5 most disappointing title losses in UFC history featuring Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya

In the UFC, there's no shame when a champion loses their title. Even if it comes by knockout or submission, losing to the best is something that happens to even great fighters.

Over the years, though, we've seen a number of UFC champions who lost their titles in disappointing fashion, essentially failing to produce even close to their best on the night.

There are usually good reasons for this, be it injuries or another issue. Whenever it happens, though, it's hard to see.

Here are five of the most disappointing title losses in UFC history.

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#5. Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev - UFC 313

The most recent entry to this list came this past weekend at UFC 313, when light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira was dethroned by Magomed Ankalaev.

In fairness to 'Poatan', a number of observers suspected that Ankalaev could be the man to defeat him, citing the Dagestani's powerful wrestling game as the main reason.

However, in reality, that wrestling game didn't come into play for the most part. Pereira had clearly drilled it, and was able to fend off all of Ankalaev's takedowns.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian, though, that takedown defense was basically his one big success in the fight. Outside of a solid first round, Pereira simply couldn't get his vaunted kickboxing game going, and ended up being largely outlanded by Ankalaev, both in the clinch and from range.

What caused him to be so off? A couple of theories have been mooted. One is that Pereira simply never recovered after Ankalaev rang his bell with a left hook in the second round. Another is a rumor that 'Poatan' was ill coming into the bout.

Either way, given his destructiveness in his previous three title defenses, it was hard not to be disappointed by Pereira last weekend. His fans will be hoping that he'll be able to turn things around and produce a far better showing in a potential rematch.

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#4. Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland - UFC 293

If Alex Pereira's poor performance at UFC 313 was caused by the fact that he had his bell rung in the second round, it's arguable that he was once again following in the footsteps of his rival Israel Adesanya.

'The Last Stylebender' appeared to be riding the crest of a wave when he regained his middleweight title from 'Poatan' in early 2023. By finally beating his Brazilian nemesis, he appeared to be well on his way to another dominant run atop the 185 pound mountain.

Incredibly, though, Adesanya lost his title just five months later to massive underdog Sean Strickland. To make matters worse, he just didn't perform anywhere close to his best.

What went wrong for 'The Last Stylebender'? Things seemed to be going swimmingly for him until he suffered a knockdown late in the first round, and from there, he was never truly in the fight.

In hindsight, it's likely that Adesanya probably suffered some kind of concussion following the knockdown.

That'd be the easiest way to explain why Strickland was somehow allowed to march him down with nothing but jabs and the odd kick, with 'The Last Stylebender' unable to utilise his famed counter striking.

In the end, 'Tarzan' was awarded four of the five rounds and became the new champion, and Adesanya was left stunned, falling victim to one of the most disappointing title defenses in UFC history. It's arguable he's never really recovered.

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#3. Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos - UFC 185

When Anthony Pettis submitted Benson Henderson to claim the lightweight title in the summer of 2013, it felt like a breath of fresh air for the UFC's 155 pound division.

After all, the division's title picture had been filled with longer, tactical wars and seemingly never-ending rematches for the previous three years, with Henderson and Frankie Edgar holding the title.

Pettis, on the other hand, was an explosive fighter capable of finishing foes on the ground or the feet. 'Showtime' seemed to have it all, and when he made his first defense by submitting Gilbert Melendez, Dana White and company put their whole promotional might behind him.

The lightweight kingpin was positioned as the poster-boy for the UFC's Spring events in 2015, which were subtitled 'Welcome to the Show'. The idea that he'd lose his title to top contender Rafael dos Anjos, who was seen as a journeyman on a strong run, seemed laughable.

Sadly for Pettis, that's exactly what happened. 'Showtime' was beaten up in every possible area by 'RDA' across five rounds, and could not get anything going.

Sure, there's an argument that he was simply outclassed by the Brazilian, but it was also impossible to shake the feeling that Pettis simply wasn't close to his best to begin with.

Unfortunately, this disappointing title loss was probably the first time the inconsistency that plagued Pettis' career in general had really come to the forefront. Despite some big wins following it, he never came close to regaining his crown.

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#2. Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili - UFC 306

Few fighters in UFC history reached the top of the mountain with as much fanfare as Sean O'Malley.

'Suga' was seen as a future star from the moment he made his octagon debut in 2017. While he garnered some criticism for not fighting the strongest opponents in his early career, by the time he earned a shot at bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling in 2023, nobody could question his credentials.

When O'Malley then starched 'Funk Master' to claim the gold, it felt like the UFC had discovered their new poster-boy. Clips of 'Suga' knocking Sterling out went viral, and his first title defense saw him outclass the only man to ever beat him previously, Marlon Vera.

Unfortunately, the 'Suga' show came grinding to a halt at UFC 306, when O'Malley faced top contender Merab Dvalishvili.

The confident champion who'd sniped Vera appeared to be gone, wilting under the pressure and the takedowns of Dvalishvili, who only grew in confidence as the fight went on.

Remarkably, O'Malley did threaten a comeback in the fifth round, but by that point, it was far too late. If anything, it left fans questioning where the urgency he'd shown at that stage was in the early part of the fight.

O'Malley has not fought since, and he's young enough to easily ascend the mountain for a second time. For now, though, it's hard not to consider this one of the most disappointing title losses in UFC history.

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#1. Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza - UFC 274

While all of the other title losses on this list were disappointing, the champions in question were at least dethroned by a challenger who appeared to be at the top of their game.

The same cannot truly be said for the final entry. UFC 274 saw strawweight champ Rose Namajunas dethroned by top contender Carla Esparza in a bizarre fight that saw both women look under par.

However, 'Thug Rose' in particular did not produce anything close to her best showing. Where she'd displayed poise, beautiful technique and explosive striking in her title wins over Weili Zhang, here, she looked gunshy and tepid.

Esparza didn't look too much better, but because she showed more forward motion and landed a couple of takedowns, she was able to eke out a decision win.

What went wrong for Namajunas? In all honesty, it's still difficult to say. She didn't appear to be hurt in the fight, nor were there any stories of her being injured going into the bout.

Perhaps 'Thug Rose' simply over-thought the problem, knowing 'Cookie Monster' had beaten her before. The truth is, we'll never know. However, it's hard to shake the idea that this was probably the most disappointing title loss in UFC history.