The 10 Greatest Comebacks In UFC History
As a fan of MMA, there’s nothing better than seeing a fighter make a miraculous comeback in the cage. Whether it’s roaring back from a couple of rounds in the hole, or somehow pulling themselves off the mat after a devastating knockdown, there’s something visceral about a stunning comeback that just resonates with the fan like little else.
Over the 25 years that the UFC has been in existence we’ve seen tons of great comebacks – right from the early events with the classic Royce Gracie vs. Kimo Leopoldo battle, though to more recent ones like Robbie Lawler’s wild victory over Rory MacDonald or Brock Lesnar’s second-round resurgence against Shane Carwin.
None of those three have made this list, though – showing how many great comebacks have taken place inside the Octagon. In my mind here are the greatest 10 comebacks in UFC history.
#10 Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard, UFC 150
Despite his reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, Donald Cerrone’s never been known as a quick starter in fights and often that tendency has seen him give early rounds away to his opponent. When he fought the explosive Melvin Guillard at UFC 150 in 2012, that tendency nearly lead him to give the entire fight away.
Guillard – a former training partner and friend of Cerrone – clearly had no intention of letting the fight go long, and so he came roaring out of the gates and cracked ‘Cowboy’ with a huge left hook that appeared to have Cerrone on the ropes. Not allowing him to recover, Guillard flurried on his opponent with some huge strikes and another left seemed to be enough to put Cerrone away, but somehow Cowboy bit down on his mouthpiece and survived.
Seconds later, the fight was over – but not in the favour of Guillard. Cowboy caught him out of nowhere with a left head kick that froze him in his tracks, and then followed up with a huge right hand that sent Guillard down and out. No follow-up strikes were needed, as Cerrone had completed one of the all-time great UFC comebacks – from the verge of defeat right into a wild victory.