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In the world of the UFC, it's very easy to write a fighter off as being washed up or finished. Sometimes this turns out to be true, but other times, those ideas are proven wrong.
Over the years we've seen a number of UFC fighters who enjoyed a surprising career resurgence, some even claiming titles in the process.
How did these resurgences happen? Sometimes they involved a change in style while other times, switches in weight classes helped. The one thing that links them together is that they were both fun and fascinating to watch.
Here are five UFC fighters who enjoyed a surprising career resurgence.
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5 UFC fighters who enjoyed a surprising career resurgence
#5. Andrei Arlovski - former UFC heavyweight champion
One fighter who definitely enjoyed a surprising career resurgence was former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. In fact, it could be argued that 'The Pitbull' had a number of resurgences, always managing to cling on when it looked like he was just about done.
The native of Belarus initially left the UFC for a big-money move to the upstart Affliction promotion back in 2008, when he was widely considered one of the best fighters in the world.
However, after suffering a bad loss at the hands of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, Arlovski appeared to fall off a cliff in terms of his fighting ability.
He lost another three fights, two by knockout, and it looked like his career was basically over.
Surprisingly though, 'The Pitbull' suddenly turned things around. He won seven of his next eight bouts on the regional scene to make his way back to the UFC, and there, the resurgence stunningly continued.
Arlovski won four fights in a row, including an instant classic with Travis Browne, and found himself back in heavyweight title contention by late 2015, something that would've been unthinkable a couple of years prior.
'The Pitbull' didn't quite reach a title fight but remained part of the UFC's roster until earlier this year when he was released at the age of 45.
Along the way, he was able to arrest two more losing streaks, showing that in many ways, he could be considered the master of the career resurgence.
#4. Mark Hunt - former UFC heavyweight contender
Somewhat of a legend in the world of kickboxing, Mark Hunt came into MMA relatively late.
He made his debut in Japan's PRIDE promotion in 2004, and quickly became a cult hero, fighting the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett and even beating Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop.
However, when PRIDE crashed and was bought out by the UFC, Hunt was left in the cold.
By 2010, he was on the wrong end of a five-fight losing streak, and at the age of 36, it felt like the end of his career was close.
When it was announced that he'd be debuting in the octagon that September, facing fellow newcomer Sean McCorkle, then, many fans were confused. They were left even more disappointed when 'The Super Samoan' suffered an easy submission defeat.
Rather than give up, though, Hunt stuck around and shocked everyone with a major resurgence.
'The Super Samoan' reeled off five wins and a draw in his next seven bouts, showing major improvements in both his grappling skills and cardio in the process.
The run took him all the way to a shot at the interim heavyweight title, and while he was defeated by Fabricio Werdum, it was still impressive.
Hunt eventually settled into a spot as a reliable contender and headliner in the heavyweight division. While his career with the promotion ended sourly, few people even expected him to make it that far.
#3. Dan Hooker - UFC lightweight contender
The latest fighter to enjoy a surprising career resurgence is popular lightweight veteran Dan Hooker.
Remarkably, 'The Hangman' currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.5 in the UFC's lightweight division, something that would've seemed impossible a couple of years ago.
The native of New Zealand gained plenty of fans for his reckless and exciting fighting style when he debuted in the Octagon in 2014.
By 2020, a run of seven wins in eight bouts moved him into title contention at 155 pounds, but he then hit a brick wall when he ran into Dustin Poirier.
Outgunned by a heavier striker, Hooker fell to a damaging five-round defeat, and when he was then knocked out by Michael Chandler in just over two minutes, his time at the top looked done.
'The Hangman' went on to lose to Islam Makhachev, and reached his nadir when he dropped to 145 pounds in an attempt to arrest his slump. Instead of turning things around, he was stopped by Arnold Allen, and many fans called for him to retire.
Instead, Hooker took some time away to recover and returned to form by stopping Claudio Puelles. He has since pulled off upset victories over Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot, the latter of which bumped him to his current high ranking.
Quite how far 'The Hangman' can ride this resurgence is anyone's guess, but it's safe to say that nobody saw it coming, especially not a decade into his octagon career.
#2. Robbie Lawler - former UFC welterweight champion
Once considered one of the UFC's brightest young prospects, for a long time it felt like Robbie Lawler's tale would be one of unfulfilled potential.
'Ruthless' burst onto the scene in 2001 with a series of wild knockouts, but when he stepped up in competition, it quickly became apparent that he wasn't a complete fighter.
A run of three losses in four fights saw him wash out of the promotion in late 2004, and from there, Lawler became a journeyman of sorts.
He won titles in promotions like ICON Sport and Elite XC and picked up some major wins over fighters like Murilo Rua and Matt Lindland.
However, 'Ruthless' suffered numerous losses during that period too, and the idea of him returning to the UFC, let alone making a title run there, seemed slim.
In 2013, though, when StrikeForce's roster was merged into its larger, sister promotion, Lawler was back. Few people expected him to make an impact, but he opened the eyes of fans by knocking out former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck in his return bout.
It was his third win in a row, over top contender Rory MacDonald, though, that really stunned people. Suddenly, 'Ruthless' was in line for a title shot, and while he initially lost the bout to Johny Hendricks, the resurgence didn't stop.
Lawler won two more fights to earn another shot at the gold, and this time came out on top, becoming one of the more unlikely UFC champions.
His reign didn't last too long but did encompass some legendary brawls, and he continued to compete at the top until his retirement in 2023. To say his resurgence took most fans by surprise would be a massive understatement.
#1. Glover Teixeira - former UFC light-heavyweight champion
When Glover Teixeira initially debuted in the UFC in 2012, he was considered a hot prospect of sorts. However, at the age of 32, he was actually older and more experienced than many fans realized.
Teixeira put together an initial run of five wins in a row, pushing him up the ladder and into a title fight with light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones in 2014.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian was outclassed and came up short. It felt like the high watermark of his career, and from there, he settled into a role as a gatekeeper and reliable headliner for smaller shows.
By 2017, though, it appeared that Teixeira had begun to slow down. He suffered violent defeats to Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson and struggled against lesser opponents even in wins.
When he looked awful in a defeat to Corey Anderson in 2018, many fans called for him to hang up his gloves. After all, at that point, he was pushing 40 years old and had little to prove.
Remarkably, though, the Anderson loss proved to be a turning point. The Brazilian took six months off and returned in early 2019 with vengeance.
Hitting a true resurgence, Teixeira reeled off five wins in a row to climb back into title contention and then stunned everyone by submitting champion Jan Blachowicz to claim the gold.
The victory made Teixeira the oldest first-time champion in UFC history at the age of 42. And while he couldn't hold onto his crown for long and ended up retiring just over a year later, he still made history - despite being written off a couple of years prior.
