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The UFC is seen as the peak of MMA excellence. It is where the men and women who are hailed as modern-day gladiators set foot inside the greatest proving ground in combat sports to determine who among them is the pound-for-pound best. Unfortunately, it is a grueling experience that can take more than it gives.
So it should come as no surprise that after years of wars and brutal fights against the world's best fighters, some mixed martial artists exit the UFC and find themselves worse for fear when they try to ply their trade elsewhere. Top contenders and former champions suddenly find themselves losing bouts.
They might have assumed that, while they may no longer be good enough to compete under the Zuffa banner, they're still good enough to be victorious in less popular promotions. Instead, they start losing even more than they already were as they fall into a downward spiral.
#5. Anthony Pettis, former UFC lightweight
Anthony Pettis is a former lightweight champion who once set the octagon alight with some of the flashiest but most effective striking MMA had ever seen up until that point. Few will forget the marvel of the 'Showtime kick' he landed on Benson Henderson in the pair's final WEC bout.
However, by 2020, he was a shadow of his former self. He had tumbled down the rankings and tried to revive his career by fighting at both featherweight and welterweight, to no avail. So, at the end of 2020, he exited the promotion with a record of three wins and three losses in his last six fights.
Pettis subsequently signed with the PFL, a second-tier organization in the eyes of many, but achieved no meaningful success. He embarked on a 1-4 run in five fights in the promotion, with three of those four defeats coming against foes with double-digit losses.
#4. Shane Burgos, former UFC lightweight/featherweight
Shane Burgos was one of the UFC's most reliable action fighters during his tenure with the promotion. He was also regarded as a high-level mixed martial artist just a shade below the division's best, partly due to his losses to Edson Barboza and Calvin Kattar.
After departing from the UFC with a 14-3 record, he stunned the MMA world by signing with the PFL. Fans everywhere expected him to do well. While he might not have been good enough to reach the peak of success under the Zuffa banner, the PFL was a different story. Furthermore, Burgos was relatively young.
At 32 years old, when he made his PFL debut, he wasn't yet slowed down by the inevitable march of old age. However, his promotional debut was disastrous, as he lost to Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who left the UFC on a three-fight losing streak. While he bounced back with a win, he lost his next bout to go 1-2 in the PFL.
#3. Benson Henderson, former UFC lightweight
Benson Henderson is the closest thing Anthony Pettis had to a rival in MMA. He was on the receiving end of 'Showtime's' most famous highlight, and he also dropped his UFC lightweight title to Pettis after being armbarred by him. After the loss, Henderson went 4-2 before exiting the promotion for greener pastures.
He signed with Bellator and immediately tasted defeat in his debut. After a disastrous start to his life under the Bellator banner, 'Smooth' faced Patrício Freire in his sophomore bout with the promotion, winning via injury in a bout where he never imposed himself as superior.
Nevertheless, for his efforts, he was awarded a title shot against Michael Chandler but lost via split decision, a fate that befell him in his next bout. After leaving the UFC, Henderson went 1-3 in his first four Bellator bouts. While he bounced back with a four-fight win streak, he then embarked on a three-fight losing streak.
He was not the Henderson of old and ended up retiring from MMA after a 2-1 run following his losing streak.
#2. Jake Shields, former UFC welterweight
While Jake Shields is now better known for being an avid conspiracy theorist and argumentative Twitter user with a conservative political bend, he was once an elite welterweight that the UFC pursued with great intention. A glimpse at his record from 2010 makes this easy to understand.
Shields was on an absurd run of form, with 14 consecutive wins. Upon his promotional debut, he scored his 15th straight win against Martin Kampmann to earn a welterweight title shot against the great Georges St-Pierre. Unfortunately, Shields was dominated and lost his second bout to Jake Ellenberger.
He quickly bounced back, however, with a three-fight unbeaten streak, including a win over future champion Tyron Woodley. But a loss to Héctor Lombard led to his release, and he quickly joined WSOF (now PFL), where he has remained, going on a 4-4 run, which includes a loss to the 19-12 Rousimar Palhares.
#1. Eddie Alvarez, former UFC lightweight
As one of the few fighters to win a championship in both the UFC and Bellator, Eddie Alvarez is a highly accomplished mixed martial artist who was rarely an easy outing for anyone besides Conor McGregor in 2016. After losing his lightweight crown to the Irishman, he went 1-1 (1).
That win, however, came against future interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, and the loss was against Dustin Poirier, another interim titleholder. Afterward, he signed with ONE Championship and looked set to chase the promotion's lightweight title.
Unfortunately, he devastatingly lost his promotional debut, getting knocked out by Timofey Nastyukhin, who has half as many losses as wins. While he bounced back with a win, he later got a no-contest and another loss to go 1-2 (1) since leaving the Zuffa banner.
