5 UFC stars who had their potential wrecked by health issues

In the world of the UFC, winning fights is one thing, but remaining fit and healthy is another. Avoiding health issues can be almost as difficult as winning itself.

Over the years, we've seen a number of fighters with seemingly endless talent whose potential was largely wrecked by health issues.

Some of these fighters even made it all the way to the top, winning titles, but it's always worth wondering what more they could've done had they been healthier.

Here are five UFC stars who had their potential wrecked by health issues.

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#5. Khamzat Chimaev - UFC middleweight contender

It's maybe too early to start writing Khamzat Chimaev off as a "what if?" question, but with rumors currently swirling around his future, it's definitely worth considering.

'Borz' was forced out of his planned bout with Robert Whittaker this weekend, reportedly with a severe case of food poisoning. However, it's only the latest setback for the Chechnyan, who has struggled over the past few years with his health.

Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in 2020. He reeled off two dominant wins in the space of ten days, setting a promotional record in the process, and then smashed veteran Gerald Meerschaert in seconds to pick up his third victory.

Those wins turned 'Borz' into an overnight star. However, before he'd really even climbed into contention, a severe case of COVID-19 sidelined him. At one point, he reportedly even considered retirement due to the virus.

Chimaev eventually returned in late 2021 and beat Li Jingliang and Gilbert Burns to move into the welterweight title picture.

However, after missing weight for a planned bout with Nate Diaz in 2022, 'Borz' was forced to move up to 185 pounds for his next fight, a win over Kevin Holland.

More health issues then kept him out of action following that bout, and it wasn't until a year later, in October 2023, that he returned to outpoint Kamaru Usman.

Since then, Chimaev has been on the shelf again, with his latest setback knocking him out of his planned clash with Whittaker.

Whether 'Borz' can return and get back to his best is anyone's guess right now, but if he doesn't, it'll be a massive disappointment.

The Chechnyan is clearly one of the most supremely talented fighters we've ever seen in the octagon, and it'd be a massive shame to see health issues wreck that.

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#4. David Terrell - former UFC middleweight contender

When David Terrell signed with the UFC back in 2004, many hardcore MMA fans were excited.

'The Soul Assassin' sported a sparse record of just 4-1, but he was widely recognized as one of the best grapplers on the planet. In fact, at that stage, no opponent had even scored a point against him on the mat.

When Terrell used a fast left hook to knock out top middleweight contender Matt Lindland in his octagon debut, then, it was hard not to get excited.

The UFC was clearly excited too, and matched 'The Soul Assassin' with Evan Tanner for the vacant middleweight title in just his second fight. At that point, it felt like he was destined for the top.

Unfortunately, Terrell suffered a TKO defeat to the more experienced Tanner, missing out on the title. However, he'd come close to submitting him with a guillotine choke, and it still felt like his future was bright.

'The Soul Assassin' was next matched with Trevor Prangley six months after the Tanner bout but was forced out with an undisclosed injury.

Sadly, that quickly became a pattern. 'The Soul Assassin' fought just once more in the octagon, submitting Scott Smith in April 2006.

From there, a combination of injuries and health issues - primarily a severe problem with his ears and sinuses - would always end up sidelining him just as a fight was announced.

Terrell left the promotion in 2008 and, despite promising to return to MMA, never fought again. Today, he continues to coach Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he'll always be remembered as one of the octagon's biggest "what if?" stories.

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#3. Todd Duffee - former UFC heavyweight contender

Few fighters in UFC history have had as much potential and then as much rotten luck with injuries as former heavyweight contender Todd Duffee. Had he been able to stay healthy, the sky could've been the limit for him.

Duffee exploded onto the scene in 2009, recording the fastest knockout in the history of the heavyweight division when he dispatched Tim Hague in just seven seconds.

Blessed with ridiculous athleticism, plenty of punching power, and - if rumors were to be believed - a strong ground game, it was hard not to see him climbing quickly into title contention.

However, things quickly went wrong for him in 2010. After suffering a bizarre knockout at the hands of Mike Russow late on in a fight he'd been dominating, Duffee was promptly cut from his contract, with Dana White citing attitude problems.

Undeterred, the big man promptly moved to Japan's DREAM promotion, where he lost to Alistair Overeem in a heavyweight title fight. At that point, his future still seemed bright.

Remarkably, though, the Overeem fight was Duffee's final one for the best part of two years, as injuries kept him on the shelf until 2012.

