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Training for a fight in the UFC is no easy task; years and years of practice in professional MMA get condensed into what’s commonly known as a ‘fight camp.’ This is usually eight to ten weeks prior to a scheduled bout, where fighters solely prepare their skills for a specific opponent. Therefore, coming up with a solid game plan is essential for any UFC fighter; as Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Tactics are very important; using your best attributes while nullifying an opponent’s attack gives you a great advantage inside the octagon. But what if months of studying a specific opponent become useless as an injury forces them out of the fight with mere days to go? A quick recalibration is not always possible when facing a short-term replacement opponent, so it can often throw a fighter off their game. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three short-notice replacement opponents who beat UFC fighters.
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#3 Frankie Edgar - UFC career 2007-present
Following his disappointing loss to Jose Aldo in 2016 - with the Brazilian stopping a five-fight win-streak - Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar soon found his way back to form with impressive back-to-back wins over Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez. A highly anticipated bout with Max Holloway was now on the cards, but the planets didn’t quite align for the American.
The first fight between Edgar and Holloway was scheduled at UFC 218 in 2017, however, Edgar pulled out of the fight due to injury. A rescheduled date for the pair had been set at UFC 222 in 2018, but ‘Blessed’ pulled out of this one about a month away from the contest. Brian Ortega stepped in as a late replacement on the card and ‘T-City’ upset Edgar’s title plans by knocking ‘The Answer’ out in the first round, the first stoppage of Edgar’s career.
#2 Luke Rockhold - UFC career 2013-2019
A five-fight win-streak in the UFC middleweight division culminated in championship gold for Luke Rockhold after he defeated Chris Weidman at UFC 194 in 2015. The streak included victories over Tim Boetsch, Costas Philippou, Lyoto Machida and Michael Bisping. Rockhold was scheduled to face Weidman in a rematch at UFC 199 in 2016. However, Weidman pulled out just over two weeks beforehand with a cervical disk herniation.
Stepping in on just 10-days' notice, ‘The Count’ Michael Bisping was looking to avenge his loss to Rockhold; after all, it was only 18-months earlier that the American had submitted Bisping. In one of the biggest shocks in MMA history, Bisping dropped Rockhold in the first round, and finished the fight off with a flurry of punches, becoming the new UFC middleweight champion.
#1 Conor McGregor - UFC career 2013-present
When ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor won the UFC featherweight title in 2015, he did it in one of the fastest times: knocking out long-time champion Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds. Next on the list was the UFC lightweight division, as the Irishman was looking to become the first UFC champ-champ. Everything looked rosy as a fight against UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos was set at UFC 196 in 2016, but Dos Anjos would pull out just two weeks prior to the contest due to a broken foot. While the likes of Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo refused offers to step in, Stockton-native Nate Diaz took the fight on 13 days’ notice.
The bout was then scheduled for the welterweight class of 170lbs, to avoid forcing Diaz to cut down to 155lbs on such short notice. McGregor gave the man representing the ‘209’ everything he had, hit him several times with that signature left hand, yet Diaz would not go away. In the biggest upset in UFC history, McGregor gassed out in the second round, allowing Diaz access to his neck. The Stockton-native won the contest via rear-naked choke, gifting the Irishman his first loss inside the octagon.
