Top 5 returns in MMA's history

GSP soaked in the experience of being back in the octagon after four years

#1 Dominick Cruz

Cruz thanking the crowd after reclaiming the title he never lost

Dominick Cruz could own two separate spots on this list. But the incidents were close enough in their timeframes for you to combine them into one.

Dominick Cruz was the king of 135 lbs when he came over from the WEC. The man looked unbeatable and justifiably so. After two UFC title defenses, the unimaginable happened.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Cruz was coaching opposite his longtime rival, Urijah Faber on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter and was set to face him for the third time at the massive UFC 148 card which featured the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Unfortunately, during a training session, Cruz tore his ACL and was forced out of his bout with Faber followed by being sidelined for the rest of that year.

It was later revealed that Cruz had undergone another surgery following his initial ACL repair due to his body rejecting the cadaver tendon they had used to try and fix it with. Thus, his return to the cage was prolonged.

Finally, things were looking to be back on track for Cruz as he was scheduled to take on the Interim champion, Renan Barao at UFC 169. But of course... fate intervened once again. Cruz had now torn his groin and was unable to compete. This injury caused too much additional time away from the action and the UFC was forced to strip him of his title, therefore, making Barao the undisputed champion.

Healed and ready to return after three years, Cruz was back. He had his first fight since his misfortune began at UFC 178 when he took on Takeya Mizugaki in a non-title bout. Once the fight started, it looked like Cruz hadn't missed a beat. He dismantled the top five ranked Bantamweight in just over 60 seconds for a KO victory in what was and is still one of his greatest victories. Especially when looking at what he went through to get there.

Cruz was clearly ready to get back the title he never lost... but the MMA gods had other plans. Only two months after Cruz' incredible return, he would tear the ACL in his other knee for the first time. This put him out of action for the rest of the year.

Despite the injury, Cruz was granted his much-deserved title shot once he was ready to return. Having only fought for 60 seconds in four years, many people in the MMA world thought it was insane to be putting Cruz right back into the title picture despite his legendary status at 135 lbs. Regardless, he continued to show them all why he's one of the very best to ever do it.

Cruz took on the new champion, TJ Dillashaw in an awesomely competitive fight but one that was edged to the former ruler, Cruz. A technical masterpiece from each man, Cruz was the one who dug deeper and fought with the passion of wanting to get back what he never lost and succeeded. This victory truly completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of all of the sports.

It's simply miraculous that Cruz was just able to compete again let alone come back and reclaim his title. Many athletes are never the same even after just a single ACL tear, yet Cruz suffered three plus a groin tear and still climbed back to the top of the mountain showing how special of a competitor he really is. It will be nearly impossible to top such a feat... but I think it's safe to say that most fighters and athletes won't want to.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below and follow me on Twitter: @Dre_Kriggs

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Shruti Sadbhav