10 Fighters that attempted to avenge a loss in a title fight
In October of 2019, Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker to become the UFC Middleweight Champion. A lot has happened since this fight. Adesanya has gone on to defend his title 3x while Whittaker has put together a 3 fight winning streak against the top contenders at Middleweight. This winning streak has earned Whittaker an opportunity to rematch Adesanya for the title. The difference this time is that Whittaker is the one challenging instead of defending. Losing a Championship then reclaiming it against the same fighter that defeated you is no easy task. Let’s take a look back at 10 fighters that tried to do what Robert Whittaker will try to do at UFC 271.
Cain Velasquez rematches Junior dos Santos
In October of 2010, Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Velasquez was an undefeated Champion and it seemed as if he would have a long title reign. At the UFC’s inaugural show on FOX, Velasquez was slated to defend his title against rising contender Junior dos Santos. To the surprise of many, dos Santos finished Velasquez by knockout in 61 seconds. Both Velasqeuz and dos Santos competed once more before being matched up again. Velaquez brutalized Bigfoot Silva and Junior dos Santos knocked out Frank Mir in back to back fights UFC 146. The rematch went much different than the first fight as Velasquez dominated dos Santos for 25 minutes to reclaim the Heavyweight title.
Rematch successful? Yes.
Rich Franklin rematches Anderson Silva
Until this day, Anderson Silva has one of the most impressive UFC debuts in history. He oblitertated Chris Leben in 49 seconds and landed every strike he threw. This performance was so impressive that it immediately earned him a title shot against the UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. In just his second fight with the UFC, Silva finished Rich Franklin in less than 3 minutes to become the UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva went on to defend his title twice while Franklin won back to back fights against Jason MacDonald and Yushin Okami. This earned Franklin a rematch against Silva in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The rematch lasted longer than the first fight but it was more of the same. Silva dominated Franklin and finished him 67 seconds into the 2nd round.
Rematch successful? No.
Georges St. Pierre rematches Matt Serra
When Matt Serra won Season 4 of the Ultimate Fighter in 2006, he earned a title shot against the Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. Not many were giving Serra a chance, who was an 11-1 underdog. He was going up against the almighty Georges St-Pierre who was leading a new generation of martial artists. Serra shocked the combat sports world, when he finished GSP by TKO in the 1st round to become the Welterweight Champion. This was the turning point in GSP’s career, as he began to rebuild himself as a fighter. After defeating Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes for an interim title, he earned a rematch against Matt Serra at UFC 83 in his hometown of Montreal, Quebec. This was the UFC’s first event in Canada. The rematch went as many expected the first fight to go. GSP dominated Serra and finished him in the 2nd round to once again become the UFC Welterweight Champion.
Rematch successful? Yes.
Frankie Edgar rematches Ben Henderson
At UFC 144, former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson earned an opportunity to challenge Frankie Edgar for the UFC Lightweight title. Edgar was coming off back to back wars against Gray Maynard. At the time, Edgar had defeated every opponent he had ever fought. Henderson defeated Edgar in a highly competitive fight. The fight was so close that the UFC ordered an immediate rematch between the two 6 months later at UFC 150. The rematch was even closer with Ben Henderson winning a controversial split decision.
Rematch successful? No.
Stipe Miocic rematches Daniel Cormier
When Daniel Cormier finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, he made history becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles at the same time. After the fight, Miocic wasn’t interested in fighting anyone else. He wanted a rematch against Cormier for the Heavyweight title. Cormier was hoping to fight Brock Lesnar, but that fight never materialized. He instead fought Derrick Lewis and successfully defended his title. With no other clear contender available, the UFC booked a rematch between Miocic and Cormier at UFC 241. The fight started great for Cormier, but the momentum started to shift towards Miocic as the fight progressed. Miocic got his revenge by finishing Cormier in the 4th round by TKO to reclaim his Championship.
Rematch successful? Yes.
Cody Garbrandt rematches TJ Dillashaw
When Cody Garbrandt defeated Dominick Cruz to become the UFC Bantamweight Champion, he looked like he was the best fighter on the planet. After a performance like that against who many consider the greatest Bantamweight of all time, many expected Garbrandt to have a long title reign. Unfortunately for Garbrandt, his title reign was halted immediately by his former training partner TJ Dillashaw at UFC 217. This was the first loss of Garbrandt’s professional MMA career. The UFC booked an immediate rematch between the two 9 months later at UFC 227. The rematch ended quicker than the first fight, with Dillashaw finishing Garbrandt in the 1st round.
Rematch successful? No.
Chuck Liddell rematches Randy Couture
When Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture were scheduled to compete for the interim Light Heavyweight title at UFC 43, many expected the younger Chuck Liddell to dominate Couture as he had done with his previous opponents. The opposite would end up happening, as Couture became the first fighter in history to finish Chuck Liddell by TKO. Two years later, Couture was the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion while Liddell rebuilt himself as a fighter and earned a rematch at UFC 52. There was a lot on the line for Liddell. He had the opportunity to avenge his loss and finally win the Light Heavyweight title all in the same fight. Liddell finished Couture by knockout in the 1st round to become the Champion. This was the beginning of a title reign that helped propel the sport.
Rematch successful? Yes.
Renan Barao rematches TJ Dillashaw
When Renan Barao was the Bantamweight Champion, UFC President Dana White referred to him as the pound for pound best fighter in the world. Heading into his title defense at UFC 173 against TJ Dillashaw, Barao was on a 9-year undefeated streak where he won 32 consecutive fights. Not only was Barao winning fights, he dominated them. To the shock of many, Dillashaw put on a masterclass against Barao and finished him by 5th round knockout to become the Bantamweight Champion. They competed in a rematch 14 months later with Dillashaw finishing Barao again. Renan Barao was never the same after losing to TJ Dillashaw.
Rematch successful? No.
Matt Hughes rematches BJ Penn
When BJ Penn defeated Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight title in January of 2004, Hughes was one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Penn left the UFC immediately after this fight as the UFC Welterweight Champion. With the Welterweight Champion gone, the UFC booked a fight for the vacant title between Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre. Hughes defeated GSP to reclaim the title and went back to dominating the division. However, there was still a shadow that was cast over Hughes as the person that defeated him for the title was no longer in the UFC. BJ Penn eventually returned to the UFC and would once again challenge Hughes for the Welterweight title at 2.5 years after their first fight. Penn started the fight strong but Hughes took over after Penn began to fatigue. Hughes got his revenge when he finished Penn in the 3rd round by TKO.
Rematch successful? Yes.
Rose Namajunas rematches Joanna Jędrzejczyk
Heading into their fight at UFC 217, Joanna Jędrzejczyk was the best Women’s fighter in the world. She was undefeated and had 5 consecutive title defenses. It seemed as if Najamunas would be no match for Jędrzejczyk, but Najamunas quickly proved otherwise. She finished Jędrzejczyk by TKO in the 1st round to become the Strawweight Champion. Given Jędrzejczyk’s dominance in the division, the UFC ordered an immediate rematch between the two 5 months later at UFC 223. Did Rose get lucky or could she do it again? The rematch went different but the outcome was the same. Rose Namajunas defeated Joanna Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision to remain the Strawweight Champion.
Rematch successful? No.
UFC 271
Robert Whittaker will get his opportunity to avenge his loss to Israel Adesanya in a title fight at UFC 271.
Rematch successful? We’ll find out soon.
