5 most surprising UFC losing streaks
The sport of MMA is wild and unpredictable. There have been many times when a fighter in the UFC was on a long win streak and then suddenly couldn't win a fight at all.
Any fighter in the world can have an off night and lose. If they can't win a fight in a year or two, there are questions raised about how much they truly want to win again or if there is something wrong with their training.
A losing streak, especially in the top-most promotion of MMA, can be really dangerous for a fighter. There is always a threat of being released from the promotion if a fighter can't win his fights. Once released from the UFC, the popularity of the fighter drops considerably in most cases and they aren't able to secure a good future for themselves.
Some fighters seemed unbeatable at a certain point and then suddenly out of nowhere found themselves on a losing streak. Let's take a closer look at the five most surprising UFC losing streaks.
#5. Marlon Moraes - 4 UFC fight losing streak
Marlon Moraes was one of the most dangerous bantamweight contenders in the history of the UFC. The Brazilian was an all-round fighter with black belts in both Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. Before entering the UFC, Moraes was the bantamweight champion in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), where he defended his title five times.
'Magic' made his UFC debut in June 2017 against fellow Brazilian Raphael Assuncao and lost in a razor-close split decision. Moraes went on a four-fight winning streak after his debut loss, which included the brutal knockout of Aljamain Sterling and a rematch win over Assuncao.
Marlon Moraes threw that flying knee with such ferocity Aljamain Sterling didn't know what hit him 😮
#UFC238
https://t.co/7Fzf4wRzXT
Moraes was handed a title shot against Henry Cejudo at UFC 238. The Brazilian dominated Cejudo in the first round and it looked like it was just a matter of time before he put Cejudo out for good. But 'Triple C' rallied back and knocked out Moraes in the third round.
After a disappointing title loss, Moraes won his next bout via split decision against Jose Aldo, a fight that many people believe Aldo won. Moraes fought top bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen next. 'Sandman' controlled the pace of the fight and landed a spinning wheel kick to Moraes' head which knocked him out.
'Magic' was booked to fight another top contender in Rob Font following the fight with Sandhagen. Font came out with his patented jab and kept landing flush on Moraes' chin which eventually wobbled him. Font rushed in and got the finish.
Now riding a 2-fight losing streak, Moraes was booked against Merab Dvalishvili. 'Magic' had the Georgian severely hurt in the first round but couldn't finish him. Dvalishvili rallied in the second and finished Moraes via TKO.
The level of competition was reduced for Moraes in his last fight in the UFC. He was booked against rising contender Song Yadong. The Chinese fighter came out of the gates fast and put on a masterful performance. He knocked out Moraes just 2 minutes into the first round.
The Brazilian was now on a 4-fight losing streak and things were looking very bleak for the former title contender. 'Magic' later announced his retirement in April 2022.