From Paige VanZant to Ben Askren: 10 times highly touted UFC fighters got exposed as complete hype-jobs


From Paige VanZant to Ben Askren: 10 times highly touted UFC fighters got exposed as complete hype-jobs

Paige VanZant and Darren Till (Image Courtesy - Bloody Elbow (L) and MMA Fighting (R)

The UFC is the most successful MMA promotion on the planet – it is pretty good at its job of promoting its fighters to maximise the number of views a PPV event can get. If one needs to better understand how well the UFC’s promotional machinery does its job, one should just have a look at the buzz surrounding Khamzat Chimaev.

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That being said, every once in a while, the UFC’s expectations of a star leads to dismay – that is, the rising star being promoted does not deliver. Here we have compiled a list of 10 such stars who fizzled out before they could make any sort of lasting impression.

10. Alexander Hernandez

Alex Hernandez (Image Courtesy - Sherdog)
Alex Hernandez (Image Courtesy – Sherdog)

Alexander Hernandez was only 26 when he showed up in a big way in the UFC. Moonlighting as a real estate agent, the American was given the fight against Beneil Dariush on short notice. And, boy did he show up – within one minute, he KO’d the now-veteran lightweight.

The impressive win sent Hernandez in a tirade of trash-talk, and in the process, he melted Olivier Aubin-Mercier as well. After that, he signed up to fight Donald Cerrone, whom he called ‘aged and withered’. Cerrone showed him age equals experience, by dismantling him via TKO in the second round. Since then, Hernandez is 3-3 in the promotion.

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9. Paige VanZant

Paige VanZant (Image Courtesy - Tapology)
Paige VanZant (Image Courtesy – Tapology)

Before her modelling career took off, Paige VanZant was a bonafide fighter – she made her mark in the UFC with a stunning slew of wins. A personable nature helped as well. In her first three fights, VanZant went 3-0 in the promotion, before her progress was halted by Rose Namajunas in 2015. From there, the once exciting fighter never looked like herself again, enduring three losses and two wins, before exiting the promotion for Bare Knuckle Fighting FC. That didn’t last long, either, and now she is retired from fighting.

8. Giga Chikadze

Giga Chikadze is still one of the most exciting fighters to watch on the roster. From his entry into the promotion in 2019 to early this year, Chikadze had gone 7-0 in the featherweight division. No wonder, he looked past his opponent Calvin Kattar, and asked for a piece of the champion, Alexander Volkanovski. However, that would prove to be a fatal mistake as Kattar pieced him up for five rounds, and the fight looked close to a finish at multiple points. Now, Chikadze is taking a step back and analysing his strengths before he can go again.

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7. Gregor Gillespie

Gregor Gillespie (Image Courtesy - UFC's YouTube channel)
Gregor Gillespie (Image Courtesy – UFC’s YouTube channel)

Gregor Gillespie entered the UFC with immense hype – much of it was deserved, he was a formidable All-American wrestler. His MMA transition was equally remarkable, being a Ring of Combat Champion in very little time. The venerable American went on a five-fight long finish streak. His progress was halted by none other than Kevin Lee, who proved that Gillespie was but a hype job in the fight world, stopping him with a fearful KO in the first round.

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6. Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard (Image Courtesy - Bleacher Report)
Hector Lombard (Image Courtesy – Bleacher Report)

At one point in his MMA career, Hector Lombard had picked up twenty-five fights without defeat – a feat that can be matched only by a select few. He had all the weapons in his arsenal – he could KO and submit. He also became the first bonafide superstar of Bellator, also scoring the quickest knockout in promotional history.

With such stellar credentials, Lombard entered the UFC – only to be held to a split-decision loss against Tim Boetsch. Although Lombard would win a couple other fights, the Cuban would embark on a six-fight losing streak, before eventually being released.

5. Sage Northcutt

Sage Northcutt (Image Courtesy - MMA Junkie)
Sage Northcutt (Image Courtesy – MMA Junkie)

This should be a surprise to no one. A stellar Karate champion, Sage Northcutt became the promotion’s first-ever “golden boy” – he had everything to become the biggest star ever in the UFC’s history. He also had Dana White’s firm backing. Northcutt became the youngest fighter on the roster, and debuted on a PPV card – a fight that ended in a finish for him!

