5 UFC fighters who can still save their 2019 after bad starts to the year

Modified Sep 21, 2019 07:02 GMT

MMA is an unpredictable sport that several fighters from different backgrounds participate in on a regular basis. These fighters have some of the best skills on the roster, but for one reason or another, have not been able to prove themselves in the Octagon this year.

Each of these fighters has had at least one battle in 2019 and despite their best efforts could not win it. While someone like Donald Cerrone would be on the list, he was suspended for 90 days for medical reasons and is in need of a lengthy time off, despite his habit of fighting every few months.

In this article, we are going to look at 5 UFC fighters who have not had the best 2019 so far but could still save their year with one proper fight. Each of these fighters is also scheduled to take part in at least one more fight this year.

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#5 Ben Askren

Let's talk about the most obvious choice.

When UFC brought in the undefeated Ben Askren from ONE FC after trading him for 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson in 2018, Askren had a lot to live up to.

Unfortunately for him, he would fail badly in this.

Despite talking a lot of trash since coming to the UFC, one thing that Askren has not been able to do is back any of that up. His fight against Robbie Lawler ended controversially with the fans, fighters, and Lawler said that it had been stopped too early and should have been allowed to go on.

As if that was not bad enough, Askren's next fight really solidified his downfall. He was hit with a flying knee by Jorge Masvidal in their fight immediately upon it starting. That proved to be enough as Askren was knocked out and the fight was stopped only 5 seconds in.

Now, Ben Askren has a chance to prove that the fight did not define him as he will face Demian Maia later this year. A win here would go a long way in restoring his confidence.

#4 Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis is in the middle of a bad run at the moment. After defeating Alexander Volkov last year, Lewis got a chance to fight for the UFC Heavyweight Title, a fight that he lost against Daniel Cormier.

Coming into 2019, he was looking to do better against Junior dos Santos, but it was not to be. Before too long, he had tried and failed to beat JDS, as he lost via TKO in the second round of the fight. At the moment, he has a chance to make up for it all.

He is set to face Blagov Ivanov this November in one of the most stacked cards of the year at UFC 244. Given that Ivanov is on a good run at the moment, a win against him would definitely help Lewis.

#3 Al Iaquinta

Another fighter who lost a championship opportunity last year, Al Iaquinta finally got the fight that he had been asking for. He faced Khabib Nurmagomedov, but despite a good showing, he was unable to get a win.

While he managed to defeat Kevin Lee later last year, he lost a fight against 'Cowboy' Cerrone in May of this year, with Cerrone managing to dominate him, to get the convincing win.

At the moment, Iaquinta has quite the big fight coming up, as he will be facing Dan Hooker in October at UFC 243.

#2 Stephen Thompson

Another fighter who has not had the best two years, Stephen Thompson is in desperate need of a win at the moment. A single win might not propel him back to title contention, but it would certainly do him a lot of good.

After a loss to Darren Till last year, Thompson came into this year for a fight with Anthony Pettis. Pettis would prove to be too much and was able to defeat 'Wonderboy' via KO in the second round of their fight.

Right now, Thompson is in need of a win and will be facing Vicente Luque later this year in November at UFC 244. The fight might be the one that helps him to turn around his current run of bad luck.

#1 Darren Till

A year ago, Darren Till was undefeated and one of the hottest prospects in the entire UFC. The situation has changed quite a bit since then.

He fought and lost to Tyron Woodley last year, missing out on his chance to win the UFC Welterweight Title. On top of that, the fight saw him tap out. This year was not good for him either, as Jorge Masvidal defeated him in the second round of their fight. Till did not handle the loss well at all, and trashed a hotel during his vacation.

When he was thrown out of the hotel, while in an inebriated condition, he stole the taxi cab that was supposed to take him to the second hotel.

At the moment, his coach admitted that he needed some time away. Having recovered sufficiently from the last loss, he is now returning to Middleweight to challenge Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244. If he wins the fight, it will put him into immediate title contention.

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