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2022 was a banner year for UFC stars like Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev, but some others weren’t quite so successful.
A number of UFC stars with big reputations simply didn’t live up to the hype in 2022, and they now find themselves at a pivotal point going into 2023. Can their careers recover after their awkward and often disappointing 2022? Only time will tell, but these fighters will definitely hope to get back on track next year.
Here are five UFC fighters who didn’t live up to the hype in 2022.
#5. Petr Yan – former UFC bantamweight champion
Okay, so it’s perhaps harsh to claim that former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan didn’t live up to the hype in 2022. ‘No Mercy’ did lose both of his fights, but neither one saw him finished by his opponent.
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Firstly, he was outpointed by Aljamain Sterling in their title fight, failing to claim back the gold he lost to ‘Funk Master’ in 2021. After that, he fell to rising star Sean O’Malley in one of the best fights of the year, albeit thanks to some widely-disputed judging.
However, given the hype that surrounded Yan previously, it’s hard not to be disappointed by his 2022. After all, the Russian was built up to be a generational talent, the kind of fighter who could rule over the UFC bantamweight division for years.
It looked that way when he destroyed the likes of Urijah Faber and Jose Aldo, after all. His title loss to Sterling, which saw him disqualified for an illegal knee, also did little to change that.
When he claimed an interim title by beating Cory Sandhagen, the feeling that he would easily claim his title back from Sterling only grew.
However, ‘Funk Master’ switched things up slightly, and while Yan did well in the later rounds, the domination Sterling showed on the ground in the early going was enough to give him the win.
More importantly, while his clash with O’Malley was great, most fans figured that ‘Sugar’ wouldn’t live with Yan, and that wasn’t the case at all. It could be argued that ‘No Mercy’ deserved the win, but the fact that O’Malley did so well against him was a little jarring for fans of Yan.
Yan could climb back into contention at some point, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever regain the hype he lost this year.
#4. Calvin Kattar – UFC featherweight contender
When he opened the year by defeating rising star Giga Chikadze in a five-round thriller, it felt like 2022 might finally see Calvin Kattar climb into contention for the UFC featherweight title.
Since then, though, ‘The Boston Finisher’ has suffered nothing but disappointment. After his most recent defeat, he might find it hard to ever get back to where he was at the start of this year.
After his win over Chikadze, Kattar was then matched with Josh Emmett in the headline bout of a Fight Night event in June. With both men coming off big wins, the victor of this fight was definitely destined for big things in the future.
However, despite Kattar’s best efforts, Emmett was able to land the bigger, harder shots throughout the bout and claimed a unanimous decision. The fact that he’s now been elevated into an interim featherweight title fight must’ve only been more frustrating for Kattar.
Worse was to come, though. In a highly anticipated clash with the undefeated Arnold Allen – Kattar’s third headline bout of the year – ‘The Boston Finisher’ suffered a serious knee injury.
Allen was awarded a TKO victory, and instead of a big win, Kattar walked away with a torn ACL, an injury that’s likely to keep him out for most of 2023.
A torn ACL is the kind of injury that many athletes never truly recover from. So, whether Kattar can ever come back to form is a fair question to ask. Overall, it’s safe to say that due to unfortunate circumstances, ‘The Boston Finisher’ didn’t live up to his hype in 2022.
#3. Jorge Masvidal – UFC welterweight contender
It’s fair to say that Jorge Masvidal remains one of the UFC’s most bankable stars. In fact, ‘Gamebred’ may end up with a shot at the welterweight title if the stars align for him in 2023.
However, it’s fair to say that after a disappointing 2022, he probably doesn’t really deserve any kind of title shot.
Masvidal only fought once this year, and while his bout with bitter rival Colby Covington came with plenty of hype, it turned out to be a disappointment. ‘Gamebred’ simply couldn’t stop Covington’s wrestling game, falling to a five-round decision loss.
Worse was still to come, though. Weeks after the defeat, it was alleged that Masvidal attacked Covington outside a restaurant, sucker-punching him and fracturing at least one of his teeth.
‘Chaos’ was quick to press charges, and while Masvidal has not been convicted or fined just yet, he still has a potential trial for felony battery to come in 2023.
Given that he now hasn’t won a fight in the octagon since his November 2019 victory over Nate Diaz, it’s safe to say that Masvidal failed to live up to the hype this year.
Given his lack of wins in recent years, it’s also arguable that time may be running out for him heading into 2023.
#2. Aleksandar Rakic – UFC light heavyweight contender
Coming into 2022, a number of younger, rising light heavyweight stars were getting plenty of hype. However, while Magomed Ankalaev, Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka all delivered the goods, the same cannot be said for Aleksandar Rakic.
‘The Rocket’ came into this year off the back of two straight wins, beating Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos in back-to-back fights. Were it not for some questionable judges, in fact, he might’ve beaten Volkan Oezdemir in 2019, giving him an unbeaten record in the octagon.
It was clear to everyone that Rakic was a potential title contender at 205 pounds, and so it came as no surprise to see him matched with former champ Jan Blachowicz in May. Were he to win, the word was that ‘Rocket’ might be given a title shot.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t what happened. After two back-and-forth rounds in a competitive bout, Rakic suffered a major knee injury after taking a low kick from Blachowicz in the third.
The fight was immediately called off, and unsurprisingly, the Austrian fighter headed straight into surgery for a torn ACL.
Rakic is now not expected to return to the UFC until at least the summer of 2023, and if he can ever recover fully is a question mark, too. It’s definitely fair to say that he didn’t live up to the hype in 2022, and may never be the same fighter again.
#1. Derrick Lewis – UFC heavyweight contender
When he ended 2021 by violently knocking out Chris Daukaus, becoming the most prolific knockout artist in UFC history in the process, it was hard not to expect a big 2022 for Derrick Lewis.
Sure, ‘The Black Beast’ had failed in a second attempt to claim UFC heavyweight gold in 2021, but that didn’t matter. He was still the division’s most dangerous power puncher, with the ability to take out any fighter at any given moment with a big shot.
It didn’t take the promotion long to book Lewis’ next fight. Just eight weeks after his win over Daukaus, he faced fellow heavy hitter Tai Tuivasa.
Despite starting the fight well, though, hurting ‘Bam Bam’ with punches, Lewis couldn’t put him away – and Tuivasa ended up turning the tide. He landed a stunning elbow to the side of Lewis’ head, knocking him out in a remarkable moment.
The fight felt like a passing of the torch of sorts, from one heavy-handed knockout artist to a younger version. ‘The Black Beast’ basically hasn’t recovered since.
His next bout saw him lose to Sergei Pavlovich in his home state of Texas, again by knockout. What could’ve been an opportunity to bounce back against Sergei Spivac, meanwhile, also went out of the window when he suffered from a mysterious stomach illness on the day of the fight.
Whether Lewis can get back to his best in 2023 remains to be seen, as he may be reaching the end of the road at the age of 37. Only time will tell, but it’s safe to say that he’ll definitely want to forget his 2022.
