3 UFC fighters who are great as hammers but not so good as nails
For UFC fighters, it’s not always just about how hard you can hit. Oftentimes, it’s about how hard you can get hit and still fight afterwards. Over the years, there have been many fighters who have displayed titanium chins. Obvious examples include Dan Henderson and Jon Jones, the latter of whom has never been knocked out.
There have been plenty of fighters over the years notorious for the lethal level of offense in their arsenals. From heavy-handed punching to masterful submission wrestling, talented fighters have used all manner of techniques to brutalize their foes and instill fear in everyone else.
However, just because a fighter is a master of dishing punishment out doesn’t mean they’re made of teflon when taking it. The following three fighters were all renowned for their explosive power in the ring. Sadly, they all became known for their under-developed punishment thresholds too:
#3. Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski
The pride of Belarus is a decorated veteran of the sport who has competed in the UFC, ONE Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA and the World Series of Fighting among others. In the UFC, Arlovski has the highest successful takedown defense rate in heavyweight history at 88.4%.
In 2005, he became the interim UFC heavyweight champion with a submission win over Tim Sylvia. Arlovski was promoted to being the undisputed heavyweight champ with his successful TKO defense against Justin Eilers later that year. He eventually dropped the belt to Sylvia following a round one TKO.
A victim of severe bullying growing up, Arlovski began to build his body and physical competence through weights and martial arts as a teenager. Displaying a natural aptitude for disciplines such as Sambo, Judo and Kickboxing, Arlovski moved into MMA when he was 20 years old.
Despite his incredibly diverse, dangerous offense and fearsome reputation, ‘The Pitbull’ has 20 losses to his name. Many of these defeats have come via KO/TKO with everyone from fellow heavyweight champs Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic to middling fighter and notorious neo-Nazi Viacheslav Datsik sending him into nap time.
For all of his strength and toughness, it appears Arlovski’s capacity for receiving punishment is nowhere near matching his knack for dishing it out.
#2. Former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem
’The Demolition Man’ has more than lived up to his nickname thanks to his ferocious, potentially life-shortening striking offense. A master kickboxer, Overeem won the K-1 2010 World Grand Prix and later used his Muay Thai prowess to devastating effect in the octagon. Notorious for his debilitating leg and body shots, it seemed like just a matter of time before Overeem bagged heavyweight gold in the UFC.
Debuting for the promotion in December 2011, Overeem obliterated Brock Lesnar just two-and-a-half minutes into their clash with a liver shot and several punches. Already lining up for a title shot, Overeem was forced to bow out due to a lengthy suspension for a failed drug test.
A slightly less muscular Overeem returned in 2013 and suffered back-to-back KO losses to Antônio Silva and Travis Brown. Every loss the Dutchman has eaten since then has come by way of TKO/KO. One of those losses was his single challenge for the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 203. Miocic punched the initially dominant Overeem into delirium towards the end of the first round.
As terrifying as Overeem’s power and aggression in the ring is, his chin has let him down time and time again. Overeem was released from the UFC earlier this year without ever having held the gold. Had his tolerance for punishment been anywhere near the level of his devastating offense, he would have been almost unbeatable.
#1. Former ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ contestant Melvin Guillard
Melvin Guillard set the record for most TKO/KO victories in the history of the UFC’s lightweight division when he sent Shane Roller packing at UFC 132. With eight knockouts to his name, Guillard surpassed UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn’s record.
Guillard’s record would later be broken in 2013 by the man himself once again when he crushed Mac Danzig at UFC on Fox 8. An accomplished high school wrestler, Guillard garnered some notoriety on The Ultimate Fighter 2 due to his knack for cutting opponents. Both Marcus Davis (who lost the fight via TKO due to the severity of the gusher Guillard gave him) and Josh Neer (who managed to secure the win via submission with a triangle choke) were opened up by Guillard’s razor sharp shots.
In the years following, he exhibited his sharp striking prowess frequently. Certain flaws in his game quickly became very apparent also. For one thing, Guillard has often struggled to keep his temper in check. At UFC 79, Guillard lost to Rich Clementi by submission. The heated rivalry between the two leading up to the fight had visibly enraged Guillard. So much so, in fact, that he attempted to assault Clementi after the finish. Guillard’s habit of panicking when in holds has left him with nine submission losses on his record.
Worse still, while the man was often a knockout artist in his day, his penchant for taking punches leaves a lot to be desired. In addition to having tapped out multiple times, Guillard has endured six TKO/KO defeats. Guillard has not fought in almost two years now. His last fight came in October 2019 where he lost to Terry House Jr. by unanimous decision at United Combat League 32.