5 UFC fighters from the UK who failed to live up to their hype

#4. Nick Osipczak – former UFC welterweight contender

Nick Osipczak was the victim of some questionable judging during his octagon career

It’s arguable that no other fighter from the UK was as unlucky in the UFC as Nick Osipczak. While ‘Slick Nick’ failed to live up to the hype around him, it’s arguable that had his fights been judged differently, his career in the octagon could’ve gone in an entirely different direction.

Osipczak first emerged into the promotion via the 9th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which pitted a team of UK-based fighters against a team of US-based rivals. ‘Slick Nick’ won his entry fight to make the reality show, and then knocked out Mark Miller with a head kick before falling to the more experienced Damarques Johnson in the welterweight semi-finals.

Despite the loss, it seemed clear that Osipczak’s future was very bright. A student of traditional martial arts, the native of London possessed extremely dangerous striking along with a substantial grappling game, a skillset that garnered him comparisons to Gegard Mousasi.

When he followed an octagon debut win over fellow TUF alumni Frank Lester with a rousing victory over future WWE star Matt Riddle, it seemed like the UFC had stumbled upon a surefire star for the UK market.

However, Osipczak’s next bout saw him lose a split decision to Rick Story – despite the majority of observers believing he’d clearly won the fight. After following that with a deserved loss to Greg Soto, ‘Slick Nick’ suddenly found himself on the verge of being cut, less than a year after he’d been declared one of the promotion’s hottest prospects.

Osipczak was given one more chance to save his career with the promotion in a fight with veteran Duane Ludwig – but despite scoring a knockdown in the first round and then dominating the second on the ground, ‘Slick Nick’ again came out on the wrong end of a decision.

Unfortunately, the loss was enough to end Osipczak’s career with the promotion – despite the fact that with competent judges, he’d have been 5-1 in the octagon rather than 2-3.

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#3. Tom Breese – former UFC middleweight contender

Undisclosed health issues prevented Tom Breese from living up to his hype

Right now, it’s arguable that the hottest – and most accomplished – UK-based fighter in the UFC is featherweight contender Arnold Allen. ‘Almighty’, who picked up his biggest career win to date over Dan Hooker last weekend, appears to be one of the most technically sound fighters in the entire promotion.

Many observers credit Allen’s rise to his team – Firas Zahabi’s Tri-Star MMA camp based in Canada – but while the featherweight prospect is performing brilliantly, he isn’t the first UK-based fighter to garner hype after emerging from the Tri-Star gym.

Just one month before Allen’s debut in the octagon, his teammate Tom Breese entered the UFC for the first time with a violent win over Brazilian veteran Luiz Dutra. With a grappling background and brutally heavy hands, the native of Birmingham looked like a remarkably dangerous prospect.

Breese followed his debut win with two more victories, and while he lost a split decision to Sean Strickland in his fourth bout with the promotion, he still appeared to have a bright future.

However, injuries forced him onto the shelf for almost two years following his loss to Strickland, and while he returned with a bang, knocking out Dan Kelly in his first bout as a middleweight, his career quickly spiraled downhill from there.

Breese lost two of his next three fights in the octagon, while also pulling out of multiple other bouts citing health issues. When he was withdrawn from a fight with Antonio Arroyo in June 2021 due to an undisclosed medical issue just hours before the clash was due to begin, the UFC had seen enough – and subsequently released him from his contract.

Quite what caused Breese’s medical issues remains unknown, but it’s safe to say that unlike his teammate Allen, he didn’t come close to living up to his potential.