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In the UFC, dominance is a prominent metric by which a fighter's performance is measured. Jon Jones, the greatest light heavyweight in history, once claimed that he'd rather be known as the most dominant fighter in the sport due to the subjectivity of crowning anyone the greatest-ever mixed martial artist.
To be recognized as dominant, fighters must dominate their foes. Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was exceptionally dominant during her unbeaten run prior to tasting defeat at the hands of Holly Holm. However, dominance doesn't guarantee victory.
Throughout the UFC's history, some fighters have dominated their foes for the majority of their bouts, only to lose in the final instance. This list details five such instances where UFC fighters lost fights that they were previously dominating.
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#5. Stephen Thompson vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC Fight Night 148
At one point in time, Stephen Thompson made a strong case to be considered the best striker in MMA. The two-time UFC welterweight title challenger was efficient on the lead and the counter, and possessed as deep a bag of tricks as any fighter in UFC history.
While 'Wonderboy' has experienced a downsing in his career as of late, he was still thought to be in his prime when he crossed swords with Anthony Pettis. Meanwhile, the former UFC lightweight champion was a fighter whose skills troubled opponents from yesteryear.
By 2019, the technical vulnerabilities in Anthony Pettis' game were well known. 'Showtime' is accustomed to fighting from long range with enough space and time to comfortably throw kicks with leverage. However, when he faced Stephen Thompson, the former kickboxer presented a different range of issues.
Former opponents smothered Pettis to deprive him of the space to throw kicks. Instead of doing that, 'Wonderboy' fought from a range that's even longer than what his foe was used to. Thus, 'Showtime' was forced to kick and punch ahead of himself, falling inches short of landing his strikes.
As he overextended, Pettis repeatedly ran into Thompson's counters. By the second round, the former champion was bloodied, outstruck and seemingly without a solution to the predicament his foe had trapped him in. However, with only five seconds remaining, 'Showtime' stole the show.
With his foe's back against the fence, 'Wonderboy' threw a side kick to the body. Unfortunately, the momentum of the kick meant that Thompson's leg simply dropped to the mat after the kick landed instead of retracting into his stance. Thus, he was in a very poor position to absorb blows and Pettis pounced.
A Superman-punch from the former lightweight floored him, and Pettis' subsequent punches knocked him unconscious.
#4. Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier – UFC 271
Like every other middleweight who dared face the division's reigning king Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson suffered defeat at the hands of the Nigerian counter-striker. After the loss, the NCAA Division II standout went on a tear that saw him earn five consecutive wins before being booked for a title eliminator.
His opponent was Jared Cannonier, a former heavyweight whose seismic punching power rendered him an intriguing matchup for Israel Adesanya. However, to face 'The Last Stylebender', 'Tha Killa Gorilla' needed to dispatch Derek Brunson. At UFC 271, the two men clashed in an entertaining bout.
The first round was a dominant affair for the Sanford MMA fighter. 'Tha Killa Gorilla' found himself unable to resist his foe's powerful wrestling and top control. Furthermore, Cannonier's fear of a takedown created openings for Brunson's strikes, leading to a lopsided round in favor of the longtime middleweight wrestler.
The former NCAA Division II star began the second round in a similar fashion, outwrestling and outstriking his foe until his cardio experienced a significant drop. Suddenly, Brunson's takedown entries became noticeably sloppy and Cannonier found it easier to stuff his takedown shots.
Not long after that, a clinch sequence led to a hard right hook off the break from the former heavyweight, rocking his foe into a stumbling mess. Brunson never recovered. While he sought another clinch, it simply led to him being dragged to the mat where Cannonier landed vicious elbows en route to a brutal KO.
#3. Alexander Volkov vs. Derrick Lewis – UFC 229
UFC 229 led to two of the most infamous post-fight moments in the promotion's history, one of which belonged to longtime fan-favorite Derrick Lewis. On the main card of the UFC's best-selling PPV event, 'The Black Beast' faced the towering Russian striker Alexander Volkov.
