With competition for places on the roster being so fiercely contested there’s no substitute for winning in the UFC, and as such it’s every fighters worst nightmare to find themselves trapped in the midst of a losing streak they just can’t seem to break out of. Every defeat brings a greater likelihood that their next
With competition for places on the roster being so fiercely contested there’s no substitute for winning in the UFC, and as such it’s every fighters worst nightmare to find themselves trapped in the midst of a losing streak they just can’t seem to break out of.
Every defeat brings a greater likelihood that their next fight could be their last in the Octagon, bringing even more pressure, anxiety and self-doubt that only seeks to further compound the problem.
For some fighters back-to-back defeats is all it takes before they are unceremoniously shown the exit door, but for one reason or another, some are cut a little more slack, which at first might seem like a blessing, but can often prove to be something of a curse as they dig themselves into an even deeper hole on the sports biggest stage.
It’s those unfortunate fighters that are the focus of this article as we count down the worst losing streaks ever recorded inside the UFC’s Octagon.
10. Gray Maynard – 4 losses in a row
Truth be told there’s a number of fighters who have suffered four-fight losing streaks in the UFC over the years, but Gray Maynard makes it onto this list due to the fact his slump came in the midst of a six-year spell in which he would register just two wins in nine Octagon outings.
A former two-time challenger for the lightweight belt, Maynard entered into another title eliminator with TJ Grant in 2013 having only lost once in his previous 14 bouts, but surprisingly was TKO’d barely two minutes into the fight.
Worrying signs that Maynard’s chin was deserting him then emerged when he was also TKO’d in the first round by Nate Diaz, and then Ross Pearson also finished him with strikes.
A further loss to the unheralded Alexander Yakovlev took his losing streak to four fights, but Maynard resisted talk of retiring and instead took over a year out before dropping down to the featherweight division.
He then briefly broke his losing streak with a win over the unheralded Francisco Bruno, but a loss to Ryan Hall since then leaves the 37-year-old’s fighting future in doubt again.
Josh Koscheck (17-10) is back. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title challenger will finally be making his Bellator debut. An official press release announced that Koscheck will do battle with Mauricio Alonso (12-7, 1 NC) at Bellator 172. Koscheck has not competed in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout since March 2015. He […]
Josh Koscheck (17-10) is back. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title challenger will finally be making his Bellator debut. An official press release announced that Koscheck will do battle with Mauricio Alonso (12-7, 1 NC) at Bellator 172. Koscheck has not competed in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout since March 2015. He […]
The old saying that, ‘what goes up must come down’ has been proven time and time again in the Octagon over the years, though some fighters have experienced the second half of that equation far more vividly – and indeed violently – than others. It’s a strange phenomenon to bear witness to, as a fighter
The old saying that, ‘what goes up must come down’ has been proven time and time again in the Octagon over the years, though some fighters have experienced the second half of that equation far more vividly – and indeed violently – than others.
It’s a strange phenomenon to bear witness to, as a fighter who could do no wrong suddenly find themselves in a position where they can’t seem to do anything right.
Whether it’s the effects of age, an accumulation of injuries, a weakened chin, or a loss of focus, in this article we’ll look at 10 classic examples of fighters whose career entered into that dreaded downward spiral while competing in the UFC and were never able to recover from it.
Roger Huerta
It’s hard to believe now, but back in 2007 Roger Huerta was being tipped as the next big thing in the UFC.
Huerta enjoyed a rapid ascent up the UFC pecking order, entering the promotion after a long unbeaten run and then racking up six wins in a row inside the Octagon while also landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine at a time when mainstream exposure was hard to come by.
Huerta seemed to have the world at his feet, but he took his eye off the prize when he began dating ‘That 70’s Show’ actress Laura Prepon and started talking about leaving the UFC to pursue an acting career.
His downward descent proved to be as swift as his rise had been, with back-to-back losses coming to Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard before his UFC departure in 2009.
Huerta’s relationship with Prepon and acting career didn’t take off, and his MMA career never recovered, posting a tepid 3-6 record over the past seven years away from the bright lights of the UFC.
Despite the rumors that he could potentially be making his long awaited return at December 10’s UFC 206 from his home of Canada, legendary former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre announced on yesterday’s (October 17, 2016) edition of The MMA Hour that his lawyer had terminated his contract with the UFC and that he was
Despite the rumors that he could potentially be making his long awaited return at December 10’s UFC 206 from his home of Canada, legendary former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre announced on yesterday’s (October 17, 2016) edition of The MMA Hour that his lawyer had terminated his contract with the UFC and that he was now a free agent.
St. Pierre admitted that negotiations had stalled and that he had become tired of the drawn out process after once again finding his fire to compete. However, he didn’t say that he wasn’t going to once again fight, but he did say that he wasn’t sure what this free agency period would hold for him.
While it’s incredibly difficult to see “Rush” fighting outside of the world famous Octagon, that could indeed be a possibility once we are made aware of just how “free” St. Pierre is from his contract.
