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Throughout its history, the UFC has hosted some of the most prominent names in MMA. Fighters from across the globe flock to the organization in hopes of reaching the heights made famous by the legends of yesteryear. Some of these fighters set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.
Other fighters, however, have achieved nearly inimitable greatness. Upon their arrival at the peak of the MMA mountaintop, they give off the impression that they'll remain as dominant as ever. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, elite UFC fighters undercut their own greatness.
At times, this is due to the troubles they face outside the cage. But on occasion, it is due to these fighters abandoning the things that made them great in the first place. This list details the changes that five great UFC fighters made that negatively impacted them going forward.
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#5. Daniel Cormier, retired UFC two-division champion
Daniel Cormier is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. He has only ever lost to fighters considered to be the all-time greats of the two divisions he competed in. Jon Jones is regarded as the greatest 205'er in history, while Stipe Miocic is recognized as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
At his peak, 'DC' was capable of competing with both of them. His greatest weapons were his Olympic-level wrestling skills. No one outside of 'Bones' has ever outwrestled the former double champion inside the octagon. When he faced Alexander Gustafsson UFC 192, Daniel Cormier was initially dominant.
However, once he stopped wrestling, he allowed 'The Mauler' to impose himself in the bout. It led to a far closer fight than the first round implied it would be. This was a sign of things to come as 'DC' stopped wrestling more and more with every fight. Eventually, he got to the point where he'd barely attempt a takedown at all.
Instead, he became a dirty boxer. While he remained fairly successful, it led to two of his losses to Stipe Miocic. The few times that 'DC' wrestled revealed that the part-time fireman could not contend with his wrestling. Unfortunately, the AKA standout largely abandoned his elite-level wrestling due to lower-back injuries.
#4. Jon Jones, former UFC light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones has always possessed serviceable striking and devastating wrestling. Much of his success was due to the former light heavyweight kingpin's understanding of how to exploit his height and reach advantages. As a striker, he used push kicks, oblique kicks and jabs to keep his foes at a distance.
Any opponent who tried to advance towards him encountered a merciless push or oblique kick that snapped their kneecap back. However, what made 'Bones' great was how he used his length and height from close range. Jones was an exceptional wrestler whose Greco-Roman background served him well.
Being taller and longer than his foes granted him considerable leverage in the clinch, enabling him to secure throws and suplexes unlike anyone else. Besides his wrestling, Jones understood that the length of his arms meant he could fold them into lethal elbows.
Since his arms are so long, his elbow-strikes had a longer range than any other fighter's elbow-strikes. He could easily intercept an opponent with an elbow before their punches could connect. Furthermore, 'Bones' was innovative, using wrist-ties to create openings for elbows and uppercuts in the clinch.
Opponents who tugged their arms down to break his wrist-ties exposed their heads to elbows over the top. Unfortunately, Jones abandoned both his wrestling and in-fighting. Instead, he opted for the much safer route of simply throwing kicks from a distance and post-and-retreating whenever his foes advanced.
This led to an unremarkable run in his last three fights at 205 lbs. He was unable to finish an easily overmatched Anthony Smith at UFC 235 or one-legged Thiago Santos at UFC 239. Lastly, he was unable to impose himself against Dominick Reyes and won a highly controversial decision that's a far cry from his previous dominance.
#3. José Aldo, former UFC men's featherweight champion
There was a point in time when José Aldo seemed genuinely unbeatable at featherweight. The Brazilian great is arguably the greatest defensive wrestler in MMA history. During his reign as the UFC featherweight champion, it was nearly impossible to take him down.
If opponents did succeed in taking him down, he popped right back up. Since his foes were unable to keep him grounded on the mat, they were forced to strike with him. This was often a death sentence for the legs of his opponents. 'Scarface' possessed the greatest low kicks in MMA.
At the height of his UFC run, Aldo was offensively and defensively perfect when it came to his low kicks. His low kicks were difficult to check because he never stepped in to add power to his kicks. Instead, the former UFC featherweight champion threw a boxing combination to force his foes to retreat.
Once his opponent stepped backward, they were unable to raise their leg to check his kicks since they'd be at risk of a knockdown. At that point, Aldo would turn his hips into low kicks to add power from the sheer torque of his hip mobility. Thus, 'Scarface' landed with enormous power, while preventing checks.
However, after breaking his foot on Chan Sung Jung's knee at UFC 163, José Aldo refrained from throwing low kicks for the most part. He focused more on his boxing and would only use low kicks here and there. The decision coincided with the start of the most unsuccessful run of the Brazilian's career.
After previously being unbeaten for years, Aldo went on to earn eight wins but suffered seven defeats.
#2. Conor McGregor, former UFC two-division champion
The very peak of Conor McGregor's career was his historic win over Eddie Alvarez. By defeating 'The Underground King,' the Irishman became the first simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC. However, what followed was the downfall of his MMA career.
He pursued a boxing match with legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. While 'The Notorious' lost the bout via 10th round TKO, he earned between $100-130 million for his efforts. During this time, he did not take part in any MMA training and fell in love with his own boxing.
Upon his return to the UFC, he was a far cry from the elusive counterpuncher who relied on a bladed karate stance for his mobility. At his best, the Irishman used his stance to dart in and out of range, forcing opponents to overextend as he bounced out of range.
Just as his foe's punches fell short, he bounced back into range with a sniping straight left. Unfortunately, upon his return to the UFC, 'The Notorious' was a flat-footed boxer. While he managed to defeat an over-the-hill Donald Cerrone, he suffered defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier (twice).
#1. Ronda Rousey, former UFC women's bantamweight champion
Other than Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey was the UFC's only other crossover star. She inspired an entire generation of women to not only watch but compete in MMA. As a former Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, 'Rowdy' was a grappling dynamo. Her specialty, however, was her armbar.
Her first seven MMA fights all ended via first-round armbar, during which she captured the UFC women's bantamweight title. Ronda Rousey captured the imagination of the casual audience in the same manner that Mike Tyson did during the heights of his career.
Like 'Iron Mike,' 'Rowdy's' fights ended quickly with her opponents looking helpless and fearful. Fans wondered if anyone could stop her armbars. Her arch-rival, Miesha Tate, survived until the third round before surrendering to the inevitable. It was around this time that Rousey's supposed invincibility reached absurd heights.
Talk of her allegedly dropping world champion boxers in training made the rounds. They were perpetrated by her head coach, Edmond Tarverdyan. A series of TKO/KO wins led the sixth-degree Judo black belt into buying into her own hype. By the time she faced Holly Holm, she was convinced.
She tried to strike with the former world champion boxer. By the time she tried to rely on her judo, she was stunned and out of her wits against a superior fighter. Rousey was dealt a brutal beating en route to a second-round KO. Upon her return a year later, nothing had changed.
The judoka faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 and tried to strike with the power-punching Brazilian. Only after being wobbled did she try to clinch with 'The Lioness.' But it was too little too late. Within 48 seconds, she was TKO'd and retired after back-to-back losses.
