5 times that moving down in weight backfired for a UFC star

#2. Diego Sanchez – lightweight to featherweight (UFC Fight Night 78)

Already ripped at 155lbs, Diego Sanchez struggled when he moved down to 145lbs

Only two fighters in UFC history have competed in four different weight classes. TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez is one of them.

However, while ‘The Nightmare’ won the reality show at middleweight and then had plenty of success at welterweight and lightweight it’s probably fair to say that his move to featherweight in 2015 didn’t go so well for him.

Given that Sanchez was always pretty skinny at 155 pounds, quite why he chose to drop a further 10 pounds was anyone’s business. One thing was for sure, he definitely didn’t look all that healthy at the weigh-in for his clash with Ricardo Lamas at UFC Fight Night 78.

However, the stakes were high for Sanchez. At the time, Lamas’ only losses in the UFC had come against Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Were ‘The Nightmare’ to pull off a win over him, he would’ve been an instant contender for the UFC featherweight title.

Unfortunately, the fight went badly for the veteran, who simply couldn’t do anything against Lamas. ‘The Bully’ prevented his takedowns, abused him with brutal leg kicks and left ‘The Nightmare’ basically neutered.

Sanchez wound up suffering a lopsided decision loss and, unsurprisingly, after spending a year on the shelf, he returned to 155 pounds and never again ventured down to the featherweight division.

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#1. T.J. Dillashaw – bantamweight to flyweight (UFC Fight Night 143)

T.J. Dillashaw's move to 125lbs in 2019 completely derailed his UFC career

Perhaps the greatest example of a UFC fighter making a grave error in attempting to look for success in a lighter weight class is T.J. Dillashaw.

When Dillashaw regained the UFC bantamweight title from bitter rival Cody Garbrandt in late 2017 and then defended it successfully against ‘No Love’ in a rematch in 2018, he was essentially on top of the world.

However, rather than continue to defend his title at 135 pounds, Dillashaw decided to drop to flyweight in an attempt to become one of the few UFC fighters to hold gold simultaneously in two weight divisions.

The UFC booked him against flyweight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC Fight Night 143. Leading up to the fight, rumours swirled around that if Dillashaw were to win, the UFC would cut the flyweight division altogether. However, Dillashaw came into the fight looking drained and skeletal, immediately worrying UFC fans.

Sure enough, just seconds into the clash, Cejudo caught the bantamweight kingpin with a flurry of strikes that had him wobbled and simply unable to recover. Dillashaw folded and his attempt to claim another UFC title was over after just 32 seconds.

Things got even worse after the fight, though, when it was revealed that Dillashaw had tested positive for the banned substance EPO, a drug he’d likely used in order to successfully make the 125-pound flyweight limit.

Dillashaw was duly stripped of his UFC bantamweight crown and suspended for two years, essentially leaving his career in tatters. Based on this, it seems highly likely that he regrets ever making the move to flyweight in the first place.