3 of the most misleading losing skids in UFC history

To be victorious in the UFC often takes an MMA fighter a lifetime of dedication to their craft. Years and years of long days in the gym involving non-stop training while developing a mixed martial arts skillset. Very few MMA fighters make it to the UFC, so it is all the more special when your hand is raised inside the octagon.

However, just like any other sport, the outcome is not always fair. Perhaps that’s what makes sport interesting, the best football team doesn’t win every match, and consequently, the outcome of a fight is not always based on talent alone. There are so many mitigating factors involved in an MMA bout that the winner is often hard to predict. Even gambling sites must find it difficult to correctly adjust the odds of a UFC fight based on risk assessment.

A fighter can dominate a UFC bout for 24 minutes, only to be stopped in the final seconds with a knockout blow; such is the nature of MMA. In this sense, a loss can often be misleading on a fighter's resume, and it may not reveal a true representation of their capabilities.

Let’s take a look at three of the most misleading losing skids in UFC history:

#3 Nate Diaz - UFC career 2007-present

UFC 263: Adesanya v Vettori 2

Stockton-native Nate Diaz has a professional MMA record of 20-13, which at first glance looks mediocre at best. Yet this southpaw has been the recipient of a UFC bonus a staggering 15 times, so we shouldn’t be too quick to judge.

After his loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 last Saturday, Diaz is now 1-3 in his last four fights. However, the man representing the ‘209’ nearly finished Edwards in the final moments of the fifth round, almost a carbon copy of his 2016 rematch with Conor McGregor.

His easily bloodied face notwithstanding, the other recent loss was via doctor stoppage to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 in 2019 for the ceremonial BMF belt. Despite the seemingly large number of losses on his record, Nate Diaz has proved he can go toe-to-toe with elite UFC fighters.

#2 Beneil Dariush - UFC career 2014-present

UFC 262: Tony Ferguson v Beneil Dariush

A draw can seem like a loss to some UFC fighters, especially when you badly need a win.

Beneil Dariush was dominating his matchup against Edson Barboza in 2017, only to be knocked out by a flash flying knee from the dangerous Brazilian. In his next fight, the American would play out a frustrating majority draw with Evan Dunham, but the worst was yet to come.

Desperate to get back to winning ways, Dariush was caught flat-footed against Alexander Hernandez, KO’d in the very first minute of round one in 2018. Now on an impressive seven-fight win streak that includes victories against Drew Dober and Tony Ferguson, Dariush has shown his elite pedigree was always there.

#1 Henry Cejudo - UFC career 2014-2020

UFC 249 Cejudo v Cruz

‘Triple C’ Henry Cejudo is the only person in history to win both an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title. ‘Triple C’ was named so because he was at one stage UFC champion in two divisions simultaneously (flyweight and bantamweight). However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the American.

Cejudo won every one of his ten professional MMA fights before he met Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197 in 2016. Johnson finished Cejudo in the first round via a flurry of knees and punches. ‘The Messenger’ also lost his next bout, a split-decision against Joseph Benavidez.

Despite the disappointment of a two-fight losing streak, the quality remained. Cejudo would avenge his loss to Johnson in 2018 and then go on to become the ‘Triple C’ fans know and love today.

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