5 UFC champions who lost their titles controversially but didn't get a rematch
This past weekend saw Sean Strickland lose his UFC middleweight title to Dricus du Plessis, and due to the nature of the decision, fans are now wondering if ‘Tarzan’ will get a rematch.
If Sean Strickland misses out on one, he won’t be the first UFC champ to lose his title in controversial fashion and not receive an instant shot at regaining it.
With that in mind, here are five UFC champions who lost their titles in close fashion and then, for various reasons, didn’t get a rematch.
#5. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – UFC light heavyweight champion
When the UFC bought out the defunct WFA promotion in 2006, they did so largely to secure the contract of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who they saw as a potential superstar.
'Rampage' didn’t disappoint when he arrived in the octagon. He took out Marvin Eastman in his debut fight, and then knocked out Chuck Liddell to claim the light heavyweight title.
After he then popped a huge TV rating in his first title defense against Dan Henderson a few months later, it was clear that Dana White and company had found their newest poster-boy.
'Rampage’s' next assignment, though, went a little awry. After coaching on the 7th season of The Ultimate Fighter, he faced off with the reality show’s inaugural winner, Forrest Griffin, in the summer of 2008.
Despite dropping Griffin with an uppercut in the first round and arguably landing the heavier shots, 'Rampage' found himself on the wrong end of the judges’ decision, largely due to a dominant second round for the challenger.
The fight was immediately hailed as one of the best of the year, and due to its razor-close nature, with many believing 'Rampage' had been robbed, it felt like a rematch was definitely on the cards.
Unfortunately, the loss of his title seemed to send 'Rampage' into a downward spiral, and weeks later he was involved in a hit-and-run incident that saw him charged with a number of felonies.
While the UFC stood by him for the most part, the incident led them to believe that he would be out of action for a lengthy period. While he actually returned just five months later, he was overlooked when it came to a rematch, and wouldn’t receive another title shot until 2011.
#4. Johny Hendricks – UFC welterweight champion
Johny Hendricks’ first shot at the UFC welterweight title remains one of the most controversial fights in the promotion’s history.
‘Bigg Rigg’ came out on the wrong end of a split decision against longtime champion Georges St-Pierre. And despite Dana White desperately trying to put a rematch together, ‘GSP’ instead stepped away from the sport, vacating his title.
Hendricks seemed to have righted the ship when he edged out top contender Robbie Lawler to claim the vacant title a few months later, but the fight was much closer than many had anticipated.
Due to the exciting nature of the bout – as well as some fans believing Lawler had done enough to win – a rematch was signed after ‘Ruthless’ won another two fights while Hendricks rehabbed an injury.
The second fight was just like the first, a back-and-forth war that saw both men give and receive some brutal shots throughout the five rounds. This time, though, largely due to a strong finish, Lawler got the nod from the judges.
However, a number of fans also scored the fight for ‘Bigg Rigg’, and he probably had as much right to be aggrieved as Lawler did after the first bout.
With the UFC’s love of trilogies being well-known, a third Hendricks vs. Lawler fight seemed inevitable, but curiously, the promotion overlooked it.
Quite why this was remains a bit of a mystery, particularly as the first two fights were amazing to watch. In the long term, though, it might’ve been a good thing.
‘Bigg Rigg’ ended up missing the 170-pound welterweight limit on numerous occasions shortly after, and a losing streak eventually washed him out of the promotion.
#3. T.J. Dillashaw – UFC bantamweight champion
The story of Dominick Cruz and his return from nearly five years on the shelf remains one of the most inspiring in UFC history.
After outpointing Demetrious Johnson to defend his bantamweight title in late 2011, a myriad of injuries resulted in him not only giving up his title, but fighting just once in the years that led up to January 2016.
However, his return match saw him jump into the deep end, immediately facing off with then-new champion T.J. Dillashaw for the title he never technically lost.
Remarkably, ‘The Dominator’ ended up shocking the world by edging a split decision, reclaiming his spot at the top of the 135-pound mountain.
Bafflingly, though, despite many observers believing Dillashaw actually deserved the nod, the former champion was completely overlooked when it came to a rematch. Instead, the promotion went with Cody Garbrandt as Cruz’s challenger.
At the time, it was difficult to understand the reasoning for this. Indeed, nearly a decade on, the decision to overlook Dillashaw still feels unfair and confusing.
However, an interview with the former champ in December 2016 seemed to shed some light on things. He claimed that an issue with his contract and his management caused Dana White to look past him, despite his assertions that he’d have done anything to get his rematch with Cruz.
In the end, of course, it didn’t matter as Dillashaw would regain his crown from Garbrandt a year later, even if he never did get a second crack at Cruz.
#2. Demetrious Johnson – UFC flyweight champion
The most dominant champion to make this list is easily former flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson. ‘Mighty Mouse’ became the UFC’s first 125-pound champion in late 2012 and held his crown until 2018, making a record 11 successful title defenses in the process.
With different judges, he could easily have come away with a 12th successful defense, as his fight with challenger Henry Cejudo was insanely close. In fact, it felt like the majority of observers felt Johnson deserved the nod, with many claiming the champ had been robbed.
Despite this, it never really felt like the UFC would be willing to offer ‘Mighty Mouse’ a rematch. If anything, it felt like the promotion were quietly relieved that Johnson had lost, as despite their best efforts, he’d never been able to catch on as a star, and the division had arguably suffered as a result.
Instead, in a stunning move from all parties, the former champion was “traded” to rival promotion ONE Championship just two months later, with welterweight star Ben Askren moving in the opposite direction.
Since then, Johnson has won five of six bouts and now holds the ONE flyweight title, and remains widely recognized as the greatest 125-pound fighter of all time.
Would he have benefitted had he remained in the UFC and won his title back in a rematch? It’s hard to say, but the fact that he was never given the chance still feels a bit jarring today.
#1. Rose Namajunas – UFC strawweight champion
The most recent UFC champion to lose her title in controversial fashion and not be offered a rematch is former strawweight titleholder Rose Namajunas.
‘Thug Rose’ defeated Weili Zhang to begin her second reign as champion in April 2021. After defending it successfully against ‘Magnum’ in a rematch, it looked like she’d hold onto it for some time.
However, that wasn’t the case. In her second defense, which came against her old rival Carla Esparza in May 2022, Namajunas failed to deliver the goods.
Given that ‘Cookie Monster’ had beaten ‘Thug Rose’ for the inaugural title back in 2014, most fans expected the champ to come in looking for revenge.
Instead, though, the fans were treated to one of the worst title bouts in octagon history. Both women looked gun-shy and basically refused to engage. In the end, Esparza was awarded a split decision basically for doing slightly more than her foe.
Quite what Namajunas was thinking was anyone’s guess. However, despite her star power, it was clear that no rematch would be coming her way, largely because nobody would’ve wanted to see her fight Esparza again.
Instead, ‘Thug Rose’ took a lengthy time off and has since moved to 125 pounds, making a third run as strawweight champion unlikely.