Whether it was failing to live up to the hype, sticking around too long, or just never reaching their full potential, whose UFC career disappointed you the most?
Here's a few of mine that spring to mind:
- Ben Rothwell: A big name in mma at the time he joined the roster but he only fought 10 TIMES despite being on the roster for 9 years! Every big win he had went nowhere and a lot of interesting matchups (vs Cro Cop, vs Werdum, vs Stipe) fell through because of injuries or suspensions. He could have been a reliable gatekeeper or unlikely contender for years but instead, he has faded into obscurity.
- Little Nog: Similar to Ben, Little Nog came in with a big name and was just never able make it to the cage consistently. Probably the most injury prone fighter in history, it was nearly impossible to get excited for one of his fights because he was likely to pull out 90% of the time. Many Pride dream matches were ruined because of this and the barren wasteland that is the 205 division could still have a name floating around if Diet Nog's career panned out.
- Big Nog: A top 3 HW and one of the most beloved fighters in mma history prior to joining the UFC, Nog was a bit too battle torn to fight at the same level as he did in Pride. Once known for being classy and durable, Nog got finished... a lot once joining the UFC roster and became infamous for making Tito Ortiz level excuses about the losses which really tainted his legacy to some.
- Shogun: Ranked #1 in the world when he arrived, Shogun could have been champ for years to come but despite being young, his knees had too many miles on them for him to regain his old form. His win over Machida was one of the most epic in history, but it's still disappointing to have never seen him string together a real streak of great performances.
There are plenty more examples to think of (Jones, Cro Cop, Anderson, Machida, etc). Whose UFC career do you associate the most with feelings of disappointment?