5 UFC stars who failed to maximize their potential

#2. Todd Duffee – UFC heavyweight

Constant injuries prevented Todd Duffee from reaching the top of the UFC David Terrell remains one of the biggest missed opportunities in UFC history

The UFC’s heavyweight division has had a number of fighters with huge potential emerge over the years. Interestingly, many of them, from Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos to Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, went onto massive success.

One big man who seemed to have all the potential in the world, only for things to go sadly awry, however, was Todd Duffee.

Duffee was signed by the promotion in 2009 following a 5-0 run on the regional scene that saw him impressively stop PRIDE veteran Assuerio Silva. However, even fans who had seen that win were stunned when he debuted in the octagon and promptly set the record for the fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history when he turned out Tim Hague’s lights in just seven seconds.

Immediately, the hype around Duffee went into overdrive and for good reason. Not only did he clearly hit like a ton of bricks, but his heavily muscled frame looked more like a cartoon character than a real-life fighter.

Unfortunately, red flags were always visible from the start when he wound up on the shelf for almost a year following his debut due to injuries.

Duffee returned in May 2010, but suffered an embarrassing knockout loss to Mike Russow in a fight he’d been winning. That was enough to derail his hype train before a dispute with management saw him released from his contract.

He would return in 2012, but despite knocking out two foes in impressive fashion, as well as losing in his first headline bout to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, a laundry list of injuries, including a serious nerve condition, limited him to just four appearances in that time.

Duffee remains part of the UFC’s roster. However, at the age of 36, the window of opportunity for him to reach his potential now seems closed and it’s doubtful that he’ll fight again, leaving his story as a serious case of bad luck.

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#1. David Terrell – former UFC middleweight

Perhaps the greatest example of a fighter failing to reach his potential inside the octagon remains former middleweight title challenger David Terrell. ‘The Soul Assassin’ appeared to have not only the potential to become a champion in the UFC, but a genuine legend too.

Instead, though, thanks to some horrendous luck with injuries, this talented fighter was only able to fight three times in the promotion. He ended up retiring with more questions than answers hanging over him.

Already a legend in the grappling world thanks to an incredible record that saw him defeat the likes of Ricardo Almeida and Dean Lister on the mat, Terrell burst onto the UFC scene in 2004 with a stunning knockout of Matt Lindland. Given that ‘The Law’ was considered the world’s best middleweight at the time, the impact that Terrell’s knockout made cannot really be understated.

Prior to it, the UFC had not had a middleweight champion for two years. However, the win was explosive enough for the promotion to immediately book a fight for the vacant title between ‘The Soul Assassin’ and fellow top contender Evan Tanner.

Terrell came up short against Tanner in a wild fight that saw him blow his gas tank in the first round. However, at the time, it felt like a minor setback.

However, injuries kept ‘The Soul Assassin’ out of action for over a year. While he defeated Scott Smith in his return, it would be the last time we’d see him inside the octagon.

The promotion attempted to book Terrell in numerous fights in the years that followed, only for injuries to derail him each and every time. Eventually, ‘The Soul Assassin’ found himself released by the promotion. Even then, he was unable to appear in another promotion despite expressing his desire to continue fighting.

Quite what a healthy Terrell could’ve achieved in the octagon given his athleticism, grappling skills and knockout power is anyone’s guess. But over a decade after his arrival on the scene, he remains perhaps the biggest example of missed potential in the sport’s history.