The Most Unbelievable Comeback Fights in UFC History

The comeback is one of the most exciting and memorable aspects of MMA, or mixed martial arts. As we have seen, it is not rare that a fighter is beaten up, tired, and at one point seems to be on the receiving end of the beating of his/her life only to stage a stunning upset. The UFC has delivered so many nail-biting come from behind victories, where fighters do not quit and claw their way back to victory. Such comebacks are not only physical endurance of the athletes but their mental strength and desire to win as well.

Now, it’s high time to recall several of the most extraordinary comeback fights in the UFC that showed true character, perseverance, and a desire to win rather than surrender even when everything seemed to be over.

Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry—UFC on Versus 4 (2011)

Another furious fight that can be mentioned as one of the most spectacular in UFC history was a bout of two heavyweights, Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry. Before this bout, both fighters were acknowledged for their stand-up game, and the crowd expected a good old stand-up war. But what ensued was nothing less than spectacular.

In the early part of the first round, Barry threw a good right that Kongo felt and fell down. Kongo tried to stand up, and Barry delivered another heavy punch that knocked him down for the second time. It seemed like Kongo had been knocked out, as he was almost falling on his feet with Barry continuing to pursue him.

In some way, Kongo was able to stand and continue the fighting as he was almost knocked out. At this point, Barry came rushing in for the knockout while Kongo, who was still feeling the effects of the earlier shots, threw a wild right hook that connected with the jaw of Barry. Barry went down to the canvas, and Kongo continued the pressure, and that is how he earned one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in the history of the UFC. It took only a few seconds for Kongo to go from almost being knocked out to getting a knockout of his own.

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard rematch at UFC 125 (2011)

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard have one of the most epic rivalries, and their second fight at UFC 125 will definitely go down in history as one of the most remarkable title fight comebacks. Edgar, who is the current UFC lightweight champion, had fought Maynard to a draw some time back. It would be another long drawn-out match, and this one would be remembered as a brutal battle.

Right from the start of the fight, Maynard took control of Edgar and started raining heavy punches on the champion. In the first round, Edgar was knocked down several times and was probably headed for a knockout. Edgar was badly beaten by Maynard’s unrelenting pressure, and most people expected the bout to be stopped at any given time.

In some way, Edgar was able to escape the barrage and get to the finality of the round. At some point in the fight, he was able to recover his wits and slowly started to come back into the fight. Finally, with the third and fourth rounds, Edgar was starting to stand up and engage Maynard on his ground and take him down. The previous sharp challenger slowly declined, and Edgar seized the opportunity.

When the fight was over, Edgar had made what appeared to be a sure-fire loss into a very close split-decision draw. His ability to show sheer will to get through the first round beating and then come back to win rounds in the later part of the fight is arguably the best display of heart that has ever been seen in the UFC.

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I, UFC 117 (2010)

Anderson Silva was considered by many as one of the best fighters to ever grace the Octagon, and his middleweight title run was almost ruined in what can be considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Chael Sonnen, who is not shy of speaking ill of his opponents, was to put an end to Silva’s dominance, and he lived to most of the fight at the UFC 117.

Right from the early stages of the fight, Sonnen stuck to his game plan of taking the fight to the ground and using his wrestling to control Silva. For four and a half minutes, Sonnen pummeled Silva with the ground and pound, tiring the champion and making the Brazilian look defenseless. In the last few minutes of the final round, it seemed that Sonnen was going to score one of the most sensational victories in UFC history and become the new middleweight champion.

However, in what could be described as one of the most amazing moments in the fight, Silva got dominated, but he caught a triangle armbar from the back. Sonnen, who had no way of getting out of the submission, was left with no option but to submit with a minute remaining on the clock. Silva’s miraculous comeback not only retained his title but also proved the fact that he is one of the most ‘Tough and Dangerous’ champions ever seen in the UFC.

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin, UFC 116 (2010)

There was another epic comeback of the champion in the heavyweight title fight against Shane Carwin at the UFC 116 event. Carwin, who was the undefeated knockout artist with the first round knockouts, was also very close to doing the same to Lesnar.

During the first round, Carwin landed a number of hard punches, and it was as if Lesnar was about to be finished. Lesnar was beaten badly and cut; he had no choice but to fight for himself while being held against the cage. The referee was alert to come in and break up the fight, but Lesnar by some way managed to escape the barrage and survive the round.

By the time the second round started, it was obvious that Carwin was tired having used all his energy in his attack. Lesnar was able to catch Carwin with the exhaustion and take him down, then locked an arm-triangle choke on Carwin that made Carwin tap. It was good to see Lesnar endure the first round powerful strikes and come back to finish the fight, proving why he is one of the top contenders in the UFC heavyweight division.

Matt Hughes Frank Trigg II, UFC 52 (2005)

The fight between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg during the UFC 52 is still considered one of the most memorable comebacks in the UFC. The first time they fought Hughes had submitted Trigg, but the second time around was even more dramatic.

At the start of the battle, Trigg scored an unintentional low blow that the referee failed to notice, and he capitalized on it. Trigg began to pepper Hughes with strikes and was close to submitting the fight with a rear-naked choke. Hughes was now in big, big trouble and unable to fend off the submission attempt, and it seemed that he would lose his welterweight strap.

Despite the choking and the attempts by Trigg to get out, Hughes did an incredible job of heart and determination to get Trigg off the ground and take him across the Octagon before slamming him on the ground. Hughes then got up and moved to take the back of Trigg, and the two began to strike each other until Hughes locked in a rear-naked choke and submitted Trigg with it. That is why Hughes’ victory was one of the most memorable moments in the history of the UFC: the fighter went from the verge of defeat to the winner in a matter of minutes.

It is a fight between Miesha Tate and Holly Holm, which took place at UFC 196 in 2016.

UFC 196 saw Miesha Tate challenging Holly Holm for the bantamweight title, and this fight was a classic example of the fighter’s spirit and determination not to surrender no matter what. Holm had recently sent shock waves around the world by KOing Ronda Rousey to clinch the title, and she was scheduled to defend her title for the first time against Tate.

In general, Holm was the one who was dominating the fight and was able to keep Tate at the distance with her superior striking skills. Tate had her bright moments, especially in the second round, where she took down Holm and almost made her tap, but Holm slipped and proceeded to out-strike Tate on the stand-up.

Going into the fifth round, the judges had scored the fight in favor of Shvaleyko, and the only way Tate could win the fight was by stoppage. In the last two minutes of the round, Tate was able to catch Holm and get her back during the clinch. She locked in a rear-naked choke, and even when Holm tried to submit, she would not release her grip. Holm gave her best but got knocked down and was rendered unconscious while Tate staged a remarkable comeback to win the match by submission and thus became the new UFC bantamweight champion.

Conclusion

The UFC is a sport of dramatic victories and crushing losses, but some of the most memorable moments in the sport’s history are those where the fighter simply will not quit. That is why MMA is one of the most unpredictable and interesting sports: the chance to come back when everything seemed to be lost. Some of the examples of the UFC comebacks are Cheick Kongo, Frankie Edgar, Anderson Silva, and Miesha Tate, who can prove that everything is possible in this organization. Such scenes of the fighters’ determination and endurance make the viewers remember that in the MMA, a fight is never finished until the last round is up.