5 current UFC fighters who silenced their critics in style
UFC and combat sports fans in general are a fickle breed. Almost unilaterally, the phenomenon of recency-bias tends to override our opinions on fights and fighters. Variables like betting odds and media-constructed narratives often have a strong influence on our picks.
The beauty of MMA, more so than other sports, is that underdogs often emerge victorious. 2021 alone provided many unbelievable moments that left the oddsmakers and fans shellshocked.
Rose Namajunas' win over Zhang Weili at UFC 261 and Brandon Moreno's win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 are perfect examples of this. Both fighters' ability to win the belt was heavily questioned by the fans. Nevertheless, they managed to prove their doubters wrong, upsetting the odds in emphatic fashion.
#UFC263
Brandon Moreno defied the odds and expectations once again 😤 #UFC263 https://t.co/FnwYjvbedR
That said, here are five fighters who silenced their critics in style.
#5. Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo, arguably the greatest featherweight of all time, opted to move down to bantamweight following three consecutive losses at 145 lbs. The former champion took on Marlon Moraes in his first bout at 135 lbs and came away on the wrong end of a split decision. Many believed he deserved to win the fight.
Following the retirement of former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, a vacant title was put on the line. Aldo took on Petr Yan for the vacant title at UFC 251, losing via TKO to the surging Russian. The Brazilian then managed to turn things around with back-to-back wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz.
Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov subsequently downplayed Aldo’s success at 135 lbs. When asked about the Brazilian legend's triumphs at bantamweight, Numagomedov told reporters at a press conference in Russia:
“A guy wins one fight and everyone starts talking... Let him fight Petr [Yan] the same way, then we can say he’s peaking again. You saw what he did [against Yan], he closed up and waited for the ref to stop the fight. That shows that you’re not at your peak. If you’re getting hit and you’re conscious and you’re not defending yourself, I call those fighters businessmen. They come out to make money.”
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov give his take on Jose Aldo's bantamweight run below:
Speaking on MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, Aldo responded to Nurmagomedov’s criticism. He openly wondered whether the Russian has “too much time” on his hands now that he’s retired from MMA.
The former WEC champion said:
“He’s saying you can’t peak again, but we just saw an example with Glover [Teixeira], who got there, lost, and got there again at age 42 and won [the UFC title], completely dominated the champion, took him down and submitted him.”
He added:
"Sometimes Khabib talks too much. He’s not doing much these days, he’s retired, so he’s looking for [attention] that way.”
In his next bout, Jose Aldo took on top-ranked Rob Font. Font was the heavy favorite going into the bout and the consensus opinion was that Aldo would struggle in the fourth and fifth rounds of the fight, like he did against Petr Yan.
However, the Brazilian dominated Font over five rounds, putting himself back in contention for the bantamweight title. He won via unanimous decision.
THAT'S THE KING OF RIO RIGHT THERE! #UFCVegas44 https://t.co/qXAt0Xop5A
What 'The King of Rio' is doing is rather unprecedented. Aldo has never been outside the top five during a decade-long UFC career, across two weight classes. Have a look around the sport and try to find another example of someone doing what the Brazilian is doing right now. You won't find one.