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Ever since the UFC exploded in popularity in 2005, the roster of fighters that the promotion uses has expanded dramatically. There are now 50+ UFC events every year and with each card featuring anywhere between 10 and 14 fights, it’s natural that a lot of the undercard fighters who sign with the UFC and then wash out go unremembered by fans.
Some fighters on the other hand end up largely forgotten by the UFC’s fanbase despite numerous wins, televised fights and pay-per-view appearances under their belt. Whether it’s down to a lack of a marketable personality or a dull fighting style, the following 5 fighters are all but forgotten about by UFC fans despite their decent success in the promotion.
Note: for the purposes of this article I selected fighters who had at least 5 UFC appearances – including at least 1 main card fight – during their tenure with the promotion.
#1 Jared Rosholt
People forget now, but Jared Rosholt arrived in the UFC in late 2013 with quite a bit of fanfare behind him. ‘The Big Show’ was bringing an impressive wrestling background into the Octagon and he’d racked up a solid 8-1 record on the regional circuit, with his only loss coming at the hands of future UFC title challenger Derrick Lewis.
Standing at 6’2” and weighing 255lbs, Rosholt cut an imposing figure, and right away he won his first three UFC fights against Walt Harris, Daniel Omielanczuk and Soa Palelei. The only problem? Rosholt’s fighting style was dull to say the least, with a wrestling-heavy attack designed to stifle his opponents.
But after a loss to Aleksei Oleinik, a new, more aggressive Rosholt emerged and he smashed Josh Copeland, finishing him by TKO in the third round of their fight. Unfortunately, that was the only time we saw this version of Rosholt, and his next two wins – over Tim Johnson and Stefan Struve – were again considered dull fights.
After the Struve fight, Rosholt was 6-1 in the UFC and so he was given a step up in competition, faced with Roy Nelson in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 82. Rosholt lost the fight by decision, and was subsequently released from his deal. Given his strong record it was a shock of sorts, but taking his fighting style into account, it’s not surprising he’s been largely forgotten since.
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#2 Paulo Thiago
Given Paulo Thiago had 13 fights in the UFC and was once considered a solid top-ten level contender at Welterweight, it’s surprising that the Brazilian has now been largely forgotten since leaving the promotion in 2014. But that’s the case, as you’d be hard pressed to find a lot of fans who remember him.
Wins over two top contenders in Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick in 2009 and 2010 made Thiago a man to watch in the 170lbs division, but losses to Jon Fitch, Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez prevented him from really breaking out as a genuine threat to the Welterweight title. But the Brazilian remained a solid action fighter – and a tough one to beat at that.
Unfortunately, Thiago’s career took a slide in 2012, as he lost to both Siyar Bahadurzada and Dong Hyun Kim, before he righted the ship with a win over Michel Prazeres in 2013. Three losses followed, though, coming to lesser opposition each time in the form of Brandon Thatch, Gasan Umalatov and Sean Spencer – and that was enough to earn him his release.
So why’s he become forgotten? For a couple of reasons most likely; firstly, Thiago was never a wild personality despite being popular in Brazil due to his other job as a Special Forces officer, and secondly, while his first 6 UFC fights came on televised main cards, 3 of his final 4 came on prelims – an easy way to end up fading from the memories of the fans.
#3 Rashid Magomedov
Just one of numerous fighters from Dagestan to be signed by the UFC between 2013 and 2015, Rashid Magomedov made his debut as a Lightweight at UFC 169 in February 2014, beating the future Anthony Rocco Martin by decision in an entertaining fight. A skilled striker, Magomedov followed that with another 3 wins, before a loss to Beneil Dariush halted his streak.
‘The Highlander’ did pick up another UFC win over Bobby Green, but his contract expired after the fight and the UFC surprisingly chose to let him move to the Professional Fighters League as a free agent, ending his tenure in the Octagon with a solid 5-1 record. So why was he let go, and why has he been forgotten?
You can probably put this one down to Magomedov’s poor scheduling; after defeating Elias Silverio in December 2014, he took almost a year off before his next win over Gilbert Burns in November 2015. And he was then shelved for another year before his loss to Dariush. Such a sporadic schedule is no way to become remembered – let alone popular – with the fans.
Throw in the fact that despite being an incredibly skilled striker, Magomedov’s fighting style was that of a patient counter-puncher who tended to win by decision – his lone TKO win came 3 seconds before the final buzzer – and it’s easy to understand why nobody remembers him 2 years after he left the UFC.
#4 Costas Philippou
It’s almost hard to believe that former Middleweight contender Costas Philippou has been essentially erased from the minds of the collective UFC fanbase, given he was ranked as highly as #7 in the 185lbs division at one time and even main evented a 2014 Fight Night show against Luke Rockhold. But that’s the case, as barely a mention of him has been made since his 2015 retirement.
Philippou began his UFC career strangely – he washed out of TUF 11 with a loss to Joseph Henle in the pre-house fights, but then came into the UFC proper as a late replacement for Dan Miller and lost to Nick Catone – another long-forgotten fighter. But turning his career around, Philippou then reeled off 5 wins in a row to gain a spot in the UFC’s top 10.
A huge fight with Jacare Souza was mooted for May 2013, but Philippou had to withdraw due to an injury, and then lost his subsequent fights with Francis Carmont and with Rockhold, knocking him out of title contention. He picked up a win over Lorenz Larkin after that, but was then sidelined for a year with injuries, and after he lost to Gegard Mousasi in May 2015, he chose to retire.
With a hugely exciting fighting style based around his heavy hands, it’s surprising that Philippou has faded so badly from the memories of the fans – especially given the prominence he was given on the UFC’s cards for a while – but his quiet personality never really caught on – which probably explains the lack of mention he receives now.
#5 Adriano Martins
Of all the StrikeForce imports that came into the UFC in early 2013 and actually stuck around for a decent amount of time, Adriano Martins remains perhaps the most strangely forgotten. The Brazilian Lightweight made some impact during his time in the Octagon and even featured on a ‘big’ Fox main card, but few people likely realised he’d been released in November 2017.
Martins came into the UFC with a solid record of 24-6, and had beaten UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in his previous outing. A big win over Daron Cruickshank via straight armbar marked his UFC debut, and he was then given a showcase fight with Donald Cerrone on the main card of UFC on Fox 10.
The Brazilian lost that fight via a vicious head kick knockout, but he quickly rebounded – winning 3 in a row including beating dangerous Russian fighters Rustam Khabilov and Islam Makhachev – the latter by violent knockout. At the end of 2015 it looked like Martins would be a man to watch.
It wasn’t to be, though – and probably explains why he’s become forgotten. His win over Makhachev was followed by a full year on the shelf, and after a disappointing loss to fellow Brazilian Leonardo Santos, he took another year off before being KO’d by Kajan Johnson to end his UFC career. Now in Fight Nights Global, Martins has vanished from the memories of UFC fans – probably due to his long layoffs.
