Since the beginning of MMA, there have been specialists. Mixed martial artists that tend to have a certain fighting style that they're a fan of, or just the style that works best for them inside of the octagon. As time has gone on, specialists have mostly gone away, but all fighters still have their own unique style of competiting.For the most part, fighters will stick with that style for the entirety of their careers. However, that isn't always the case. There have been a few fighters throughout UFC history that have changed their fighting style, to varying success inside of the cage.
10 Got Worse: Diego Sanchez
It's hard to believe nowadays, but before he was a wild swinger, Diego Sanchez was a grappler. He wasn't even just any grappler, he was one of the best North American grapplers on the planet when he came into the UFC, and for the better part of his early run.
However, over time, Sanchez completely abandoned his grappling base to become a brawler. While Sanchez put on amazing bouts with his new stand-up style, he seemingly shut the book on his UFC title hopes while doing so. "The Nightmare" also took tremendous damage in the latter half of his career thanks to the switch.
9 Got Better: Henry Cejudo
Before he was "Triple C," Henry Cejudo was a standard wrestler with little stand-up technique. Cejudo relied on his wrestling base for the beginning of his UFC career, but he hit a wall called Demetrious Johnson and realized that he needed more than just wrestling.
Cejudo began using a more karate-based stand-up style. Showcasing this style against Wilson Reis in his next fight, Cejudo's improved stand-up led him to become a dual-weight champion. He retired as one of the greatest fighters ever.
8 Got Worse: Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier's UFC career saw him utilize wrestling and dirty-boxing to become one of the greatest fighters on the planet. "DC" rode that success in the wrestling department to becoming a two-weight UFC Champion, but unfortunately for Cormier, a lifetime on the mats comes at a price.
For the final years of Cormier's career, he became almost entirely a striker. Cormier even noted at various times that due to his back injuries, he could attempt only maybe one takedown a fight, which was seen in his fights against Stipe Miocic.
7 Got Better: Dan Henderson
Whereas Daniel Comier was a wrestler who began to strike to failure, Dan Henderson was a wrestler whose striking saved his career. Dan Henderson was known by fight fans as "Decision Dan." Henderson was a wrestler whose striking wasn't terrible, but even when doing so, never had any aggression or want to get fights done.
It wasn't until near the end of his PRIDE run that Henderson shed that label in spades. Henderson must have noticed that he had a heavy right hand, as he began using it and racking up knockouts. He ended his career mostly known as a striker, and that's a testament to his ability to evolve.
6 Got Worse: Frank Mir
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Frank Mir entered the UFC as a submission ace, and along the way, built a reputation as being one of the greatest grapplers in the UFC. While his hands were never bad, he slowly moved away from his grappling style to become more of a striker.
Mir had a lot of injuries, which could have led to his style change. However his change to becoming a stand-up fighter led to many losses near the end of his run. Mir has recently been dabbling in boxing over the past year, and lost both his bouts inside the ring as well.
5 Got Better: Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje was about as wild as a fighter could get in his early UFC run. Gaethje threw everything from spinning back fists to rolling thunder kicks, and while he had success to begin his career, he quickly ran into issues against the top competition, losing to Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez.
Following the loss to Poirier, Gaethje went back to the drawing board with coach Trevor Whittman. Gaethje has since become a more patient fighter, working on measuring his attacks and having become an interim UFC Champion in the process. Gaethje becoming a more patient striker is one of the best style changes a fighter has done.
4 Got Worse: Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor was one of the best strikers on the planet at the beginning of his UFC run. The karate-based stance allowed for a variety of kicks which widened his arsenal and led to him becoming a two-weight UFC Champion.
However following his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, "The Notorious" began using a boxing stance. As seen in his losses to Dustin Poirier, McGregor became suscieptable to leg kicks, which led to losses in his career. McGregor becoming boxing-focused was even noted by The Irishman himself as his downfall in his UFC 257 loss to Poirier.
3 Got Better: Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman spent the better part of his UFC run being a wall-and-stall wrestler who struggled with even the most basic of striking techniques. While Usman always had power, it wasn't until he met up with coach Trevor Whittman that his fortune began to change.
Usman's striking improved drastically. Instead of wrestling, Usman used his stature to keep the fight on its feet instead of taking the fight down. Along the way, he began scoring insane knockouts, including wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.
2 Got Worse: Ronda Rousey
Likely the most notable style failure was done by former UFC Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. Rousey was a dominate Judoka whose submission abilities led to her becoming champion and the biggest star of the sport.
However, Rousey eventually fell into her own hype. After scoring a couple of knockouts, Rousey tried using her somewhat-basic striking against the likes of Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. She got knocked out both times, and retired from the sport as a result.
1 Got Better: Georges St-Pierre
It's easy to forget, but Georges St-Pierre was originally a striker entering the UFC. He entered the promotion as a karate-based fighter whose striking was off the charts. However, St-Pierre quickly fell in love with wrestling, and used that wrestling skill to build a legacy.
St-Pierre was able to fall back on his striking in his fights against Josh Koscheck and other wrestlers, but his style change. Being able to be elite in both stand-up and on the ground is something fans won't see for some time.