the highest-paid UFC fighter and revolutionized the sport in a very significant way, even making mainstream sports athletes envious.
Conor McGregor made history in 2016 when he became the first UFC fighter to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. His wins against Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez became the highest points of his MMA career so far.
The turning point for Conor McGregor was his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. While 'The Notorious' wasn't a stranger to defeat, his mauling at the hands of 'The Eagle' changed him for good. Many experts believe that the submission loss to Nurmagomedov humbled McGregor.
He returned to action in 2020 against Donald Cerrone, and brought in a completely changed demeanor. Perhaps the antics he engaged in in the lead up to UFC 229 and the resulting loss got to him. His rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 again saw 'The Notorious' turn into a 'Mr Nice Guy' and suffer the first knockout loss of his MMA career.
Conor McGregor switched back to his old ways following his TKO loss, but that couldn't help him as he fell 1-2 against 'The Diamond' at UFC 264. Worse still, he also suffered a freak leg-injury that is set to put him out of action until next year.
#1. Ronda Rousey - former UFC women's bantamweight champion
Ronda Rousey was one of the most dominant champions the sport of mixed martial arts has ever seen. Over the course of her impressive 12-fight undefeated streak, only one of Rousey's opponents, Miesha Tate, managed to survive the first round against her.
Ronda Rousey's historic run came to a dramatic end at UFC 193, when Holly Holm landed a head-kick that became one of the top knockout highlights of the decade. Following her first MMA loss, Rousey was no longer seen as invincible. Trying to set things right, the Judoka Olympian made a comeback at UFC 207 against the new UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
When the two fighters entered the octagon, it took Nunez just 48 seconds to dispatch Rousey. The first-ever female UFC Hall of Famer hasn't returned to the sport since suffering these two losses.
It was the upset loss against Holly Holm that put Ronda Rousey on the path to her decline. After a failed comeback attempt against Nunez, the former UFC champion decided it was time to call it quits and follow other pursuits.
