Leon Edwards and the 4 greatest UFC title comebacks

#4. Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm, UFC 196

In the leadup to UFC 196, Holly Holm had the promotion in the palm of her hand. She was undefeated and had just dethroned Ronda Rousey for women's bantamweight supremacy in one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. Holm's performance against 'Rowdy' was complete domination, so when her first title defense was scheduled against Miesha Tate, many regarded it as a foregone conclusion.

Tate, while a former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion, was seen as a lesser fighter due to her previous losses to Ronda Rousey. However, styles make fights, and Tate was not as reckless a striker as Rousey was. Still, when she and Holm finally locked horns, 'The Preacher's Daughter' put forth a display of her kickboxing acumen by keeping 'Cupcake' at the end of her kicks and jabs. Holm seemed to be in complete control, defending most of her foe's takedowns.

However, in the fifth round, Miesha Tate's determination was at an all-time high. She would likely never secure another title fight again, so as Holm committed to a punch, Tate ducked under and shot in for a takedown, cutting the corner and dragging her foe to the mat. 'Cupcake' secured a back-take and immediately mounted Holm's back to fish for a rear-naked choke. Seconds later, she found it and it was as deep as a choke could ever be.

Having spent the entire fight being outstruck and outpointed, Tate squeezed with every twitch of strength she had left, choking Holm unconscious to finally capture UFC gold minutes away from tasting defeat.

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#3. Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin, UFC 116

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin is one of the most powerful fighters the promotion has ever seen. A hulking beast who stormed through the UFC heavyweight division, he announced himself on the doorstep of Brock Lesnar's championship abode with brutal intentions. Carwin was undefeated. Not only was he unbeaten, but he had defeated every single opponent prior either by submission or knockout, all in the first round across 12 fights.

Brock Lesnar, by contrast, was a powerful wrestler with an equally monstrous physique. He was the reigning UFC heavyweight champion and neither man had ever faced a foe quite as big as the other. The two were booked for a title unification bout and at UFC 116, the two titans clashed. At the onset of the fight, Lesnar found himself unable to take Carwin to the ground. Instead, Lesnar endured a brutal avalanche of punches that bloodied and battered him.

Sandwiched between the fence and his opponent, Lesnar was soon knocked down and Carwin seemed seconds away from extending his record to 13-0 with yet another first round finish. As he rained down punches on Lesnar, the bout could have been stopped. However, the former NCAA Division I champion survived and narrowly escaped the round.

By the second round, Carwin was exhausted. He had never been to the second round in his professional career and had expended tremendous energy attempting to knock Lesnar out. With his foe too tired to do much of anything, Lesnar completed a takedown and secured an arm-triangle choke that Carwin had no choice but to surrender to. He tapped and the lifelong wrestler had resurrected a title reign that seemed all but dead in the first round.