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The UFC has seen countless hype trains come and go. Some hype trains have emerged to justify the enormous faith that UFC president Dana White and upper management reserved for them.
Other hype trains, however, burn bright and fade quickly, never truly reaching the heights expected of them by fans, pundits, and even other fighters.
Conor McGregor is a prime example of a hype train that made good on the promotion's expectations of him. Not only did 'The Notorious' snap the 18-fight win streak enjoyed by former UFC featherweight champion José Aldo, but he went on to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion and the biggest pay-per-view draw in MMA history.
Unfortunately, not everyone is destined for the same level of success the Irishman experienced. Some are pushed too far too soon, ultimately failing when they find themselves overmatched against opponents who are better skilled and more experienced.
This list examines 5 UFC hype trains that were derailed before ever fulfilling the expectations the world had for them.
#5. Paige VanZant
Paige VanZant is an athlete of multiple trades. She's a mixed martial artist, bareknuckle boxer, and professional wrestler. VanZant's claim to fame, however, is her past as a UFC fighter in the promotion's strawweight and flyweight divisions.
At the height of her career, '12 Gauge' was 6-1. She attracted significant attention from MMA's casual fanbase due to her good looks and action-oriented fighting style.
The UFC took notice, booking her in a matchup with future strawweight champion Rose Namajunas scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 80. Overmatched, VanZant was defeated by Namajunas via rear-naked choke in the 5th round.
However, the promotion remained undeterred, so when '12 Gauge' bounced back with a KO win over Bec Rawlings, she was again booked to headline another event, this time UFC on Fox 22 against Michelle Waterson.
It was the last headline bout of VanZant's career as she again lost to the very same submission that Namajunas used to best her. The promotion's hopes for a future star were dashed and VanZant went on to lose two of her last three MMA bouts before leaving the promotion with a 8-5 record.
#4. Sage Northcutt
Like Paige VanZant, Sage Northcutt was an exciting young prospect whose good looks attracted significant attention. What set the two apart, however, was how credentialed Northcutt was.
A martial artist for as long as he can remember, 'Super Sage' had a storied history in the world of karate, holding a black belt in Shuri-ryū karate and 77 world youth championships before amassing an unbeaten 15-0 record as a kickboxer.
When Northcutt made his promotional debut at UFC 192, he was a 5-0 prospect with all finishes on his record. He quickly dispatched his foe before facing Cody Pfister and defeating him with a guillotine choke to extend his record to 7-0 while maintaining his streak of finishing all of his bouts.
Northcutt earned an unusually high pay of $80,000 for his win over a fighter of little renown at such an early stage in his career.
Talk of 'Super Sage' as a future UFC champion emerged, but they were premature. His next bout brought an end to his unbeaten run as Bryan Barbarena defeated the young prospect with an arm-triangle choke.
While he bounced back with a win over Enrique Marín, he then lost to Mickey Gall, who is currently 7-5. While Northcutt won thrice since the loss, his struggles have always come against tougher competition and the UFC opted against renewing his contract.
Northcutt was last seen in ONE Championship, losing via brutal KO in 29 seconds in his first bout since being released from the UFC. The matchup was with Cosmo Alexandre and occurred in 2019, resulting in Northcutt requiring eight facial surgeries. While he recovered from his injuries, 'Super Sage' is yet to fight again due to COVID complications.
#3. Ben Askren
Retired MMA fighter Ben Askren is a highly successful athlete. While he never captured UFC gold, he is a former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion. Prior to signing with the UFC, 'Funky' was an undefeated wrestler with a record of 18 wins and 0 losses.
For years, fight fans and pundits longed to see him compete in the UFC, with Askren himself expressing an interest in doing so. Unfortunately, tensions with Dana White, who regarded Askren as boring, prevented the signing.
Still, the interest in Askren potentially fighting in the UFC never dimmed. As an Olympic wrestler, Askren's grappling was lauded by color commentator Joe Rogan, with Jorge Masvidal even claiming that Rogan once described grappling with Askren as being similar to grappling with two people.
Alas, once 'Funky' signed with the UFC, he didn't look nearly as dominant as he had in both Bellator and ONE.
His win over Robbie Lawler was controversial as Askren was bloodied and beaten before snatching Lawler with a bulldog choke that referee Herb Dean mistakenly believed had rendered Lawler unconscious.
Askren's next bout was a record-setting KO loss to rival Jorge Masvidal. While 'Funky' hoped to rebound from his first career loss, he lost his subsequent bout to Demian Maia via rear-naked choke before retiring on a losing streak and never claiming UFC gold.
#2. Uriah Hall
Alongside Israel Adesanya, Uriah Hall is a fighter once regarded by many as the second coming of legendary middleweight Anderson Silva. Having recently retired, Hall no longer has the chance to make good on those expectations.
A powerful, highly explosive, and educated striker, Uriah Hall's claim to fame was his sensational spinning back-kick knockout over Adam Cella in the 17th instalment of The Ultimate Fighter.
While Hall ultimately lost the TUF finale to future top middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum, many observers, including Joe Rogan, believed that 'Prime Time' only needed to overcome his mental drawbacks to fulfil his potential as a future championship-level fighter.
The pressure of being the next Anderson Silva seemed to weigh heavily on Hall, and many used it to discount the strategic issues 'Prime Time' encountered inside the octagon.
By 2018 and onwards, however, Hall had embarked on a win streak, stringing together four victories as he hoped to challenge middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya for the divisional title.
To further magnify his chances, Hall became more vocal, engaging in uncharacteristic trash talk against the likes of Darren Till and Adesanya himself.
Unfortunately, upon facing Sean Strickland, Hall's win streak came to an end. Another loss followed and so too did retirement from MMA, with Hall never succeeding Anderson Silva as the next great middleweight champion.
#1. Johnny Walker
At one point in time, Johnny Walker was thought by many to be the fighter destined to dethrone Jon Jones. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall with a reach of 82 inches, Walker is one of the largest light heavyweights on the roster.
His fun-loving personality, in-cage explosiveness, and shattering punching power endeared him to fight fans around the world. Before signing with the UFC, Walker was on a 6-fight win streak that included 4 KO/TKO wins and 1 submission victory.
With excitement surrounding his UFC debut, Johnny Walker entered the promotion with a KO win over Khaleel Rountree Jr. before flattening Justin Ledet with a spinning backfist in his subsequent bout.
Walker's finishing streak continued when he felled Misha Cirkunov with a flying knee to record a sub-minute knockout win. Walker next faced Corey Anderson in a matchup that would have likely earned him a title fight with the then reigning champion Jon Jones.
The Brazilian seemed to be on the cusp of championship success, however, a shocking knockout loss to Corey Anderson — a wrestler — was the beginning of the end for Johnny Walker’s prospects as a top contender as the Brazilian went 1-2 since losing to Anderson.
No longer able to consistently pull the trigger to use his incredible punching power and explosiveness to threaten his foes, Walker has faded from the limelight.
