The final four is set … no, not that one. But at least one with a bracket we can follow, which is better than nothing in this currently crazy world.
The UFC is giving us a little tournament flavor, in the wake of the cancelation of just about every sports event going – including the NCAA Tournament, which means no office pool to get your hopes up for this year.
The promotion, through UFC Fight Pass, set up a 16-fight bracket for the best comebacks in MMA history. If you’re a Fight Pass subscriber, you can head there and watch all the fights. Then you can vote for each round in polls at the UFC Fight Pass official Twitter feed.
The initial round of 16 featured nine UFC bouts, three from PRIDE, two from Strikeforce, one from Invicta FC and one from Cage Warriors. The first round wrapped up Friday – and there was just one upset. The round of eight is complete, and we’ve hit the final four – with the two top seeds, one mild underdog, and one big Cinderella story.
No. 11 seed Darren Elkins’ win over Mirsad Bektic topped No. 6 seed Scodtt Smith’s win over Pete Sell in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, Elkins was a surprise winner over No. 3 seed Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s PRIDE win over Bob Sapp to get to the semifinals.
Elkins-Bektic now is matched up against No. 2 seed Cheick Kongo’s win over Pat Barry. On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Anderson Silva’s fifth-round submission of Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 takes on No. 5 seed Frankie Edgar’s win over Gray Maynard in their trilogy fight.
Check out the current bracket with the semifinals set above. Then check in with the UFC Fight Pass Twitter account for the latest polls in the final four Sunday, followed by the final Monday. The polls are out each day starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Take a look at the four finalists inside:
No. 11 Darren Elkins vs. Mirsad Bektic
When: UFC 209 | March 4, 2017
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Result: Darren Elkins def. Mirsad Bektic via TKO (punch, high kick) – Round 3, 3:19
The aftermath: Elkins’ win over Bektic was his fourth straight and was his second true knockout in the UFC. (His promotional debut was an injury TKO over Duane Ludwig in 2010.) It also was Elkins’ first “Performance of the Night” bonus. He won two more in a row after that for a six-fight winning streak. But against Alexander Volkanovski in July 2018, he dropped a unanimous decision and had his run halted. He lost two Ricardo Lamas and Ryan Hall after that and is mired in the first losing skid of his career. Volkanovski went on to become UFC featherweight champion.
No. 5 Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3
When: UFC 136 | Oct. 8, 2011
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
Result: Frankie Edgar def. Gray Maynard via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 3:54
The aftermath: Edgar defended the lightweight title with his “Knockout of the Night” win over Maynard. The fight was a rematch from earlier in the year at UFC 125 that resulted in a split draw in Edgar’s first second title defense. In his next outing, though, Edgar lost the belt to Benson Henderson at UFC 244 in Japan. He dropped a rematch later in 2012, then dropped to featherweight and lost a title fight to Jose Aldo for three straight setbacks. After a fight-fight winning streak, he lost an interim featherweight title fight to Aldo. He currently is on a two-fight slide that started with a title-fight loss to Max Holloway in July 2019.
No. 2 Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry
When: UFC on Versus 4 | June 26, 2011
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh
Result: Cheick Kongo def. Pat Barry via knockout (puch) – Round 1, 2:39
The aftermath: The Kongo-Barry fight was moved to the main event after Nate Marquardt was not medically cleared to fight Rick Story. And despite early troubles of all kinds, Kongo hit his Hail Mary. Barry dropped Kongo twice in the first half of the first round with big right hands. But somehow, he managed to get back to his feet and put Barry away with a two-punch combination that became most analysts’ “Comeback of the Year” for 2011. Barry alternated wins and losses in the UFC over the next couple years, then signed with Bellator. There, he went 12-2 and finally got a title shot against dual champion Ryan Bader this past September. But when Bader landed an accidental eye poke, Kongo was unable to continue and the fight ended in a no contest. The loss for Barry started a 2-5 run to end his career; he retired in 2013.
No. 1 Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
When: UFC 117 | Aug. 7, 2010
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.
Result: Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 5, 3:10
The aftermath: Silva was dominated for the first four rounds against Sonnen, but caught him with stellar ground work late in the fifth. Had Sonnen survived the final frame, he would’ve been the UFC’s new middleweight champion. Instead, Silva got his 13th straight win. After that, he won title fights with Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami and a rematch with Sonnen in which he put him away with a second-round TKO. After a non-title win over Stephan Bonnar, Silva’s career took a decided downturn. He lost the belt to Chris Weidman with a shocking knockout in July 2013. Later that year, he suffered one of MMA’s all-time worst injuries when he snapped his leg in a rematch with Weidman. Silva tested positive for banned substances after a win over Nick Diaz in 2015 and has dropped four of five since returning from a subsequent suspension – putting the onetime pound-for-pound king on a 1-6 slide over nearly seven years.
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