With that being said, we have compiled a list of seven fights that GSP could take if he indeed ends up leaving the world’s largest MMA promotion.
There’s no shame in being second-best.
Depending on how many are running the proverbial race you’re in, second-best can be pretty good. You might be ahead of hundreds or even thousands of other participants, so falling short of the apex isn…
There’s no shame in being second-best.
Depending on how many are running the proverbial race you’re in, second-best can be pretty good. You might be ahead of hundreds or even thousands of other participants, so falling short of the apex isn’t that big a deal.
It could be that the top dog is just so far ahead of you and everyone else that you were never going to catch them anyway. If that’s the case, you may just fancy settling in and accepting your place, content to work with what you’ve got and steal a little shine for yourself whenever possible.
In the MMA space that’s very much what Bellator MMA has been doing over the past couple of years. The promotion once known for strict adherence to a tournament system and weekly shows on Spike TV has shifted its focus since Scott Coker became president in 2014, getting away from the realm of stringent competition and more into making things fun and drawing eyes.
Sometimes that’s taken the form of wild, hybrid events. Other times it’s been guilty-pleasure freakshow fights. But most notably, and perhaps most shrewdly, Bellator has made a business out of signing athletes and promoting fights that the UFC has done all the work on.
First Bellator landedJosh Koscheck, a legitimately huge name that the UFC spent a decade promoting, keeping in the title picture and using as a main event talent. He’d outlived his usefulness there after a lengthy losing streak and an increasing discontent with the money he was making, but for Bellator he made perfect sense.
Why?
Because Bellator already had his longtime nemesis, Paul Daley, under contract. That feud started at UFC 113, when Koscheck ground Daley to a nub for three rounds and then goaded him into throwing a punch after the fight. Daley was released from the UFC soon after and spent years bouncing around various promotions, staying relevant enough to keep people interested in the dream of a Koscheck rematch down the line.
Needless to say, as soon as Koscheck landed in Bellator the talk of lining the pair up began, and the fight was booked for this past summer. Koscheck ended up injured so it was called off, but it’s still out there and will provide a major payday for all parties involved once it’s rebooked—a payday that was built almost entirely on work done by the UFC.
More immediately it’s emerged that Bellator intends to book former UFC megastar Chael Sonnen, a recent signing, against Wanderlei Silva, who was also most recently seen on UFC marquees and remains a legend in the sport. The feud between the two is years long, dating back to the days of Sonnen’s rise through the UFC’s middleweight division and involving a number of heated exchanges, sniping in interviews, a gig coaching The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil that culminated in an all-out bareknuckle brawl and a sanctioned bout at UFC 175 that was cancelled after both men were busted for various illegal substances.
It’s not unreasonable to contend that the UFC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in promoting that bout, even if one chooses only to focus on the costs of producing TUF and promoting UFC 175. Truthfully the number is probably into the millions, and now Bellator gets to reap the rewards a couple of years later without having to do any extra legwork.
It’s a brilliant approach to doing business for the second-best promotion in MMA, and one that you’re likely to see more of as Bellator poaches more UFC talent and hunts for big names to oppose it. It’s not that Bellator don’t have the cash to promote stars itself (it’s owned by media giant Viacom, after all); it’s that you can’t buy the type of promotion that UFC does because it’s been in the business and doing it at the highest level for so long that Bellator could never catch up.
So it’s not trying.
It’s buying names the UFC made, then buying feuds the UFC made, then cashing in. Even February’s Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie rematch was a UFC feud packaged and sold by Bellator, although it came two decades after their last meeting.
Make no mistake, Bellator will never be the UFC. The best it will ever be is second-best, a viable alternative for disenchanted fighters to sign with and fans to get some solid action from.
There’s no shame in that, though. In fact if you do it right, it becomes a uniquely appealing offering in and of itself because everyone knows what you’re selling and no one expects it to be what the top dog is selling.
So stealing the shine of the UFC by promoting feuds it built but never paid off? That’s both brilliant and exciting, and Bellator should be commended for it.
Ahead of his next fight, where he challenges Robbie Lawler for the UFC Welterweight title in the main event of UFC 201, Tyron Woodley is featured in the latest “UFC 201 Free Fight” released by the UFC.
Featured above …
https://youtu.be/mYZm1ZOF9Kc
Ahead of his next fight, where he challenges Robbie Lawler for the UFC Welterweight title in the main event of UFC 201, Tyron Woodley is featured in the latest “UFC 201 Free Fight” released by the UFC.
Featured above is arguably one of Woodley’s most impressive performances inside the Octagon thus far, a vicious knockout of former multiple time UFC title contender Josh Koscheck from the UFC 167 pay-per-view event.
“Tyron Woodley earned a knockout victory against Josh Koscheck at UFC 167. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler looks to defend his Welterweight title against Woodley at UFC 201 in Atlanta, Georgia. Don’t miss the action live on Pay-Per-View.”
Join us here at MMANews.com on 7/30 for live coverage of the UFC 201 pay-per-view!
There’s no shame in being second-best.