5 fighters whose aura was shattered with one devastating loss in the UFC and beyond

#2. ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed

'Prince' Naseem Hamed became a pop culture icon until he suffered his first loss

MMA isn’t the only combat sport where a fighter’s aura can be shattered after just one devastating loss. The same thing happened to the British boxing legend, 'Prince' Naseem Hamed, two decades ago, completely derailing his glittering career.

Hamed made his professional boxing debut in the early 1990’s, and after a string of early victories, he defeated Freddy Cruz to win the WBC international super-bantamweight title in 1994.

At just 21 at the time, it seemed like Hamed was destined for stardom. Not only did he carry incredible power in his hands, but his reflexes were practically unparalleled – allowing him to fight with his hands down and simply dodge his opponent’s punches using his head movement.

With a cocky, trash-talking persona and wild, lengthy entrances that would often see him dance to the ring to two or three different tracks, ‘Prince Naseem’ quickly became a pop culture icon in the UK.

And when he won the IBF, WBO and WBC featherweight titles, that popularity translated across the globe, and boxing fans were quick to proclaim him a pound-for-pound great.

📅ON THIS DAY: Hamed vs Sanchez war🔥⏪Back in 2000 Naseem Hamed recovered from a controversial trip to the canvas to KO Augie Sanchez in the fourth round💥 pic.twitter.com/WkASslt2U3

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 19, 2021

However, April 2001 saw ‘Prince Naseem’ faced with his most difficult opponent to date – Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera – with the vacant IBO featherweight title on the line. And despite being favored to win, Hamed was thoroughly outboxed by Barrera, eventually losing a 12-round decision.

The loss completely wrecked Hamed’s unbeatable aura, and the cocky reputation he still carried suddenly turned him into a laughing stock, rather than the icon he’d been before. He fought professionally just once more, edging out a win over Manuel Calvo before retiring in 2002 at the age of just 28.

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#1. Ronda Rousey – former UFC women's bantamweight champion

Prior to her first UFC loss, Ronda Rousey was considered unbeatable

It’s arguable that no other fighter in UFC history carried an aura of invincibility quite like Ronda Rousey. At her peak, ‘Rowdy’ seemed unstoppable and capable of destroying top-ranked foes in just seconds, to the point that it felt like her UFC bantamweight title reign would go on forever.

After a career in judo that saw her win an Olympic bronze medal in 2008, Rousey first burst onto the MMA scene with Strikeforce. She put together a record of 6-0, capturing the Strikeforce bantamweight title in the process.

But it wasn’t just her undefeated record that made Rousey a big deal. She’d beaten every one of her opponents with the same hold – the armbar – and seemed to carry herself as a superstar from the word go.

It was Rousey’s star power that convinced UFC President Dana White to introduce female fighters into the UFC, and it was ‘Rowdy’ who became the first UFC women's bantamweight champion at UFC 157 when she submitted Liz Carmouche.

Rousey would go onto defend her title successfully on five occasions, with her last two defenses taking her less than a minute combined.

At that stage, she seemed so unstoppable that UFC announcer Joe Rogan famously spoke about the potential of Rousey beating a number of the UFC’s top ranked male bantamweights.

However, in her sixth defense – against former champion boxer Holly Holm – Rousey’s aura was shattered. She was unable to take Holm down and was woefully outgunned on the feet, leading to her suffering a second round knockout via a head kick.

Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm pic.twitter.com/BzvYzdcjqY

— MMA Gone Wild🥋 (@mmagonewild) November 14, 2019

Any idea that she was invincible quickly went out of the window, and ‘Rowdy’ fought just once more in the UFC, with her comeback ending at the hands of new UFC women's bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes in less than a minute.

And while Rousey is still remembered as a UFC legend, she’s now looked upon as someone who ruled over a developing division, rather than the pop culture icon she once was.