5 times when UFC fighters proved their doubters wrong in the octagon

#4. Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader – UFC 132

Tito Ortiz showed his doubters he had some gas left in the tank when he beat Ryan Bader

In his heyday, Tito Ortiz was not only the UFC’s biggest poster-boy, but he was also the most feared light heavyweight fighter on the planet, too.

‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ held the UFC light heavyweight title from 2000 through to 2003 and defeated opponents such as Vladimir Matyushenko, Evan Tanner and Ken Shamrock during his reign. He even had a victory over PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva under his belt.

However, after losing his title to Randy Couture, a combination of injuries, age and a somewhat antiquated fighting style meant that Ortiz quickly tumbled down the rankings. By mid-2011, it looked very much like ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was on his way out of the UFC. He hadn’t won a fight in nearly five years, and was on a three-fight losing streak.

When the UFC matched him with hot prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 132, then, it felt like a given that ‘Darth’ would wipe the floor with his older foe. Essentially, everyone was doubting Ortiz coming into this fight.

Incredibly, though, Ortiz still had his old self-confidence and he came into the fight with a gameplan. Bader, a high-level amateur wrestler, clearly figured Ortiz was going to attempt to take him down and looked surprised when the former champion decided to box with him.

So when Ortiz appeared to go for his first takedown, Bader dropped his hands to block it and ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ instead hit him with a short right hook, dropping him hard. Moments later, Ortiz snatched up a guillotine choke, forcing ‘Darth’ to tap out.

Ortiz would not go on to win another fight in his UFC career, losing his next three bouts before leaving the promotion. But at UFC 132, he undoubtedly proved his doubters wrong and showed he had a little more left in the tank than they expected.

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#3. Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar – UFC 121

Cain Velasquez proved that size didn't matter when he battered Brock Lesnar at UFC 121

From the moment he entered the UFC in 2008, Cain Velasquez seemed marked for greatness. A decorated NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Arizona State, Velasquez joined the famed American Kickboxing Academy when his MMA career began.

Despite only holding two wins over journeymen prior to being signed by the UFC, his teammates immediately began to talk him up as a future UFC champion. However, there appeared to be one problem with the idea of Velasquez holding the UFC heavyweight title. Sure, he was able to destroy opponents like Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell, but at the top of the division stood a certain Brock Lesnar.

‘The Beast Incarnate’ lacked MMA experience, but made up for it in sheer size and raw power. Not only was Lesnar an even more decorated wrestler than Velasquez, having won the NCAA Division I championship, but he also outweighed him by more than 20 pounds.

So when the two men were matched together at UFC 121, it was easy for fans to doubt Velasquez, writing off his chances of beating Lesnar entirely due to the size advantage of the champion.

However, when the fight actually happened, those doubters were proven painfully wrong. Not only did Velasquez easily escape Lesnar’s single takedown, but he took ‘The Beast Incarnate’ down with no issues and began to hammer him with strikes in the process.

It quickly became clear that Lesnar had no answer to Velasquez’s hard-hitting style and in one of the most stunning finishes in UFC history, the hulking champion was stopped in violent fashion late in the first round.

Never again would UFC fans doubt Velasquez just because he was a smaller fighter and the idea that the UFC’s heavyweight champion needed to be a giant has been dead in the water ever since.