Top 5 returns in MMA's history

Spoiler alert...Georges St-Pierre is on this list. Don't pretend to be surprised.

When it comes to returns or comebacks in MMA, there have been very few that have been successful in a widely impactful way. Coming back after injuries or just time not fighting has various reasons as to why it's a huge obstacle to overcome.

That doesn't make it an impossible feat as these five warriors have shown. These are the top five MMA returns.

#5 Cat Zingano

Zingano was overwhelmed with emotions upon her successful return at UFC 178

Only a few fighters have had to overcome the incredibly unique and unfortunate circumstances that Cat Zingano had to in 2013-2014.

Zingano made her debut in the second ever female fight in UFC history against Miesha Tate at The Ultimate Finale 17. Zingano entered the bout as the clear underdog as her opposition in Tate was the former champion of their division.

A back and forth war throughout, it would be Zingano who came out on top by stopping Tate via TKO in the third round with knee strikes. It was a huge moment in the career of the then 8-0, Zingano who had just earned herself a title shot against the champion, Ronda Rousey as well as a coaching spot opposite of her for season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.

But this would all evaporate from within her possession in just the blink of an eye.

On May 28, 2013, the announcement was made that Zingano had suffered a torn ACL and would now be sidelined for the foreseeable future. This rewarded her last opponent, Miesha Tate with the coaching spot and title shot that Zingano had rightfully earned.

This alone was substantial enough to bring one's career into question upon return, but to add on and make matters worse, during the year and a half that Zingano was away, her coach and husband, Mauricio Zingano committed suicide.

The culmination of tragedies is unlike any else we've heard of in MMA but Zingano didn't let it hold her back.

Zingano was set to come back and take on the future champion, Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 on September 27, 2014. After a brutal first round of absorbing damage, Zingano rallied back in rounds two and three to eventually ground and pound Nunes out in the third round for a TKO victory. The comeback was completed and Zingano was back in line for the title shot she missed out on.

Zingano would lose her two fights that have since followed the Nunes bout, but she still overcame the odds inside and outside of the cage to keep competing in the sport she loves.

#4 Frank Mir

Mir was lucky enough just to be able to walk again

Frank Mir was on top of the world. He was only 25 years old, 8-1 and just crowned the UFC Heavyweight champion after breaking Tim Sylvia's arm.

Then disaster struck...

Mir had gotten into a bad motorcycle accident which resulted in him breaking his femur in two places and tearing all the ligaments in his knee. He was stripped of the title and wasn't expected to return to the ring.

But what do you know, Mir would return and solidify himself as one of the all-time greats at Heavyweight as he would have twenty of his twenty-nine career bouts take place after his accident. One of which including an interim title winning effort over a fellow legend, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira as well as three separate title shots.

It's crazy in hindsight that Mir wasn't expected to fight ever again and then see all of the amazing moments he provided us within the thirteen years that followed his accident. How much the injury may have affected his career trajectory, we'll never know. But it's safe to say he made up for it pretty well with a lasting legacy and it was one hell of a return for the Las Vegas-born UFC original.

#3 Randy Couture

No one expected Couture to return the way that he did

Randy Couture had done about all he could do in the MMA world after losing his trilogy fight with Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 in 2006. We thought we had seen the last of him. Couture was only 43 after all...

But just a year later, the legend returned. But this time he was back at his original weight class of Heavyweight where he was granted a title shot against the 23-2 giant, Tim Sylvia.

The fight that followed went completely the opposite of how everyone thought it would.

The defending champion and much larger, Sylvia was the clear favourite and was thought to be getting just another title defence over a legendary name. But few seconds into the fight, Couture showed he wasn't messing around with his comeback.

Couture dropped Sylvia with a huge right hand, roughly in seven seconds into the opening round and from there on out, the fight was his. Landing consistently with his right hand accompanied by a plethora of takedowns, the undersized Couture dominated Sylvia for five rounds straight.

This was Couture's sixth career title victory (seventh counting the UFC 13 tournament) and easily his most shocking. Coming back at 44 years of age and taking on his biggest foe yet and beating him with ease was and still is one of the most shocking fight results MMA fans have ever seen.

