5 UFC fighters who were never the same after an injury

Injuries are inevitable in the sport of MMA, especially in a promotion like the UFC that is home to the best fighters in the world.

Fighters like Jon Jones, Robbie Lawler and Tony Ferguson have built reputations for themselves as men who ensure their opponents are never the same again after fighting them. Unsurprisingly, some of these violent fighters feature on this list dominated by knee injuries, albeit in slightly unexpected ways.

Here are five UFC fighters who were never the same after suffering a serious injury. Note: This is not an exhaustive list.

#5 Thiago Santos - suffered knee injuries at UFC 239

At UFC 239, after a four-fight win streak in the promotion, rising contender Thiago Santos challenged light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones for the title.

In the dying seconds of the first round, Santos injured his knee while throwing a kick, worsening the injury with every involvement in the fight thereafter. He took 'Bones' the distance, ending up on the wrong side of a split decision win in a fight that many felt he won.

The end result for Santos was not only a loss but also tears in his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus. Since then, the Brazilian hasn't been the same fighter. He was taken down with ease and submitted by Glover Teixeira, before being outpointed by Aleksandar Rakic.

Although Santos hasn't appeared to be directly impacted by his injuries during his next two fights, the timing of it all is certainly questionable. Now on a three-fight losing streak in the UFC, 'Marreta' faces off against Johnny Walker in October in a desperate bid to revive his struggling career.

Santos could still make a comeback, but at 37 years old, it seems like his days of challenging for the light heavyweight title are past him.