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Undefeated fighters are rare gems in the UFC. They draw the audience's attention in a manner that most fighters can't. Intrigue follows them wherever they go. Some fans are eager to see just how far an undefeated fighter can extend their unbeaten run. Others, however, are desperate to see them finally taste defeat.
Fighters who have never lost are often put under a microscope. Analysts and fellow mixed martial arts examine their careers to determine whether their records were padded with stylistically favorable matchups.
At some point, most fighters are undefeated, with the exception of mixed martial artists whose first fight was a loss.
However, the true anomalies are the UFC fighters who are able to embark on long win streaks. Eventually, all who were once undefeated inevitably tasted defeat. Khabib Nurmagomedov is an exception, having retired relatively young and at the peak of his physical prowess. Others are not so fortunate. Thus, this list looks at 5 UFC fighters who never recovered after finally losing.
#5. Edmen Shahbazyan
At the time of his emergence in the UFC, Edmen Shahbazyan was a highly touted prospect. Shahbazyan's former training partner and one-time manager Ronda Rousey once heralded him as a future champion. After watching 'The Golden Boy' earn his third UFC win to improve his overall MMA record to 11-0, many began to back Rousey's assessment. Shahbazyan put on a striking clinic in his bout with Brad Tavares before finishing the extraordinarily tough Hawaiian.
With youth on his side, Shahbazyan was expected by many to become a future title contender before reaching his physical prime. Unfortunately, the UFC's decision to fast-track him up the middleweight rankings led to an immediate stop to 'The Golden Boy's' momentum. At UFC Fight Night 173, Shahbazyan faced Derek Brunson in a brutal one-sided affair. At several points, Shahbazyan looked as if he no longer wanted to take part in the fight.
Finally, in the early stages of the 3rd round, Brunson TKO'd his foe to hand Shahbazyan his first loss. 'The Golden Boy' did not recover from it, losing his next two bouts against Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov as he tumbled down the rankings. No longer spoken of as a title threat, Edmen Shahbazyan has faded into the background of the division.
#4. Darren Till
Like Edmen Shahbazyan, Darren Till was once an undefeated fighter who many believed would one day capture UFC gold. At welterweight, Darren Till used his combination of size and speed to bolster his pressure-based counterpunching style to earn victories. He managed to do this while exposing himself to the least amount of damage possible. At UFC 228, 'The Gorilla' was on the cusp of superstardom.
With a spotless record that included wins over the likes of MMA legend Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, Till entered the American Airlines Center to a thunderous ovation from the crowd in attendance. Tyron Woodley, the defending UFC welterweight champion at the time, was an afterthought. However, when the two clashed inside the octagon, Woodley quickly reminded Till's fans why he was the titleholder.
'The Gorilla' failed to mount any significant offense before being dropped and choked out in the 2nd round. After suffering his first-ever career loss, Till suffered a second consecutive loss in a subsequent matchup against Jorge Masvidal. On the first losing streak of his career, Till made the move to middleweight and faced Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244.
While Till won, it was an uninspiring performance. He has not won a fight since, losing to Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson in subsequent bouts as he racks up injuries that have kept him from fighting consistently.
#3. Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman suffered a spectacular fall from grace that can't be compared to many others. Not too long ago, the All-American ended Anderson Silva's 16-fight UFC win streak to capture the middleweight title. What followed was a successful title defense run against other Brazilian legends like Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida. However, to many people at the time, the greatest threat to Weidman's championship reign was Luke Rockhold.
A former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Rockhold was a surging contender with the right blend of striking and slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to trouble Weidman. At UFC 194, the two men crossed swords. Unfortunately, Weidman suffered a career-altering beating before the referee awarded Luke Rockhold the TKO win in the 4th round. Afterwards, Weidman suffered a brutal knockout loss to Yoel Romero before being TKO'd by Gegard Mousasi.
Not only was Weidman no longer undefeated, but he lost the legendary toughness that enabled him to walk right through the best that Lyoto Machida had to offer. He suffered three consecutive KO losses, but managed to snap his 3-fight losing streak by defeating Kelvin Gastelum. Alas, his next two bouts ended in KO losses for him.
Knocked down in the middleweight rankings, Weidman faced Omari Akhmedov and won via unanimous decision. Unfortunately, his luck didn't turn around as the All-American suffered another loss to Uriah Hall after snapping his shin in half. This was a karmic echo of Anderson Silva's second loss to him. At 2-6 in his last 8 bouts while nursing a career-threatening injury, Weidman is now farther from a UFC title fight than ever before.
#2. Shane Carwin
Before Francis Ngannou set the UFC heavyweight division alight with his monstrous knockout power, Shane Carwin was the infamous power-punching behemoth. Like Ngannou, Carwin finished every single opponent he faced during his undefeated run in quick fashion. No fighter escaped the 1st round when they stepped inside the octagon to clash with Carwin.
At UFC 111, Carwin crossed paths with former heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the greatest test of his career at that point in time. It was a test that Carwin passed with flying colors as he captured the interim heavyweight title. This set up a titanic clash with reigning champion Brock Lesnar. It was a classic striker vs. wrestler matchup. Eager to avoid his foe's vaunted punching power, Lesnar tried to implement his wrestling but was initially thwarted.
Instead, Carwin rocked and badly hurt 'The Beast' en route to knocking him down. What followed was an onslaught that the referee gave Lesnar ample time to recover from. By the 2nd round, Carwin was exhausted. He had no energy to resist Lesnar's takedowns. Within 2 minutes, he tapped out to an arm-triangle. It was the first loss of Carwin's career. What followed was a second defeat at the hands of Junior dos Santos.
Unfortunately, it was the last UFC fight of Carwin's career. His blemished record dulled fan interest in his fights, and a string of injuries forced him to announce his retirement from the sport.
#1. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the most important women's fighters in MMA history. Without her, women's MMA would have likely found its way into the UFC much later than it did. Like Shane Carwin, the manner in which Ronda Rousey defeated her opponents earned her significant interest from fans. Her first 7 bouts all ended via 1st-round armbar.
Her 8th bout was a rematch against Miesha Tate. It was the first time a Ronda Rousey fight extended beyond the 1st round. Even then, the matchup was still something of a repeat of their first encounter. Rousey claimed victory via armbar. Instead of the 1st round, however, 'Rowdy's' win came in the 3rd round.
In her subsequent bouts, Rousey seemed to undergo an evolution as a fighter, as she bested her foes with strikes for the first time.
By the time the UFC visited Australia for UFC 193, Rousey was 12-0 and set to face Holly Holm in front of the largest crowd in the promotion's history. Alas, she was on the wrong end of a one-sided beating that culminated in a 2nd round KO after Holly landed a thunderous left-high kick.
It was a stunning defeat, causing Rousey to embark on a sabbatical from the sport. She hid her face from cameras and even imposed restrictions on interviewers to not ask her about her loss. A year later, 'Rowdy' returned against Amanda Nunes, suffering another loss. After suffering the first 2 losses of her career, Rousey retired from MMA to pursue a career in professional wrestling, where she is now a two-time women's champion
