5 fighters who failed to win UFC gold but became legends elsewhere

After leaving the world's biggest promotion, Nick Diaz became a superstar in StrikeForce

The UFC is undoubtedly the world’s biggest MMA promotion. So, it stands to reason that finding success there isn’t always that easy for even the best fighters.

Over the years we’ve seen a number of excellent fighters who failed to make it to the top of the UFC, but were able to become legends in rival promotions instead.

#AndStill | @RyanBader remains atop the heavyweight throne as he retains his title tonight at #Bellator280. https://t.co/JSQDCWOhdJ

Some of these fighters made a return to the octagon, and while others may do the same in the future, whether they’ll find success on the big stage a second time around is always up for debate.

Here are five fighters who didn’t win gold in the octagon but became legends elsewhere.

#5. Ryan Bader – former UFC light heavyweight contender, double champion in Bellator MMA

Ryan Bader never made it to the top of the UFC, but he's become a huge hit in Bellator MMA

When he won the light heavyweight bracket on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, it looked like Ryan Bader was absolutely destined for stardom in the promotion. A standout collegiate wrestler who also possessed explosive knockout power, ‘Darth’ seemed to have all the tools to get to the top of the promotion.

However, while he did pick up some huge wins during his eight-year stint in the octagon, Bader could never quite get over the hump to become a true contender for the light heavyweight title. ‘Darth’ lost a total of five fights with the promotion, but only his 2011 defeat at the hands of the aging Tito Ortiz could be considered disappointing.

Outside of that, he suffered setbacks against Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony Johnson. Interestingly, three of those four fighters fought for the light heavyweight title in their next bout, showing how close Bader was to the top.

In 2016, though, ‘Darth’ decided to make a career-altering decision. After picking up two final wins in the octagon, he decided to leave for pastures new, in this case, Bellator MMA.

The results were immediate, as Bader won the Bellator light heavyweight title from Phil Davis in his promotional debut. He then went onto capture their heavyweight title, too, knocking out the legendary Fedor Emelianenko for the vacant title in early 2019.

2️⃣ years ago on this day, @RyanBader faced Fedor in the culmination of the #Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix.
#MMA https://t.co/XNPbmpyC44

Since then, while Bader has lost the light heavyweight title, he remains Bellator’s heavyweight kingpin and is still the only fighter in Bellator history to hold two titles simultaneously. Essentially, while he’s a footnote in UFC history, he’s become a legend in their rival promotion.