5 times a UFC fighter’s strategy failed miserably

#2. Alistair Overeem at UFC 203

REEM shouldn't have went for that Guillotine :( and I think he knew it immediately

— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) September 11, 2016

Former UFC heavyweight star Alistair Overeem is called ‘The Demolition Man’ for one simple reason: he is a ferocious kickboxer. Overeem’s strikes have crumpled the biggest and strongest of fighters over the years.

There were two flaws in Overeem’s monstrous game during his UFC tenure. First, his chin did not get the memo the rest of his body received in being superhuman. Second, he was never much of a grappler.

At UFC 203, the Dutchman finally got his long-awaited heavyweight title shot. Against then-champ Stipe Miocic, Overeem came out all guns blazing. It didn’t take long for the heavy-duty slugger to send Cleveland’s favorite son to the floor.

Miocic’s hometown crowd were horrified, it simply seemed a matter of moments before Overeem was crowned the new heavyweight champion.

Bizarrely, the K-1 legend moved in for a guillotine choke instead of angling for ground-and-pound on the champ. Miocic, a supreme wrestler, fought out of Overeem’s submission attempt and back to his feet. Before round one was over, Overeem fell by way of what he should’ve done a couple of minutes earlier: ground-and-pound.

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#1. Conor McGregor at UFC 257

"I'm gutted." Conor McGregor reacts after his #UFC257 loss. pic.twitter.com/CJN7a2FuZg

— UFC (@ufc) January 24, 2021

Conor McGregor’s first foray into martial arts was boxing as a youngster in Dublin. The future megastar later moved into MMA and made his amateur debut at just 18 years old.

During his peak years as a fighter, McGregor employed an unorthodox mix of karate, boxing and taekwondo in the octagon. Since his 2017 superfight with Floyd Mayweather and traumatic 2018 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov however, McGregor has moved into a more orthodox style.

As displayed at UFC 257, McGregor approached the fight with a standard boxing stance. He looked to rely on his fists to get the job done against old foe Dustin Poirier.

Sadly for the whiskey magnate, Dustin Poirer has improved leaps and bounds since their initial 2014 clash at UFC 178. Taking advantage of McGregor’s stiffer, flatter footing and upright posture, Poirier hobbled the former champ-champ with leg kicks before moving in for the kill.

For the first time in his lucrative career, McGregor found himself on the receiving end of a merciless KO. While he was a paragon of sportsmanship and manners heading into UFC 257, it soon became clear the loss had rattled the Dubliner. His antics heading into UFC 264 made his rivalry with Poirier the most bitter and personal of the 2020s decade so far.