5 times that a legendary UFC champion was made to look very human
The UFC has been home to the best fighters in the world for decades. Some of their champions have fought at such a high level that it’s sometimes easy to see them as superhuman. Of course, that isn’t always the case.
On occasion, even the UFC’s most legendary champions have been made to look extremely human, often by opponents who were given little to no chance of doing so against them.
Sometimes in these kinds of fights, a major upset has occurred with the legendary fighter falling to defeat. But on other occasions, we’ve seen the legend rally to somehow edge out a win.
Regardless of the result, though, it’s always highly memorable and wild to look back on. That's especially true when a truly great fighter finds themselves somewhat humbled.
With that in mind, here are five times that a legendary UFC champion was made to look extremely human.
#5. Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks – UFC 167
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history. The Canadian won his title for the second time in 2008. He went on to have one of the most dominant title runs in UFC history, turning back all comers and often making them look completely inept in comparison to him.
GSP did lose two fights during his UFC tenure, to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. But he avenged those defeats in brutal fashion and left no doubt as to who the better man was. Realistically then, only one opponent truly made him look human.
That opponent was Johny Hendricks, who faced off against St-Pierre in November 2013 at UFC 167. Despite a world-class wrestling game and incredibly heavy hands, few were giving ‘Bigg Rigg’ a chance at dethroning the champion. However, midway through the fight, it looked like Hendricks would prove them wrong.
The first two rounds saw ‘Bigg Rigg’ hurt GSP with his heavy strikes, busting his face up pretty badly in the process. And while St-Pierre came back to win the third round, Hendricks then dominated the fourth, holding the Canadian down and battering him like nobody had done in years.
Surprisingly, the challenger then appeared to coast the fifth round, evidently figuring he had the title won. It turned out to be a huge error. GSP was able to win the stanza and was then given a stunning decision victory by the judges.
The UFC fanbase was largely shocked by the decision, with most feeling that Hendricks had done enough to earn the nod. But while St-Pierre came away with his hand raised, there was no doubt that ‘Bigg Rigg’ had made him look very human.