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In the UFC, skill reigns supreme. Most fighters owe their success to their insurmountable work ethic and exceptional mixed martial arts skills. However, there are occasions when a mere shift in probability is enough to damn a fighter to a fate they could do nothing to stop.
In more extreme cases, certain fighters suffer from repeated incidents that pop up from seemingly nowhere to stand in the way of their journey as MMA fighters in the sport's premier organization.
Thus, a poor run of luck can be a major factor in any fighter's career. Some, however, are more plagued than others by a streak of bad luck.
Some fighters have lost championship opportunities and even the biggest fights of their careers due to a bizarre run of misfortune. While some recover, others do not.
In honor of Leon Edwards, a mixed martial artist once known for his poor luck due to canceled fights and an ill-timed no-contest against Belal Muhammad, who finally captured the UFC welterweight title, this list looks at 5 of the UFC's unluckiest fighters, past and present.
#5. Dominick Cruz
Arguably the greatest bantamweight in MMA history, Dominick Cruz is a two-time UFC bantamweight champion and a former WEC bantamweight champion. Despite his recent loss to Marlon Vera ending his final bid for a third title run, Cruz has had a predominantly successful career compared to many of his peers.
However, it is clear that Cruz's success came despite his poor run of luck, as 'The Dominator' has suffered from an inexplicable streak of injuries over the years.
Thus far, the former champion has broken his hand, torn his ACL (which required a second surgery after his body rejected a replacement from a cadaver), torn his groin (which forced him to vacate his UFC title), torn his other ACL (an injury that came in the aftermath of his return fight after a near-three year absence), broken his arm, and injured his shoulder.
The sheer volume of injuries Cruz suffered is such that even though the former champion signed with the promotion 11 years ago, he has only fought 10 times for the company. Fate deprived both him and the fans of enjoying an all-time great fighting spree in the prime of his youth.
#4. Chael Sonnen
Most fight fans remember Chael Sonnen for his cutting and entertaining trash talk. The former All-American's ability to generate interest in his bouts purely through the strength of his charisma and gift of gab captivated an entire generation of MMA fans who were eager to watch 'The American Gangster' make good on his outlandish promises inside the octagon. Despite his relatively successful career, Sonnen never captured UFC gold.
In two of his attempts, the American came dangerously close. His first opportunity came against Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Sonnen dominated his foe for most of the five-round affair.
With only two minutes left, the win seemed all but certain until Sonnen succumbed to a moment of sloppiness and was caught by a triangle armbar. With no other choice, he was forced to tap out, losing a championship he had firmly secured his grip on.
Years later, Sonnen faced Jon Jones at UFC 159 for the light heavyweight title. From the very beginning, it was clear that Sonnen had little to offer Jones. Yet, during a grappling sequence, Jones pushed off his own foot at an odd angle, nearly snapping his toe in half. Undeterred, 'Bones' resumed his assault to record a TKO win over Sonnen.
Had Sonnen survived that round or the referee noticed Jones' injury, he would have undoubtedly captured the title. The cageside doctor would have determined that his foe was incapable of continuing the bout with such a gruesome injury. Twice, Sonnen came close to winning the title, and twice it slipped through his fingers.
#3. Tony Ferguson
One of the greatest lightweights in history, Tony Ferguson is also one of the promotion's unluckiest fighters. Fans will be hard-pressed to find any other fighter who has embarked on a 12-fight win streak without ever fighting for the undisputed title in their division.
Furthermore, Ferguson's lack of title fights was largely due to Conor McGregor's decision to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. instead of defending his lightweight title.
This matter was completely out of Ferguson's control despite the fact that 'El Cucuy' was the interim lightweight champion at the time. Additionally, Ferguson never managed to fight his longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov despite the matchup being scheduled on five separate occasions. The first occasion never came to fruition as Nurmagomedov withdrew due to injury.
On the second attempt at booking the bout, it was 'El Cucuy' who withdrew, this time due to a lung issue. The third attempt ended in another failure when the Russian's poor weight cut left him unable to compete.
The fourth attempt was even more bizarre as Ferguson tore a knee ligament after tripping over a cable during a pre-fight media event. The cause? He wore indoor sunglasses.
Finally, the fifth attempt failed due to the emergence of a global pandemic, leading many to deem the fight cursed. With Nurmagomedov unable to leave Russia, he was replaced by Justin Gaethje.
What was originally scheduled as a bout for the undisputed lightweight title became an interim title fight. It forced Ferguson to challenge for a second interim title, despite never having lost the first one.
The fight was a brutal and lopsided loss that forever changed 'El Cucuy' as a fighter, ending his 12-fight win streak and causing him to plummet into the first-ever losing streak of his career.
#2. Marcus Brimage
Hardly anyone but hardcore MMA fans remember who Marcus Brimage was. A 7-8 fighter, Brimage stood 5 feet 4 inches in height. Despite possessing a frame better suited for the flyweight division, Brimage spent most of his career fighting at featherweight. It was during an era when featherweights were growing progressively larger.
The UFC seemed to take note of 'The Bama Beast's limited skill-set, forcing him to welcome the likes of Conor McGregor, Cody Garbrandt, and Jimmie Rivera to the UFC. Brimage was knocked out by all three men.
Against McGregor, Brimage faced a foe who stood five inches taller and had fought as heavy as 170lbs, while also capturing championship gold in two separate weight classes.
After dropping to the bantamweight division, Brimage later met Cody Garbrandt, suffering a brutal knockout loss to the then undefeated future UFC bantamweight champion. In his final bout with the promotion, Brimage, who was 7-4 at the time, locked horns with Jimmie Rivera. At the time, Rivera was 16-1 and riding a 15-fight win streak.
However, in 16 wins, Rivera only had three knockouts on his resume. Thus, Brimage had no reason to fear a finishing blow. Unfortunately, 'The Bama Beast' would be the fourth knockout win on Rivera's record, ending his UFC run as one of the fighters unlucky enough to welcome so many killers into the promotion.
#1. Jake O'Brien
Jake O'Brien was not a horrible fighter. In fact, three fights into his UFC career, he was a 10-0 mixed martial artist with a win over former PRIDE title challenger Heath Herring. Unfortunately, in his fourth UFC bout, O'Brien was matched up against former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
It was a fight that clearly showcased how much the UFC had overestimated him and the strength of his undefeated record.
Arlovski defeated him decisively, TKO'ing him in the second round. Perhaps realizing their mistake, the UFC opted to book O'Brien against a promotional newcomer who was set to compete in only his second bout.
Alas, the promotional newcomer in question was named Cain Velasquez, the future UFC heavyweight champion and one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history.
There was no way the UFC could have known what kind of monster they'd forced O'Brien to face, so when he was TKO'd within two minutes of the first round, jaws dropped. In the first skid of his career, O'Brien dropped to the light heavyweight division, securing a split-decision win over Christian Wellisch. Back in the win column, O'Brien hoped to embark on another win streak in his new division.
So at UFC 100, the UFC scheduled him to compete against a different promotional newcomer in the said fighter's third bout under the UFC banner. To O'Brien's misfortune, that newcomer was a fighter that many regard as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time: Jon Jones.
Over the course of two rounds, Jones dominated him before submitting him with a guillotine choke. Eventually, O'Brian was released by the promotion.
