Fighters you thought were really good at one point, but then realized they were never that good?

[markg171]

I still think he was a good fighter, but Thiago Silva looked like a real threat. Even after he lost to Machida but bounced back against Jardine with a first round stoppage I just took it as a setback that he recovered from nicely. Machida was awkward and anyone could struggle with him but the Jardine win puts him back on track. Then he goes on a 2 year skid from 2010-2012. Then a mental health crisis finished off his career.

I think literally submitting horse piss for a drug test might've been what finished him off.

 

[HHJ]

I'll never forget Benson misreading Twitter and thinking Khabib called him out after I think Gilbert and Nate had pulled out of fights with him so Benson responded that he'd fight him as no one else wanted to...

... Only for it to have actually been Rustam calling him out. KhabiLOV, not KhabiB. Who was still relatively unknown and I think only like #14 or something while Benson was #1.

Someone eventually replied asking him if he'd mistakenly thought he was replying to Khabib and he retweeted it showing he'd mixed guys up. Well son of a bitch, for whatever reason someone at the UFC thought this was a good fight and offered it and he took it anyways despite it making no sense and manhandled Rustam.

Typical UFC matchmaking though that #1 Benson wanted to fight #6 Khabib who needed a fight too and they instead made Benson/Rustam and Khabib/RDA. Then after both won their fights they didn't make it here either but instead made Benson/RDA meanwhile Khabib would eventually spend the next 2 years injured. Just went and ruined everything instead of making the logical fights.

Definitley a missed oppurtunity.

 

[jx820]

I think literally submitting horse piss for a drug test might've been what finished him off.

I must have forgotten about that. That's hillarious.

 

[Megatronlee]

We always hear people on here say Fighter X was never really that good after a loss or multiple losses, sometimes jokingly.

But which fighters accurately fit the description of never being that good, (but were once viewed as quite good)?

Also if you want to, include the fights from that fighter that made you realize they were never really good.

(inb4 people say BJ Penn)

Khabib and fedor mainly

 

[Black Blood]

Thomas Almeida. I wouldn't say he was never any good, but losses + injuries + age all came together at just the right time.

 

[Megatronlee]

I think literally submitting horse piss for a drug test might've been what finished him off.

It was a dead mans sperm bro. NOT horse piss

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Maybe Tarec Saffiedine? Marquardt looked like a new man when he murdered the Strikeforce and future UFC champ Woodley, and Tarec put a fucking clinic on him, so I was hyped about his UFC run. So he lost to Rory, which, I mean Rory was a hot prospect and ended up being pretty damn good. Then he made an Ellenberger fight boring, a decision with almost no action, very disappointing performance. Then he lost 3 more in a row. Every time, I kept just moving the goal posts and thinking "Ok, but he can still be this good," and it just didnt happen

I guess if someone got "exposed," like a really good or powerful striking prospect got grounded the fuck out. That might be another way of remembering someone

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Someone like Stephen Thompson will never be champ despite being very talented.

Shoulda been though, I'll bang that drum all day

Did you even see the fight? He was destroying Hamill before the illegal elbow ended it. Hamill didn't beat Jones, Jones beat Jones.

So what tends to happen is someone comes along who clearly hits like a truck, knocks out (or at least knocks the tar out of) a few guys at entry level in the UFC, then the assumption is that they must be skilled enough to land power shots on people who never eat power shots somehow. If they're also physically powerful and have shown improvement, they're a nightmare opponent.

This was a pet peeve of mine all the time back in the day. Someone like a power puncher loses to a wrestler. So they have a few more fights where they really start hurting some other strikers or BJJ guys with no takedowns, and everyone's all of a sudden like "WOW, HE'S PUT IN THE WORK AND TURNED THE CORNER!" and I'd be like, he's doing what he did before though. He didn't show anything in the new fights to show he could answer the same challenge he fell to. And I'd just get yelled down, cuz his knockouts look super cool

Most hyped Bellator fighers like Lombard, Askren, Brooks, Chandler, MVP.

Will Brooks is a great one.

 

[haj02]

Todd Duffee.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Emanuel Yarbrough…. Until the fight started.

 

[Exarch01]

Liam McGeary.

 

[storeybuckle]

Whoever losses their next fight.

You’re on the money here! That’s the Sherdog way

 

[TheMadHatter]

goran reljic is a big one. Feijao also comes to mind. at one point I thought he had a chance to beat jones when strikeforce merged with the ufc.

 

[Brood]

Definitley a missed oppurtunity.

For sure!
I actually think prime Bendo had a good chance of beating Khabib. He was very smooth.

 

[TJ Dillashank]

Darren Till

And do I need to say why

 

[Masturbin]

Edmen Shambazian.

He looked like a killer after koing Tavares. He was ready to do the gatekeeper combo. (Tavares and then Brunson)

He looked good for 1 round and then gassed out.

Actually he has that amateur mentality where he has to destroy his opponent in 1 round or else he gets destroyed.

 

[jooohnmatrix]

Usman until he was exposed as never being that good by Leon. Probably should have retired after.

 

[Simple Southerner]

Black beast

 

[r-harper-1]

Tony Ferguson…..if you get dropped every fight against not great opponents…..not good

 

[HHJ]

It was a dead mans sperm bro. NOT horse piss

Both easily obtained on the dark web.