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It is incredibly tough to become a UFC champion, but it is much harder to stay there. The moment someone becomes a champion in the world's most famous fighting organization, they become the most studied fighter on the planet. Every contender's team is looking to find any weakness in the titleholder.
It's tough psychologically, too, because every time a challenger fights, it's the biggest fight of their life, but it's just another title defense for the champion. Title contenders will most likely bring their A-game, and a champion may or may not be able to keep up with that level of intensity.
There have been numerous title defenses in the UFC, but some have landed champions in extremely high-pressure situations. Let’s take a closer look at five UFC titleholders who defended their belts when the stakes were high:
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#5. T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt 2 at UFC 227:
One of the best rivalries in recent history saw former training partners become enemies. Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male and joined Duane Ludwig in Colorado, which angered all of TAM and left them bitter.
Dillashaw first defeated Garbrandt to become the bantamweight champion in their first fight. However, everyone was talking about how Garbrandt had Dillashaw hurt in the final seconds of the first round, and if he had more time, he would've retained his belt.
The California native was left frustrated by these comments, and the pressure was on him to prove the haters wrong. When they met in the rematch, Dillashaw convincingly knocked out 'No Love'. He defended his title and put their rivalry to bed.
#4. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 at UFC 148:
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had one of the best rivalries in the history of the UFC. Their beef started when Silva fought Maia in Abu Dhabi. Silva put on one of the worst performances, doing just the bare minimum to retain.
All the fans turned against 'The Spider' and Dana White even refused to put the belt around his waist. This led to a public campaign started by Sonnen demanding a title shot.
In their first fight, Sonnen dominated Silva for four and a half rounds, but Silva somehow managed to catch him in a triangle and beat him. Fans all across the world were calling Silva lucky.
Before the rematch, it looked like Anderson Silva was feeling the pressure of the moment. As soon as the bell rang, Sonnen got him on the ground and started to control him there. But Silva rallied together to finish Sonnen in the second round via TKO.
#3. Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey at UFC 207:
The fight was built up as the return of Ronda Rousey. She was out of the sport for an entire year after suffering her first loss against Holly Holm.
Everyone was on the 'Rowdy' hype train, and no one was even giving the champion, Amanda Nunes, a chance. It was hard to take for Nunes, as she believed she was being overlooked.
Nunes pulled out her lioness mask at the weigh-ins and stared Rousey down. 'The Lioness' looked calm and collected as she made her way toward the octagon. She was oozing confidence and was waiting to get her hands on Rousey.
Nunes put on a clinic against the former champion and finished her inside one round, which sent Ronda Rousey straight to retirement, and Nunes became the new face of women's MMA.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 229:
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is the biggest fight in the history of MMA. UFC 229 did 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, which is the largest amount of pay-per-view sales generated for a UFC event.
The backstory and the clear dislike the two fighters had for each other made this fight a must-see. 'Notorious' was coming off a lucrative boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and Nurmagomedov had just won the championship.
The build-up leading up to the fight was grim and toxic. After conducting the press conference, Dana White said that this was the darkest press conference he had ever handled. The pressure was on 'The Eagle' to win as McGregor accused him of never facing elite competition.
As soon as the bell rang, Nurmagomedov took control. He dominated McGregor in the grappling exchanges and even on the feet. The most shocking moment of the fight came when 'The Eagle' dropped McGregor in the second round with an overhand right. The Dagestani went on to submit the Irishman in the fourth round.
#1. Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 270:
Francis Ngannou became the heavyweight champion in March 2021 when he finished Stipe Miocic by knockout. After winning, Ngannou left for his native country Cameroon to celebrate with his people, which brought a delay in negotiations for his next fight.
The matchmakers were left frustrated, and they made an interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derick Lewis. This made Ngannou feel disrespected as he was ready to defend in September, and the interim title bout was made for August.
'Bon Gamin' beat Derick Lewis by TKO in the third round, setting up an epic title unification fight between the two former training partners. Ngannou went public before the fight about his pay and said he wouldn't sign a new UFC contract on the pay he was currently on.
This made the fight a must-win for 'The Predator' as he would have an advantage in his ongoing negotiations. To no surprise, the fight began with Gane taking control of the center of the octagon and beating Ngannou to the punch.
However, in the third round, 'The Predator' took Gane down and controlled him there. Ngannou won the bout via UD and revealed after the fight that he suffered a torn ACL and a damaged MCL in training camp. This made his win even more special, given the incredibly high-pressure circumstances.
