There have been some remarkable performances in UFC championship bouts, but some fighters had to dig deep to get the job done.
Some of the greatest comebacks have come in title fights, whether from a defending champion or a title challenger who showed the heart of a champion to weather the storm and turn things around for the finish.
From strawweight up to heavyweight, here are 10 of the greatest comebacks in UFC championship fight history.
Without further ado …
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Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz – UFC 22
Sept. 24, 1999
After defending his title three times, UFC light heavyweight champion Frank Shamrock drew a young Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. It proved to be one of the toughest battles of his career, as Ortiz really took it to Shamrock from the opening bell.
Ortiz dropped him with a straight right just seconds in, and the next 15 minutes would be a nightmare for Shamrock. Ortiz landed numerous takedowns, putting heavy pressure in top position, while landing brutal ground-and-pound.
In Round 4, Ortiz started to slow down. Shamrock pushed forward with hard leg kicks, but Ortiz capitalized on Shamrock’s forward pressure, landing another takedown. With less than a minute remaining in the round, Shamrock reversed position, unloading a barrage of punches on Ortiz who ducked under for a desperation takedown.
Shamrock used a mounted guillotine to get back up, dropping big hammer fists on Ortiz, who was holding onto his leg. A couple more shots and an exhausted Ortiz was unresponsive, prompting the referee to call the fight. Shamrock never gave up, throwing everything he had in the small windows he got throughout the fight, showing incredible heart.
Up next: Hughes delivers a moment for the ages
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg – UFC 52
April 16, 2005
The first time Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg fought it was a quick first-round submission for Hughes at UFC 45, who defended his welterweight title for the fifth consecutive time.
The two faced off once again at UFC 52, but things quickly turned into a nightmare for Hughes. Just under a minute into the fight, Trigg struck Hughes below the belt in the clinch, but referee Mario Yamasaki, seemingly unaware of the illegal strike, did not stop the action.
Trigg capitalized and unleashed a barrage of strikes on Hughes, who found himself in survival mode early. Hughes looked out for a brief moment, but he continued to weather the storm. Trigg transitioned into full mount, then took Hughes’ back and sunk in a rear-naked choke.
But somehow, Hughes managed to turn out of the choke, reverse position, pick Trigg up, and slam him on the other side of the octagon.
This time, it was Hughes who took Trigg’s back and, with under a minute left in Round 1, Hughes sunk in the rear-naked choke to force the tap and retain his title.
It remains one of the most incredible turnarounds in a fight that you’ll ever see and proved that Hughes truly had the heart of a champion.
Up next: Lesnar gets pushed to his limit
Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin – UFC 116
July 3, 2010
WWE superstar Brock Lesnar stormed onto the UFC scene with just one pro fight under his belt, and it didn’t take long for him to become champion.
Lesnar took out Randy Couture in 2008 and notched his first title defense against Frank Mir, avenging the loss from his UFC debut.
He then drew Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in what was almost a huge rude awakening for Lesnar. Carwin dropped him early and was all over him in a fight that could have easily been stopped. Lesnar found himself in survival mode for the majority of the round, but he made it to Round 2.
Carwin, who had never gone past the first round, was spent having blown all his energy into trying to finish the fight. Lesnar quickly capitalized by landing the takedown early in Round 2. And, after a minute of top control, he transitioned to an arm-triangle choke, submitting Carwin to complete his second title defense in impressive come-from-behind fashion.
Up next: Silva snatches victory from the jaws of defeat
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen – UFC 117
Aug. 7, 2010
Chael Sonnen talks a big game, and he was about to back it up by shocking the world and dethroning one of the greatest fighters of all time, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
At that point, Silva had managed to dispatch of all his opponents with relative ease, and many thought Sonnen was about to be another victim, but they were wrong.
Sonnen used his wrestling to completely dominate Silva on the ground, even rocking him early. He was en route to arguably the biggest upset in UFC history until, much to his horror, with less than two minutes left in Round 5, Silva wrapped his legs around Sonnen’s neck and submitted him with a Hail Mary triangle choke.
Silva retained his title and pulled off a submission out of nowhere, the only bit of offense he was able to mount throughout the entire fight.
Up next: Never count out “The Answer”
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard – UFC 125 and UFC 136
Jan. 1, 2011 and Oct. 8, 2011
Few have heart like Frankie Edgar, and it was evident in both his rematch and trilogy fights with Gray Maynard.
Lightweight champion Edgar faced Maynard at UFC 125, this time with a title on the line. Maynard handed Edgar his first career loss in 2008, defeating him via unanimous decision.
Things would get ugly for Edgar early when he was dropped by a big Maynard left hook, which had him stumbling and rolling all over the octagon. Maynard threw the kitchen sink at Edgar, but remarkably a bloody Edgar made it out of the round.
And in Round 2, he was bopping around like nothing had happened. He even picked Maynard up and slammed him, swinging the momentum his way. Edgar continued to circle around, light on his feet, as the two went back and forth, exchanging blows and takedown attempts for the remainder of the fight.
Due to the big 10-8 first round for Maynard, the fight was ruled a draw, and Edgar retained his title in one of the biggest displays of heart that you’ll ever see in the octagon.
