5 UFC fighters who lost their undefeated record in 2021
The first five months of 2021 have been unforgiving for many of the UFC's biggest stars.
Conor McGregor was knocked out for the first time in his MMA career, while several veterans like Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos and Tyron Woodley were forced out of the promotion. Many young prospects experienced setbacks as well, as they suffered their first professional MMA loss.
Here are five UFC fighters who lost their unbeaten record in 2021.
Honorable Mentions: Dusko Todorovic, Rafa Garcia, Lupita Godinez, Tafon Nchukwi, Juancamilo Ronderos
#5 Roman Dolidze - at UFC on ESPN 21
Part of the Georgian takeover in the UFC, Roman Dolidze got his career in the promotion off to an excellent start with wins over Khadis Ibragimov and John Allan at light heavyweight. He then took on Trevin Giles at UFC on ESPN 21 in March 2021, this time at middleweight.
The drop down proved fatal, as Dolidze's cardio didn't hold up in the third round. The fight was competitive, as both participants landed 47% of their significant strikes and one takedown each. 'The Caucasian' had over four minutes of control time as well, but Giles landed the more telling blows and was comfortable on the mat.
All three scorecards read 29-28 in favor of Giles, snatching Dolidze's undefeated record. Now at 8-1, the 32-year-old will take on Laureano Staropoli this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Sakai.
#4 Carlos Ulberg - at UFC 259
At UFC 259, Carlos Ulberg made his promotional debut on the undercard of the show headlined by his City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya. The seventh fighter from the Kiwi gym to feature in the UFC, the Dana White's Contender Series alum entered with just three professional fights under his belt.
But given his reputation and training partners, Ulberg was riding a lot of hype when he took on Kennedy Nzechukwu. The New Zealander tasted success early with his kicks, but Nzechukwu roared back in the second round with a barrage of punches and a searing right hook to cause referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the contest.
Ulberg lost his '0', but 'Black Jag' remains a fighter to watch out for as he will only get better with experience.
#3 Mason Jones - UFC on ESPN 20
Cage Warriors double-champ Mason Jones made his UFC debut against Mike Davis at UFC on ESPN 20 in January 2021. The Conor McGregor comparisons were inevitable for the Welshman, who entered the promotion with an unblemished 10-0 record.
Jones and Davis went at it in a back-and-forth bout, with the latter winning key exchanges at the end of rounds to tilt the scales in his favor. All three judges scored the contest 29-28, handing 'The Dragon' his first professional loss and spoiling his UFC debut.
Jones will look to get off the mark in the UFC this weekend when he takes on Alan Patrick.
#2 Rodolfo Vieira - at UFC 258
Decorated submission grappler Rodolfo Vieira has made a name for himself as one of the most talented exponents of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in MMA at the moment. Six of his seven professional wins have come via submission, including his first two fights in the UFC.
But against a much less fancied opponent in Anthony Hernandez at UFC 258, 'The Black Belt Hunter' suffered an embarrassing setback. Multi-time jiu-jitsu world champion Vieira faded early in the second round and was caught in a guillotine which forced him to tap out. He said after the fight that it was the "worst day of his life".
Vieira will make a return to the octagon in July, when he faces off against Dustin Stoltzfus.
#1 Israel Adesanya - at UFC 259
Easily the most high-profile name on this list, Israel Adesanya's stellar undefeated MMA record took a hit when he challenged Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
Moving up to light heavyweight, Adesanya lost some of his speed and sharpness against an opponent who had not only a power advantage but also a size advantage. 'The Last Stylebender' was thoroughly outwrestled by the Pole, who played it smart to hand Adesanya his first professional loss.
Adesanya is back down to middleweight and will defend his title against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 in June.