5 UFC rematches that went differently to the first fight

#2. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos – UFC 155

A healthy Cain Velasquez taught Junior Dos Santos a real lesson in their rematch

Cain Velasquez had always been marked for greatness in the UFC. When he won the heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar in one-sided fashion in late 2010, a long and successful title reign was expected.

That idea couldn’t have been further from what happened. Velasquez was left on the shelf for an entire year after having shoulder surgery. When he returned for his first defense against Junior dos Santos, he looked far from his best.

The Brazilian challenger was able to outstrike the slower-looking champion and ended his night in the first round with a right-hand haymaker. To say the performance was disappointing would be an understatement.

A year later, a much healthier Velasquez returned to attempt to right the wrongs of the first fight. It wasn’t long at all before he left no doubt whatsoever as to who the real champion was.

Before dos Santos had any chance to get into a rhythm with his striking, Velasquez was on him, forcing him into the fence with a clinch. From there, he continued to rough the Brazilian up, smothering him and peppering him with short but heavy shots.

The first round wasn’t even over when dos Santos looked exhausted. From there, Velasquez hammered him both on the feet and on the ground en route to a clear-cut five round decision.

It was a clear message that the Velasquez who’d fought JDS in their first meeting simply wasn’t healthy enough to compete. When he was at his best, he was on another level to the Brazilian entirely.

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#1. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 257

Dustin Poirier took revenge on Conor McGregor in brutal fashion in their rematch

Dustin Poirier’s first clash with Conor McGregor back in late 2014 was a classic example of a fighter facing the reputation of his opponent rather than his opponent himself.

Despite beating fighters like Max Holloway, Diego Brandao and Erik Koch, ‘The Diamond’ came into his fight with McGregor looking intimidated and nervous, while ‘The Notorious’ gave off the aura of a man who couldn’t be beaten.

Sure enough, nobody was surprised when the Irishman lanced Poirier with a right hand to the temple in the first round and left him in a heap.

When the two men faced off in a rematch nearly seven years later, plenty of things had changed. While McGregor remained the UFC’s biggest star, his invincible aura had well and truly been shattered.

Poirier, meanwhile, was on one of the best runs of his career, with his only loss in eight fights coming at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’d grown immeasurably as a fighter, and it was clear that nothing – especially not McGregor – was going to intimidate him this time.

When it came to fight time, it didn’t take long for Poirier to establish himself as the better, sharper fighter. His leg kicks made somewhat of an embarrassment of McGregor’s one-dimensional boxing attacks. By the second round, the Irishman was struggling.

Like in their first fight, everyone could tell what was about to happen next. It was the exact opposite of that first meeting. Poirier hammered ‘The Notorious’ with a huge combination, knocking him out for the first time in his MMA career.

The fight turned Poirier into one of the biggest stars in the UFC in his own right, while McGregor was very much left looking like yesterday’s man.