Almost crazier, Couture would go on to successfully defend the title afterwards against Gabriel Gonzaga before dropping it to Brock Lesnar. Upon re-watch, everyone accepted that Couture did much better than people remember and gave him credit for his bout against the "dwarfingly" large Lesnar.

There's a reason they call Couture "Captain America". He's like a movie hero. He defied the odds more than once.

#2 Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre was already one of the greatest fighters of all time, if not the greatest, regardless of his return at UFC 217. Yet he still felt the need to further cement his legacy. GSP claimed he never "retired" but was just taking a break from action after UFC 167 in 2013. Whatever you may say, he didn't compete in a professional MMA bout for four whole years. Of course... until that fateful night when UFC 217 took place.

Having defended the UFC Welterweight title more than anyone else and having not lost in ten whole years, St-Pierre decided it was time to get back in the Octagon after stepping away in 2013. But this time he came back a weight class above the one we were accustomed to seeing him in and attempted to dethrone the champion of the same.

So that he did. Georges St-Pierre challenged UFC Middleweight champion, Michael Bisping for his title at UFC 217 after being out of Mixed Martial Arts competition for four straight years and proved that the time away didn't diminish his skills whatsoever. In fact, he may have just improved.

Showing more aggression and power than we had seen prior to his leave, St-Pierre essentially controlled the entire fight throughout the time that it lasted before he finally dropped Bisping in the third round with a big left hook which he followed up with ground and pound strikes. Bisping was forced to give up his back allowing GSP to sink in the rear naked choke that earned him the victory.

Coming back after four years and competing successfully at the highest level is an incredible task to overcome on its own, yet GSP did so at a weight class above what he was used to and finished the champion impressively. The man just keeps on showing why he's as good as he is.

#1 Dominick Cruz

Cruz thanking the crowd after reclaiming the title he never lost

Dominick Cruz could own two separate spots on this list. But the incidents were close enough in their timeframes for you to combine them into one.

Dominick Cruz was the king of 135 lbs when he came over from the WEC. The man looked unbeatable and justifiably so. After two UFC title defenses, the unimaginable happened.

Cruz was coaching opposite his longtime rival, Urijah Faber on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter and was set to face him for the third time at the massive UFC 148 card which featured the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Unfortunately, during a training session, Cruz tore his ACL and was forced out of his bout with Faber followed by being sidelined for the rest of that year.

It was later revealed that Cruz had undergone another surgery following his initial ACL repair due to his body rejecting the cadaver tendon they had used to try and fix it with. Thus, his return to the cage was prolonged.

Finally, things were looking to be back on track for Cruz as he was scheduled to take on the Interim champion, Renan Barao at UFC 169. But of course... fate intervened once again. Cruz had now torn his groin and was unable to compete. This injury caused too much additional time away from the action and the UFC was forced to strip him of his title, therefore, making Barao the undisputed champion.

Healed and ready to return after three years, Cruz was back. He had his first fight since his misfortune began at UFC 178 when he took on Takeya Mizugaki in a non-title bout. Once the fight started, it looked like Cruz hadn't missed a beat. He dismantled the top five ranked Bantamweight in just over 60 seconds for a KO victory in what was and is still one of his greatest victories. Especially when looking at what he went through to get there.

Cruz was clearly ready to get back the title he never lost... but the MMA gods had other plans. Only two months after Cruz' incredible return, he would tear the ACL in his other knee for the first time. This put him out of action for the rest of the year.

Despite the injury, Cruz was granted his much-deserved title shot once he was ready to return. Having only fought for 60 seconds in four years, many people in the MMA world thought it was insane to be putting Cruz right back into the title picture despite his legendary status at 135 lbs. Regardless, he continued to show them all why he's one of the very best to ever do it.

Cruz took on the new champion, TJ Dillashaw in an awesomely competitive fight but one that was edged to the former ruler, Cruz. A technical masterpiece from each man, Cruz was the one who dug deeper and fought with the passion of wanting to get back what he never lost and succeeded. This victory truly completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of all of the sports.

It's simply miraculous that Cruz was just able to compete again let alone come back and reclaim his title. Many athletes are never the same even after just a single ACL tear, yet Cruz suffered three plus a groin tear and still climbed back to the top of the mountain showing how special of a competitor he really is. It will be nearly impossible to top such a feat... but I think it's safe to say that most fighters and athletes won't want to.

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