5 times UFC fighters were too tough for their own good

The amount of punishment UFC fighters withstand has been glorified to an extent, but sometimes it becomes too excessive. At times, fans have questioned referees and cornermen for not stopping the fight and protecting fighters from themselves.

A lot of time and effort goes into preparing for the moment fighters step into the octagon. Therefore, it is understandable from the fighters' perspective why they would not want their corner throwing in the towel.

Many fighters have taken too much punishment during their careers and ended up paying the price for it once they retired. Perhaps, if more fighters are protected from themselves, they will be able to extend their careers. In turn, when it's time, they can walk away from the sport with their health relatively intact.

Here are 5 times UFC fighters were too tough for their own good.

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#5. UFC featherweight contender Brian Ortega

This might be recency bias, but UFC 266 proved Brian Ortega was too tough for his own good. Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski had coached opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter and now fought in the main event. This what was Ortega’s second title opportunity – the first was a losing effort to then-champion Max Holloway.

In the build-up to the fight, it was no secret that Ortega’s biggest strength was his grappling. Ortega's best path to victory would be to use his grappling to takedown and submit the champion. Volkanovski was in control during the first two rounds and Ortega needed a great performance in the third round to shift the momentum.

Ortega caught Volkanovski in two submissions, both of which looked like they could put an end to the fight. The champion narrowly escaped and, with a burst of energy, got up and began landing heavy shots on Ortega.

Volkanovski kept the pressure on until the bell sounded, leaving Ortega requiring his cornermen to help him off the mat. Ortega was exhausted after exerting his energy on submission attempts, while Volkanovski maintained the same pace and aggression.

The fight could have been stopped, but Ortega told both the referee and the cageside doctor that he wanted to continue. Volkanovski would end up inflicting more punishment on Ortega before picking up a unanimous decision win.

#4. Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith

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Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is another UFC fighter being too tough for his own good when he fought veteran Glover Teixeria. The fight was important because the winner could have gotten one-step closer to another title opportunity.

Smith did well in the first round, but Teixeria turned things around and dominated the remainder of the fight. Teixeria took Smith down with ease and followed up with ground strikes to earn a fifth-round TKO win.

Smith could be heard telling his corner that some of his teeth were coming out. As a result, Smith's corner received plenty of criticism after the fight for not stopping it between rounds. Following the fight, it was reported that Smith suffered a broken nose and orbital bone, and lost two teeth.

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#3. Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos

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The trilogy between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez has a great deal of historical importance to the UFC. However, the trilogy is also remembered for the unnecessary punishment dos Santos sustained at UFC 166.

Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez began their trilogy on the inaugural UFC on FOX event. 'Cigano' defeated Velasquez by knockout at 1:04 of the first round to become the new UFC Heavyweight champion.

It was a true turning point as the UFC became more respected among major sports leagues after moving to FOX. The promotion had finally arrived in the mainstream media and it was the heavyweights that ushered in this new era.

The rematch and third fight were very different stories for dos Santos. Velasquez had evolved into one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and surpassed dos Santos. Their third fight came at UFC 166.

Junior dos Santos had been cut due to Velasquez’s powerful strikes against the fence, which got worse as the fight progressed. Velasquez continued outclassing dos Santos in all areas until the referee stopped the fight towards the end of the fifth round. Many, including UFC president Dana White, felt dos Santos’ corner should have stopped it a lot sooner.

#2. Kris Moutinho

Kris Moutinho [Image Credit: @kris_is_soulless via Instagram]

Kris Moutinho’s UFC debut at UFC 264 is clearly among the most memorable in the promotion's history. Moutinho kicked off UFC 264 against Sean O’Malley, who has become one of the sport's most popular fighters.

O’Malley was an overwhelming favorite and many were expecting him to make quick work of the debuting Moutinho. That was not the case as Moutinho took O’Malley's best shots and kept coming back for more. There were brief moments where Moutinho had O’Malley in trouble, but 'Sugar' recovered and poured on more combinations.

Although Moutinho earned respect from both fans and fighters, he did absorb 230 significant strikes. The level of punishment sustained by Moutinho makes him an example of being too tough for his own good.

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#1. UFC TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson

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Tony Ferguson's bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 tops this list for being too tough for his own good. Throughout his career, Ferguson has been one of the most durable fighters in UFC history and this bout proved it.

Ferguson, who was on a 12-fight winning streak, was scheduled to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship. The fight, along with many other previously scheduled UFC events, were then canceled due to the pandemic.

Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov was not meant to be as this was the fifth time the fight had been canceled. Instead of waiting, Ferguson chose to remain active and take the fight with Gaethje for the interim title.

UFC 249 was important for the UFC because it was the first event to take place in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. While other sports leagues were on pause, the UFC gathered their resources to come up with a way to continue. The event was held with no fans in attendance at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Although Ferguson absorbed many significant strikes, he kept attempting to find the slightest opening to take advantage of. Ferguson caught Gaethje with an uppercut but that would end up being the only moment he had him in trouble.

Gaethje got the better of Ferguson in every exchange as the fight progressed into the later rounds. The echo coming from the empty arena really put into perspective just how hard Ferguson was being hit. If fans did not already admire Ferguson's toughness, they couldn't help but do so after watching him withstand all that punishment.

Gaethje continued connecting with strikes to the head of Ferguson before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Towards the end of the fifth round, Ferguson shook his head after an exchange, which is why the fight was stopped. Stopping the fight was the correct decision, but it arguably should have been made prior to the start of the round.