5 fighters who received a title shot too early in their UFC careers
In the world of the UFC, earning a title shot can often take years of hard work. For some fighters, though, that isn't always the case.
Over the years we've seen a number of fighters thrust into title shots early in their UFC careers, and while some capitalise on the opportunity, for others, it's too much, too soon.
While the likes of Alex Pereira and Anderson Silva absolutely proved they were ready, the following fighters simply didn't.
Here are five fighters who were given a title shot too early in their UFC careers.
#5. BJ Penn - former UFC lightweight champion
While his MMA career didn't exactly end in the way he would've hoped, it's safe to say that BJ Penn is a true legend of the octagon. An inductee into the UFC's Hall of Fame, 'The Prodigy' held both the lightweight and welterweight titles during his time with the promotion.
However, while Penn was able to become one of the few fighters to claim titles in two different weight classes, his first attempt to become a champion didn't go to plan. Suffice to say, he was probably given the shot a little too early.
The Hawaiian burst onto the scene in early 2001, just as the Fertitta brothers and Dana White took control of the UFC. Penn's big reputation from the world of jiu-jitsu meant that his MMA debut actually came in the octagon, and it didn't take long for him to dispatch a far more experienced foe in Joey Gilbert.
The hype around 'The Prodigy' really kicked in a month later, though. He returned to action and stopped one of the world's most highly-rated lightweights in Din Thomas, needing just under three minutes to knock him out.
When Penn then took just eleven seconds to crush Caol Uno in his third fight of 2001, it was hard not to believe that he was a champion in the making. After all, he'd barely even needed to use his stellar jiu-jitsu game!
Just two months later, then, 'The Prodigy' found himself faced with reigning lightweight champ Jens Pulver in a fight that most observers thought he'd win easily.
However, 'Lil Evil' proved to be far tougher than Penn's earlier opponents, and dragged him into deeper water. As the fight went longer, it was clear that Pulver was taking over, and in the end, he retained his title via decision.
The truth was that Penn, whose MMA career had only begun nine months earlier, just wasn't ready for that level. He got there in time, of course - winning his first title two years later - but this was definitely a case of his talent outstripping his experience levels, this time to his detriment.
#4. Chad Mendes - former UFC featherweight contender
When Chad Mendes emerged into the WEC as the latest protege of former featherweight champ Urijah Faber, he immediately received a lot of attention.
A ball of seemingly pure muscle, 'Money' had been a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at college, and it was widely expected that he'd develop into a featherweight title contender in time.
Mendes put together a 4-0 record in the WEC before its roster was absorbed into the UFC in 2011, but despite this, it was clear that his skills still needed a lot of honing. Essentially, he was still fighting as a pure wrestler, with his striking and submission skills a definite work in progress.
'Money' used those wrestling skills to edge his first two octagon wins, defeating Michihiro Omigawa and Rani Yahya, but again, showed little else outside of his athleticism powerful takedowns.
With the 145-pound division still finding its feet, Mendes was offered a shot at the dominant champ, Jose Aldo, at the start of 2012.
Even coming in it felt like a step too far for the prospect, particularly as he was heading into hostile territory, facing Aldo in his home city of Rio de Janeiro. Sure enough, Mendes didn't stand a chance. He tried his best but ended up being knocked out violently with a knee at the end of the first round.
Thankfully, 'Money' did recover from the loss. After taking a little time off, he returned and began to hone his skills as a striker, and after five wins in a row - four by knockout - he was granted a second shot at Aldo two-and-a-half years later.
While he once again came up short, this time, he pushed the Brazilian to his limit, showing that his failure in his first title shot was simply a case of it coming far too early for him.
#3. Kenny Florian - former UFC lightweight contender
When the UFC decided to ice its lightweight division in 2004, it was a decision that came out of left field. The promotion didn't have a champion at 155 pounds, admittedly, but fighters like Yves Edwards, Josh Thomson and Hermes Franca were still hugely talented and entertaining.
However, with financial concerns hanging over the promotion and events few and far between, the division was cut, and most of its top fighters moved to PRIDE in Japan.
