5 current UFC fighters with a brilliant redemption arc

#2 UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz

UFC 259: Blachowicz v Adesanya

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz recently defended his title for the first time, defeating striking savant Israel Adesanya with a powerful grappling display. But things haven't always come easy for the 38-year-old, who had an extremely difficult start to his UFC career.

Blachowicz lost four of his first six fights in the promotion, all via decision. He was on the verge of being cut, but a UFC card in Poland - where he hails from - presented him with one final opportunity to revive his career. 'The Prince of Cieszyn' submitted Devin Clark in the second round and hasn't looked back since.

Blachowicz has won nine of his last 10 UFC fights, with a loss to former title challenger Thiago Santos interrupting wins over Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson, Luke Rockhold and Jared Cannonier, among others. Now the UFC light heavyweight champion, the Pole has silenced his doubters and justified his abilities.

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#1 UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou

UFC 260: Miocic v Ngannou 2

If there's one UFC fighter who must have a biopic made out of their career, it's heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. His arduous journey from Africa to France and then to the UFC has been well-documented, making for a brilliant story of redemption.

But even within the UFC, Ngannou has had to face many obstacles. After a pair of one-sided losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, 'The Predator' was at a crossroads in his career, with many claiming that his limited skillset had been exposed. Then, after brushing aside a few opponents, he found fights extremely difficult to come by.

Ngannou barely spent a couple of minutes in the octagon before meeting Miocic for the second time, but he showed how much he has grown in a dominant performance to win the title.

"This moment is something I have been waiting for. It is hard to put this feeling in to words. The belt is back home where it belongs"@francis_ngannou brought the heavyweight belt to his native Cameroon 🙏 pic.twitter.com/XUNLdrgEOc

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2021

Now, the Cameroon-born fighter faces another obstacle in the form of the UFC making an interim heavyweight title fight between Lewis and Ciryl Gane. But it's safe to say that Ngannou has already redeemed himself after going through a lot of hardship.

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