When he did return, a big knockout over Neil Grove propelled him back to the UFC. However, despite scoring a finish over Phil de Fries in his return bout, injuries once again reared their head.

This time, Duffee was diagnosed with a rare nerve condition known as Parsonage-Turner syndrome. It kept him out of action until 2014 when he beat Anthony Hamilton and then lost to Frank Mir in his first headline bout.

The Mir fight, which took place in the summer of 2015, was to be his last for over four years. Duffee had more issues with PTS and then managed to wreck both of his knees, keeping him firmly on the shelf.

When his return bout against Jeff Hughes ended in controversy after he suffered an eye poke, his career in the octagon was over.

Duffee continues to compete in both MMA and bare-knuckle boxing, but it's safe to say that injuries and health issues paired up to rob him of any potential he had to make the top.

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#2. Zabit Magomedsharipov - former UFC featherweight contender

Thus far at least, the UFC has seen two champions hail from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia - Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

In a parallel world, the promotion could well have seen a third in the form of former featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov.

'Za-Beast', as he was nicknamed by some fans, emerged into the promotion in late 2017 with an impressive record of 12-1.

It didn't take him long to make an impact. He reeled off six straight wins to catapult himself into title contention, outpointing veteran Calvin Kattar in his first headline bout in late 2019.

It wasn't just that Zabit was winning his fights, though, it was the way in which he did it that garnered him so much hype.

The Dagestani displayed the same kind of dominant grappling as many of his countrymen, even busting out the rare Suloev stretch to submit Brandon Davis in 2018.

However, he was also willing to strike with a wild, combination-based style, often backing his foes up with spinning attacks that didn't seem possible for a grappler.

Essentially, it seemed like he was destined to become UFC champion. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Instead, after a much-talked-about clash with Yair Rodriguez fell apart in 2020, Zabit essentially vanished.

By 2021, he was removed from the featherweight rankings despite sitting at No.3, and it quickly emerged that an issue with his immune system was preventing him from returning.

Despite his coach Mark Henry suggesting he was ready to return later that year, it instead came as a shock and disappointment when he officially announced his retirement in 2022.

Whether Zabit would've won the featherweight title remains a question mark, but it's safe to say that he certainly had the potential to reach the top were it not for his health issues.

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#1. Cain Velasquez - former UFC heavyweight champion

Although he claimed the heavyweight title on two occasions, it's probably still safe to say that the UFC star whose potential was most robbed by health issues is Cain Velasquez.

Had he not been so injury-prone, it's highly likely that Velasquez would not only be recognized as the most accomplished and greatest heavyweight in UFC history, but in MMA history too.

Always highly touted from the moment he moved from the world of collegiate wrestling into MMA, Velasquez's earliest issue came with securing him an opponent.

Put simply, nobody wanted to fight him. After winning just two bouts on the regional scene, then, he signed with the UFC in 2008, and it didn't take him long to make his mark.

He reeled off three quick wins to climb into the top ten and then beat Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to secure a shot at then-champion Brock Lesnar.

When Velasquez wrecked Lesnar inside a round, making it look easy, it was hard not to see him as the most skilled heavyweight in octagon history.

Not only did he have a world-class wrestling background that enabled him to outgrapple his foes, but he also had the striking skills of a top kickboxer and the best cardio in the game, too.

Unfortunately, the Lesnar fight essentially turned out to be his peak moment.

Injuries to his knee and shoulder kept him out of action for a year following his title win. When he lost it to Junior dos Santos upon his return, it quickly emerged that he was not fully fit.

Velasquez came back a year later and smashed Antonio Silva before regaining his crown from 'JDS', and then settled their trilogy in dominant fashion in 2013. However, it didn't take long for his health issues to rear their head again.

2014 saw Velasquez spend the whole year out, largely thanks to another knee injury, and when he returned in 2015, he looked rusty. That led directly to the worst showing of his career, a title loss to Fabricio Werdum in 2015.

From there, the former titleholder fought just twice more. He returned in 2016 to destroy Travis Browne, but back injuries then kept him sidelined until 2019 when he blew out his knee in a loss to Francis Ngannou.

That fight turned out to be his final MMA bout, as he announced his retirement at the end of that year.

Velasquez's achievements still make him stand out as one of the all-time heavyweight greats, but had he been healthy, it's hard to believe anyone could've beaten him. His story remains one of the most unfortunate in UFC history to this day.