5 UFC stars who were knocked out outside MMA

Getting knocked out is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to a UFC fighter, especially when it doesn't even happen in professional MMA competition.

Over the years, UFC fighters have tried their hand at various martial arts disciplines outside the world of MMA. While some have used forms of combat sports as a stepping stone to the top level of mixed martial arts, others have chosen to test out new waters and challenge themselves.

Boxing is great, I am going to relish another go! I challenge Juan Manuel Mayweather to a rematch. Under the tutelage of my old club. We’ll see then mate.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 2, 2019

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In this article, we take a look at five UFC stars who got knocked out outside MMA. There are a variety of curious incidents on this list, involving boxing, kickboxing and even a confrontation that had nothing to do with a professional fight.

#5 Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor

Unlike the others on this list, Conor McGregor wasn't brutally knocked out, but his only professional boxing bout so far ended in a TKO loss.

In his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather, 'The Notorious' saw the fight come to an end in the 10th round when referee Robert Byrd decided he had seen enough. McGregor was clearly hurt in the round as he repeatedly tried to clinch with Mayweather, who rained down combinations with accuracy and speed.

McGregor started well and performed better than many expected him to, keeping 'Money' on the backfoot and forcing him to alter his gameplan. But the Irishman faded a few rounds into the fight as Mayweather used his supreme cardio and boxing awareness to smartly take advantage of the situation.

You are in quicksand.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 29, 2017

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Neither fighter was too unhappy after the bout as they pocketed sizeable paycheques, but it was the first knockout loss on McGregor's resume as a professional combat sports athlete. Mayweather, 40 years old at the time, extended his professional boxing record to an incredible 50-0.

#4 Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn

B.J. Penn suffered four TKO losses in his professional MMA career, but arguably his most embarrassing moment came outside the octagon when a stranger knocked him out in a bar fight in Hawaii.

Penn seemed to implore the man to try and hit him, and he obliged. After a series of wild punches, he connected with a left hook that sent 'The Prodigy' plummeting to the floor. A video of the incident can be seen here:

It was a low moment for Penn, who is one of the greatest fighters the UFC has ever seen. He clinched the lightweight and welterweight titles to hold status as one of the few two-division champions in UFC history, although a series of retirements and subsequent failed comebacks harmed his legacy.

#3 Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov

Artem Lobov vs. Jason Knight 2 full fight video highlights https://t.co/D41JICm58p pic.twitter.com/A8rM2Bsbes
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 17, 2019

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Claiming that Artem Lobov was a UFC star is a massive overstatement since he went 2-5 in his UFC career and 13-15 in his professional MMA career. But 'The Russian Hammer' achieved cult status due to his association with Conor McGregor and his own unique persona.

After a three-fight losing skid saw him cut from the UFC, Lobov joined the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He started his career in the promotion well, with unanimous-decision wins over Jason Knight and Paulie Malignaggi. However, the Russian fighter was brutalized in each of his next two BKFC bouts.

Lobov was knocked out by Knight in their rematch, with a series of accurate punches causing massive swelling to his eye. And in his next fight against Denys Berinchyk, he was knocked down twice before suffering another TKO loss.

Lobov's professional fighting career seems to have reached an end, but he is scheduled to take part in a wheelchair boxing bout against Paddy Holohan later this year.

#2 Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren

Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul v Ben Askren

Ben Askren has been on the receiving end of not one but two highly embarrassing knockouts. 'Funky' saw his promising UFC career come to a premature end after the famous flying knee from Jorge Masvidal and then a submission loss to Demain Maia, with injuries ensuring that he never fought in MMA again.

Askren got the opportunity to cash in on a hefty paycheck in April 2021, when he faced off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The 37-year-old came into the fight without appearing to have done any serious training and was viciously knocked out in the first round by Paul.

Jake Paul knocks out Ben Askren in the first round. pic.twitter.com/YzAF7Q7FNV
— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2021

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Askren didn't seem too bothered about his loss in the immediate aftermath of the fight but has spoken, half-jokingly, about how he has let the MMA community down. His friend and training partner Tyron Woodley takes on Paul this weekend.

#1 UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya's only professional MMA loss came earlier this year when he lost to Jan Blachowicz in a UFC light heavyweight title bout. 'The Last Stylebender', who is an accomplished kickboxer and competed in 80 bouts, has been knocked out only once in his fighting career.

Against Alex Pereira, whom he had lost to via unanimous decision a year earlier, Adesanya was caught by a check left hook that sent him flying to the canvas. You can watch a video of the brutal, unexpected knockout here:

Pereira has often spoken about wanting to fight Adesanya again, but the UFC middleweight champion has never been interested in the same.

Edited by Sai Krishna