5 times hot UFC prospects suffered shock defeats

In little over a week at UFC 267, hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev is set to return to action for the first time in a year when he faces off with top-15th ranked welterweight Li Jingliang.

Khamzat Chimaev is favored by most UFC fans to defeat Li Jingliang. But if he fails to do so, he won’t be the first hot prospect to suffer a shock defeat inside the octagon.

Even some hot prospects who were eventually able to capture UFC gold suffered stunning upset losses along the way. This just goes to show how high the competition is in the UFC. However, these kind of upsets are shocking when they happen.

On that note, here are the five times when hot prospects in the UFC suffered stunning upset defeats.

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#5. Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow – UFC 114

Todd Duffee's shocking loss to Mike Russow stunned UFC fans

Back in 2010, the UFC had a number of high-level heavyweight prospects who would go onto achieve huge success. Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos all went onto hold UFC gold – and for a time, it looked like Todd Duffee would join them.

Duffee debuted in the UFC in 2009 at UFC 102. He set the record for the fastest knockout in the history of the heavyweight division when he stopped Tim Hague in just seven seconds.

The knockout sent shockwaves through the UFC. With Duffee sporting an unbeaten record of 6-0 as well as the physique of a cartoon superhero, it looked like the promotion had stumbled upon their next big superstar.

A mooted fight with Stefan Struve looked set to propel Duffee into the top ten. However, the clash fell apart due to injury, and instead, Duffee waited for nine months before returning to the octagon to take on Mike Russow.

Initially, the fight looked like it’d go the same way as Duffee’s debut. He smacked Russow around the octagon for the first two rounds, completely outclassing him, and looked to be on his way to a clear-cut decision win.

Somehow though, things changed in the third round. Seemingly out of nowhere, Russow caught Duffee with a clean right hand on the chin, and the big man went crashing to the ground. A single hammer fist followed, and Duffee was left unconscious.

Suddenly, any hype that Duffee had as a hot prospect was largely gone, and after a fallout with UFC management, he was released from the promotion. He would not return to the octagon for over two years, and hasn’t regained his momentum since then.

#4. Islam Makhachev vs. Adriano Martins – UFC 192

Islam Makhachev suffered a shock TKO loss in his second UFC fight.

Right now, few fighters in the UFC are hotter than Islam Makhachev. The Dagestani lightweight has reeled off an eight-fight winning streak. If he can defeat Dan Hooker at UFC 267, he’ll be on the verge of receiving a shot at the UFC lightweight title.

Makhachev has largely risen to prominence since the retirement of his training partner and friend Khabib Nurmagomedov last October. However, he has been seen as a hot prospect ever since his octagon debut back in 2015.

That debut saw Makhachev destroy Leo Kuntz – living up to his reputation as the 'new Khabib'. However, before he could really create some momentum, he suffered a stunning upset loss to the unheralded Adriano Martins.

The fight took place at UFC 192, and saw Makhachev fight in a far too reckless manner for his own good. He came out swinging wildly, which played into Martins’ hands. Despite the Brazilian not known for his striking, he landed a clean right hand that put Makhachev to sleep.

The knockout left everyone stunned, particularly observers who expected the Dagestani to shoot up the rankings in the UFC lightweight division.

Makhachev has obviously recovered in the years that have followed. However, it took him a long time to do so, and the loss remains the only one on his MMA record to date.

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#3. Erick Silva vs. Jon Fitch – UFC 253

Hot prospect Erick Silva was derailed by veteran contender Jon Fitch at UFC 153.

Brazil has produced plenty of top-class UFC fighters, including numerous champions. In 2011, it looked like the next big Brazilian star would be Erick Silva.

A product of Team Nogueira, ‘The Tiger’ made his octagon debut at UFC 134, the promotion’s first show in Brazil in over a decade. Despite his fight being part of the preliminary card, his stoppage of Luis Ramos was so violent that fans were immediately drawn to him.

Silva returned to action in January 2012 against veteran Carlo Prater. While he was disqualified after essentially knocking Prater out with punches to the back of the head, he certainly didn’t lose any momentum. Anything he did lose, he quickly gained back when he choked out Charlie Brenneman a couple of months later.

It seemed like the sky was the limit for Silva. So when the UFC matched him with former UFC welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch at UFC 153, it felt like the final step to title contention.

Unfortunately, Fitch proved to be a step too far for ‘The Tiger’. Despite some strong moments from the Brazilian, Fitch ended up grinding him down and beating him up en route to a clear-cut decision win.

Many fans felt Fitch was past his prime at that point, while Silva looked like an unstoppable killer. However, the result sent shockwaves through the UFC, and left the Brazilian’s future title hopes in tatters.

#2. Stipe Miocic vs. Stefan Struve – UFC on Fuel TV 5

Stipe Miocic would go onto UFC greatness - but as a prospect, he was upset by Stefan Struve.

Despite losing his UFC heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou earlier this year, Stipe Miocic is still widely recognised as the promotion’s greatest-ever heavyweight. That is because of his record tally of four successful title defenses.

However, before rising to become the UFC heavyweight champion, Miocic was just another hot prospect entering the octagon and hoping to climb to the top. He debuted in the UFC in 2011 with a win over Joey Beltran. After impressing in a victory over him, Miocic reeled off another two wins – both via TKO – over Phil De Fries and Shane del Rosario.

With a UFC record of 9-0 and a highly dangerous set of skills, it was clear Miocic had a bright future. So the UFC decided to match him with veteran Stefan Struve in his first-ever headline bout at UFC on Fuel TV 5.

Unfortunately for Miocic, the fight did not go so well. After suffering an eye poke, he was knocked out by ‘The Skyscraper’ in the second round in what felt like a major upset at the time.

The win didn’t propel Struve to the top of the UFC. However, it did take some of the shine from Miocic, who took nearly a year away from the octagon before returning to defeat Roy Nelson, beginning his rise to the heavyweight title.

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#1. Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modaferri – UFC 246

Maycee Barber's status as a hot prospect was damaged by Roxanne Modaferri at UFC 246.

She is still only 23 years old, and is back on the winning track following her victory over Miranda Maverick. However, it is probably safe to say that Maycee Barber should still be considered a hot prospect in the UFC.

'The Future’ looked a lot hotter a couple of years ago, when she was undefeated and appeared to be on the fast track to a shot at the UFC flyweight title. Barber debuted in the octagon in late 2018 at the age of just 20, destroying Hannah Cifers with a series of elbows in a seriously impressive performance.

Two more victories via TKO followed, with Barber looking so good that her dream of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history looked entirely plausible. However, against former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246, ‘The Future’ faltered badly.

Maycee Barber attempted to take out ‘The Happy Warrior’ early, but couldn’t manage it, and from there, her cardio failed before she suffered a serious knee injury. That combination left her a sitting duck, and she ended up just about managing to survive until the end of the fight, where she lost a clear decision.

Nobody expected the athletically-challenged Modafferi to knock off such a hot prospect like Maycee Barber in that way. The loss left Barber so badly damaged that it took her over 18 months to pick up another win in the UFC.