5 UFC fighters who looked surprisingly great in their return fight ft. Kamaru Usman
In the world of the UFC, "cage rust" is a very real problem. Most fighters who suffer a long layoff tend to struggle in their return fight, even legends.
Over the years, though, we've seen a handful of UFC greats who returned from some time away from the octagon to look surprisingly great.
Quite how they managed this, to be fair, is hard to say - but it's probably why they're usually recognised as greats of the game.
Here are five UFC fighters who looked surprisingly great in their return fight.
#5. Kamaru Usman - former UFC welterweight champion
We begin with former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman, who returned to the UFC this past weekend after just under two years away from action.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' was last seen in a losing effort against Khamzat Chimaev, and while that fight was at 185 pounds, plenty of observers questioned exactly how much he had left in the tank.
After all, Usman turned 38 years old in May, and prior to that loss to Chimaev, he'd lost twice in a row to Leon Edwards. To find his last win, you had to rewind to November 2021.
Faced with Joaquin Buckley, a red-hot prospect on an unbeaten run of 6-0 since moving to 170 pounds, then, it's easy to see why people suspected Usman might be in trouble.
However, Kamaru Usman surprised everyone this weekend by turning back the clock and completely dominating Buckley over five rounds.
Usman bullied him with his wrestling, beat him up on the ground and easily survived some hairy moments on the feet, too.
The win was so good that many fans now believe Usman can climb back into title contention, something nobody really thought would be possible prior to the fight.
It was the kind of showing that made everyone remember why Usman is seen as an all-time great of the welterweight division.
#4. Georges St-Pierre - former UFC welterweight champion
Well over a decade before Kamaru Usman returned to the welterweight division with a bang, another 170-pound legend did something similar. However, it's arguable that Georges St-Pierre's feat was even more impressive.
It would be easy to discuss St-Pierre's 2017 return as a middleweight against Michael Bisping here, but all told, his 2012 comeback against Carlos Condit was probably even better.
'GSP' was the UFC welterweight champion at the time, but he hadn't fought for 18 months prior to his bout with Condit after tearing his ACL.
Condit, meanwhile, was on a real roll. 'The Natural Born Killer' had dispatched fighters like Dan Hardy and Rory MacDonald, and had beaten Nick Diaz to claim an interim title.
With many fans feeling St-Pierre would be rusty following his major surgery, it seemed like a huge opportunity for Condit to claim a massive victory.
However, St-Pierre somehow hadn't missed a step, as he beat Condit down through the five round clash, even surviving a knockdown from a third round head kick.
When the fight ended, there was only one winner, and 'GSP' not only unified the titles, but he left no doubt as to who the world's best welterweight was. Seemingly, 18 months on the shelf was nothing for the French-Canadian star.
#3. Brock Lesnar - former UFC heavyweight champion
When Brock Lesnar stepped away from the UFC at the end of 2011 and returned to WWE a few months later, it felt like fans had seen the last of him in the octagon.
Lesnar's career with the promotion had only lasted four years, but he'd crammed a lot into that time period.
He'd won the heavyweight title, scored some huge wins over the likes of Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Shane Carwin, and had also suffered bad defeats to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
With his health in question due to a battle with diverticulitis, it seemed like putting an end to his MMA career was a good idea for Lesnar.
However, in the summer of 2016, fans were stunned to learn that 'The Beast Incarnate' would be making a one-off return to the octagon for UFC 200. Lesnar was booked to face Mark Hunt in what sounded like a colossal fight.
Based on the issues he'd had with the striking of Overeem, too, it also looked like a bad match for the former champ. Hunt didn't have the size and speed of Overeem, but he did have one-shot knockout power, and Lesnar seemingly couldn't take a punch.
Surprisingly, though, the WWE star took the fight to Hunt, bullying him and landing four takedowns across the three round fight. In total, he finished the bout with eight minutes of pure control, and claimed a decision win.
Okay, so the result was eventually overturned when Lesnar tested positive for banned substances, but even so, it was still highly impressive - and surprising - to see him look so good after almost five years out of the game.
#2. Randy Couture - former UFC heavyweight champion
While it was impressive to see Georges St-Pierre, Kamaru Usman and Brock Lesnar return following long layoffs to win big fights, those fighters were at least in their 30's at the time.
The same cannot be said for the legendary Randy Couture, who stunned everyone with his comeback fight in 2007 after a year out of the game.
'The Natural' had hung up his gloves following his loss to Chuck Liddell in their trilogy fight in early 2006. Given he turned 43 years old a few months later, it was hardly a surprising decision.
When it was announced that Couture would be returning to fight Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title in early 2007, then, fans were gobsmacked.
Not only had Couture not fought in a year, he'd also gotten a year older, which, in his 40s, was obviously a big deal.
As all longtime fans remember fondly, though, Couture completely turned back the clock in the bout. He shocked Sylvia with a right hand that decked him in the opening round, and never let up, dominating him for five rounds to claim the title for the third time.
Couture's post-fight quip of "not bad for an old man!" remains one of the most memorable moments in UFC history, and his return will always be one of the most surprisingly great ones in MMA history too.
#1. Dominick Cruz - former UFC bantamweight champion
With respect to Randy Couture, the gold standard for surprisingly great comeback fights remains former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.
Arguably the most unfortunate fighter in UFC history in terms of injuries, 'The Dominator' suffered a series of debilitating health issues between 2011 and 2016, including two torn ACLs and a torn groin.
The injuries ended Cruz's time as bantamweight champion, and meant that during that five-year period, he competed just once, scoring a TKO of Takeya Mizugaki in 2014.
When he was booked to fight TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title he never lost in January 2016, then nobody really gave him a chance of winning.
After all, Dillashaw had completely dominated Renan Barao to claim the title in 2014, and had looked unstoppable since.
Quite how Cruz - who had been on the shelf for well over a year and had only fought for a single minute since October 2011 - was supposed to beat him was anyone's guess.
Incredibly, though, Cruz somehow came back as if he hadn't missed a single beat in the five years he'd been away.
He displayed the same trademark footwork, movement and striking skills he'd done in his pomp, and while he didn't dominate Dillashaw, he did do enough to be awarded a close decision - reclaiming his title in a true miracle.
While the later years of Cruz's fighting career were once again plagued by injuries, this miraculous comeback cemented him as one of the true greats of the 135 pound division, and remains stirring today.