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UFC fighters are often thought of as the greatest mixed martial artists in the world. They possess a breadth of combat skills that are matched by few and exceeded by none. Thus, fight fans rarely think of UFC fighters when the topic of losing streaks is brought up. The best of the best do not lose. Unfortunately, for a fighter to win, another must lose.
Even Dana White's banner of elite mixed martial artists isn't exempt from the bane of losses. Sometimes, fighters age or spend too much time away from their resident gyms due to various issues, leaving them unable to train as the game passes them by. Older fighters struggle to contend with the new generations of foes, while injured fighters find their rivals more skilled than they remember.
Tony Ferguson is one such fighter. He once terrorized the UFC lightweight division, sitting at the peak of a record-setting 12-fight win streak. Unfortunately, 'El Cucuy' no longer resembles the legendary fighter he once was. While his performance last Saturday at UFC 279 was valiant, he ultimately lost to Nate Diaz, extending his losing streak. This list looks at fighters in a situation similar to Ferguson's, compiling five UFC current fighters on long losing streaks.
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#5. Cynthia Calvillo is on a 4-fight losing streak
Cynthia Calvillo has had a strange career in the UFC. She has fought in both the strawweight and flyweight divisions, at one point resembling a future title contender. A glimpse into her past unveils a fighter that was once 9-1-1. Unfortunately, Calvillo never endeared herself to upper management or the fans due to her frequent weigh-in mishaps.
Her only loss at strawweight was to current strawweight champion Carla Esparza in 2017, but her success in the weight class was not enough to convince Dana White to allow her to remain there. Having missed weight three times, she was forced up a division. At flyweight, she defeated Jessica Eye before suffering a loss to Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 255.
What followed was a string of losses that included a one-sided first-round TKO against former champion Jéssica Andrade. It was the first losing streak of Calvillo's career and she never recovered, losing her next two bouts to extend her losing streak to four losses.
#4. UFC heavyweight Augusto Sakai
The UFC heavyweight division is notoriously shallow. Due to the scarcity of men large enough to compete in the weight class, the promotion has struggled to consistently sign new talents to the division, least of all due to most athletes large enough to be heavyweights often choosing different sports like American football and basketball.
Augusto Sakai was once a heavyweight prospect. The Brazilian drew the attention of fight fans for his knockout power and size. His first four fights in the promotion were successful, earning him two stoppage victories. With a record of 15-1-1, he seemed ready for the next step in his ascension through the heavyweight division. The UFC scheduled him in a matchup with MMA legend Alistair Overeem, hoping that Sakai would prove their hopes right and emerge as a new face for the large Brazilian market to get behind.
Unfortunately, their hopes were misplaced. Overeem dealt Sakai a sound defeat, TKO'ing him in the fifth round. The loss sent Sakai tumbling down the heavyweight ladder as he suffered three more losses to Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Tai Tuivasa and Sergey Spivak respectively. Suddenly, the Brazilian prospect, who had 11 TKO/KOs in 15 wins, was on the wrong end of a 4-fight losing streak, all by KO/TKO.
#3. Raphael Assunção, 4-fight losing streak
The bantamweight division is one of the deepest UFC weight classes in the promotion. Once a fighter breaks into the top 15 of the division, it's difficult to find an easy or favorable matchup. Years ago, bantamweight standout Raphael Assunção was at the helm of a 4-fight win streak. Known for his durability and deceptive punching power, Assunção was a longtime staple of the division.
However, as old age took its hold, the Brazilian declined as a fighter. First, he suffered a loss to Marlon Moraes, succumbing to a guillotine choke in the first round in what was only the second submission loss of his career. While Assunção hoped to redeem himself by finding victory in his subsequent bout, he lost to rising contender Cory Sandhagen via a lopsided unanimous decision. Unfortunately, his next two losses were far more brutal.
Assunção suffered knockout losses to Cody Garbrandt and Ricky Simón. At 40 years old with a 4-fight losing streak looming over him, it's difficult to imagine Assunção ending his current downswing.
#2. Tony Ferguson, 5-fight losing streak
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is an MMA legend. He's responsible for the longest win streak in UFC lightweight history. His record features signature wins over the likes of former world champions Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis, as well as former divisional standouts Kevin Lee and Donald Cerrone.
However, Ferguson's willingness to welcome any and every opponent led to an unfortunate downswing that coincided with his declining age. At his physical peak, 'El Cucuy' was a frighteningly fast fighter with threatening skills in every facet of mixed martial arts. Yet as Ferguson aged, his speed experienced a slow decrease. Still, he remained quicker than most. Alas, once he tried to extend his win streak to 13, Ferguson was dealt a career-altering beating.
Justin Gaethje battered his opponent over five rounds before Herb Dean mercifully called an end to the bout. The loss left 'El Cucuy' uncharacteristically timid in his subsequent matchups. He lost by decision to Charles Oliveria and Beneil Dariush before sufferring the first KO of his career against Michael Chandler. Last Saturday at UFC 279, Ferguson suffered yet another loss, being submitted for the second time in his career to go 0-5 in his last 5 fights.
#1. Sam Alvey, 8-fight losing streak
Sam Alvey is 0-8-1 in his last 9 bouts. Despite his best attempts, Alvey has not won a fight in four years. A fighter who has competed in three different divisions—welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight—Alvey has spent his most recent bouts as a 205 lbs contender. While no one ever confused Alvey for a potential title contender, he was a serviceable fighter who could be relied on to fill in spots on fight cards.
Due to the sheer number of losses he has suffered, many have begun to question why the UFC continues to keep him signed to the promotion while cutting more successful fighters for far less. A prevailing rumor that hopes to explain the promotion's reasoning is that the UFC keeps Alvey around due to his anti-union stance, which is fundamentally beneficial to the UFC's goal of maintaining its unequal distribution of profits.
Regardless, Alvey's 8 losses are troubling as they haven't come against elite-level competition. At 36 years old, 'Smile'n' will experience the effects of aging as better skilled fighters emerge to use him as a stepping stone.
