As a fan of any sport,
watching your hero/heroes give it their all in front of thousands of fans, can
be a pretty electrifying experience. However, when it all falls apart in a
matter of seconds and the hero of the hour is left in last place, it can be
pretty heart-breaking. None know this pain more than the champions of the
Octagon, where losing to your opponent generally means youre in more pain
than them. With a single swing, kick or decision courtesy of the referee, an
entire career based on success can come crashing down, as weve seen too
many times. Undefeated and undisputed champs lose their bragging rights,
sponsors lose their golden boy or girl and the bookies lose out on a great deal
of cash. Weve teamed up with betting
online on Betfair to take a look at some of the fighters who had their
whole worlds rocked by a single match and definitely deserve a
re-match.
Serra vs. St. Pierre I UFC 69 One of the OGs
of the UFC world, Georges St-Pierre is one of the most respected fighters in
MMA history, retiring at the end of 2017 with a 26-2 record. However, it
wasnt always perfect because,s back in 2007, with an impressive record of
131, GSP was defeated by American fighter Matt Serra just 3:25 in to the
first round with a flurry of punches, resulting in a TKO. The two met once
again almost exactly a year later, with GSP beating Serra in the last 15
seconds of the second round, once again via TKO. Could it be time for the two
to give one final fight a shot?
McGregor vs. Diaz UFC
196 After a ridiculous, and almost unheard of 15 fight win streak for
McGregor, Irelands most notorious fighter was at the top of his game, and
the hype around him was at an absolute peak as he helped bring the UFC from a
fairly niche sport to a global phenomenon worth billions of dollars. However,
in lead up to the much publicised UFC196, McGregors original challenger,
Rafael dos Anjos, pulled out due to a broken foot, leaving the UFC scrambling
for an opponent. After a period of uncertainty, Nate Diaz stepped up to the
plate, surprising the world by defeating McGregor in the final minute of the
second round with a rear-naked choke submission. The two met again five months
later, with McGregor taking the win over Diaz, however with both men now
holding a win each, could it be time to see who truly is the better
fighter?
Rousey vs. Holm UFC
193 Described, by UFC commentator Joe Rogan, as the biggest upset
in the history of the sport, Ronda Rouseys defeat at the hand of
boxer Holly Holm knocked one of the most ground-breaking athletes off of her
throne for the first time in her entire career. After three straight years as
an undefeated champion, Rousey was caught off guard by a high kick courtesy of
Holm, resulting in a knockout and the most successful female fighter in the UFC
losing her place at the top.
The aforementioned reaction can be seen
below in this clip from sports channel The Fumble:
Cormier vs. Jones II
UFC 214 A rivalry shrouded in controversy and drama, the Daniel
Cormier/Jon Jones saga has reared its head a hundred times, resulting in two
bouts, UFC 182 and 214 respectively. Three days after their first pairing, it
was announced that Jones had failed a drug test prior to the event, testing
positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine. After the win,
Jones was stripped of his title and suspended from the UFC in connection with a
hit-and-run incident. Then, in July 2016, Jones was pulled out of a fight by
the USADA due to an Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an
out-of-competition sample collection on June 16th. Jones' B sample
also showed up positive for the same substances and he was suspended for a full
year. .
After the two finally met again in July 2017, Jones defeated
Cormier via a KO in the third round, however, fewer than three weeks later, he
had his title stripped and was suspended for a minimum of four years for
testing positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol, with the belt returning to
Cormier. In an interview, with showbiz news publications TMZ, Cormier said
hed be happy to fight Jones again once his suspension is up and hes
legally allowed to fight once more.
Which of these remarkable fighters
do you think deserves another shot at glory? Let us know!