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In the UFC, there is always a fair bit of mystique surrounding undefeated fighters. Unbeaten mixed martial artists draw fan interest, as many are eager to see what exactly allowed them to go so long without having their records blemished. For their opponents, the intrigue is in testing them.
How good are they truly? Are they unbeaten because of their otherworldly skill and effectiveness or because they have fought subpar competition? It is difficult to determine. This is why many are often eager to see how formerly undefeated fighters rebound after taking their first loss.
Unfortunately, it isn't often well. Not everyone is Islam Makhachev, whose first loss was but a mere delay on his journey to lightweight championship glory. For others, their first loss marks the start of a rough patch wherein they never again amass win streaks.
#5. Gregor Gillespie, UFC lightweight
There is a strong likelihood that Gregor Gillespie will never fight again. He is 36 years old, with his 37th birthday next month. This does not bode well for him at lightweight, a young man's division. But why is that? Why hasn't he fought in the three years since his hard-fought TKO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira?
At one point, Gillespie was undefeated, possessing the kind of freestyle wrestling credentials that most fighters could only dream of. But after a vicious head-kick knockout loss to Kevin Lee in 2019, he took a two-year hiatus from the sport to recover from both the knockout and his first professional loss.
Check out Gregor Gillespie getting knocked out by Kevin Lee:
Upon his return, he defeated Ferreira but hasn't fought since. Rumor has it that Gillespie has refused to take fights with anyone ranked below the top 8, which has made life difficult for matchmakers. With his 40th birthday nearing and after three years of inactivity, he may never fight again.
#4. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, UFC heavyweight
It is regrettable that Jairzinho Rozenstruik is remembered more for being knocked out by Francis Ngannou in embarrassing fashion than he is for knocking out Alistair Overeem in the dying seconds of a five-rounder he was losing, leaving the Dutchman with one of the most gruesome cuts in UFC history.
Perhaps it is because before he faced Ngannou, he was undefeated, and nine of his 10 wins had come by knockout. Furthermore, he had ample kickboxing experience, so a lot was expected of him. But after losing to Ngannou, he has been on a win-loss run of form.
Check out Jairzinho Rozenstruik getting knocked out by Francis Ngannou:
He bounced back by TKO'ing Junior dos Santos but was subsequently outstruck by Ciryl Gane. Afterward, he TKO'd Augusto Sakai, only to suffer back-to-back losses to Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. He again bounced back with a knockout over Chris Daukaus but was subsequently submitted by Jailton Almeida.
#3. Ciryl Gane, UFC heavyweight
Jon Jones correctly pointed out that Ciryl Gane was once regarded as the future of heavyweight MMA. He is light-footed, mobile, agile, and blindingly fast. His striking acumen is relatively unmatched at heavyweight, sans for maybe Tom Aspinall. These skills, as well as his athleticism, made him undefeated at one point.
At a perfect 10–0, he was the then UFC interim heavyweight champion and favored to dethrone then undisputed titleholder Francis Ngannou, his former teammate. Instead, Gane was outwrestled by a knee-less Ngannou in a competitive bout that handed him his first loss.
Check out Ciryl Gane getting outwrestled by Francis Ngannou:
Afterward, he faced the more one-dimensional Tai Tuivasa, knocking him out after being dropped himself. Alas, he then faced a returning Jon Jones, who made quick work of him, submitting him within two minutes. He has since TKO'd Serghei Spivac but has yet to mount another win streak.
#2. Alexandr Romanov, UFC heavyweight
If anyone was primed to bring Moldova its first UFC championship, it would have been Alexandr Romanov. At least, that was what many expected of him. A highly credentialed freestyle wrestler with an absurdly high finishing rate and an undefeated record, Romanov seemed destined for success.
He was fast and powerful and entered the promotion at 11–0. After a successful promotional debut and four more wins, he was 16–0, with 15 finishes and just one decision. He had knocked out/TKO'd six foes and submitted nine. However, then came the matchup with Marcin Tybura.
Check out Alexandr Romanov getting TKO'd by Alexander Volkov:
Despite a strong start to the bout, he tired tremendously and lost a controversial majority decision that many felt should have been scored a draw. In his next fight, he lost to towering Russian Alexandar Volkov, who TKO'd him within a round. While he has since beaten Blagoy Ivanov, he is yet to be on another win streak.
#1. Paulo Costa, UFC middleweight
Like Alexandr Romanov, Paulo Costa was an undefeated finisher on the rise. Along the way, he had finished all but one of his opponents, Yoel Romero. Nevertheless, he had scored victories over a former UFC champion, albeit from a lighter weight class and on the decline, Johny Hendricks.
At a perfect 13–0, with the pressure game that seemed an intriguing stylistic challenge for Israel Adesanya, 'Borrachinha' was thrust into title contention. However, he was not as good as advertised, suffering a humiliating defeat to Israel Adesanya, who dismantled and TKO'd him within two rounds before humping him.
Check out Paulo Costa getting TKO'd by Israel Adesanya:
Costa subsequently lost a unanimous decision to Marvin Vettori, an unremarkable jack of all trades-master of none fighters, before finding victory against an over-the-hill Luke Rockhold, who had lost three of his last four fights prior. Then, following a two-year absence, 'Borrachinha' returned in 2024 with a loss to Robert Whittaker.