When the TUF boom helped the UFC to explode in popularity a year later, though, it didn't take long for Dana White and company to reinstate the division.
However, when they needed to crown a champion in 2006, they made a curious decision. Rather than choose two proven lightweights like Edwards and Thomson to fight for the vacant title, the fighters chosen were Sean Sherk and Kenny Florian.
Sherk, a former welterweight title challenger who'd always been undersized, was probably a fair choice. Florian, though, was a major question mark. 'Ken-Flo' was popular due to his run on TUF, but he'd also only ever fought as a lightweight once, in a win over Sam Stout, and only had a 5-2 record.
In the end, Florian fought quite well, cutting Sherk open with an elbow early in the bout. However, he was also clearly outmatched and, harshly, out of his depth, even seemingly running away from 'The Muscle Shark' at one point.
When the fight ended, Florian was well beaten, and it would've been no surprise to see his career peter out from there. However, he did the opposite, honing his skills to the point that he did become an elite lightweight, beating the likes of Joe Stevenson and Takanori Gomi.
Although he came up short in his second title fight in 2009, by that point, nobody could say he didn't belong. It was a contrast to his first shot, which clearly came too early.
#2. Henry Cejudo - former UFC flyweight champion
Few fighters have been marked out for greatness as their UFC career began quite so much as Henry Cejudo. A 2008 Olympic gold medallist in freestyle wrestling, when Cejudo was signed to a contract in 2014, it was hard not to get excited.
Initially debuting as a bantamweight, Cejudo then dropped to 125 pounds in early 2015 and immediately stated his intention to become a title contender and, eventually, flyweight champion.
However, despite beating three foes in a row, including highly-rated contender Jussier Formiga, he did not seem ready for a shot at champ Demetrious Johnson. The future 'Triple C' didn't have a well-rounded striking game at that point, and hadn't finished any of his foes.
Undeterred, though, the UFC pushed him into a fight with 'Mighty Mouse', and less than two years after his debut, he suffered a nasty TKO loss due to a series of knee strikes from the clinch.
It was the kind of loss that could've been devastating for a young prospect's career, but Cejudo managed to bounce back. After suffering another loss to top contender Joseph Benavidez, he took an extended period of time off to work on his striking and returned in 2017 a different fighter.
A year later, he fought Johnson again, and this time was able to dethrone the longtime champion, becoming a legend in his own right in the process.
In this instance, while 'Triple C' received his first title shot too early, it probably spurred him to become better, making it a positive and not a negative.
#1. Georges St-Pierre - former UFC welterweight champion
Probably the best example of a fighter who was given a title shot too early into his UFC career is the legendary Georges St-Pierre. He received his first crack at welterweight gold in just his third octagon appearance, but while he lost, it was a moment that ended up inspiring him to greatness later on.
'GSP' debuted in early 2004 after just five wins on the Canadian circuit, but the nature of those wins - particularly his submission of veteran Pete Spratt - meant that he arrived with a big reputation.
Aged just 22, St-Pierre lived up to that reputation by beating Karo Parisyan and Jay Hieron. However, it was still a surprise to see him offered a shot at former titleholder Matt Hughes for the then-vacant 170-pound title, particularly with more experienced fighters like Frank Trigg and Chris Lytle floating around.
When it came to fight time, 'GSP' was so in awe of Hughes - who he viewed as his idol - that he couldn't even meet his gaze in the staredown. Remarkably, though, the Canadian actually took the fight to the veteran, only losing when he made a single error in the grappling department, allowing Hughes to grab an armbar in the last second of the first round.
It was painfully clear that while St-Pierre had the talent to reach the top, he'd been given his shot at Hughes too early in his career. However, inspired by his performance against the consensus best 170-pound fighter of all time, 'GSP' kept working and eventually became unstoppable.
He ran through five more contenders to gain another title shot before dethroning Hughes two years after their first meeting, and from there, the rest is history. A decade after his legendary title reign finally ended on nine successful defenses, 'GSP' is widely viewed as the greatest UFC fighter of all time.