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UFC champions represent the best of the best in MMA. They're expected to surpass everyone in their division in terms of both skill and athleticism. To a degree, this is sometimes true. Dominant champions do have certain skills or physical attributes that give them a disproportionate advantage over everyone.
But, that doesn't mean they have every possible advantage a fighter could ask for. Some UFC champions have the speed to land blindingly fast strikes against their opponents, but without the knockout power to make their blows count in a significant way. Other champions, however, have power in spades.
What these champions do lack is cardio. They start their bouts strong, but fade halfway between the second and third rounds. Whether it leads to them pacing themselves or trying to end fights as soon as possible varies, but this list goes over five UFC champions, past and present, who have poor cardio.
#5. Chris Weidman, former UFC middleweight champion
Chris Weidman never had the best cardio. In fact, it was surprisingly poor, as he slowed down massively in the third round of most of his bouts. This is easy for most fans to forget due to the amount of attention given to his most obvious shortcoming: his glass chin.
Furthermore, because many of his losses were due to knockouts before his poor cardio could show itself, it's flown under the radar. However, the former UFC middleweight champion freuqently emptied out his gas tank by exerting maximum physical effort the moment a fight starts.
This often leads to him tiring considerably, consequently causing him to stop moving his head off the center-line while striking. He also stops tucking his chin, keeps his hand low, his takedown entries become sloppier, and he stops forcing scrambles after failed takedowns.
For example, though he beat Lyoto Machida, the last two rounds were far more competitive than the first three as Weidman tired significantly, allowing 'The Dragon' to not only impose himself but defend takedowns with much greater ease.
#4. Aljamain Sterling, UFC bantamweight champion
It's clear that Aljamain Sterling is a physical specimen with a great deal of strength, agility and speed. Whether he has knockout power is difficult to assess due to his unorthodox striking not necessarily lending itself to scoring knockouts. But one physical attribute he doesn't have in great amount is cardio.
The reigning bantamweight titleholder tires fairly quickly in bouts, forcing him to either spaz out and throw far more volume than he's capable of maintaining, or he measures himself to ensure that he doesn't gas out within the first two rounds. This is part of what led to his poor performance against Petr Yan in their first fight.
Towards the end of the bout, 'Funk Master' was so exhausted that he could barely do much of anything and even began conceding takedowns against an inferior wrestler. This caused him to pace himself in all of his future bouts, including his recent title defense against Henry Cejudo.
#3. Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion
The ideal Francis Ngannou win is an early knockout that showcases the Cameroonian's explosive punching power long before his cardio begins to fail him. However, his poor gas tank was first on display for everyone to see when he faced Stipe Miocic at UFC 220, when he failed to capture the heavyweight title.
Ngannou gassed out to a significant degree, leaving him unable to resist most of Miocic's offense. While he later rebounded with a win streak to avenge his loss and capture undisputed championship gold, he still struggled, cardio-wise, against anyone he couldn't finish within two or three rounds.
His last UFC fight, for example, was against Ciryl Gane. As he was unable to finish his foe or even land any punches of real consequence, he gassed out terribly. He managed to win by surprising the Frenchman with a wrestling-based backup gameplan. Unfortunately, he lacked the energy to do anything with his takedowns.
#2. Amanda Nunes, former UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion
Much like Francis Ngannou, Amanda Nunes was a nuclear threat inside the octagon. Hardly anyone could withstand her power. It neutralized those too frightened by the threat of a knockout, and it flatlined or at least dropped anyone reckless anyone to come forward without regard.
However, the former women's double champion was known for having a notoriously shallow gas tank. Before UFC 269, which she lost due to gassing out badly in the second round, her previous loss under the UFC banner took place at UFC 178 against Cat Zingano.
Zingano defeated 'The Lioness' via TKO by surviving her initial onslaught, outlasting her as she began tiring, and then finishing her herself once Nunes was too tired to mount any resistance. The contention behind her second win over Valentina Shevchenko, for example, was also due to her cardio failing.
Specifically, Nunes' cardio plummeted towards the end of the bout, allowing Shevchenko to impose herself more and more as the fight progressed.
#1. Conor McGregor, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion
It is no secret that Conor McGregor's greatest drawback is his cardio. Not only is he a bundle of fast-twitch muscle fibers that come at the cost of a diminished gas tank, but he uses an energy-consuming fighting style that requires him to be on edge and dialed in at all times.
The failings of his cardio due to his fighting style were seen in both bouts with Nate Diaz, with 'The Notorious' gassing out in the second round of their first encounter, while managing to maintain a better pace in the pair's rematch before ultimately tiring in the later rounds.
He also slowed down against Khabib Nurmagomedov and even against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 257 rematch, leading to his first-ever TKO loss in the promotion.
