5 UFC fighters who suffered horrific runs in 2021

#2. Cody Garbrandt (0-2 in the UFC in 2021, lost in two different divisions)

Cody Garbrandt was an undefeated UFC champion and one of the hottest prospects in the sport in 2016. ‘No Love’ thoroughly dominated the consensus greatest bantamweight of all time, Dominick Cruz, in a scintillating bout at UFC 207 to win the belt. He seemingly had the entire fanbase eating out of the palm of his hand going into 2017.

Oh, how times have changed.

Garbrandt has endured an astonishing fall from grace since 2017. He lost his title to bitter rival and former teammate T.J. Dillashaw and went on to lose the rematch as well. He attempted to bounce back when he took on Pedro Munhoz, but came out on the losing side on that occasion as well. All three losses came by way of knockout.

There is a clear running theme that is present in all of Cody Garbrandt’s losses. Simply put, his approach to fighting doesn’t suit his fragile chin. ‘No Love’ tends to get emotional in his fights and often goes after a KO finish with reckless abandon. This trait has cost him dearly on numerous occasions.

2021 has seemingly hammered the final nail into the coffin that houses Garbrandt’s aspirations of being a UFC champion. He took on Rob Font in May and was thoroughly outclassed on the night. Clearly nowhere close to a title shot at 135 lbs, Garbrandt opted to drop down to 125 lbs to revive his career.

Garbrandt took on Kai Kara-France in his flyweight debut at UFC 269 and was the betting favorite going into the bout. Many expected him to come out on top and fight for the title next. However, what transpired left fans with a feeling of déjà vu. He got knocked out in the very first round.

Cody Garbrandt is now an unranked fighter in the UFC. At just 30 years of age, his route back to a title shot will be challenging to say the least. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of his career plays out.

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#1. Tyron Woodley (0-1 in the UFC, 0-2 against Jake Paul in 2021)

Tyron Woodley came into 2021 as the No.7-ranked welterweight in the UFC. The former champion had ambitions of re-entering the title picture earlier this year following disappointing losses to Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington in 2020.

He looked to return to winning ways when he took on Vicente Luque in the co-main event of UFC 260. Unfortunately for ‘The Chosen One’, he was submitted by Luque in the very first round.

A few weeks after the bout, news broke that Tyron Woodley had been released from his contract with the UFC. His release came as a huge shock to fans considering Woodley’s accomplishments in the octagon and his legacy as one of the longest reigning champions in the history of the welterweight division.

As a free agent, he ventured into the world of professional boxing and signed on to fight YouTube star Jake Paul under the Showtime banner.

The duo squared off at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Arena in Cleveland, Ohio and duked it out for eight full rounds before Paul was awarded a split-decision victory. The bout was an underwhelming affair, largely because of Woodley’s lack of output. He landed 7 punches on average per round and notably failed to pull the trigger against ‘The Problem Child’ after wobbling him in the second round.

They locked horns in a rematch at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, where Woodley was well aware that his legacy was on the line. He couldn’t afford to be gun-shy this time around. The fight was evenly contested for the first five rounds, with neither fighter landing any significant blows.

However, in the sixth round, Jake Paul knocked Woodley out in devastating fashion.

This begs the question: What will Tyron Woodley be remembered for?

Will he be remembered for being a dominant champion in the world's premier MMA organization? Or will the image of the former UFC champion falling face first, stiff as a board, onto the canvas be etched in the minds of combat sports fans for the foreseeable future? Time will tell.