5 UFC fighters who gracefully handled a loss
Fighters oftentimes let a loss devastate them. It's not for lack of sportsmanship though, rather it's because one loss can do so much harm to a career in the UFC. Fighters, on average, get to compete 2-3 times a year. Furthermore, most athletes rely on the win bonus to make ends meet. It also doesn't take much for one to lose their spot in the organization, as it'll take multiple wins to take a step forward, but one loss can be multiple steps back.
Dominick Cruz was extremely candid after his loss at #ufc207. https://t.co/rEKLEmhCF5
With that being said, it's absolutely fair for a fighter to be glum after a loss. That's not always the case, though. Many fighters have taken a loss in stride and dealt with it in a very commendable way. Taking it as a lesson rather than a loss is often talked about by fighters who use setbacks as motivation.
From figuratively taking it on the chin after literally taking it on the chin, to not making any excuses, some athletes prefer to get out in front of their loss instead of shying away from it. Here are five UFC fighters who gracefully handled a loss.
#5. Ben Askren
"Sometimes life doesn't go your way. Sometimes you get your a** kicked, sometimes you lose."
Following a record-setting loss to Jorge Masvidal, the world wondered how Ben Askren would react after his first loss as a professional fighter. Askren and Masvidal talked a lot in the lead-up to this bout, and the conversations weren't the most amicable. Finally, the two were able to take out their frustration on each other, and it only took 'Gamebred' five seconds to land a flying knee and two subsequent shots.
After suffering his first loss, @Benaskren has no plans to approach trash talk differently (via @arielhelwani) https://t.co/Rl3SmnFjrs
As the perfect career of Askren was given its first blemish, he set the standard for how a professional should deal with a bout not going their way. Very candid about this loss being a pretty bad one, the losing fighter even joked about how he set a record of some sort, as he was on the worse end of the UFC's fastest knockout.
Although losing a contest in this capacity was a completely foreign feeling to the formerly undefeated fighter, Askren made light of the situation. Acceptance was the only route Askren felt he could take, and as much as he didn't like 'Gamebred', he had no choice but to admit that Masvidal was the better fighter that night.