5 former Bellator champions who struggled in the UFC

This weekend at UFC 262, Michael Chandler will fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title.

If Michael Chandler wins at UFC 262, he’ll become only the second former Bellator champion to hold gold in the UFC.

That's because, for the most part, Bellator champions who’ve moved into the UFC have largely struggled for traction.

Michael Chandler will have a chance to become the exception to that rule this weekend. But for now, here is a look at five former Bellator champions who struggled in the UFC.

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#1 Ben Askren (UFC record: 1-2)

Despite coming into the UFC undefeated, Ben Askren struggled inside the octagon.

Perhaps the most infamous former Bellator champion to make his way to the UFC was former welterweight kingpin, Ben Askren.

A renowned, world-class amateur wrestler, Askren ran roughshod over Bellator’s welterweight division, defeating Lyman Good for the Bellator title in 2010 and making four successful title defenses.

However, Funky Ben’s grappling-heavy style was deemed too dull for the UFC. And this – along with a spat with UFC president Dana White – meant that when he departed Bellator in 2013, he headed to ONE FC rather than the UFC.

In 2018 though, after winning a further six fights there to take his record to 18-0, Askren finally made the move to the UFC.

However, the octagon turned out to be a tricky place for him to navigate.

Funky Ben defeated Robbie Lawler on his debut in a controversial fight but was then stopped by Jorge Masvidal in what was the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Finally, Askren lost to Demian Maia and ended up hanging his gloves up after the fight.

Sure, it could be argued that he came to the UFC too late, but it’s still hard to dispute the idea that he struggled there.

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#2 Will Brooks (UFC record: 1-3)

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks failed to make an impact in the UFC.

If anything should make Michael Chandler concerned about his ability to succeed in the UFC, it’s what happened to former Bellator lightweight champ Will Brooks.

Ill Will – who defeated Chandler twice in Bellator and took his title in the process – moved to the UFC in mid-2016 when his contract with their rival promotion came to an end.

Brooks defeated veteran Ross Pearson in his UFC debut. However, it wasn’t a standout performance and in reality, alarm bells probably should’ve been ringing.

And sure enough, Brooks’ next three fights saw him stopped three times, falling to Alex Oliveira, Charles Oliveira and finally Nik Lentz.

None of the performances came close to the level that he’d showed in Bellator. After the loss to Lentz, Ill Will was cut from his UFC contract.

Since then, Brooks has been unable to recapture his Bellator form. His UFC tenure remains a piece of evidence to suggest that Bellator indeed has a weaker talent pool.

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#3 Lyman Good (UFC record: 3-3)

Lyman Good has never made it into UFC title contention despite joining the promotion in 2015.

The inaugural Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good claimed his title by defeating three opponents in a tournament.

He lost the title to Ben Askren in his first defense but was still largely successful in Bellator, winning eight fights there and losing just three.

But since arriving in the UFC in 2015, The Cyborg has largely struggled.

He won his octagon debut by knocking out Andrew Craig but was then suspended for six months by USADA following a positive test for a banned substance.

Good returned in 2017 and has defeated two opponents since – Ben Saunders and Chance Rencountre. However, he’s also lost three fights, one of which against Demian Maia saw him stopped for the first time in his MMA career.

The Cyborg remains part of the UFC’s roster, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever replicate his Bellator success in the octagon any time soon.

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#4 Joe Soto (UFC record: 3-5)

Despite being a former Bellator champion, Joe Soto racked up a losing record in the UFC.

Like Lyman Good, Joe Soto was one of Bellator’s inaugural champions, in this case winning the promotion’s featherweight title in 2009.

Soto’s Bellator career ended when he lost his title to Joe Warren in 2010. But after winning six fights on the regional circuit, Soto was signed by the UFC in 2014.

Strangely enough, Soto’s first UFC outing was a shot at UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. But despite putting up a good fight, he lost the late-notice bout by TKO.

From there, many fans expected Soto to settle into a solid UFC career.

Instead, though, he lost his next two fights to Anthony Birchak and Michinori Tanaka. Despite righting the ship with three straight wins after that, Soto's UFC career came to an end in 2018 following two stoppage losses in a row.

Soto was never really expected to set the world on fire in the UFC, but to end his tenure there with a losing record was still massively disappointing.

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#5 Hector Lombard (UFC record: 3-8-1)

Hector Lombard's UFC career ended when he lost six fights in a row.

When it comes to Bellator champions with big reputations struggling in the UFC, Hector Lombard is the fighter who instantly comes to mind.

The Cuban judoka won Bellator’s middleweight title in 2009 in the midst of a lengthy winning streak and quickly became one of the most feared 185lbers on the planet.

A total of 24 opponents fell to him between 2006 and 2011, usually going down by knockout, as Trevor Prangley, Alexander Shlemenko and Niko Vitale all did in Bellator.

But despite joining the UFC as the hottest free agent in the sport, Lombard simply failed miserably inside the octagon.

A split decision loss to Tim Boetsch in his UFC debut meant he was immediately knocked out of UFC title contention.

And while Lombard was able to win four of his next five fights, a positive drugs test following a win over Josh Burkman meant he was suspended for a year.

Upon his return, Lombard didn’t look like the same fighter physically – bringing into question his incredible run in Bellator. he went on to lose six UFC fights in a row.

Lombard is now widely remembered as one of the greatest busts in UFC history.