Gregor Gillespie and 4 other UFC fighters who failed to meet fan expectations
UFC fighters represent a rare breed of combat sports athletes. They're the ones that the world regards with valor as modern-day gladiators, as they don't hide behind the safety net of a rule-set that severely limits the weapons at a fighter's disposal. It's the closest thing to a sanctioned street fight fans will ever see.
But even among UFC fighters, there are those who form a class of their own: mixed martial artists of such skill that they're predicted to achieve tremendous success due to their well of athletic potential, rich background in their chosen MMA base, and sometimes, their sheer marketability.
In the most extreme of cases, some fighters are heralded as future title contenders and champions before they even break into the top 10. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to meet these kinds of lofty expectations. Many crumble under the weight of it all and end up in failure.
#5. Sage Northcutt, former UFC welterweight/lightweight
Once one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, Sage Northcutt seemed to have every conceivable attribute for future MMA success. First, he was absurdly athletic, with blistering speed, freakish explosiveness, and deadly knockout power, alongside the skill and technique to make use of it all.
'Super Sage' was a martial arts prodigy, with a first-degree black belt in Shuri-ryū, a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo, a fourth-degree black belt in Kajukenbo, a 15-0 kickboxing record, and 77 world youth karate championships to his name. Furthermore, he looked like a Street Fighter character come to life.
Sage Northcutt was the star of the first-ever episode of Dana White's Looking For A Fight series, impressing the UFC president with a second-round submission. He earned a contract, and his first two bouts under the Zuffa banner were successful as he extended his unbeaten record to 7-0, all of them finishes.
He was pegged as a future champion and paid as such. But a shocking submission loss to the unranked Bryan Barberena revealed his experience. Northcutt had tapped to an arm-triangle choke that wasn't fully tight. While he bounced back with a win, he subsequently lost to Mickey Gall.
By then, the hopes everyone had for Northcutt had been dashed, and despite winning his next three fights, he was let go from the promotion.
#4. Edmen Shahbazyan, UFC middleweight
Edmen Shahbazyan is one of the most well-known fighters that Dana White's Contender Series exported to the UFC. He had the luxury of an undefeated record, with every win coming by way of TKO, as well as strong ties to WMMA legend and Hall of Famer, Ronda Rousey, who enjoys a close relationship with Dana White.
While his finishing streak came to an end on his promotional debut, Shahbazyan maintained his unbeaten record as he stormed through the UFC middleweight division with intent. Not only was he regarded as a future champion, but he fancied himself capable of becoming the promotion's youngest-ever titleholder.
Even reigning middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya envisioned him as a future foe. So when he knocked Brad Tavares unconscious with a picturesque head kick at UFC 244, it was time for him to pass the divisional litmus test that champions like Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya himself had.
He was booked to face Derek Brunson, and despite enjoying a strong start to the bout, Shahbazyan gassed out and was helpless against his foe's wrestling. He was brutally TKO'd and lost his subsequent two bouts before briefly snapping his losing streak with a TKO win over Dalcha Lungiambula only to lose his next bout.
Despite the praise that fans and fellow fighters once showered him with, he is now 1-4 in his last five fights and a future champion in no one's eyes.
#3. Gregor Gillespie, UFC lightweight
It's often said that wrestling is the best base for MMA, and there are few wrestlers better than Gregor Gillespie in the UFC. 'The Gift' is a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion, and a three-time EWL and PSAC conference champion.
He broke into the UFC lightweight division and drew immediate attention due to the strength of his wrestling and grappling skills. It wasn't long before fantasy matchups between him and then reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov started making the rounds.
Gillespie was regarded as a future title contender, and it was only a matter of time. After all, he was unbeaten and no one could stop his climb to the top. After six consecutive wins in the promotion, he was scheduled to face former interim title challenger Kevin Lee at UFC 244.
A win would have surely catapulted him into title contention. Instead, Gillespie ended up on Lee's highlight reel, as the victim of one of 2019's finest knockouts. After being finished within two minutes, he took some time away from the sport, before returning against Carlos Diego Ferreira.
While Gillespie won, it was a difficult win. He gassed out in round one and barely made it back to his stool. Fortunately, he found his second win in round two to TKO his foe. But that was in 2021, and he hasn't fought since due to his refusal to fight anyone ranked near him.
So he tumbled down the rankings for his inactivity and now sits in unranked obscurity.
#2. Ben Askren, former UFC welterweight
Ben Askren is one of the few fighters to have captured world championships in other major organizations, but failed to replicate his title-winning success in the UFC. 'Funky' is an exceptional wrestler and grappler. He is a former two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and FILA no-gi grappling champion.
Furthermore, he once ruled the welterweight divisions in Bellator and ONE Championship as their resident titleholder. He was an undefeated phenom, but his feud with Dana White over the perceived lack of entertainment value in his fighting style led to him being barred from the UFC for most of his career.
By the time their issues were resolved and Askren signed to the promotion, he was not the same athlete he was in his prime. Instead of the man that fans paired up with Georges St-Pierre in fantasy matchups, he was far less mobile and in need of major hip replacement surgery, but hardly anyone knew that.
The hype for his promotional debut was real, but it almost ended in disaster after he was slammed on his head and nearly TKO'd by a declining Robbie Lawler. But 'Funky' managed to survive, scoring a controversial win via bulldog choke to set up a fight against Jorge Masvidal, with whom he engaged in constant trash-talk.
Alas, Askren lost the bout in humiliating fashion, as he was on the receiving end of the fastest knockout in the promotion's history, becoming a mere footnote in Jorge Masvidal's ascension to superstardom. He then faced an aging Demian Maia, losing via submission, before retiring from MMA after a 1-2 run in the UFC.
He never became the champion and lacked a win that didn't have an asterisk next to it.
#1. Darren Till, former UFC welterweight/middleweight
In the UFC's search for the next Conor McGregor, Darren Till emerged as a likely candidate. He was an undefeated southpaw with a dynamite left hand, spoke with a scouser accent, which MMA fans were still unfamiliar with, carried himself with the same peacocking confidence McGregor did, and engaged in trash talk.
He stormed through the promotion's welterweight division, and after defeating all-time great striker Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in a cerebral kickboxing affair, Till wore the label of future champion with pride. He was booked to face Tyron Woodley, one of the most disliked titleholders in UFC history.
The two squared off at UFC 228, and it seemed like the entire event was designed for 'The Gorilla' to emerge victorious. Instead, he had his worst performance to date, freezing when the lights shone brightest. He threw just seven strikes, landing none of them, before getting dropped and submitted by Woodley.
While Till lost his chance to capture the welterweight strap, Woodley was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Worse still, Darren Till lost his subsequent bout to Jorge Masvidal, of all people, a man regarded as a journeyman, who was supposed to be a winnable fight for Till.
Though he snapped his losing streak by beating Kelvin Gastelum via a lackluster split decision, he racked up injuries, got out of shape, and lost his next three bouts, before requesting his release from the promotion.