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UFC champions represent the highest level of success in the world of mixed martial arts. Some fighters captured UFC gold and embarked on lengthy win streaks as they defended their divisional thrones from up-and-coming challengers. These fighters include the likes of Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson.
Some fighters undergo different career trajectories. They captured world titles in the promotion, but suffered defeat against a new threat that claimed their position at the MMA mountaintop. Instead of fading under the shadow of a losing streak, however, these fighters continued to win.
Unfortunately, they failed to reclaim their titles. Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway fit this mold. Other cases, however, are different. Some champions experienced sharp declines after losing their titles. In the wake of the events of UFC Fight Night 221 this past Saturday, this list looks at such champions.
#5. Petr Yan, former UFC bantamweight champion
At one point in time, Russian phenom Petr Yan was regarded as the best bantamweight in the world. Years ago, he defeated legendary featherweight José Aldo to claim the promotion's vacant 135 lbs throne. Despite the widespread praise he received, the merits of his win were called into question by Aljamain Sterling.
The two squared off at UFC 259 and 'Funk Master' captured the title in surprising fashion via disqualification. While 'No Mercy' rebounded from the loss with a split-decision win against Cory Sandhagen, it was the last win of his career thus far. His rematch with Aljamain Sterling ended in a split-decision loss.
His subsequent bout against Sean O'Malley was predicted by many to be an easy win for the former champion. Instead, he lost the fight to an opponent who previously did poorly against top-ten ranked foes. In his third consecutive loss, he lost in dominant fashion to Merab Dvalishvili last Saturday in a shocking upset.
#4. Joanna Jędrzejczyk, former UFC women's strawweight champion
In the past, Joanna Jędrzejczyk was regarded by the promotion as a future star to helm the next generation of women’s MMA fighters in the post-Ronda Rousey era. Before losing the title, the Polish striking specialist was an undefeated fighter with a string of title defenses.
But at UFC 217, she suffered a stunning knockout loss to Rose Namajunas before losing the subsequent rematch in a more competitive manner. While she rebounded with a win against Tecia Torres, she suffered another loss, this time to Valentina Shevchenko in a bout for the vacant flyweight throne.
She followed the loss with a win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez before dropping two fights to Zhang Weili, the second of which was by knockout. After her knockout loss to Weili, she called time on her illustrious career and retired.
#3. Tyron Woodley, former UFC welterweight champion
Years ago, Tyron Woodley claimed he was the greatest welterweight in the promotion's history. He captured the 170 lbs crown after flattening Robbie Lawler with a first-round knockout within two minutes. His subsequent two bouts were against Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
The first fight was ruled a draw, allowing 'The Chosen One' to retain his title. The pair's second bout was a majority win in Tyron Woodley's favor. Afterwards, the former champion defended his title against Demian Maia and Darren Till. Unfortunately, it was the last win of the NCAA Division I standout's career.
'The Chosen One' lost all of his next fights in dominant fashion. He lost all five rounds against Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and was finished by Colby Covington late into their fight. His final fight was against Vicente Luque and it ended with him being rocked and defeated via submission in the first round before the UFC refused to renew his contract.
#2. Cody Garbrandt, former UFC bantamweight champion
Not many fighters have experienced a fall from grace as severe as Cody Garbrandt. Years ago, 'No Love' was an unbeaten knockout artist who dethroned Dominick Cruz as the bantamweight king with a star-making performance. Fans and fighters everywhere were convinced that it was the start of the Garbrandt era.
Instead, he suffered a pair of knockout losses to former teammate T.J. Dillashaw. He was the victim of a third consecutive loss after Pedro Munhoz TKO'd him within four minutes of the first round. While 'No Love' snapped his losing streak with a KO over Raphael Assunção, it wasn't a sign of things to come.
He suffered two losses to Rob Font and Kai Kara-France, which forced the promotion's hand. He recently clashed with the unranked Trevin Jones, whose record stood at 13-9-1 prior to their bout. It took an unranked foe for the former champion to earn a comfortable win, but he is still only 2-5 in his last 7 bouts.
#1. Renan Barão, former UFC bantamweight champion
Almost no one understands exactly what happened to Renan Barão. Years ago, the Brazilian was unbeaten in 33 fights. He successfully defended his bantamweight title against MMA legend Urijah Faber with an impressive TKO win that left Dana White wondering whether he was the P4P best fighter in the world.
His subsequent bout against T.J. Dillashaw, however, was one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. The Brazilian was battered for five rounds before being TKO'd in brutal fashion. He rebounded against Mitch Gagnon but suffered losses to T.J. Dillashaw and Jeremy Stephens after this win.
Despite snapping his losing streak once more against Phillipe Nover, he never won for the rest of his career as he lost his next five bouts. While he never officially announced his retirement, he hasn't set foot in the cage since 2019.
