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In the UFC, it's commonplace for up-and-coming fighters to receive hype from both the fans and the promotion itself, but keeping that hype train going is difficult.
Sure, some fighters ride their hype train all the way to the top of the UFC, but for others, it's much harder, and often their train ends up being derailed. On some occasions, these fighters never really recovered from what happened, whether it was down to one big loss, or a series of them.
With that in mind, here are five UFC hype trains that were derailed and never recovered.
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#5. Erick Silva - former UFC welterweight contender
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Few fighters exploded onto the scene in the UFC quite like Brazil's Erick Silva did in the summer of 2011.
Bringing an impressive 13-1 record with him to his octagon debut, the welterweight prospect needed just 40 seconds to smash through Luis Ramos, practically turning him inside-out with a flurry of punches.
With a Justin Bieber haircut and some wild tattoos, Silva looked every inch the superstar in the making, and it came as no surprise to see the UFC elevate him to the main card for his next bout.
While 'The Tiger' lost that fight via TKO after hitting Carlo Prater with illegal punches to the back of the head, it didn't slow down his hype train. A quick submission of veteran Charlie Brenneman followed, and it looked like he'd be in title contention quickly after.
Unfortunately, Silva then ran into former title challenger Jon Fitch, and all of his momentum was completely derailed.
Despite starting quickly, he couldn't put the veteran away and ended up taking a ferocious beating over three rounds.
It was a painful lesson for the prospect, and one he never recovered from. Although he won his next fight, his aura was shattered, and a series of losses saw him slide down the rankings until his release in 2017.
#4. Todd Duffee - former UFC heavyweight contender
When Todd Duffee burst onto the scene in 2009, it was hard not to be excited.
Not only did the heavyweight prospect look like a cartoon character with a ridiculously chiselled physique, but he also needed just seven seconds to dispatch his debut opponent Tim Hague.
The knockout set a record for the fastest KO in the history of the UFC heavyweight division, and unsurprisingly, plenty of fans quickly jumped onto Duffee's hype train.
Despite the youngster being just 6-0, he was instantly talked up as a potential title contender, with fans desperate to see him again. Unfortunately, his second fight didn't happen for another nine months, and it turned out to be a memorable one for all the wrong reasons.
Faced with the unheralded Mike Russow, Duffee hit his foe with everything he had for two rounds, but failed to put him away and gassed out.
When Russow landed a hail mary shot in the third round - and followed with a comically soft hammer fist - to knock Duffee out, an instant meme was born, and all of the hype was over.
Duffee's first run with the UFC came to an end shortly after, and while he did return a few years later, he never did regain the momentum his debut gave him.
#3. Evan Dunham - former UFC lightweight contender
While Evan Dunham's UFC run began in 2009 with him flying under the radar, it didn't take long for the lightweight to gain plenty of momentum.
Dunham followed his debut win with another three victories, and with the final two coming over the highly rated Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin, by mid-2010 he'd climbed into the top 10.
Strangely, it was his first career loss that really made fans believe he could be a future titleholder, though.
Faced with former champion Sean Sherk, Dunham took the fight to 'The Muscle Shark', coming close to finishing him on two occasions.
Despite Sherk being rewarded a hugely controversial decision, there was no doubt that Dunham had been the more impressive fighter. Going into 2011, few fighters had more hype around them.
However, all of that hype went up in smoke when Dunham faced off with Melvin Guillard that February.
On paper, the fight seemed to favor the rising star, as Guillard's ground game was renowned for having plenty of holes. However, 'The Young Assassin' ran right through Dunham, smashing him with a series of heavy knees to draw a first round KO.
Dunham was never really the same again after the loss, and although he won plenty more fights in the octagon, he never came as close to title contention again. Essentially, Guillard derailed his hype train for good.
#2. Warlley Alves - current UFC middleweight contender
Following the conclusion of 2014's TUF Brazil 3, Chael Sonnen - who had coached on the show - labeled welterweight winner Warlley Alves as a future UFC title contender.
At that point, it was hard to disagree with 'The American Gangster'.
Not only had Alves obliterated three opponents on the reality show to win the bracket, he appeared to have no real weaknesses.
Sure, his victory over Alan Jouban was a little unconvincing, largely because he got slightly tired late on. When he came back with submission wins over Nordine Taleb and Colby Covington, though, the hype train quickly began to pick up speed.
Unfortunately, it was derailed in his very next fight.
Faced with the tough Bryan Barberena, Alves simply wilted when he couldn't put 'Bam Bam' away. In front of his own fans in Brazil, the TUF champ gassed out and fell to a decision loss.
When he was then battered by Kamaru Usman in his next fight, any momentum the Brazilian had was gone, and suddenly, Sonnen's claims of him becoming a title contender felt like a pipe dream.
Alves remains with the UFC to this day, but has bounced between the welterweight and middleweight divisions, and after losing his last three bouts, could be facing the axe soon.
#1. Edmen Shahbazyan - current UFC middleweight contender
While he may still have time to turn things around - he's still only 26 years old, after all - it's probably fair to say that Edmen Shahbazyan's hype train has been firmly derailed.
When 'The Golden Boy' was signed to the UFC following a win on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018, many fans were cynical.
Not only was Shahbazyan just 20 years old at the time, but he was also being coached by Edmond Tarverdyan, who had come under criticism during his time as Ronda Rousey's coach.
After a passable debut against Darren Stewart, though, 'The Golden Boy' suddenly went on a tear. He destroyed his next three opponents, culminating in an impressive KO win over veteran Brad Tavares. Given that Tavares had gone the distance with the likes of Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, it was hard not to get excited.
Unfortunately, despite many fans tipping Shahbazyan for a run at the middleweight title, the win over Tavares turned out to be as good as it would get.
'The Golden Boy' was badly beaten by Derek Brunson in his next fight, and looked firmly out of his depth. It was the kind of loss that many fans worried could alter his career for good, and thus far, that worry seems to have come to fruition.
Since losing to Brunson, Shahbazyan has gone 1-3 in the octagon, and a loss this weekend could see him slip out of the promotion.
Even if he can win, though, it's unlikely he'll ever regain the hype he once had around him, making him an arguable victim of being given too much, too soon.
