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There was a lot of hype surrounding the return of Georges St-Pierre to the octagon. Despite a four-year layoff from competitive mixed martial arts and the odds stacked massively against him, the legendary GSP returned in prime shape, defeating Michael Bisping.
A return match after four years, culminating in a championship victory was akin to a sweet dream. However, not all fighters who come after a break, taste immediate success.
There have been instances where return fights were laced with vitriol, venom and defeat. Here are five such fighters who faced losses in their return matches:
#5 Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock is a revered name in the annals of Ultimate Fighting Championship and has for long been a torchbearer for the organisation. One of the fiercest competitors inside the octagon, Shamrock was a fighter’s equivalent of a prima donna, having dominated the UFC when the rules governing the sport were few, making him one of the toughest fighters on the goddamn planet!
The World’s Most Dangerous Man, as he was nicknamed, was the first one to lay claim to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Superfight Championship after overthrowing Dan Severn (at UFC 6).
His impressive record of 23-5-2 helped him gain worldwide recognition and fame and the World Wrestling Entertainment (Federation) was where he headed next. He feuded with the likes of The Undertaker and Chris Jericho during his time in the WWE and even had a short-lived stable with The Rock and Mick Foley.
After four years of professional wrestling, the UFC decided to bring him back to the octagon. In November 2002, Shamrock was slated to fight the “bad boy” Tito Ortiz. However, his return to the octagon was akin to a “snapback” to reality as he would lose to Ortiz in the third round. He would go on to lose 5 out of 6 matches, completing a trilogy of losses to Ortiz.
#4 Frank Mir
Frank Mir’s life has been nothing short of a tumultuous roller-coaster ride. An American Kempo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu proponent, Frank Mir burst onto the scene, kicking off his career with back-to-back victories. He captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Tim Sylvia at UFC 48 after snapping his arm in an armbar submission, right in the very first round!
That’s when Frank’s honeymoon phase faced an untimely “curtain call”. Mir was involved in a freak motorcycle accident which brought upon a lot of physical damage. Mir was forced to pull out of the UFC after breaking his femur in two places and tearing all the ligaments in his knee.
He was stripped of his title for the same reason and spent two years away from the octagon. After his brief (though uncalled for) hiatus, Mir returned to the UFC to fight the Brazilian, Marcio Cruz.
The return fight didn’t go too well for a visible shaky Mir, who was knocked out in the very first round of the competition. However, his subsequent bouts included two first-round victories against Antoni Hardonk and Brock Lesnar and he was able to pick up where he left off from!
#3 Alistair Overeem
Everyone remembers Alistair Overeem’s debut against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, leading to a first round defeat for “The Next Big Thing” and forcing him to cocoon back into pro-wrestling (up until his return fight against Mark Hunt). Overeem administered powerful knees and kicks which were a little too much to handle for Lesnar.
Shortly after his dream debut, Overeem failed a drug test, following which he was stripped of the UFC Heavyweight Championship title shot against Junior dos Santos. Overeem spent almost a year on the sidelines before finally making his return at UFC 156, facing Antonio Silva.
Fortune didn’t favour The Demolition Man as he succumbed to a third round KO. He lost the next fight too, against Travis Browne, but redeemed himself with a victory over Frank Mir.
#2 Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie is another name that froths to the very top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most elite list of performers. Having graced the sport since way back during its formative years, Gracie was responsible for bringing upon a revolution, more in favour of grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This was later adopted by the generations to come and to date, is one of the most decisive aspects of all-round fighting ability.
He even held the distinction of being the winner of the UFC 1 tournament held in the year 1993, going through seven other competitors and defeating the likes of Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau in the semi-finals and finals, respectively. Gracie was also involved in the longest ever fight in UFC history with Shamrock.
Post that match, Gracie left the UFC. He made his much-awaited return 11 years later to square-off against Matt Hughes, who at that point in time, was the Welterweight Champion.
The match didn’t quite go Gracie’s way and he was defeated in the very first round following a series of heavy punches by the champion. The loss would mark his departure from the UFC. He was later tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2007.
#1 Tank Abbott
Tank Abbott (WCW fans would fondly remember) was a noted mixed martial arts fighter who had his fair share of fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Though not a flamboyant player of the game, he still had a few good first round victories to his name, most notably the 18-second win that he picked up on his UFC debut, fighting the behemoth Hawaiian John Matua.
After a series of fights which didn’t bring much glory, Abbott decided to stray away from the promotion, announcing his retirement from UFC in 97-98. Abbott decided to forge a career in pro-wrestling and he was set to make his debut in WCW against none other than Bill Goldberg (the feud, however, never materialised).
After a six-year hiatus from MMA, Tank decided to return to the octagon in February of 2003, squaring off against Frank Mir. The match ended in just 46 seconds after Mir administered a toe-hold submission.This was followed by a string of defeats, dissuading the big man from fighting in the UFC.