Northcutt not only was a teenage UFC star with a few knockouts under his belt, but he also became a social media sensation – he had all the recipes for success. However, in stepped Bryan Barbarena. Despite being rocked, Barbarena weathered the storm and shocked the MMA community by submitting the “golden boy”. Despite him winning four out of his next five, Northcutt was cut from the promotion due to a lack of maturity, as cited by Dana White. He then signed with ONE FC, only to get so brutally knocked out as to require seven stitches to repair a fractured skull.

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4. Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan (Image Courtesy - MMA Junkie)
Edmen Shahbazyan (Image Courtesy – MMA Junkie)

Coming from one ‘‘golden boy” to another, Edmen “Golden Boy” Shahbazyan was one of the hottest prospects in recent years to enter the UFC. In his debut at Dana White’s Contender Series, the American was able to dispatch his opponent within 40 seconds. From there, he recorded four straight wins, with three coming by way of finish. At 21, he had broken into the middleweight rankings, with a stunning win over Brad Tavares.

Unfortunately for the middleweight, his run would be broken by none other than the veteran Derek Brunson who TKO’d him in the third round. His hype train has now been decisively derailed as in the last three years, he stands at 0-3 in the promotion.

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3. Darren Till

Darren Till (Image Courtesy - The Mirror)
Darren Till (Image Courtesy – The Mirror)

Read this at your own discretion! Darren Till was and still is, to some degree, an utter fan favourite. From his mouthy exchanges to his coming out to Sweet Caroline in Liverpool, everything seemed set for the Liverpudlian to become the next British champion after Michael Bisping. With wins over Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone, it looked like Till could become the UFC’s darling.

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However, call it a question of lackadaisical motivation or an unnecessary hype job, Till’s title hopes would just not materialize. Being fast-tracked to a title shot against Tyron Woodley, the Briton looked completely like a fish out of the water as the American submitted him with ease. Then, opening as the betting favourite against a resurgent Jorge Masvidal in 2019, he got flatlined by the Miami native to stun the entire London crowd. From thereon, he is 1-2 in the UFC, his recent loss coming at the hand of Derek Brunson. Till now faces Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282.

2. Ben Askren

Ben Askren (Image Courtesy - UFC)
Ben Askren (Image Courtesy – UFC)

Traded for Demetrious Johnson by the UFC, Ben Askren was signed from ONE FC in 2019, entering the promotion as an indomitable and unbeaten wrestler. His strategy of trading shots at Dana White paid off – the promoter didn’t personally like Askren, but couldn’t deny his credentials. And, he showed that with a (questionable) submission win over Robbie Lawler.

However, his next fight against Jorge Masvidal proved to the world that competition in the UFC is absolutely cut-throat. It didn’t long for Masvidal to get the job done – he sparked Askren out cold in five seconds to mint the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. After that, Askren lost to Demian Maia as well. Since, he has retired from the sport and even fought Jake Paul in boxing.

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1. Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker (Image Courtesy - MMa Mania)
Johnny Walker (Image Courtesy – MMA Mania)

Johnny Walker was considered a freak of nature when he entered the UFC – before fighting in the largest MMA promotion, the Brazilian had been able to flatline just about everybody laid in his path, whether they be a light heavyweight or a heavyweight.

However, as is said in the fight business, ‘there are levels to this.’ The fighter, who was once labelled the most obvious candidate to succeed Jon Jones at the helm of the lightweight division, has gone 5-4 in the promotion, with notable losses against Ryan Spann and Jamahal Hill, where his KO became instant meme fodder.

Those were our picks of the top 10 hype jobs being derailed in the UFC. Although the UFC keeps changing track as to how to promote its fighters, every once in a while, it stumbles in this pursuit. That being said, it will be interesting to monitor the careers of rising phenoms like Khamzat Chimaev and Bo Nickal, who are complete juggernauts and have considerable backing behind them.

Also Read- Backstage footage emerges of Israel Adesanya looking unfazed despite losing his title at UFC 281

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