The heavyweight clash seemed lopsided at first glance. The Louisianan was on a two-fight win streak, with his latest win at the time being a lackluster decision victory against an uncharacteristically timid Francis Ngannou. Meanwhile, 'Drago' was on an impressive six-fight streak en route to a potential future title fight.
As both men entered the octagon for their heavyweight clash, Volkov used his superior height and reach to pick Lewis apart from a distance. By forcing 'The Black Beast' to overextend, 'Drago' forced him to punch himself out of position, exposing him to accurate counter-strikes.
Round after round, Lewis seemed to have no answer to the dilemma posed by his foe's cerebral outfighting. However, by the third round, Volkov's confidence soared, encouraging him to extend his combinations. The consequence of doing so was that the Russian giant stood within range of his foe's punches for longer than he should have.
As is often the case with opponents who linger in the pocket with 'The Black Beast', Volkov was felled. With 11 seconds separating him from victory, the Russian was instead separated from consciousness by a thunderous overhand right from his foe.
After nearly three rounds of domination, 'Drago's hopes of extending his win streak to seven consecutive victories were dashed when he was mere seconds away from celebrating.
#2. Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 – UFC 278
Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman were destined to cross paths after their initial bout nearly seven years ago. Both men were on lengthy unbeaten streaks. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was the reigning UFC welterweight champion with 15 consecutive wins under Dana White's banner.
Meanwhile, 'Rocky' was at the helm of a 10-fight unbeaten streak, with nine wins and one no-contest from a fight he was dominating. A rematch that was years in the making was finally realized in Salt Lake City when Edwards challenged Usman for the Nigerian's divisional throne.
The first round shocked the world. While the British-Jamaican was expected to outstrike his foe, and he did. He also became the first UFC fighter to secure a takedown against Kamaru Usman. Not only did he take the Nigerian down, but he also established full-mount.
Unfortunately, the then reigning welterweight champion's relentless pace and high altitude in Salt Lake City sapped Edwards' cardio dry. From the second round, 'Rocky' was thoroughly outwrestled and gradually outstruck. Before long, he was helpless against his foe, wearing his discouragement on his face.
Each was a dominant performance from Usman, yet with one minute left in the fifth round, the Nigerian was duped. Edwards tricked him into slipping on the outside of what he thought would be a straight left. Instead, Usman leaned into the path of a high-left kick that knocked him out cold before he even landed on the mat.
Not only was the British-Jamaican's win an enormous upset, but the circumstances under which his victory came were almost improbable. After being dominated for most of the bout, he knocked out a fighter who had never been rendered unconscious previously.
#1. Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – UFC 259
Petr Yan is one of the most skilled fighters across the globe. The former UFC bantamweight champion first captured UFC gold against legendary Brazilian mixed martial artist José Aldo. However, the merits of his win were immediately questioned by his divisional rival Aljamain Sterling.
While 'Funk Master' earned his title fight by defeating Cory Sandhagen, 'No Mercy' earned his own by defeating a 40-year old Urijah Faber who had only a single fight since returning from a three-year retirement. According to Aljamain Sterling, his Russian foe enjoyed a comparatively easier path to a world title.
Finally, when both crossed swords at UFC 259, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had his chance to prove his assertion that he was a level above 'No Mercy'. What ensued, however, was domination with Aljamain Sterling on the wrong end of it. Not only did the stoic Russian thwart 16 of his foe's 17 takedown attempts, he also secured all seven of his own.
Furthermore, Yan scored a knockdown during the bout, dominating his foe in every facet of MMA across the rounds. Unfortunately, with only 31 seconds left in the fourth round, 'No Mercy' gave in to his impulses and landed an illegal knee when Sterling had both knees on the mat.
Mere moments away from completing his first successful title defense with a dominant performance, the Tiger Muay Thai export instead made history by becoming the first UFC fighter to lose a title via disqualification.
