5 of the worst title challengers in UFC history

#2 Nate Quarry

Nate Quarry challenged for the Middleweight title after just 2 UFC fights

Nate Quarry might be persona non grata with the UFC right now due to his part in the class action lawsuit against the promotion that’s currently ongoing, but back in 2005 he was one of the original TUF golden boys and he was certainly pushed too quickly into a title shot against Middleweight champion Rich Franklin, after just two wins in the Octagon, one of which came against a blown-up Welterweight.

Quarry had come into the inaugural TUF season as one of the favourites thanks to his solid 5-1 record, but an ankle injury during the tapings put him out of action. Due to his likeable, down-to-earth character though, he became wildly popular with the fans, and when he made his UFC debut proper and knocked out veteran Shonie Carter, he was treated like a star.

Another victory followed – a controversial TKO of Pete Sell – but rather than continue to build him slowly, Quarry was suddenly thrust into a Middleweight title shot at the dominant champion, Rich Franklin. Quite why he was given the shot remains a bit of a mystery – some have suggested that it came due to the release of the genuine top contender, Matt Lindland, under questionable circumstances.

At any rate, despite his pleas otherwise, Quarry clearly hadn’t earned his crack – he wasn’t even top-ten ranked at the time – and Franklin dispatched him with ease, shattering his nose in one of the UFC’s all-time most vicious knockouts at the end of the first round. Following the defeat Quarry took over a year off before returning to settle into a role as a mid-level contender – the spot where he should’ve been in 2005.