Mark Coleman and 4 other former UFC champions who have double digit losses
UFC champions represent the cream of the crop. They're often regarded as the best fighters in their division, regardless of promotion. In some cases, they're even hailed as the greatest fighter in the world. With such esteemed status, these titleholders usually have favorable records.
It is common for a champion to have far more wins than losses. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, fighters who have captured championship gold ultimately accumulate so many losses that they enter double digit territory, which is often reserved for journeyman and the bottom of the barrel.
Sometimes, it is due to certain fighters refusing to retire when necessary, causing them to underperform the more they age. In other cases, the game simply passes them by. Whatever the reason, there are those who have been champions, yet still racked up a shocking number of losses.
#5. Kevin Randleman, former UFC heavyweight champion
Late MMA icon Kevin Randleman is best remembered for his freakish athleticism, as he possessed absurd explosiveness, strength and power. After all, he once slammed the great Fedor Emelianenko on his head. This athleticism carried Randleman to a UFC heavyweight title win back in 1999.
He captured the vacant strap by beating Pete Williams, before first defending it against Pedro Rizzo. In his second title defense, he dropped the belt to Randy Couture and never fought for a world championship for the remainder of his career. Unfortunately, his run of form declined tremendously.
At the very end of his career, Randleman had one of the worst records expected of an elite fighter, with almost as many losses as he had wins at 17-16.
#4. B.J. Penn, former UFC lightweight/welterweight champion
There is only one other man who can challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov's claim to being the greatest lightweight of all time: B.J. Penn. Additionally, 'The Prodigy' is technically the first two-division UFC champion, having held belts at both lightweight and welterweight, though not simultaneously.
For a while, he was widely regarded as a pound-for-pound great, and is still hailed as the MMA GOAT by some of his peers. However, Penn's legacy took a massive hit due to his decision to keep fighting long past his due date. In fact, the Hawaiian is currently tied with Tony Ferguson for the longest-ever losing streak in the UFC.
He was on a seven-fight losing streak, which greatly contributed to his very poor record, which sits at 16-14-2.
#3. Randy Couture, former UFC light heavyweight/heavyweight champion
On the topic of two-division champions, Randy Couture is the original conqueror of the promotion's two heaviest weight classes. He captured both the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, becoming the oldest champion in the promotion's history.
Couture is best remembered for being a genius in the clinch due to his Greco-Roman background, as well as for humbling professional boxing great, James Toney, in the latter's MMA debut. Despite being a well-respected legend in the sport, he has a significant number of losses relative to his wins.
'The Natural' retired from the sport with a record of 19-11 across 30 fights. It does not accurately reflect his abilities at his peak, but will forever define him as one of the few champions with double digit losses.
#2. Tito Ortiz, former UFC light heavyweight champion
The light heavyweight division's original trash-talker, Tito Ortiz, was once revered as the greatest 205-pound champion in UFC history, having recorded the second-most consecutive title defenses at light heavyweight, surpassed only by Jon Jones. However, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' overstayed his welcome.
He incurred far more losses than he would have liked, and blemished his record as a consequence. While Ortiz never had the mystique of an undefeated record, he still won far more than he lost, until momentum shifted against him, and the losses began piling up. It culminated in him parting ways with the promotion.
He was relegated to fighting lesser competition, and ultimately retired with a 21-12-1 record. His final bout was against former WWE pro-wrestler Alberto El Patron, better known as Alberto Del Rio.
#1. Mark Coleman, former UFC heavyweight champion
Often touted as 'The Godfather of Ground-and-Pound,' Mark Coleman is an MMA pioneer with the distinction of being the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion. His style of elite-level wrestling and revolutionary use of ground-and-pound made him a force at 265 pounds. Alas, he never successfully defended his title.
Coleman lost it almost as soon as he had won it. Just months later, he took on Maurice Smith, losing the heavyweight strap via unanimous decision in 1997's Fight of the Year. It was Coleman's first-ever loss as a professional fighter, and it would not be his last, as he found himself on a losing streak thereafter.
While he rebounded with a lengthy win streak, he eventually suffered more losses, before finally retiring in 2010 with a disappointing 16-10 record.