Edgar closed the chapter in their trilogy bout at UFC 136, where incredibly enough he was rocked not once, but twice in Round 1, finding himself in a reoccurring nightmare start. But this time, the rest of the fight would play out differently. Edgar weathered the storm and put the nail in the coffin by stopping Maynard in Round 4, leaving no doubt.
Up next: The bantamweight GOAT bounces back from his injury nightmare
Dominick Cruz vs. T.J. Dillashaw – UFC Fight Night 81
Jan. 17, 2016
It may not have featured a mid-fight turnaround, but Dominick Cruz’s win over T.J. Dillashaw capped an incredible career comeback.
Plagued with knee injuries, former UFC bantamweight champion Cruz returned from almost three years away to take out Takeya Mizugaki in just over a minute in 2014. But he would suffer yet another injury, this time tearing the ACL in his other knee.
But, 16 months later, Cruz returned to face then-UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in January 2016. Dillashaw was in near-flawless form in his two wins over Renan Barao and Joe Soto. But Cruz was back to full fitness and ready to reclaim his crown.
The two went back-and-forth for 25 minutes, but Dillashaw had a hard time landing on Cruz. The footwork and illusiveness of the former champion proved a major problem for Dillashaw, and Cruz was able to land some solid shots on the champion throughout the fight.
It was a close battle but, after five rounds, Cruz was awarded the decision to cap a remarkable comeback for a man who had fought just once in almost five years.
Through his victory, Cruz taught us all that ring rust is all in your head.
Up next: The sweetest moment for “Cupcake”
Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm – UFC 196
March 5, 2016
Miesha Tate had already fallen short once in her pursuit for UFC gold when she got perhaps the last chance of her career when she faced newly-crowned champion Holly Holm at UFC 196.
A big underdog going into the fight, Tate was down on the scorecards heading into Round 5, having been largely outstruck for the most part.
Tate knew she had to make something happen if she wanted to walk out with the title, and that’s exactly what she did. With just over two minutes left in Round 5, Tate grabbed a hold of Holm, took her back and dragged her to the mat.
As Holm tried to make her way back up, Tate latched onto her neck and squeezed for dear life. Remarkably, she put Holm to sleep as she captured the UFC bantamweight title with just a minute and a half left in the fight.
Up next: Andrade slams her way to the gold
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas – UFC 237
May 11, 2019
Jessica Andrade’s second crack at the UFC strawweight title went off to a terrible start.
She faced Rose Namajunas, who was coming off back-to-back wins over former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and had never looked better.
Namajunas put on a striking clinic in Round 1, as she showcased a massive speed advantage by unleashing combinations on Andrade, while slickly darting in and out of harm’s way.
Andrade had already attempted to pick Namajunas up and slam her, but Namajunas latched onto a Kimura, warning her of the potential dangers of that move. But Andrade went for it again in Round 2, and made it count as she picked up Namajunas and slammed her down on her neck.
The slam knocked Namajunas out, much to everyone’s shock. After being outclassed in Round 1, Andrade had used her strength to take out Namajunas and win the title in a stunning upset.
Up next: Cejudo flips the switch and gets the finish
Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes – UFC 238
June 8, 2019
At UFC 238, flyweight champion Henry Cejudo was attempting to move up in weight and join a select few fighters who have held two UFC titles simultaneously.
After T.J. Dillashaw was stripped of his bantamweight title, Cejudo faced the streaking Marlon Moraes for the vacant 135-pound title, and a place in history.
Brazil’s Moraes was on a tear, having knocked out his last three opponents in the first round, and he quickly showed why. He threw heavy kicks early, and made Cejudo pay with combinations every time the Olympic gold medallist tried to close the distance.
Moraes’ continued leg kicks eventually forced Cejudo to switch stances throughout the fight. But in Round 2, despite his leg being compromised, Cejudo started to put the pressure on Moraes, as he turned the fight into a toe-to-toe brawl.
The pressure started to wear on a visibly tired Moraes and, by the end of the second round, the momentum had swung Cejudo’s way. The flyweight champ continued to throw big knees in the clinch in Round 3 and, eventually, managed to drag Moraes to the ground and finish his man on the mat with just nine seconds left in the round.
It was the birth of “Triple C:” Olympic champ, the flyweight champ and, thanks to that win, the bantamweight champ.
Up next: Miocic rallies for revenge finish
Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 2 – UFC 241
Aug. 17, 2019
Stipe Miocic was stunned when Daniel Cormier moved up in weight to knock him out in Round 1 and take his UFC heavyweight title.
The two would run things back at UFC 241, and Cormier was able to show that it wasn’t just a lucky punch in their first fight. Two minutes into Round 1, Cormier picked Miocic up over his head and slammed him, riding top control for the rest of the round.
Miocic stood long, landing solid shots from the outside, while Cormier continued to march Miocic down, engaging in the clinch with some dirty boxing. Both men had success in the pocket, as the damage started to wear on Miocic’s face.
Both men were tired as they continued to throw at a grueling pace. But in Round 4, Miocic made a great adjustment that paid dividends. He started to rip into Cormier’s body with brutal left hooks, eventually backing him against the fence and going up top for the finishing touches. A few shots later, and Miocic reclaimed his title with a remarkable comeback finish.
