With an increasing number of fighters on the UFC roster, matchmaking is quite possibly one of the most demanding yet satisfying jobs in the UFC. Matchmakers get to sit back and watch as the fights they came up with come to fruition and the sport play out. Things normally play out so that future contenders come out on top while second-tier fighters trickle down the rankings.
At times, fights may look good on paper, such as champions fighting the rightful number one contender or fighters making their UFC debut against a worthy opponent, but play out horribly. Here, we will take a look at some of the most memorable one-sided losses in the UFC.
10 Alistair Overeem vs Brock Lesnar
Alistair Overeem's UFC debut came at UFC 141 against Brock Lesnar. Both men's physiques were incredibly impressive with the poster for the fight making a point to highlight the fighter's stature and weight. On paper, the men stacked up extremely well against each other, both being MMA champions at one point of their careers and resembling one another in size. Their differences would only come to light in the octagon, where Overeem proved to be the superior fighter, landing a body kick that would send the Beast Incarnate to double over in pain before a TKO finish was ruled. The victory would come at just two minutes and twenty-six seconds of the very first round, a quick night at the office for The Reem.
9 Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega
Holloway and Ortega were initially scheduled to fight at UFC 226 in Las Vegas. Holloway would withdraw from the fight due to concussion-like symptoms and the two would reschedule their match for UFC 231. Holloway's condition leading up to their first fight and longer-than-usual layoff were questioned by fans before the fight to the point that Ortega found himself as a betting favorite. As their match began, betting odds quickly shifted for Holloway as the defending champion put on an impressive striking clinic against the BJJ specialist. Holloway would significantly outland Ortega to the point where things became hard to watch. In the end, the Hawaiian would earn the TKO victory after the UFC doctor stepped in between the fourth and fifth round.
8 Valentina Shevchenko vs Priscila Cachoeira
We can honestly place any of Valentina's fighs on this list, but her bout with Priscilla Cachoeira sticks out in particular. Following her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 215, Valentina moved down to flyweight where she would be introduced to the division by Priscilla Cachoeira. Cachoeira was making her UFC debut and was undefeated in her MMA career so the matchup seemed promising for both women. What ensued was a Valentina mauling that led to a controversial stoppage by referee Mario Yamasaki. Unlike most controversial stoppages where fights are stopped too quickly, Yamasaki did not stop the fight well into the second round. Valentina would sink in a rear naked choke after outlanding her opponent 230 significant strikes to 3.
7 Randy Couture vs James Toney
The MMA vs boxing debate has been thrown around for some time, picking up steam with the growing popularity of mixed martial arts. It reached one of its pinnacles back in 2010 when boxing legend, James Toney would agree to step into the octagon against former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Randy Couture. Couture was 5 years Toney's senior and both men were still fairly active in their respective sports. It was an interesting matchup, but one where many fans believed Couture would get the win. Things would turn out as predicted with Randy shooting for a takedown and quickly submitting the former boxing champion. Toney did not have any answers for Couture, looking like a fish out of water as the fight made it to the ground. Toney would be outstruck 41 strikes to 4 before being submitted in the first round.
6 Jon Jones vs Shogun Rua
Jon Jones and Shogua Rua were scheduled to meet at UFC 128 after Rashad Evans was forced out of his fight with the Brazilian champion. Jones was riding a three fight win streak after his controversial loss to Matt Hamill, but, despite Vegas odds showing him as the favorite, many fans believed the title fight came too early for Bones. Vegas would prove right as Jones would batter Shogun with elbows on the ground and with his creative striking when standing. The forward pressure from Jones did not allow Shogun to capitalize on any attacks, leading to a one-sided beatdown where Jones would outland Shogun 9 to 1. Jones would throw a body punch followed by a knee in the third round that would end the Brazilian's title reign.
5 Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben
Anderson Silva made his UFC debut against Chris' The Crippler' Leben at UFC Fight Night 5. Leben was known as a durable fighter while Silva was known as a successful striker, leading fans to believe they were in for a fun fight. As fate would have it, 'The Spider' would need just forty-nine seconds to KO Leben, mixing his striking between punches, knees, and kicks to get the win. Silva proved to be too accurate for Leben, landing 17 of 20 total strikes in those forty-nine seconds. This was extremely impressive, especially in comparison to Leben who only landed one of eight attempted strikes.
4 Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Silva 1
After his loss to Junior Dos Santos at the first UFC on FOX card, Cain Velasquez began his road back to title against Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva at UFC 146. This was Silva's UFC debut and, though he was coming off a loss to Daniel Cormier, Silva had just TKO'ed Fedor Emelianenko the year prior and had an impressive MMA run of his own. What many thought would be an intriguing match up turned into a bloody, one-side victory for Velasquez who swarmed and took down the Brazilian immediately. Velasquez would batter 'Bigfoot', cutting him in the process and leaving the Octagon a bloody mess. The Mexican American fighter would earn a TKO victory just three and a half minutes into the first round, outlanding the Brazilian 53 total strikes to 3.
3 Demetrious Johnson vs Henry Cejudo 1
After going 3-0 in the UFC and 10-0 as a pro, Henry Cejudo was set to face Flyweight King Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197. Despite betting odds strongly favoring the champion, odds for Cejudo were much closer than previous title challengers, indicating fans believed the undefeated wrestler would be a tougher fight than previous title contenders. This would not be the case with DJ blasting Cejudo with knees to the body, earning a TKO finish early in the first round. DJ heavily outlanded Cejudo, stuffing the wrestler's takedown attempts in this one-sided match.
2 Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza became the Women's Strawweight Champion after her submission finish of Rose Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. Her first title defense came against undefeated contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185. Leading up to their fight, Joanna engaged in mental warfare against 'The Cookie Monster', who remained a betting favorite throughout the lead up to the fight. After continuously stuffing Esparza's takedown attempts, it was clear Joanna was the superior striker. Joanna would stuff 16 of Esparza's 17 takedown attempts while viciously punishing Esparza on the feet, earning a TKO finish in the second round. This fight was not competitive and would mark the beginning of Joanna's journey as a dominant champion.
1 Mickey Gall vs CM Punk
CM Punk's anticipated UFC debut came across UFC newcomer and twenty-four year old Mickey Gall. Fans were excited to see the WWE superstar cross over to MMA, but odds showed Gall as a sizable favorite at 4 to 1. Despite the excitement CM Punk brought to his fight, it would be short lived. The thrity-seven year old would be taken down immediately following the opening bell where Gall would dominantly control the fight. Other than a few strikes to the side of Gall's ear from the bottom, CM Punk did not have an answer for the much younger fighter's ground control. Gall would eventually getting the first-round rear-naked choke submission finish.