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Highly competitive title fights are a staple of the UFC. Champions who offer fans a fight that they can never forget often earn the love and adoration of the MMA faithful. However, it's the champions who overcome near-certain defeat to defend their titles successfully that etch their names into combat sports folklore.
Merely relying on their unyielding mentality and willpower, numerous champions have turned the tables on their challengers to earn worldwide acclaim. The most recent instance that saw a champion dig deep to overcome the challenge presented by their would-be usurper took place at UFC 266.
The September pay-per-view saw UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defend his strap against an unrelenting Brian Ortega.
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It seemed like the reigning champion was in control of the fight as the damage he was dealing to Ortega began to show on his face. However, Volkanovski was clipped by Ortega after he briefly lost his footing.
The next thing he knew, the Australian was trying to fight off a deep guillotine choke. Regardless, Volkanovski refused to give in and thrashed his way to freedom before ending up on top, throwing a barrage of strikes.
The elation was short-lived as he soon found himself caught in a tight triangle choke after Ortega threw his legs up while eating his strikes. The triangle choke seemed to be a sure shot, considering Ortega's cage name 'T-City' stands for 'Triangle City'.
He was a whisker away from bagging the win and the UFC featherweight championship. However, it was Volkanovski's grit and determination that helped him overcome two very deep submissions and retain his title.
In this article, we look at five similar instances where UFC champions mounted a massive comeback in the face of adversity.
#5. UFC 189: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2
UFC 189, back in July 2015 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, marked the second meeting between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald. The first round of the fight saw both fighters feeling each other out, trying to establish their respective rhythms. Round two, however, was when the real action kicked off.
The UFC welterweight champion found his feet and landed a series of combinations before opening up a cut on MacDonald. Setting the tone for the rest of the fight, Lawler went into the third round, thoroughly dominating his opponent.
That was until MacDonald landed a massive head kick in the dying minutes of the round. The challenger carried the same momentum into round four. He commanded significant influence around the octagon and on the UFC welterweight champion.
However, round five displayed why Lawler was the champion - his heart. Thirsting for a knockout, Lawler turned up the heat. He eventually put MacDonald away by the end of the first minute of the fifth round, thereby defending his title successfully.
#4. UFC 154: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
The UFC welterweight headliner between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit took place in the champion's backyard of Quebec. The pay-per-view was hosted at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, in November 2012. GSP's fight against Condit, by his own admission, marked the proudest moment of his career.
Over the course of GSP's lengthy injury-induced layoff, Carlos Condit had solidified himself as the interim champion. The title unification bout was a hard-fought fight between the two fighters.
However, the third round of the fight witnessed St-Pierre on the receiving end of a well-struck head kick that rocked him. It seemed 'The Natural Born Killer' was only moments away from sealing the victory.
GSP showed the heart of a champion and mounted an inspiring comeback, dominating Condit for the remainder of the fight. He went on to secure a unanimous decision win.
#3. UFC 152: Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort
Headlining the UFC 152 event, Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort went toe-to-toe against each other in September 2012. The fight took place at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, Canada. 'Bones' started his title defense against an aging Belfort rather strongly.
However, he suffered a significant setback right in the first round of the fight. Shortly after the first bell, Belfort caught Jones in a dreadful armbar that had Jones wincing in pain.
Vitor Belfort's triumph was relatively short-lived as Jones soon broke free and dominated the challenger for the remainder of the fight. He subsequently locked in a fierce Americana submission, forcing Belfort to tap out within the first minute of the fourth round.
Jones, in the aftermath of his battle against Belfort, was seen in a sling. It was later revealed that he had suffered a strained ligament in his arm.
Watch the fight below:
#2. UFC 116: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
Brock Lesnar made his way into the UFC with a bang. Carrying a tremendous amount of momentum, Lesnar ascended to the UFC heavyweight throne.
Brock Lesnar put his UFC heavyweight title on the line at UFC 116 in July 2010 at the MGM Grand. What followed the first bell of the fight was a brutal onslaught brought upon Lesnar by Shane Carwin.
Going into the fight against Lesnar, Carwin had accumulated an unbeaten record spanning across 12 fights. What's more, he had finished every single fight in the first round.
Carwin tried to follow his handbook of finishing the fight in the first round. However, Lesnar somehow managed to weather the storm and made it to round two. Carwin, gassed after going all out in the first round, suffered a submission loss at the hands of Lesnar. The victory marked one of the greatest comebacks of Lesnar's career.
#1. UFC 52: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2
The UFC welterweight title bout between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in April 2005. Hughes was struck in the groin early into the fight, stifling his momentum. The referee dismissed protests by Hughes regarding the same.
What followed was a terrible onslaught of ground and pound from Frank Trigg. He chose to capitalize on the situation and tried to squeeze out a win. Although the UFC welterweight champion managed to survive that barrage of strikes, he was soon caught in a seemingly fight-ending rear-naked choke shortly after that.
Matt Hughes impressed fans all over the world by somehow slithering out of the chokehold. He then carried Trigg across the length of the octagon before slamming him to the ground and getting into a mount.
He went on to dish out some severe punishment before Trigg turned over, thereby offering Hughes the perfect opportunity to get a rear-naked choke in.
Matt Hughes managed to come back out of two fight-ending situations to eventually walk away with the win. What's more, the year 2015 saw the fight get inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Watch highlights from the fight below:
